Great Comic Artists
Barry Windsor-Smith
British artist Barry Windsor-Smith is often overlooked despite his immense talent. The main reason is he never stuck around long enough on one title to be noticed. Nevertheless, there are plenty of fans who recognized his skills.
Windsor-Smith is mostly known for his early 1970s run on Marvel's Conan The Barbarian title. He's also the writer and artist on the 12-chapter "Weapon X" storyline in 1990s Marvel Comics Presents, which redefined Wolverine's origins. In 2021, he released a 366-page graphic novel for Fantagraphics titled Monsters.
Joe Kubert
Early Golden Age artists weren't known for their real-life portrayal of the human form. It took the talents of people like Joe Kubert to make them work harder. That's because he made his characters seem more life-like.
It began in the 1940s with stories that revolved around that era's Vigilante and the Justice Society of America. The character he worked with the most was the Golden Age Hawkman. He'd continue to work the Silver Age version of the hero. This is also the era where he began illustrating the adventures of Sgt. Rock and Easy Company in the pages of Our Army at War.
Gil Kane
Al Williamson
Al Williamson is a relative newcomer on this list. He began his comic book career in 1951, on the cusp of the Silver Age. He stuck to westerns and war stories at the start, then received recognition for his art in the EC horror anthologies Eerie and Creepy.
However, what fans really know Williamson for is his comic strip portrayal of the first Star Wars trilogy. Particularly the retelling of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. He would delve into the superhero world starting in the 1980s with work on Superman, Daredevil, and Marvel's New Universe titles.
Alex Toth
Stanley Artgerm Lau
Born and bred in Hong Kong, the multifaceted Stanley wears different hats as an illustrator, designer, concept artist, creative director and co-founder of Imaginary Friends Studios — a world acclaimed digital art studio that produces high quality artworks for the likes of Capcom, DC Comics, Square Enix and other giants in the entertainment and gaming industry. Formally trained in graphic design and advertising, Stanley's art is imbued with a strong sense of aesthetics and visual fluidity. It is a perfect blend of eastern and western art styles. Better known by his handle Artgerm, Stanley's art continues to infect and inspire new generations of artists and his ever-growing fan base around the world. Recently, Stanley was contracted by Capcom to provide new character artwork for the upcoming releases of Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition.
John Romita Jr
John Romita Jr was born on 17 August 1956 in New York City. He is the son of John Romita Sr who is widely renowned for his co-creation in two Spider-Man stories during the '60s and '70s. Working with writer Roger Stern, Romita Jr co-created the character Hobgoblin and he drew an issue in which Spider-Man would encounter the Juggernaut. More recently, he's become known for his work with writer Mark Millar on Kick Ass, a comic that spawned the mega-hit movie and a sequel.
Did you know?
John Romita Jr was nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry award in 1989 for his work on Daredevil.
He drew Marvel's Wolverine with author Mark Millar as part of the character's 30th-anniversary celebration.
Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland was born in Butterwick, Lincolnshire, UK on 26 March 1951. Although American comics didn't actually appear in the UK until 1959, he was quick to fall in love. Bolland studied a degree in Graphic Design and Art History before finding his first job in 1972 on a Nigerian comic called 'POWERMAN'. After starting out illustrating fanzines, Oz magazine and the then-underground London listings magazine Time Out, he landed a job in 1977 designing 2000AD and Judge Dredd. Soon Bolland became part of the 'British invasion' era, in which American comic creators snapped up British designers.
Did you know?
Brian Bolland gained his first award as 'Best Newcomer' by the Society of Strip in 1977.
He went on to collect a total of three Eisner awards and three Harvey awards... phew!
He has recently been working on the DC Comic 'Dial H for Hero'.
Will Eisner
Will Eisner was born in Brooklyn in 1917 and sadly passed away on 3 January 2005. He's widely renowned as one of the comic world's most important and beloved contributors, and often hailed 'The Father of the Graphic Novel'. The term 'graphic novel' was coined in the '60s, but only used as a marketing category for the first time for Eisner's A Contract with God in 1978. His comic design career started out as a cartoonist for the New York American Newspaper. Eisner was then snapped up by Wow, What A Magazine! in 1935, where he wrote and drew comic strips. His most famous work, however, is The Spirit which was first published in 1940 and went on to become a live action movie in 2008.
Yet it is his work To The Heart Of The Storm, an autobiographical account of American life in the '30s and '40s, which best displays his prowess. The storm in the title is Word War Two, and Eisner is portrayed travelling as a drafted soldier at the beginning and end of the book. The train windows he gazes through frame his memories of childhood and adolescence and the history of his struggling Jewish immigrant family.
Did you know?
Will Eisner also taught cartooning at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Many of today's top designers were actually students of his.
The Eisner Awards were established in 1988 and are presented each year at Comic-Con in San Diego.
Jim Steranko
Jim Steranko was born on 5 November 1938 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. His interest in art started early, and as a teenager he collected cans and bottles to raise money for supplies. His first comic work was for Harvey Comics, and then a chance meeting with Stan Lee gave him that all-important first role at Marvel. Steranko went on to create his own publishing house, SuperGraphics, in 1969. Currently, he is working with Radical Publishing, designing characters for their comics and toys.
Steranko genuinely revolutionised the art of graphic storytelling. His brief three-issue stint on Captain America gave the grand old superhero a pop-art makeover, but it is Steranko's iconic cover of Giant Size Hulk, shown above, which he is most famous for.
The image has been parodied and paid homage to countless times, and remains one of the greatest comic book covers of all time. With his own publishing company SuperGraphics, Steranko was able to appraise the industry in the remarkable two-volume History of Comics, a must read for any graphic artist.
Did you know?
Steranko was commissioned to produce original illustrations for pre-production of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' which heavily influenced the overall look and feel of the movie.
He was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2006.
His only major work for DC Comics appear
Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka was born in the town of Takarazuka in Osaka, Japan on 3 November 1928 and sadly passed away on 9 February 1989. He is often hailed the Walt Disney of Japan. His most notable character, 'Astro Boy', first appeared in 1951 as 'Captain Astro'. Between 1952 and 1968, Astro Boy appeared regularly in the Shonen manga, published by Kobunsha. The character is still very much loved in Japan: Astro Boy even became an honorary citizen of a town in Saitama where Tezuka had a studio.
This Japanese legend has a style all of his own and counted Disney and Kubrick amongst his fervent fans. Dubbed 'the father of anime' and 'the god of Manga', he was light years ahead of the competition. He was the inventor of the 'big eyes' style of Japanese animation as well as Kimba The White Lion, a clear influence on The Lion King. His work deftly flits across genres, elements of sci-fi, mysticism, horror and history. You name it, Tezuka did it first and best.
Did you know?
Astro Boy was the first animated series to appear on Japanese television, first appearing on Fuji Television in 1963.
At his time of death, Osamu Tezuka had drawn over 50,000 pages of manga and had created over 60 animations.
Tezuka published the magazine Com as a forum for young writers. He created the classic series The Phoenix for the magazine.
Shannon Maer
Shannon has an interesting background that is worth speaking to as he’s had his hands in a lot of different cookie jars. This includes games, books, and casino slots! I will always be partial to him as well as we share the same birthday October 30th, otherwise known as Devils night in the Halloween circles. Anyone else share this date of birth? If so us Scorpios stick together! Alright, so let’s take a look at his beginning comic covers, his amazing art, and the business he is a part of as well.
Well that about wraps up this artists spotlight. Shannon has a unique talent that is only going to continue to flourish in all aspects of his creativity. One of the greatest compliments you can give is the fact you know when you are looking at one of his creations, down to the cool signature! He has a bright future ahead, give him a shout out on one of his videos like the one seen below. We are lucky to have this talent!
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby is often cited as the King of Comics, an honor that is well deserved. As a self-taught creator, his imagination is often unprecedented. He either created or co-created many classic characters, especially at Marvel and DC.
Throughout his decades-long run, Jack Kirby influenced future generations of artists and readers thanks to his impressive use of power. His energy and movement, combined with his amazing storytelling, continues to be legendary even in the 21st century.
Neal Adams Ushered In The Bronze Age Of Comics
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Carl Barks Is The Artistic Father Of Scrooge McDuck
Best known for his work in Disney comic books, Carl Barks is the quintessential artist when it comes to Donald Duck's family. His most important contribution is Scrooge McDuck.
Although his style looks unquestionably Disney, Barks' contributions to stories and overall storytelling are something amazing. He influenced future comics, films, and the naming of an asteroid.
Wally Wood
Comic artist Wally Wood became one of the most versatile creators in the industry. His works within the science fiction world were nothing short of masterful. He took this skill into the world of superheroes during the Silver Age.
Always meticulous with any form of detail, Wood is known for his use of black and white tones. These made truly atmospheric and powerful images come to life.
Frank frazetta
Although his comics career is relatively short, Frank Frazetta's towering presence and staggering technique beg his inclusion. After Jack Davis, Frazetta is probably comics' best known graduate to the mainstream, and the one who compares most favorably with the great strip artists and illustrators of the past. After a few years mastering the pen and ink medium, Frank left comicbooks behind, shifted gears to painting and...well, the rest is history. His legacy leaves us to wonder what might have been had he applied himself to a career telling stories with lots of little pictures instead of one big one.
Nathan Szerdy
Marvellous combination of charactersn
Boris Vallejo
Born in Lima, Peru, Boris attended the National School of Fine Arts in his native country before immigrating to the United States in 1964. He has since done a great volume of work for the Fantasy field, having worked for virtually every major publishing house with a science fiction/fantasy line. Boris has also illustrated for album covers, video box art and motion picture advertising. His mastery of oil painting is immediately and abundantly clear to anyone who looks at his work, and his classic sense is as much an homage to the old masters as it is to anyone contemporaneously working in the Fantasy genre. For sheer dauntless bravura, few have ever pushed the limits as does Boris with his beautiful maidens and fearsome monsters. Boris and Julie married in 1994 and share their lives and their studio in Pennsylvania
JIM LEE
Jim Lee is arguably the most popular American comic book artist of the past 30 years. He's also the head of arguably the largest superhero comic book publisher in the world as the chief creative officer/publisher at DC. In his 30+ years in the business, he's created A-list characters for DC, Marvel, as well as his own creator-owned heroes over at WildStorm.
Warren Louw
- Warren Louw is a freelance illustrator and character designer from South Africa. His style is influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures, and he is most recognized for his renditions of beautiful women. Warren’s art has appeared in publications, advertisements, and websites around the globe.
