When reading comic books, the art is really quite important for me. I think the order of importance goes something like:
- Dialogue (if it's painfully bad to me, like a lot of old comics, I will probably not enjoy the comic at all)
- Art
- Story/plotting
Although 2 and 3 are very close you can see how much I value art in comics and that is why I get really excited when I see particularly stellar art in a book. It makes me very eager to read on.
So I will share some of my favourite artists in comics books today!
Alex Ross
Alex Ross is an obvious choice and is clearly one of the most skilled artists working in comics today. Ross paints his art which differentiates him from most other artists. As a result, his art is beautiful, realistic and it also takes a very long time to make, which is why he mostly sticks to covers. However when he does do interiors it is brilliant!
Notable works by Alex Ross include Justice, Marvels and Immortal Hulk (Covers)
Gabriele Dell'Otto
Another painter, Gabriele Dell'Otto's art has a bit of a darker tone than Alex Ross but I love it just as much. Dell'Otto also sticks mainly to coverwork but has done a few interiors as well.
Notable works by Gabriele Dell'Otto include Secret War and Spider-Man: Family Business
Clayton Crain
Instead of painting, Clayton Crain uses the digital medium to its fullest potential to deliver beautifully detailed pieces. Crain has quite a small body of work and mostly draws for short limited series and some covers. Despite this, he has drawn some of my favourite pages.
Notable works by Clayton Crain include Ghost Rider: Road to Damnation, Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears and Carnage
Alex Maleev
Alex Maleev's art is much simpler than the previous artists here and is very dark. Maleev's best work is for street-level heroes like Daredevil and Moon Knight
Notable works by Alex Maleev include Daredevil and Moon Knight
Mike Wieringo (RIP)
Unlike the other artists on this list Mike Wieringo's art is cartoony and playful, but still fairly realistic. It is perfect for lighter comics like Fantastic Four. His art style is so clean and very pleasant to look at.
Notable works by Mike Wieringo include Fantastic Four and Tellos
Thanks for reading! What are your favourite comic book artists!