List three: Favourite Comic Artists!

Well, I threatened it earlier and despite not wanting this to be a comics only blog (I count two or three of my posts as being about art not comics per se, even though it is comic art--make any sense?), here's another post about comics. So, listed in alphabetical order is my list of favourite, FAVOURITE artists (bubbling under are other favourite artists like Art Adams, Frank Cho, Alan Davis, Tony Harris, JG Jones, Greg Land, Mike Mignola, Jerry Ordway, Alex Ross, Eric Shanower and Mike Wieringo--Tellos loses him points big time).

1. John Cassaday. I think I first saw his art on Desperadoes and have been following him ever since. He's slow but is one of the best visual storytellers around at the moment and helps make Planetary and Astonishing X-Men live up to their great scripts. FUN FACT: I have a Cassaday Elijah Snow sketch!

2. Colleen Doran. I loved her work when I first saw it in X-factor #55 (IIRC) but subsequent issues I bought for her work were butchered by the inker. Dave got me back into her stuff when he introduced me to A Distant Soil and I fell in love again with her clean crisp work. Her blog is also great reading and is one of the best sources of comic industry business info available. FUN FACT: Colleen Doran drew a head sketch of Liana in my ADS trade at the last UKCAC!

3. Adam Hughes. Ah, you see, Rol, he's number three! See what I did there, I went against expectations, I'm a rebel me! Yeah, I loved Hughes' work when I first saw it in Justice League and when I was close to quitting comics in the mid-90s when they went all rubbish, seeking out Hughes back issues was what kept me interested so thank/blame him accordingly. As a result, I got into the weird habit of buying anything just because he worked on it but gave up this practice a few years ago after wading through some interminable garbage just for a cover or pinup he may have done. Still, his upcoming All Star Wonder Woman (which he is writing, drawing and colouring) will be SO great to read! FUN FACT: No, I don't have any Hughes art but was credited as a source of info in the Comic Book Artist issue devoted to him!

4. Kevin Maguire. The first Justice League artist and still one who can get me to pick up most things he draws. Best expression artist in the industry!

5. Kevin Nowlan. Another artist who never produces enough but provides gold when he does, Nowlan is one of my top fave artists. FUN FACT: Kevin signed a buch of issues and drew a cool Dr Strange headshot for me!

6. Steve Rude. I don't know when I first began picking up Rude's stuff but I've always liked it, even the Kirby style stuff. I've been getting back into his work alot lately and feel that his style may lead me to some interesting artitic experiments of my own. FUN FACT: No original Rude art in my collection--although I do have some signed commission books and prints!

7. P Craig Russell. Another artist who I discovered as an adult but can't recall where, Russell's art is mesmerising to me, beautifully realistic and graphic at the same time. The recent Art of PCR is the next book waiting for me to read.

8. Chris Sprouse. Another artist of the clean line variety, what Sprouse can produce without the benfit of heavy rendering is stunning. See his New Men issues for some look at pencilled pages but his Tom Strong issues for his range as an artist.

9. Dave Stevens. Good god, can Stevens draw. No more to be said. FUN FACT: I have a signed copy of Rocketeer Adventure Magazine!

10. Adam Warren. I don't usually like manga and like Amerimanga even less but Warren sideswiped me when I read his three-issue run on Gen 13 Bootleg. His sense of humour has alot to do with his appeal but his art is also great, an unsung artist who deserves more exposure.

11. JH Williams III. Only his art could make me wade faithfully through Promethea each issue. Williams has yet to have a real breakout hit, which is a shame as he's one of comics' best current illustrators.

12. Technically two artists, Al Williamson and Wally Wood's work for EC's sci-fi stories are just great to look at. Both produced fine work elsewhere (Williamson on Flash Gordon, Wood on The Spirit) but for me are intertwined (since rediscovering the EC issues at Brum con last year) as comics' greatest SF artists.

FUN FACT: The end!