Favorite Artists per Character/Team Title
Favorite Artists per character title
Batman - Neal Adams
Neal Adams could easily be considered the best artist for multiple characters, as Batman can also have many defining and fantastic artists. However, Neal Adams's Run on Batman in the 70's particular with Dennis O'Neill defined the tone and visuals of not only Batman in comics at large for years to come. Character innovations: Ra's Al Ghul, Talia Al Ghul
Nightwing - Scott McDaniel
Scott McDaniel and Chuck Dixon's 40 issue Nightwing run is my absolute favorite run of all time. The teens numbers of that run, from Batman's cameo up until the Monkey Fist crossover were fantastic: Nightwings car, Man-Bat, Blockbuster. Scott McDaniel is an acquired taste with a thicker line style and odd layouts, but his time lapse art was perfect for Nightwings acrobatics, dust/snow/fire extinguisher exaggerate the reaction action of the surrounding environments and characters. The bats that follow Nightwing and Batman are in almost all Batman drawings since. Notable collaborators; Karl Story, Roberta Tewes, John Costanza
Hulk - Mike Deodato Jr.
This picture is somewhat of a cheat since it is actually from a Wolverine title, but Deodato did handle the Hulk title. This page in particular struck me with more awe than any scene in a comic before or since. Comparing Deodato's early art to what he produces now shows a level of artistic growth few artists achieve, and his improvements continue. His early art in the Wonder Woman run was one of my favorites of that character, but the stuff he continues to put out has detail, lighting and dynamic layout are beyond anything else currently produced.
Superman - John Byrne
John Byrne has re-defined the look and worlds of many stories and characters; Fantastic Four, XMen, Wonder Woman. None have left the impression on me that his Superman has. He understood what few creators in Superman comics realize; Superman is about Lois, Jimmy, Luthor, Lana, the Kents, Perry, etc. His Clark Kent is as visually interesting as his Metallo.
Notable character designs: Lex Luthor, Jor El and Krypton, The Kents
Spiderman - Mark Bagley (both classic and Ultimate)
Mark Bagley's Spiderman is THE Spiderman artist for me. His art from cards and comics in the 90's were some of the must fun I had with the character. His Ultimate Spiderman run with Bendis is one of my favorite serials in comics. The covers, at the time, defined the character while simultaneously incorporating elements from the Raimi Spiderman movies. I go back and forth on character redesigns outside of Spiderman, with notable exceptions like the Rhino and Electro, but his Amazing Spiderman drawings of Carnage and Black Cat more than make up for the Ultimate Green Goblin.
X-men
Original Team - Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby is the noted King of comics. His art, characters and world designs are beyond what anyone had done up to that time, and arguably since. All that said, I can't say I have a truly developed appreciation for his work. I haven't examined or studied it like most of these listed, but his renditions of the original team are not only my favorite work of his, but also my favorite drawings of the original characters, especially Beast.
Classic - Art Adams
Another cheat in that Adams mostly did cover work, and this drawing is likely a promotional piece, Art Adams' drawings of the All New, All Different Xmen are fantastic! There were several great artists to work with these characters, like Dave Cockrum and John Byrne, but Art Adams had a wow factor with intricate line detail and dynamic group shots. His Xmen pictures are still some of the most recognizable images of the most popular team in comics.
Blue and Gold Teams - Jim Lee and Andy Kubert
I had to include both artists for this team. Jim Lee set a comic standard with his short lived Xmen run, a standard he himself has yet to reach. Though Lee's Batman run is one of the best of that character/title, he will forever be defined by this Xmen series. His team with Alex Sinclair and Scott Williams changed comic book art for everyone in the industry, and continue to deliver.
After that phenomenal run, Andy Kubert somehow managed to continue the excellence, creating some of the best comic art on the most popular title of the 90's. His covers and character art capture some of the most defining moments in comics, from Magneto ripping out Wolverine's Adamantium to Cyclops and Jean Grey's wedding. He was able to create amazing character and team renditions without sacrificing action or story telling.
Together team - Joe Maduriera
Joe Mad is one of the most fun artists to tackle the Xmen. I had to use his black and white page just to keep the title text off for full appreciation of his work. His art was dynamic, and completely unique, but somehow fits perfectly into the Xmen work of Andy Kubert. Love or hate the bone claws, his savage Wolverine is aptly described. His Age of Apocalypse run is unparalleled and the Gambit Trial in XMen 350 depicted below is one of my favorite single comics of all time.
Ultimate X-Men - David Finch
There are so many characters Finch draws amazingly well. His Daredevil is my absolute favorite version of the character, his Spiderwoman is fantastic. You cannot go wrong with the art from his Dark Knight run. While Adam Kubert did a great job with the early Ultimate Xmen run, Finch took it to a whole new level and a list of the best title artists has to include him.
Fantastic Four - Salvador Larocca
Larocca has had beautiful runs on several comics; Xtreme Xmen, Iron Man. Fantastic Four has had some of the best artists in the industry's history; Kirby, Byrne, Bagley, McNiven. My favorite stage of the title was the run Larocca had on FF though. His Dr. Doom alone is worth all the marbles, and as much as I love Byrne's FF SheHulk, this title is some of the most dramatic work in the history of the title, that is not only fitting but beautifully rendered.
Wonder Woman - Brian Bolland
George Perez's Wonder Woman is hard to beat, and the covers and artists immediately preceding him are some of my favorite for the character, but Brian Bolland's crisp style brings so much character to the most famous woman in comics. Her curly black hair and realistic, but powerful build, as well as the background elements of his covers scream Greek warrior and Amazonian power, while holding a realistic, grounded approach to the character.
Teen Titans
Original - George Perez
It didn't take long to get to Perez. While his event art and Wonder Woman run are top notch, I always think of him and the Teen Titans together. His ability to jam pack detail, characters and action into a single page are second to none, and perfect for this title.
Titans - Joe Benitez
This is a personal insert, as I feel the "Titans" title held so much potential. It was such a transition team that DC could have used to safely retire the continuity of it's major characters and truly create a new, fresh era of comics. It would have solved many continuity problems they currently face, as well as incorporated a diversity and young, yet adult aspect that DC is constantly striving toward. Joe Benitez has a very unique art style, and his work on the first several issues of this under appreciated title is as exciting as it is saddening. If DC took this direction, he could easily have held the visual reigns to a new future for their titles and would have done so dynamically.
New Teen Titans - Brett Booth
Brett Booth's style is one of my growing favorites. He has a lovely line style, reminiscent of the late great Michael Turner. As much potential as his Nightwing showed, his run on the New 52 Teen Titans was one of the most fun series of work occurring with DC's revamp. His ongoing character designs at DC with Kenneth Roccafurt will hopefully not end soon. His Teen Titans run admirably demonstrates his ability to not only render characters beautifully, but create fantastic re-designs for numerous characters.
Flash - Michael Turner
Michael Turner was one of, if not the most talented comic book artist of all time. While Flash has had many amazing artists, the most impressive pictures of him were a series of covers by Michael Turner. His lean proportion drawing and thin, fluid line structure were perfect for a sprinting speed demon in constant motion.
Robin - Tom Grummet
One of the under appreciated titles and characters is that of the Tim Drake Robin. It seems appropriate that the same could be said for Tom Grummet. His sporadic run on the early issues of the Robin title defined the look of the character almost as well as the McDaniel Nightwing and to me, the Drake Robin will always look like the Grummet version. He gave him the freakin' yellow hang glider!
Avengers/Ultimates - Bryan Hitch
I had to include multiple images to best illustrate Bryan Hitch's defining take on the now incredibly popular team. While he is amazing at team shots, his visual redefining of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe is my second favorite title volume in comics (right behind the Jim Lee giant size Batman: Hush). Without Hitch's Ultimates, the cinematic Avengers would look nothing like they do today, and as cool as they are, his versions are better. Also, he gave us the first look at Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Punisher - Tim Bradstreet
I read once that Bradstreet's Punisher looked like every VHS action movie hero cover from the 80's and 90's and that is exactly what it should be. It is impossible to pick a favorite image of his version of Punisher, because they are all amazingly perfect. THIS is what Punisher looks like, and with Bradstreet's art, I'm pretty sure he's a real person out there somewhere.
JLA - Ed Benes
It was tough not to go with Alex Ross on this one, but I feel his Kingdom Come is more of a unique take on the entire DC universe and not the JLA specifically. Benes' JLA run is one of my favorite versions of several characters. His Batman is my favorite rendition of the character, and his Superman and Wonder Woman are near the top. But the true value of his work is that he can make B and C string Leaguers look as impressive as the major characters. His Stewart GL, HawkWoman, Vixen, Red Tornado, Arsenal, Black Canaray are characters I would never fully care about until appreciating his versions in one of my favorite comic stories, The Red Tornado.
Daredevil - David Muzzacchelli
Joe Quesada and Frank Miller/Klaus Jensen deserve a mention here, but the Muzzacchelli DD run is my favorite. Most famous for Batman: Year One, Muzzacchelli achieves what made that title so good again with his Daredevil. It feels real, and his Kingpin, Bullseye and even extreme, but lifelike characters all seem oddly believable thanks in large part to his environmental and character realism. Also, he adds very strong composition, which only adds to the visual storytelling.
Captain America - Steve McNiven
McNiven's Ultimate universe work is what original drew me to him and continues to amaze me, but his Captain America is one of the best versions of that character. He has the clean style of Brian Bolland and the Detail of Jim Lee, the realism of Neal Adams or Gary Frank, the proportions of John Byrne or Alex Ross. If there is any criticism of McNiven, it's that his characters look too realistic to be comics, but that's a matter of preference. His Guardian's of the Galaxy work will be wonderfully timed.
Thor - Walt Simonson
I never really read much Thor, and I have maybe one title to my name. From the skimming I have done, Simonson's version of that world is the one I'm most familiar and appreciative of.
Iron Man - Adi Granov
While mostly covers, Granov gave a fantastic redesign of Iron Man that translated perfectly to the big screen. His armor design served largely as the inspiration for the film and he worked as a concept artist for those cinema classics. Translating Iron Man's armor into something that looks good on both paper and film is no small thing, and Granov pulled it off amazingly.
Green Lantern - Darryl Banks
This is kind of a dark horse, but Banks' Green Lantern run is my favorite. I am a big fan of the Rayner character, and I always felt Banks' version looked the best. When Jordan returned, Banks showed he was able to hold both the classic and modernized versions of the characters together cohesively and both were stars of a fantastic run.
Wolverine - Mark Silvestri
It was hard not to cheat and use several iconic Xmen covers of his and one of my personal favorites (the Wolvie Brood Xmen cover), but Silvestri deserves a spot in the best artists list. He defined the modern visual look of the character, and brought more action and detail than anyone could ask for in a comic book title. He's right up there with not only the best artists from the Wolverine and Xteam titles, but the best in the industry; Jim Lee, Neal Adams, Art Adams, the Kuberts, Turner and Finch. He has, I'm sure, inspired many of them as well.
To be added later:
Additional titles beyond Marvel and DC and more of them (MacFarlene's Spawn, Dorman's Star Wars, Duresma's Star Wars, Artgerm's Batgirl, Reis's Aquaman, Ultimate Fantastic Four, etc.)
Favorite Artists that don't have a defining book title: Tim Sale, Mark Brooks
