| Jim Lee:
I first discovered Jim Lee when he illustrated Punisher: War Journal
and I continued to follow him on Uncanny X-men, X-men, and eventually his
creator-owned series, WildC.A.T.S. He is truly one of my favorite artists, and he draws the best Magneto,
period.
Recommended reading:
- Uncanny X-men (vol. 1) #374-377 (Marvel)
- X-men (vol. 1) #1-10 (Marvel)
- WildC.A.T.S. #1-7 (Image)
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| Erik Larsen:
In my opinion, the greatest artist to ever draw The Amazing
Spider-man, and his current Savage Dragon series is one of the best reads out there today. His flexible, vibrant style is reminiscent of Jack Kirby and Frank Miller, and I've loved every piece of work he's done.
Recommended reading:
- Amazing Spider-man (vol. 1) #333-339 (Marvel)
- Spider-man (vol. 1) #18-23 (Marvel)
- Savage Dragon (mini-series) #1-3 (Image)
- Savage Dragon (regular series) #1-Current (Image)
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| Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli:
The Miller penned,
Mazzucchelli drawn Batman: Year One is one of my favorite mini-series of all time.
Its back-to-basics take on Batman is how the character should always be portrayed. And
the duo's work on Daredevil: Born Again is a story that subsequent writers of the character have
struggled to emulate.
And of course one can't overlook Miller's own Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Simply put, one of the best stories in comic history.
Recommended reading:
- Batman: Year One #404-407, TPB (DC)
- Daredevil: Born Again (vol.1) #226-233, TPB (Marvel)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1-4, TPB (DC)
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| Bill Watterson:
The Calvin and Hobbes creator produced arguably the best
comic strip since Peanuts. He is one of the few artists capable of not only drawing in both the cartoonish and realistic styles, but draw them exceptionally well. His visuals flowed seamlessly from panel to panel, and the characters themselves were absolutely hilarious.
Recommended reading:
- Calvin and Hobbes: Scientific Progress goes 'Boink'
- The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes
- Calvin and Hobbes: Tenth Anniversary Book
- Calvin and Hobbes: It's a Magical World
- Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995
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| Alex Ross:
Quite possibly the single greatest artist of our generation, Ross' life-like
paintings immerse you into the story like no other artist can. As you flip through
Marvels you feel as though you are glancing at a photo album detailing the history of the
Marvel Universe. You actually feel like these superheroes truly exist!
Recommended reading:
- Marvels #1-4, TPB (Marvel)
- Kingdom Come #1-4, TPB (DC)
- Superman: Peace on Earth (DC)
- Batman: War on Crime (DC)
- Shazam!: Power of Hope (DC)
- Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth (DC)
- JLA: Liberty and Justice (DC)
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| John Byrne:
Artist John Byrne and writer Chris Claremont revolutionized
the X-Men by creating such outstanding and memorable epics like the Dark Phoenix
Saga and Days of Future Past. Byrne also did excellent work
as writer/artist on Marvel's Fantastic Four. But it wasn't until Byrne left Marvel for
DC Comics that I personally feel he accomplished his best work. As writer/artist of the
post-crisis Superman: The Man of Steel mini-series, Byrne created what is in my opinion, the perfect artistic rendition of the character.
Recommended reading:
- Uncanny X-Men (vol. 1) #129-137 (Marvel)
- Superman: The Man of Steel (mini-series) #1-6 (DC)
- Superman (vol. 2) #1-22 (DC)
- Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #236-250 (Marvel)
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| Alan Moore:
We can't have a "best of comics" list without including
Alan Moore, can we? With Watchmen, Moore and artist Dave Gibbons created what is not only one of
the best comic stories ever, but one of the best works of fiction ever published. The series was
pure genius, and actually gets better with each new reading, as does virtually all of Moore's work
Recommended reading:
- Watchmen (#1-12, TPB) (DC)
- Miracleman (#1-16) (Eclipse)
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (vol. 1 & 2) #1-6, TPB (Wildstorm/ABC)
- Batman: The Killing Joke (DC)
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