[bminor]

 
To start off this subject, I have to many to begin, but, if I had to pick one. I would have to say.

It is Mr. Kurtzberg, also known and Mr. Kirby.

As one artist in the field of comic books once said, and I am sad to say I can not remember exactly who said it, "Without Jack, there would not be a history of comics to write about", I think it was Jim Steranko who said that. Perhaps someone else can check on that for me.
Jack was a guy whose career spanned the entire range of the medium, from the beginning to the early 90's. When Jack passed away it was on the national news, a guy who was just trying to pay the bills and support his famiily by drawing comics. He was a good artist and a provider for his family.
I saw a video on YouTube a few weeks ago, a interview with a Mark Evanier, who as a very young man was a assistant to Jack. He described how Jack drew a page of art. I will paraphrase what Mike said, "He took the blank sheet of paper and started drawing at the upper left corner and proceeded down to the lower right corner, no sketching, and no erasing. It just flowed out of his pencil onto the paper."

I find that to be simply amazing. What a talent. What a gift he has given to us all over the years he produced his work. One of my fondest memories I have has as a young man was when I wrote to Jack and begged him for a sketch of Kamandi the last boy on earth. I even enclosed a self addressed stamped envelope. Well, I didn't get a drawing but he did send a a lined note card with the message,

"To my pal Brian,
Jack Kirby"

What a gift to a fourteen year old boy.

Yep, Jack has to be my favorite artist.

[DOC]

I love Kirby too, but I really love Lou Fine. Those stories and his covers were really great, though some Schomburg covers are great too.

[OtherEric]

Jack will always be the King; I cannot argue or even fundamentally disagree with anybody who picks him.

My choice:  Sheldon Mayer.  His comic book work is often sweet without being cloying, frequently extremely personal in a way almost never seen back then, and almost always laugh-out-loud funny.  I never had the chance to meet him or even write to him, sadly.

Luckily, I have been able to afford at least one piece of art by him; a preliminary sketch for a Sugar & Spike splash page.  It has Spike in all his glory and is signed; I'm VERY happy to have it.  It's a connection with one of several creators I admire but never got to meet in person.

[misappear]

Wayne Boring for me.  His iconic Superman artwork was strong and moody at the same time.  I look at it today and it still defines the 1950's in my mind.  Many, many others may be technically better, but this is my guy.

--Dave

[Yoc]

Hmm, I hate to put one before another.  Off the top of my head and in no particular order or era -
Walt Kelly, Meskin, Sheldon Mayer, Fletcher Hanks, Fuji, Ingels, Michael Golden, Ploog, Williamson, Chu, Adams and I'm leaving out many more.

[darkmark]

After a few minutes' consideration, I had to drop the one name that really said it all for me:

Wally Wood.


'Nuff said.

[narfstar]

I have to agree with Yoc about it being to hard to prioritize. I have several artists that I like a lot and some not so much and it varies with the moment sometimes. Sometimes a certain feature of an artist will turn me off. Their layouts and work may be super. Ploog is one of Yoc's choices that I never liked his mouths. They distracted so that I could not appreciate the rest of his work. I tend not to appreciate the simplicity artists like Toth. I have to take the time to look at their work with an eye for ability to convey a story. I guess I am lazy and do not like having to put in the effort. Jesse Marsh falls in that category. It can sometimes be hard to look at a Marsh Tarzan after a Manning (who would be on my fav list). But one story had Tarzan sneaking around some rocks and I "felt it" so I thought about it and was better able to appreciate Marsh's ability to convey a story. I would not put Marsh in my favorite list because it takes effort, but at least I can appreciate his work. I also like some detail artists like Sterenko but also will like those I consider the crisp, clean artists like Murphy Anderson and Rich Buckler. Then I have to look at style and really love Fuje and especially his Hangman. Then if you like Hanks take a look at someone like Paul Gattaso with his interesting fun style. I would not consider either to be great artists like Fuje but consider them fun to read.

[OtherEric]

Wally Wood.

Oh, Wood is definitely on the list if I start picking more than one- in the top 5 at worst, possibly the top 3.  The problem, such as it is, is that Wood was such an insanely inconsistent artist.  When he was at the top of his game, which he often was, there was nobody better. Period.  But he also was capable of hacking out a lot of inferior work that pulls him slightly down; "Wood" is not enough to tell you the story is worth the effort.

But the man who drew "There Will Come Soft Rains" will always have a place high on my list of favorites, no matter how off some of his lesser work was.

[John C]

I tend to have a different spin on things, maybe because I primarily read the books for the stories.  So, if the art isn't helping to tell the story, I see it as an impediment, even if it's beautiful.  That's one of the reasons I dislike modern comics--the art has nothing to do with the story, let alone help tell it, and when it's related, it's staged and static.  For an unpopular example, look at any work by Alex Ross and tell me how the character is moving.  You can't tell, because there are no cues.  Ross's Superman, then, just looks like he's dangling in the air.

I give Eisner credit for giving it a really good try, but he catches the action at just the wrong moment (see the Fox Wonderman story for an example--look especially the boss with his elbow on the desk).  Centaur's Lew Glanz on the Shark strip isn't consistent, but when he's good it's really good work.

I REALLY like the work on Tops Comics by Florence Magarian.  When the target of a punch goes partially slack and the arm using a swingline doesn't look comfortable (both from the Jack of Spades story), it's the sign of a really good artist, in my eyes.

[rez]

Favorite? Who can say?
Just wanted to add Barry Smith as among the notables. Recalling his work on the cover of the 15cent comic Conan 1 and thinking it didn't do anything to me

and then catching a glimpse of how different an artist can be seeing his work shown on the cover of the 1973 Kingsize Special where Conan's glaring at you while standing in a pool of water. Thing haunted me until I had to chase down a copy at a show just to have it.

And don't leave out Craig Russell. Man, loved his stuff in the Killraven series.

Cheers

[narfstar]

Alex Ross is a cover artist and should do what he does best. I too read primarily for story but am not as observant or critical as jcolag. I would suggest to jcolag that you get some Jesse Marsh Tarzan because with minimal art he tells the story.

[Henry Peters]

no votes for jack cole yet?

[narfstar]

He goes without saying including your vote with mine and others

[LOHAD]

Good thread, and a list that's impossible to prioritize; it's like asking, "What's your favorite album?" The answer changes on any given day.

That said, my top 10 (in no particular order)

---Jack Kirby (there's a classic two-page Forever People spread that has stuck in my mind's eye since I first saw it; Evanier's new book is must-reading)
---Jim Steranko (his work on Nick Fury just blew me away; way to blow a pre-teen's mind wide-open, Jim)
---Barry Smith (watching his style develop over just about two years of Conan was fantastic; to this day, I have his massive print of Pandora framed on my office wall)
---Gene Colon (what he did with shading; I love his work on Daredevil)
---Steve Ditko (I've never quite been able to put my finger on it, but something about his style really engages me; his Dr. Strange and Mr. A work more than Spidey)
---Will Eisner (just wonderful, whether in Central City or on Dropsie Avenue)
---Neal Adams (I really dug his work on Green Lantern/Green Arrow and X-Men)
---Harvey Kurtzman (the EC war comics in particular)
---Frank Frazetta (I'm hesitant to include him, given his relatively limited volume of comics work, but Thun'da and some of his cover work and those EC stories are just so damn good)
---Basil Wolverton (adding his name in here is like including some weird novelty song in your Top 10 Songs of All Time list, but just try to not be fascinated by his stuff!)

I'm tempted to try and kick someone off the list and stick Jim Starlin in there somewhere, but I just can't do it (sorry, Jim) ... John Romita Jr.'s work on The Eternals is some of the most striking stuff I've seen in a long time ... Todd McFarlane is brilliant ... and as long as we're talking artists: Why does Gil Kane always have to look up everyone's nose? 

As a relative newbie to the site, I'm looking forward to exploring many of the great Golden Age artists in more depth; Starlin may have some company in my "bubbling under the top 10" list a year from now.

Cheers, all!

[JonTheScanner]

and as long as we're talking artists: Why does Gil Kane always have to look up everyone's nose? 

That's so art spotters can recognize his work, obviously.

[LOHAD]

and as long as we're talking artists: Why does Gil Kane always have to look up everyone's nose? 

That's so art spotters can recognize his work, obviously.

and here I thought it was some odd nasal fetish 

[paw broon]

As someone said, this is so difficult, and probably depends on my mood and what I've read recently.  So, in no particular order and, this week:- Lou Fine, Jack Cole, Alex Toth, Magnus (on early Kriminal,as I've just read a couple), Ray Moore (I know it's a newspaper strip but, indulge me, please), Pieter J Kuhn ( the guy who did Kapitein Rob) and, confession time, I love Dick Sprang and Charles Paris on Worlds Finest.  Gosh, I feel better for saying that. Also, a mention of  P.A.M. on Thunderbolt.
I love Toth heroes and stuff like B for Bravo for their sheer excitement and Magnus 'cos he he can do mood and violence and glamour and the stories have you rooting for a real villain.
If you're not familiar with Kuhn, search for Kapitein Rob and on the website you'll find examples of his art.  Kapitein Rob is a textstrip as opposed to a balloonstrip.

[paw broon]

I'm replying to myself but I meant Bravo For Adventure, not B for Bravo.  Hope I didn't mislead anyone.
Narfstar, I agree about Alex Ross.  It's a bit like Simon Bisley, a good poster or cover artist and you're so right about Jesse Marsh.  The first I was aware of his work was on John Carter of Mars and then a pal showed me some excellent examples of his ability to lead the reader from one panel to the next with so much ease you didn't realise it.  His figures etc. might not be the best but he can move you, lead you. smoothly and seamlessly through the comic.
Can I add to my list?  Bill Lacey, on Blackshirt, and Alex Raymond on Rip Kirby.  How good are they?

[bchat]

I find it hard to reply with only one "favorite artist", so here's a list without rhyme and probably for no good reason:

Alex Ross, George Perez, Michael Golden, Mike Mignola (if he's not drawing superheroes), Erik Larsen, Walt Simonson, Art Adams, Tarpe Mills,
Willie Peppers - Throwing him in because I liked what he did on The Protectors and thought he had a lot of potential, yet nobody wants to give the guy any work.
John Cleary & Robert E Brown - similar but different artists, I've enjoyed what little work of theirs I've seen.
John Bucsema & Tom Palmer - as a team on The Avengers, I can't think of anyone who did better work except Perez.
Fletcher Hanks - I used to think his work was terrible, but the more of it I've seen, the more I've liked it.  Shame he did stay in comics longer than he did.
Joseph Michael Linsner - he draws some pretty nice-looking women.

I'ld love to be the kind of guy who rattled-off the big names and say "I loved their work" but I just can't.  Tuska, Ditko, Colan, either of the Romitas and any of the Kuberts, Fine, Cole, Everett, Burgos, Barry Windsor-Smith ... it's not that I don't like their work, I'm just not overly thrilled with it and usually there is something they do artistically that I'm not a fan of.  It also depends on what they've done, too.  I mean, if they don't work on a character or title I care about, then they don't really get a chance to impress me.

There!  It only took me like four days to settle on an answer.

[oxbladder]

Some of my favorites:

Jesus Saiz
Javier Pina
Renato Guedes (tied #1 right now)
Drew Johnson (Tied #1)
Alex Ross (But I have to admit he doesn't really stand out as much now since his work is much more common)
Jack Kirby
Wally Wood
Neil Adams
Nick Stakal
Mike Allred
Eric Nguyen
Jim Fern
John Severin
John Buscema
Ray Snyder (inker)

and so on.

[Henry Peters]

to carry this thread in a slightly different direction, how fanatical is your devotion to your favorite artist?  would any of you go so far as to say....name your son or daughter after them?

[phabox]

Now THERE'S a loaded question  !

-Nigel

[narfstar]

I have a 27 year old son that Clark and Kent were names I considered before WE went with Adam Jacob. Adam for no particular reason and Jacob after his grandfather.

[Lanfeust]

Let's see... Here is the list of my favourite comics artists - limited to US comics - and something

Frank Miller (Sin City series) - black & white maestria, nuff said. Wouldn't buy anything by him though - I'm not fond of Ronin, for example. But his works are inspiring to me.
Olivier Coipel (Thor) - a mix between traditional comic-book art and European influences. He's doing better and better - he is a minor but growing influence of mine.
Mike Mignola (Hellboy) - a style far from mainstream comics, well-balanced use of black and colours, anything he draws is fine by me and his art is a major inspiration for me.
Humberto Ramos (Out There, Crimson) - dynamic and can draw everything. He is much better when he is not hired on high-selling mainstream titles - although he did well on Mike Carey's X-Men. Could buy quite everything on his name, and - guess what? He's also one of my influences.
Jack Kirby - the defining comic-book artist. I like his concepts very much and... what could I add? He's the King of comics!
Will Eisner - classy art, can represent anything and emphasise reality. 

I guess I'm not that fanatical, after all.

[rez]

Worked in a book shop that was hiring some counter help when an application came across the desk with the name: Clark, Kent.
Guy got an interview because the hirer had to see who would put that name on an application.

Guy's name was Kent Clark and got the job.

This piece of obscure trivia bought to you solely for entertainment value and in no way endorses said party nor represents any view of this poster. The story, character and incident mentioned is entirely non-fictional, the actual person living is intended and inferred.

I have a 27 year old son that Clark and Kent were names I considered before WE went with Adam Jacob. Adam for no particular reason and Jacob after his grandfather.