My Top Artists 1.1

My Top Artists

First Installment

A Companion Article to My Top Writers

Tim Sale

                    Why he made the list-

The unconventional nature of his art makes it interesting, and reminds ms of older styles of drawing. No one I've seen has been able to craft a better presence for characters on the page. When Batman interrogates a thug, he seems to be crouching over them in a style very reminiscent of Dracula. His Hulk also exerts a powerful presence on the page. Sale makes the list because his jagged, uneven art is so out of the ordinary, but still very familiar. It may take you a while to warm up to him, but his art is unlike any other, and definitely has its place in comics.

Essential Reading-

Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman: Dark Victory

Hulk: Gray

Spider-Man: Blue

Daredevil: Yellow

Ed McGuinness

Why he made the list-

I grew up watching over-the-top anime shows like Dragonball Z, and loved the whole muscled out way they looked when they powered up. I always remember frail Master Roshi powering up and turning into a huge beast of pure muscle. If you know what I mean when I say "over nine thousand", go check out something by McGuinness. He draws any and everyone on steroids, and while it may look a little out of place on his cameo of Batman Beyond, it looks amazing on the Hulk, Cable, Solomon Grundy, and several other characters. He also knows how to draw a great fight scene, and a great knockout shot. I could keep going but I won't. For more, check out the titles below.

Essential Reading

Batman/Superman: Public Enemies

Red Hulk/Green Hulk

World War Hulks

John Romita Jr.

Why he made the list-

Son of renowned artist John Romita Sr, JRJR has made a name for himself at Marvel Comics with a uniquely retro art style. My first exposure to Romita Jr was in Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Strazcynski, and admittedly, I wasn't big on his style at first. It grows on you though, and now, theres really no one I'd rater see drawing Hulk. His style lends itself to battle damage, so expect some awesome shots of heroes and villains looking really beat up.

Essential Reading-

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1

Incredible Hulk: Past Perfect

World War Hulk

Avengers

Mike Mignola

Why he made the list-

Not a huge mainstream writer, Mignola has done a lot of work on Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. That being said, Mignola made my list for two main reasons. Remember the awesome red eyed, deep voiced Mr. Freeze from Batman The Animated Series? Well, Mike Mignola designed that look. This made him part of a very significant step in Batman history, because before Mr. Freeze was rebooted in the animated series, he was actually dead in the comics. After his tragic rebooted origin story, however, he became very popular and was even brought back to life in mainstream


comics.

My second reason for adding him to the list is for his work on DC Comics first official Elseworlds title, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight. If you like his art, check out his cover art by googling Mike Mignola Covers.

Essential Reading-

Gotham By Gaslight

Its not really reading but if you're

not familiar with Batman the

Animated Series, do yourself

a favor and go check it out.

Ivan Reis

Why he made the list-

Reis has drawn a lot of great stories side by side with writer Geoff Johns and his art has become one of the mainstays of DC comics. He definitely has a distinctive style, but without all of his characters looking the same. He's great at drawing dynamic poses, and huge battle scenes, and he's good at conveying subtle emotion in his characters. He's very diverse and his style lends itself to a variety of different characters. Also, I'd like to point out that as much as I love flashy costume redesigns, I also like how some artists respect the old look of costumes. Reis is one of these artists, and he does a great job at it.

Essential Reading-

Green Lantern: Secret Origin

Green Lantern: Rage of the Red

Lanterns

Blackest Night
Aquaman Vol. 1 The Trench

(Various artists worked on the following, among them was Reis)

Brightest Day
Green Lantern Sinestro Corps War