Trevor

Holy crap, I honestly didn’t think that anyone wouldn’t know who Jeff Lemire is.

He’s been the best thing in comics since ~2010 imho.

B5Erik

I don't read a lot of modern (post 2000) comics, but of those that I have, the one thing I've noticed is that when I like the art it's often inked by Norm Rapmund. The guy has a great style. Very strong. He makes most pencil artists' work look better.

Trevor

Day Twelve Response and Wrap—Up
Jeff Lemire is probably my most modern/current yes. He’s pure gold in writing and art. Just phenomenal work on Essex County, Gideon Falls, Sweet Tooth, Frankenstein, JL Dark, Hawkeye, Descender, Black Hammer, Mazebook; and there is a ton of his stuff I haven’t made it to yet. He’s so prolific that he’s currently on my best, favorite, and desert island lists.

Warren Ellis writes some amazing stories. I’ve loved Planetary and The Authority, Nextwave, and the bits of Hellblazer and Transmetropolitan I’ve started. Plan to read a lot more of his work that is populating my piles. He’s not top 20 for me yet, but as I read more, he may climb into it depending on how well he apologizes/repairs things from his recent sexual coercion sins.

My list so far:
Frank Miller
Jack Kirby
Carl Barks
Alan Moore
Mike Mignola
Jeff Lemire

Trevor

Day Thirteen Choices

Brian Bolland, Brian K Vaughan, Brian Michael Bendis, Bryan Talbot, Brian Azzarello. That Brian guy Jim Rugg says exists and writes his comics?

Yup it’s all about Brian. Or is it? Do any of these Brian’s make your list or is it a sad day like Brian’s Song.

Are you all going to add yet another person who doesn’t draw to your list? Does Bendis’ decade of dominance get him in? Are Saga, Paper Girls, Y the Last Man, Ex Machina, and Runaways enough for someone to choose BKV?

rocket1312

This is where things get interesting for me. I first got into reading comics in 1991 and have read them in some form or another ever since, but the 2003-2006 range was the time when I was totally plugged into the whole scene and buying a ton of titles every week. Whereas it was the artists that I gravitated towards when I was younger, during this period it was all about the writers. Three of the guys on today's list were at the top of their game in the early 2000's.

Bendis: I was reading just about everything he put out back in those days. Powers, Alias and Daredevil were all great. Never read Ultimate Spider-Man, but that's probably the greatest feather in his cap. Then he moved onto Avengers and became sort of the godfather of Marvel. He had his fingers in everything. That's when he started to lose me. I'll admit that I haven't read any of his 2010's stuff like X-Men or anything DC. I know the bigger he got, the more controversial he seemed to get. I'm going to say no only because he was so prolific and there's too much I haven't read/heard negative things about. But that early stuff was awesome.

Vaughan: He wasn't the first name that popped into my head when this all started, but reading that list of titles Trevor mentioned, those are all amongst my favorites. I truly love them all. I also really enjoyed his short lived Mystique series. He also worked on Lost, one of my all-time favorite shows. He's not incredibly prolific, but his hit rate is crazy high. I just think I might have to include him. Over guys like Neal Adams and George Perez. I know. Madness.

Azzarello: 100 Bullets rules. I did not care for his runs on Batman or Superman. Don't think I've read anything else by him. He's a no, even though 100 Bullets really is great.

Bolland: One of the truly great artists of his time, but like Art Adams, I think of him as mainly a covers guy. No on Bolland.

Talbot: I don't think I know who Talbot is.

Hokeyboy

In order of preference:

Vaughan
Bolland
Bendis
Talbot
Azzarello

There's not really many significant dips in quality between them; all of them are amazing talent, although BKV readily tops that list.

None of them make my Top 10.

B5Erik

What little I've read of Bendis' work was good. But he came along when I was over reading comics, so I've only picked up some of his stuff in trades (mostly still unread). Brian Bolland is a very good artist, but would just be outside my Top 30 or so. The rest I haven't heard of.

So, No, to all the Brians on that list.

majorjoe23

Brian K Vaughan would be most likely to make my list. I do buy pretty much everything he does.

PhantomStranger

Ultimate Spider-Man was a truly great run by Bendis but his disastrous time at DC has soured me on Bendis. None of the Brians make my list.

Kurt D

Bolland is a quintessential Judge Dredd scribbler, but I'm less of a fan of his Stateside work, so it's a 'no' for any Brians on my poorly updated list.

Trevor

Day Thirteen Response and Wrap—Up

I think all of mine so far have been writer/artists (Moore barely qualifies there). So as much as I love BKV’s writing, he’s a pass for now. And while I enjoyed Bendis’ early art and most of his writing to some degree, he’s maybe top 75 at best. Azzarello is yet another where I like what I’ve read of his, but haven’t fully dived into any of his long acclaimed runs yet.

Bolland would probably be in if it was just for art. Love Talbot’s art, and I have several of his full creator works in my queue, but haven’t read enough of it to rate him too high.

No Bri(y)ans for me.

My list so far:
Frank Miller
Jack Kirby
Carl Barks
Alan Moore
Mike Mignola
Jeff Lemire

Trevor

Day Fourteen Choices

It’s Strip Sunday! And bonus Alan time too.

Are Charles Schulz or Milton Caniff on your list?
How about Alan Davis or Alan Grant? Did you pass on Alan Moore? Are you a closet big Al Gordon, Alan Brennert, or Alan Kupperberg fan?

rocket1312

Schulz and Caniff are legends, but I'm not a strip guy.

No disrespect, but we're kind of scraping the barrel for Als, aren't we? Where's Al Williamson? Davis is the only one here that really merits discussion. I appreciate him, but I've never been a huge fan. I actually like him better when he's inked by someone other than Mark Farmer. No on the Als.

Trevor

Williamson was an Alfonso, and I stuck this slate to pure Alans.

Brennert has been picked by at least one person. One person’s barrel scrapings is another’s gem.

We’re on like day 25 or so at the other place and there are picks every day that I could see making it for some, and two of mine are still missing so far.

B5Erik

Wait, no Milgrom?

(Hey, he did some good art on Firestorm in the 70's - before the implosion a DC.)


But I have to say NO to all the Als. None of the ones mentioned would be close to making my list. Milgrom wouldn't, either.

How about an inkers day, since we're doing themes? (Sinnott, Giacoia, Rapmund, etc.) Perhaps they're unlikley to make most people's lists, but Sinnott makes mine (and Giacoia would be Top 20 for me, and Rapmund Top 30 or Top 40). A good inker is worth his weight in gold. A bad inker can ruin the art. An important part of the art equation.

Hokeyboy

Pass on any and all comic strip guys, as that's kind of a different thing to me.

As far as the Als... special shout out to Alan Davis, who is an outstanding artist. His run on Batman and the Outsiders introduced me to his work (and was so much more fluid and modern than the serviceable but stolidly dowdy work by Jim Aparo), but also fantastic art on Detective Comics, Excalibur, and JLA: The Nail/Another Nail (which he wrote as well). Very close to my Top 10, maybe top 20 or 15.

My current list:

Neil Adams
John Byrne
Darywn Cooke
Neil Gaiman
Jack Kirby
Frank Miller
Alan Moore
Grant Morrison
George Perez
Walt Simonson

Chopping List:
Denny O'Neill
Marv Wolfman

B5Erik

Wow, that's 180 degrees off from my take.

I thought the art was great when Aparo did it, but Davis made the characters look much more cartoonish. Faces and heads suddenly got bigger and rounder. I'm not a fan of his style when he did Batman and the Outsiders. I haven't seen anything after that, but I've heard his work got better. If it didn't, then he gets an even bigger, "NO," from me.

Aparo is close to making my list, but probably relegated to the Top 20. I love his work.

davidh777

Schultz and Caniff are on my top 10 comic strip list.

Alan Brennert might make my list of top 10 stories, but not top 10 creators. I wish he had written more.

Hokeyboy

Agree to disagree. Aparo's art in the 70s was noteworthy but by the 80s it was entirely dated and old-fashioned. While Davis's work was more "cartoonish" (but only in comparison to Aparo, I wouldn't call his style "cartoonish" by any means) he brought a more vibrant and expressive style to the book. Aparo's art was stiff and flat in comparison to Davis, and honestly he could only draw one face. The same face over and over again.

Norm Breyfogle might not be my very favorite Batman artist but at least he was doing something creatively interesting and dynamic with Batman in the late 80s/early 90s, whereas Aparo provided solid, agreeable, stodgy but workmanlike art on his book.

I think Aparo benefited from a strong inker.

majorjoe23

Wait, is this the first time Alan Moore has been an option? I’m drawing a blank.

Anyway, 100% Alan Moore. There’s one piece of comic art that I own solely because of who wrote it, an Alan Moore Miracleman page.

Josh-da-man

Alan Davis is great artist, but I don't think his style really works for "darker" books/characters like Batman. And, yeah, I know he did some early Miracleman issues, and was good there, but I don't think he would have worked with the later issues (#11-16) at all.

He was absolutely incredible on Excalibur, however. Absolutely perfect artist there.

B5Erik

I always thought Aparo's best inker was Aparo. I'm a huge fan of his 70's Brave and the Bold work. Love that stuff. I don't see that style as being, "Old fashioned," by the 80's at all. Then again, I strongly disliked the changes in art by the 80's. Things became less about realistic art and more about stylized art. The cartoonish thing really became popular after McFarlane hit ASM.

I just hate that big, round head and face thing that was part of Davis' style. His style, to me, looke more like something you'd see in a daily newspaper comic strip than a serious comic book.

So, yeah, agree to disagree.

Then again, Romita Sr and John Buscema are two of my absolute favorite artists (possibly 1 & 2), and they aren't on very many lists here.

rocket1312

I think Davis is the stronger artist in general, but Aparo's Batman is pretty much the definitive Batman for me. I say that as someone who never read Batman as a kid and has no emotional attachment whatsoever to any particular artist.

Hokeyboy

I liked the 2000 AD style Davis brought to Batman. It was really a beautiful yet emotive look that the book really never had before, yet he never veered too far from that classic Silver/Bronze Age feel.

He drew a beautiful JLA

B5Erik

Who inked that page? It looks MUCH better than the Batman and the Outsiders stuff he did.