Comic books and graphic fiction are a highly collaborative medium, filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of iconic, long-lasting partnerships of writers and artists who have worked together to bring the world some of the most beloved characters, titles, and runs of all time. It is no surprise that these prolific partnerships often bring about some of the most enduring creations in comic book history, as with all great teams, the familiarity of each other's strengths (and weaknesses) can frequently bring out the best in all creatives.
From the dawn of the comic book industry at the beginning of the 20th century, there have been numerous partnerships that have not only survived the test of time in terms of reader appreciation but have also withstood the hardships, pitfalls, and struggles that often crop up during any joint, creative endeavor - but at the end of the day, have only helped to make these stories and characters eternal and everlasting.
10 Chris Claremont and John Byrne
Beginning with Uncanny X-Men #108, and running for a whopping 33 issues over four years between 1977-1981, Chris Claremont and John Byrne's partnership on X-Men during this period was not only long-lasting but also helped to define the title forevermore.
Introducing several iconic storylines; such as The Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past, and introducing some of the most beloved characters the series has ever known, such as Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde, the shockwaves made during this time can still be felt upon the landscape of all X-Books to this day.
9 Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard Had A Great Relationship For The Walking Dead
Charlie Adlard joined Robert Kirkman's hugely successful title The Walking Dead as the main artist on issue #7, and stayed on for the entire rest of its decade's-spanning run for the next 15 years, penciling a massive 187 mainline issues (as well as several specials and one-shots).
Despite not being the original artist on the title, it is hard to picture The Walking Dead without the pencils of Charlie Adlard, whose artwork has become as iconic as the genre-defining, edge-of-your-seat writing by Robert Kirkman and has no doubt only added to the title's massive success and well-deserved status as one of the greatest comic book series of all time.
8 Gaylord DuBois and Jesse Marsh
Spanning an incredible nineteen-year partnership with writer Gaylord DuBois, Jesse Marsh would cover art duties for Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics Tarzan titles from 1947 until 1965 when ill health would force him to step down.
One of the longest-running partnerships in comics, Gaylord DuBois would also continue writing for Tarzan comics way up until 1971 - but it is for his work with Marsh that he is most well known for today. These original Tarzan comics were so successful and well known during their time that they helped to reintroduce Edgar Rice Burroughs's iconic jungle-dwelling character to a whole new generation of fans, and are no doubt at least partly responsible for his continuing, everlasting presence within the public zeitgeist to this day.
7 Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale Have Worked On Almost Everything Together
A rarity within the comic book industry, especially when it comes to long-standing partnerships, is the continued pairing of both writer and artist over multiple titles, characters, and indeed, companies. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale have worked together on multiple highly critically acclaimed titles together for over 30 years now, across many different projects, and are still going strong today.
From early beginnings on DC's Challengers of the Unknown, their monumental, smash-hit, Batman: The Long Halloween, and their run of fan-loved Marvel limited series's Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, Hulk: Gray, and Captain America: White; these two creatives show no sign of slowing down. With the upcoming title Batman: The Long Halloween Special, the duo is promising to keep readers engrossed with a whole new chapter of not only their ongoing series of Batman titles but also of their now decades-long partnership.
6 Marv Wolfman and George Pérez Helped Start The New Teen Titans
The creative team behind such titles as The New Teen Titans and the historic Crisis on Infinite Earths; this writer/artist duo are responsible for some of the most game-changing comic books of the 1980s and beyond. Creating and defining characters such as Nightwing, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven, as well as the first major, continuity-altering event of the DC universe, their influence can still be felt on the landscape of comic book media to this day.
A partnership still going strong over 40 years later, they are a fan favorite duo whose characters have proved again and again to have withstood the test of time. While both creators have more than proved themselves as being able to work alone (Pérez's tenure writing Wonder Woman in the 1980s is iconic, as is the vast majority of Wolfman's non-Pérez work), fans will always be excited to see what the two will come up with next whenever they announce a new collaboration.
5 Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley Started On Ultimate Spider-Man
Running for over 111 issues during a period of 11 years; this duo's first collaboration was the groundbreaking Ultimate Spider-Man (which in turn led to the creation of the Ultimate universe at Marvel). A controversial move at the time, reshaping the Marvel universe into their image was no easy task, but thanks to the brilliant combination of Bendis's sharp writing, and Bagley's eye-popping art, they quickly won fans over.
While the end of the Ultimate imprint at Marvel also marked the end of this long-running title, the two have continued to work together intermittently over subsequent years, with many fans with fond memories of Ultimate Spider-Man hoping for a return to their old stomping grounds somewhere down the line.
4 Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro Expanded The Donald Duck Universe
One of the all-time longest partnerships in comic books, Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro worked together on the daily Disney Donald Duck comic strip for a massive 31 years; from 1938 until Al died in 1969 - whereafter Karp continued to write the strip for a further 5 years.
Together, the pair helped to introduce and expand upon what would come to be known as the "Donald Duck universe," where they would help to define characters such as Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Daisy Duck, Gus Goose, and Scrooge McDuck further after their original appearances in the Disney shorts, and in doing so, cemented their place in the canon of pop-culture history.
3 John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra Were A Constant on 2000AD
Without a doubt, the most prolific and important duo in British comic book history; Wagner and Ezquerra's work for 2000AD and Starlord birthed not just one, but two all-time titans of British comics - Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog (Johnny Alpha) - as well as countless other supporting cast-members within these titles.
Working together from 1977 until Ezquerra's unfortunate passing in 2018, the pair were a constant within the pages of 2000AD for over 40 years; and their work will be remembered forevermore as absolutely defining what we come think of today when discussing British comic books.
2 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Worked On Many Different Series
Responsible for creating some of the most well known, beloved, and iconic titles in all of comic books; Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought the world The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, The Avengers, and The Fantastic Four among many, many others at Marvel throughout the 1960s - until their partnership dissolved in the early 1970s, and Kirby moved over to DC Comics.
Despite the relatively short period of their partnership, the duo's sheer body of work together more than makes up for it, with them working on hundreds of issues together over various titles, and creating a host of characters that are at the forefront of pop culture to this very day.
1 Dave Sim and Gerhard on Cerebus
Joining creator Dave Sim on issue #65 of his colossal, 300-issue long, independent comic book Cerebus; Gerhard would stay on the title for over 235 issues over a period of 20 years and helped to define one of the all-time great commentaries, parodies, and love-letters to the comic book industry ever published.
Gerhard's artwork perfectly complemented the timeless writing of Dave Sim and helped to boost the title into the pantheon of classic independent titles, where it shall forever reign supreme as a testament to the punk-rock, DIY ethos that it represented and unflinchingly never wavered from.