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  1. #1
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Default Greatest American comic book artists of all time.

    Who do you think are some of the greatest American comic book artists of all time? My choices:

    Jack Kirby
    Will Eisner
    Neal Adams
    Carl Barks
    Harvey Kurtzman
    Wally Wood
    Frank Frazetta
    Steve Ditko
    Bernard Krigstein
    Lou Fine
    Alex Toth
    Al Williamson
    Gil Kane
    Joe Kubert
    Barry Windsor-Smith
    John Romita Sr.
    Jim Steranko
    John Buscema
    Jack Cole
    Reed Crandall
    Johnny Craig
    Frank Miller
    Mac Raboy
    Basil Wolverton
    Gene Colan
    Last edited by Electricmastro; 06-06-2020 at 05:33 PM.

  2. #2
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    I'm surprised you could list so many artists and not list my favourite, Carmine Infantino. Or other favourites like Dick Sprang and Kurt Schaffenberger.

    If it was a list of comic artists, I'd probably go with one of many comic strip artists, before I'd pick a comic book artist. But limiting it just to comic books and Americans, then I'd pick Harvey Kurtzman out of your list as the greatest American comic book artist. The man for whom the Harvey Award was named. It seems to me he best combined those elements of cartooning and illustration--and he was a great influence on many other artists.

  3. #3

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    With such seemingly comprehensive list one would expect to see the names of:

    Alex Ross
    Dave Gibbons
    Gil Kane
    George Tuska


    And poor Jim Mooney never got the respect he's due.
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  4. #4
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    I'd take issue with Frank Frazetta, Alex Schomburg, Brian Bolland and Alex Ross. My reasons are idiosyncratic, of course, having to do with what I consider good comic book art (and in one case residency).

    I know that Frazetta did comics early in his career. I have a book reprinting some of his comics work, but he became famous as a cover artist and a poster artist. It seems too generous to let him also have the crown for his comics art.

    Alex Schomburg was famous for his cover art. As far as I know, he only did the interior art for one comic book, that being the one-hit wonder DON JUAN, written by Jerry Siegel. If he did any other panel art, please let me know. I put cover art in a different category. To me great comic book art includes being able to do good panel progressions.

    Brian Bolland falls out because he's British. He's not American, so he can't be put on the list (in addition, most of his panel work was early on, but since THE KILLING JOKE, he's mainly been a cover artist). Barry Windsor-Smith is also British, but he came to America when he got his early work with Marvel (I recall from one article that he was sleeping on a park bench, because he was homeless)--so he has lived in America (but I don't think he's a naturalized citizen).

    I mean if we let in the British, then we have to let in the Canadians, the Japanese, the Filipinos, the Italians, the French--and then the list gets too unwieldy.

    Alex Ross is good at doing photo-realistic cover and poster paintings. When he does interiors, it's mainly just a sequence of poster art. He's done some good layouts for other artists to finish. And the few times he's done full comic art and not just paintings, he's shown skill on the level of Neal Adams and Dick Dillin. But painters aren't comic book artists in my book.

  5. #5
    Old school comic book fan WestPhillyPunisher's Avatar
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    As a longtime fan of Archie Comics, I’d add Bob Montana and Dan DeCarlo to the list.
    Avatar: Here's to the late, great Steve Dillon. Best. Punisher. Artist. EVER!

  6. #6
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Kelly View Post
    Brian Bolland falls out because he's British. He's not American, so he can't be put on the list (in addition, most of his panel work was early on, but since THE KILLING JOKE, he's mainly been a cover artist). Barry Windsor-Smith is also British, but he came to America when he got his early work with Marvel (I recall from one article that he was sleeping on a park bench, because he was homeless)--so he has lived in America (but I don't think he's a naturalized citizen).

    I mean if we let in the British, then we have to let in the Canadians, the Japanese, the Filipinos, the Italians, the French--and then the list gets too unwieldy.
    Ah, I suppose I should mention it’s not so much that the artists themselves have to be American, but that the comic books themselves they worked on are American-published, for organization’s sake. Basically, companies like Marvel, but not really Marvel UK.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Electricmastro View Post
    Ah, I suppose I should mention it’s not so much that the artists themselves have to be American, but that the comic books themselves they worked on are American-published, for organization’s sake. Basically, companies like Marvel, but not really Marvel UK.
    At least my understanding of the opening post about nationalities wasn't wrong.
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  8. #8
    The Spirits of Vengeance K7P5V's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Electricmastro View Post
    Who do you think are some of the greatest American comic book artists of all time? My choices:

    Jack Kirby
    Will Eisner
    Neal Adams
    Carl Barks
    Harvey Kurtzman
    Wally Wood
    Frank Frazetta
    Steve Ditko
    Bernard Krigstein
    Lou Fine
    Alex Toth
    Al Williamson
    Gil Kane
    Joe Kubert
    Barry Windsor-Smith
    John Romita Sr.
    Jim Steranko
    John Buscema
    Jack Cole
    Reed Crandall
    Johnny Craig
    Frank Miller
    Mac Raboy
    Basil Wolverton
    Gene Colan
    Jack Davis
    John Severin
    George Perez
    Dave Stevens
    Brian Bolland
    Michael Kaluta
    Gray Morrow
    Mort Meskin
    Mike Mignola
    George Evans
    Russ Heath
    Curt Swan
    Graham Ingels
    Bill Sienkiewicz
    P. Craig Russell
    Arthur Adams
    John Stanley
    Syd Shores
    Alex Schomburg
    Joe Shuster
    Everett Raymond Kinstler
    Paul Smith
    Joe Maneely
    Walter Simonson
    Alex Ross
    Jim Lee
    John Romita Jr.
    Jerry Robinson
    Mike Ploog
    Jack Burnley
    Paul Gulacy
    Al McWilliams
    Bernard Baily
    Jackson Guice
    Angelo Torres
    Bernie Wrightson
    Charles Vess
    Steve Rude
    Murphy Anderson
    Carmine Infantino
    Mark Schultz
    Russ Manning
    Doug Wildey
    John Byrne
    Matt Baker
    L. B. Cole
    Bill Elder
    Bob Kane
    Joe Orlando
    Bill Everett
    Great list! But you forgot:

    Ross Andru





    Sal Buscema




    Richard Corben

    Last edited by K7P5V; 06-06-2020 at 05:45 PM. Reason: Made Adjustments.

  9. #9
    Mighty Member jb681131's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Electricmastro View Post
    Who do you think are some of the greatest American comic book artists of all time? My choices:

    Jack Kirby
    Will Eisner
    Neal Adams
    Carl Barks
    Harvey Kurtzman
    Wally Wood
    Frank Frazetta
    Steve Ditko
    Bernard Krigstein
    Lou Fine
    Alex Toth
    Al Williamson
    Gil Kane
    Joe Kubert
    Barry Windsor-Smith
    John Romita Sr.
    Jim Steranko
    John Buscema
    Jack Cole
    Reed Crandall
    Johnny Craig
    Frank Miller
    Mac Raboy
    Basil Wolverton
    Gene Colan
    Jack Davis
    John Severin
    George Perez
    Dave Stevens
    Brian Bolland
    Michael Kaluta
    Gray Morrow
    Mort Meskin
    Mike Mignola
    George Evans
    Russ Heath
    Curt Swan
    Graham Ingels
    Bill Sienkiewicz
    P. Craig Russell
    Arthur Adams
    John Stanley
    Syd Shores
    Alex Schomburg
    Joe Shuster
    Everett Raymond Kinstler
    Paul Smith
    Joe Maneely
    Walter Simonson
    Alex Ross
    Jim Lee
    John Romita Jr.
    Jerry Robinson
    Mike Ploog
    Jack Burnley
    Paul Gulacy
    Al McWilliams
    Bernard Baily
    Jackson Guice
    Angelo Torres
    Bernie Wrightson
    Charles Vess
    Steve Rude
    Murphy Anderson
    Carmine Infantino
    Mark Schultz
    Russ Manning
    Doug Wildey
    John Byrne
    Matt Baker
    L. B. Cole
    Bill Elder
    Bob Kane
    Joe Orlando
    Bill Everett
    You should order your list in alphabetical order !
    Then you are missing a few important artists.

    And then you should define what you mean by "Greatest" ?
    The one that has done the most works ?
    The one that influenced the most ?
    The one that invented the most characters ?
    The one that has the most "beautiful" art ?
    The one that is the most consistant ?

    But I think, in my opinion that you've got the 2 greatests already at the top of your list.

  10. #10
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    I have the Dover reproduction of LEARN TO DRAW COMICS aka DRAW COMICS! HERE'S HOW from 1933 by George Leonard Carlson. That book has everything you really need to know about drawing comics.

    In the final chapter of ALL IN COLOR FOR A DIME, "Comic of the Absurd," Harlan Ellison goes on about JINGLE JANGLE COMICS and the wonderful stories in there from Carlson.

    When I was a little kid, in elementary school, our library had a big book on just about everything you could want to know and it had one section on cartooning. The style of art was like that of Carlson, but I don't know if it was him. I had so much admiration for that.

    And I also remember back then watching a movie--I think it was a movie, it might have been a TV show, I saw it on our TV--it was some kind of action adventure story, with a big burly action star a la Vin Diesel, but he drew pictures of all the people he was investigating. And he drew these really neat caricatures of them. I always thought that was so cool.

    While perfect illustrations are fine, I think the fundamental skill is the ability to draw caricatures. Even Neal Adams in his prime, when his art looked "realistic," was drawing caricatures (exaggerated facial expressions and body movements). So I admire an artist who can do good cartoon art and boil it down to a few simple lines. It seems to me less is more.

  11. #11
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Kelly View Post
    Even Neal Adams in his prime, when his art looked "realistic," was drawing caricatures (exaggerated facial expressions and body movements). So I admire an artist who can do good cartoon art and boil it down to a few simple lines. It seems to me less is more.
    I still admire Neal Adams’ 60s and 70s work for how he shades and lays everything out, very much raising the tension of scenes when necessary, like in The X-Men #58 (July, 1969):





    Last edited by Electricmastro; 04-25-2020 at 09:10 PM.

  12. #12
    insulin4all CaptCleghorn's Avatar
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    Chaykin. Howard Victor Chaykin.





    QED
    Last edited by CaptCleghorn; 04-25-2020 at 08:37 PM.

  13. #13
    Extraordinary Member CaptainEurope's Avatar
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    I think I would add Colleen Doran to that list, if only to make it less of a sausage fest (forgive me, I am German). What she accomplished with A Distant Soil is amazing... and she made her way in the comics industry against the obstacles of sexism and sexual harassment.



    Last edited by CaptainEurope; 04-26-2020 at 12:44 AM.

  14. #14
    Mighty Member My Two Cents's Avatar
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    Will Eisner

    His Spirit Sunday strip drastically moved comic
    Book art and layout from the Stone Age to what has
    Now been the norm since.

    A few have taken art to the next level, but none
    So dramatic and lasting like Mr Eisner did.

  15. #15
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    Adding to the list

    Alan Davis
    Kevin Maguire
    Bart Sears
    Frank Cho
    Ivan Reis
    Ron Wilson
    Ron Frenz
    Ed Benes
    Geoff Darrow
    George Freeman
    Keith Pollard
    Jose Louis Garcia Lopez
    George Freeman
    Guillem March
    Trevor Von Eden
    Last edited by CliffHanger2; 04-26-2020 at 10:39 PM.

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