The countdown begins now!!!
Here are the first ten artists that you voted as your favorites of all-time. Click here to see the first ten writers on the countdown. Click here to see a master list of all artists listed so far!
Through a slight mistake on my part, I accidentally had an extra artist on the list. My apologies for the confusion.
51. Gabriel Ba - 212 points (2 first place votes)
Brazilian artist Gabriel Ba really got everyone's attention when he co-created the acclaimed Image series Casanova with writer Matt Fraction.
Ba's brother, Fabio Moon, took over from Ba after the first story arc.
Ba then co-created the series Umbrella Academy with writer Gerard Way...
That's two-for-two in terms of acclaimed, award-winning series by Ba!
More recently, Ba and his brother wrote and drew their own mini-series for Vertigo called Daytripper...
Here is a sample page by Ba...
50. Jaime Hernandez - 213 (3 first place votes)
In 1982, Jaime Hernandez co-created the anthology series Love and Rockets, along with his brothers Gilbert and Mario.
Jaime's stories followed the adventures of a group of women as they both had wacky misadventures around the world but also had very down-to-Earth problems back in the States. His most famous creations are the two main leads of these stories, Hopey and Maggie.
Jaime has been working on Love and Rockets (and Hopey and Maggie) for nearly 30 years now.
Just recently, Love and Rockets re-debuted as an extra-sized annual.
Here's a sample page by Jaime....
Voter Travis gave his reasons for voting for Jaime:
Xaime synthesizes the Archie style with other great cartoonists, and creates his own wonderful worlds. Who can read his stuff and not fall in love with Maggie and Hopey? Always beautiful to look at.
Voter Mario gave his reasons for voting for Jaime:
I admit, i’ve only just recently read my first Love and Rockets comics and what struck me the most was Gilbert’s storytelling and Jaime’s art. I dare you to find anyone else in the world who can draw such beautiful characters (i’ll admit, i’m talking mostly his women) without treating them as objects. He doesn’t draw idealized versions of women, he doesn’t draw women drawings, he draws actual women. He’s even able to evoke their personality with their body language! Look at the cover of The Education of Hopey Glass to see what I mean.
49. Sean Phillips - 222 (1 first place votes)
Sean Phillips got his work for DC over 20 years ago, before DC even HAD a Vertigo line of comics!
When the Vertigo line DID debut, Sean was right there on the front lines, drawing one of the new launches that coincided with the line becoming known as Vertigo, Kid Eternity.
He followed that up with a long stint on Hellblazer...
Next, he did an acclaimed run on Wildcats with writer Joe Casey.
Phillips followed up THAT accliamed collaboration with another one, as he began working on Sleeper, with writer Ed Brubaker.
Phillips and Brubaker would soon create two new titles together.
First, though, Phillips drew the smash-hit mini-series Marvel Zombies, along with writer Robert Kirkman...
Back with Brubaker, Phillips co-created two creator-owned titles with Brubaker for Marvel's ICON imprint.
Criminal...
and Incognito...
He and Brubaker trade off arcs on the different titles. I should mention that Phillips' work has gotten even BETTER since he began working with colorist Val Staples, who has really added a lot of great texture to Phillips' already outstanding artwork.
Here's a sample page by Phillips...
48. Francis Manapul - 230 (8 first place votes)
Francis Manapul broke on to the scene with an extended run on Top Cow's Witchblade...
Soon after his long run ended around Witchblade #75, Manapul moved on to DC Comics, where he worked on the Legion of Superheroes with writer Jim Shooter...
He has been at DC ever since, and the evolution and maturation of his art has been nothing less than stunning.
First with his run on Adventure Comics with writer Geoff Johns...
and now on to the new Flash series, also with Johns...
Manapul's artwork has always been dynamic, but as he's gotten older he's become a much more accomplished storyteller. It's great to see an artist progress.
Here's a sample page...
47. David Finch - 242 points
David Finch was still a very young man when he was given the honor of taking over as the artist on Top Cow's then-flagship title, Cyberforce.
Finch stayed with Top Cow for the rest of the 1990s, creating a few series for them, including Ascension...
and Aphrodite IX...
Throughout it all, he continued to work inker Matt "Batt" Banning.
Eventually, Finch left Top Cow and came to Marvel, where he was put right to work on a high-profile assignment, Ultimate X-Men.
The writer was Mark Millar at first and then Brian Michael Bendis.
Bendis and Finch then launched New Avengers, which quickly became Marvel's #1 selling book.
After a short stint on Moon Knight...
Finch's last major assignment with Marvel was Ultimatum, written by Jeph Loeb. This major event drastically altered the Ultimate Universe forever!
Besides a few projects here and there (including X-Men: Second Coming #1), Finch was finished at Marvel, instead moving over to DC Comics, where he has done some Batman interior work...
leading up to his brand-new ongoing series written AND penciled by Finch (who is now working with inker Scott Williams)!
Here is a sample page by Finch...
46. Doug Mahnke - 249 points (5 first place votes)
Doug Mahnke got his start at Dark Horse Comics, working on a number of projects, especially Mask-related stuff (as the madcap style of Mask stories really suited Mahnke's offbeat brand of art).
After a number of years at Dark Horse, Mahnke eventually made his way to DC Comics, working with his Mask-collaborator, John Arcudi, on a new series at DC, Major Disaster...
While the series got good notices, it did not sell a lot. However, Mahnke's art was so loved by DC that they have not let him leave in the thirteen years since Major Bummer came out!
First he was given the regular penciling gig on Superman: The Man of Steel (the first new regular penciler after original artist Jon Bogdanove)....
and that led to an even HIGHER profile gig, when he and writer Joe Kelly took over JLA!
After their JLA run ended, Doug next found himself as the regular artist on Batman...
Over the next few years, Doug drew too many DC projects for me to note here, although I will spotlight Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein, as it must have been great to have been hand chosen by Peter Tomasi and Grant Morrison to be one of the Seven Soldiers artist.
More recently, Doug has been doing dynamite work as the regular artist on Green Lantern, with writer Geoff Johns...
Here's s sample page by Mahnke...
45. Mike Deodato - 251 points (5 first place votes)
Brazilian artist Mike Deodato first came to the attention of US audiences when he inked Tom Derenick's pencils on Malibu's The Protectors in the early 1990s...
Soon, Deodato would take the comic world by storm as a penciler. First, with a popular run on Wonder Woman, where he helped introduce a new Wonder Woman with writer William Messner-Loebs...
then a stint on the Avengers...
as well as an acclaimed (if short) run on Thor with writer Warren Ellis.
At one point in the mid-90s, Deodato was working on upwards of four comics a month!
By the end of the decade, though, his profile had lessened a bit. He had a run on Elektra for Marvel, but at the turn of the 21st Century he was not doing a whole lot in mainstream comics.
This changed early in the new century when Deodato debuted a new art style...
Soon Deodato was right back into the thick of things. First with a run on Incredible Hulk during Bruce Jones' tenure on the book and then, most notably, a run on Amazing Spider-Man with writer J. Michael Straczynski!
After some high profile temporary jobs (like a stint on New Avengers), Deodato reunited with Warren Ellis to work on Thunderbolts.
That led into Dark Avengers with Brian Michael Bendis...
which, in turn, led to his current project, Secret Avengers with Ed Brubaker...
Here is a sample page by Deodato...
44. Steve Dillon - 253 points (2 first place votes)
Steve Dillon made his comic debut in 1991 with a run on Animal Man for DC Comics...
I kid, England, I kid!! I just wanted to see if your heads would explode.
In actuality, by the time Dillon came over to the States, he was an accomplished comic book creator of over a decade's worth of British comics, from the late 1970s and early 1980s at Marvel UK, to Warrior...
to a long run at 2000 A.D. on a number of different projects.
Eventually, though, he DID come to work for DC Comics. First on Animal Man and next, in a major turning point in his career, on Hellblazer. It was here that he first began to work with writer Garth Ennis...
After their Hellblazer run ended, Ennis and Dillon created one of the biggest Vertigo hits of the 1990s, Preacher...
After Preacher ended, the pair took their talents to Marvel for a popular and acclaimed Punisher mini-series...
Dillon worked on the follow-up ongoing series, but eventually he moved on to work on other projects.
He worked with Daniel Way on a couple of Bullseye mini-series...
which likely led to him working with Way on the very high profile Wolverine: Origins series for a few years.
After a quick reunion with Ennis for a Punisher mini-series, Dillon began working on a NEW Punisher series, this time with writer Jason Aaron.
While that book is on a bit of a hiatus, he is working on a Ultimate Comics: Avengers series with writer Mark Millar.
Here is sample page by Dillon...
43. Paul Pope - 255 points (3 first place votes)
Paul Pope really began to make a name for himself in the world of indie comics in the early 1990s, especially with his series THB...
He worked at Dark Horse on some slightly higher profile stuff...
but it was likely his work in the late 1990s for DC that really got his name on the map, as he followed up a quick one-off Batman Chronicles issue (how amazing is that cover?)...
with a Vertigo mini-series, Heavy Liquid...
that followed with another Vertigo mini-series, 100%...
He worked on a number of various projects over the next few years, including a one-off issue of Spider-Man's Tangled Web...
In a two-year span from 2005 and 2006, Pope returned to DC for two of his most popular works, the award-winning one-shot Solo...
and the amazing Batman mini-series, Batman Year 100...
Most recently, Pope did a brilliant Adam Strange series in Wednesday Comics...
Here is a sample page by Pope...
42. Ryan Ottley - 261 points (7 first place votes)
Ottley took over on Invincible after issue #7, when the book's original artist, Cory Walker, left the title.
Years later, Ottley is STILL the artist on the book (which is written by Robert Kirkman), having carved out a remarkable run on the book!
Recently, Ottley also helped launch a new Image series, Haunt, co-written by Kirkman and Todd McFarlane, with Greg Capullo finishing Ottley's breakdowns...
Here is a sample page by Ottley...
40. Mike Allred – 262 points (2 first place votes)
Here's a sample page by Allred...
That's the list for today!
Come back tomorrow for the next five artists on the countdown!
As a general note, do not use the comments here to bash creators. It seems that a lot of posters need to tone their rhetoric down about 150 notches. If you think a creator is too high or too low, feel free to say it, but just keep it civil. -BC