What is the most iconic Artist version of a Character?

[tib2d2]

Which Artist's version of a character is the most iconic? It could be because he/she drew the character for so long, or because its simply the most recognizable version. Or maybe its the version you grew up on.

If you have to pick one, who is it?

[totalsellout]

simonson's thor
epting's captain america
jim lee's wolverine and rogue
miller's batman
maleev's daredevil
gaydos' jessica jones (of course)
buscema's vision
romita jr's storm
romita's spider-man

[AgSurfer]

Ron Lim's Silver Surfer
Joe Sinnot's Fantastic Four
John Buscema's Conan the Barbarian

[Panic]

Kirby's Captain America
Kirby's Fantastic Four
John Byrne's Wolverine
Gil Kane and John Romita's Spider-Man
Gil Kane's Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)
Jim Starlin's Adam Warlock
Jim Starlin's Thanos
Alan Davis' Captain Britain
Alan Davis' Meggan
Dave Cockrum's Nightcrawler
Simonson's Thor
Simonson's Beta Ray Bill
Bob Layton's Iron Man
Bob Layton's Hercules
John Buscema's Hank Pym/Goliath/Yellowjacket
Kerry Gammil's Power Man and Iron Fist
Gene Colan's Dracula
Ditko's Doctor Strange
Bill Sienkiewicz' Moon Knight
Bill Sienkiewicz' Elektra
Bill Sienkiewicz' New Mutants
Art Adams' Longshot
Jim Lee's Psylocke
Jim Lee's Gambit
Paul Gulacy's Shang Chi
Sal Buscema's Hulk
Chris Bachelo's Generation X
Byrne's Alpha Flight

I'm really torn between whether I think of Jack Kirby's or John Buscema's version when I think of the Silver Surfer.

[Chainsaw Vigilante]

I'm really torn between whether I think of Jack Kirby's or John Buscema's version when I think of the Silver Surfer.

It's a character with four different pretty equally iconic artist renderings, those being Kirby, Buscema, Lim, and Moebius. Can't go wrong with any of them.

[parker stark]

Kirby's Fantastic Four
John Buscema's Avengers
Miller's Daredevil
Bryne's X-Men
Simonson's Thor
Romita's Spider-Man
Layton's Iron Man
Bryne's Wolverine
Ditko's Dr. Strange
Sal Buscema's Hulk
Colan's Dracula
John Buscema's Silver Surfer
Steranko's Nick Fury
Texeria's Ghost Rider
Sal Buscema's Rom, Spaceknight
Bill Sienkiewicz's New Mutants
Bill Sienkiewicz's Moon Knight
Dave Cockrum's Nightcrawler
Bryne's Alpha Flight
Brent Anderson's Ka-Zar

[tg1982]

I've always liked McNiven's Captain America

mcniven.jpg




And Epting's

epting.jpg





My personal favorite, however, is Carlos Pacheco

pacheco.jpg



But the most iconic for Captain America is...

[tg1982]

Jack Kirby



kirby.jpg

[CaptCleghorn]

I'm going against the trend here and NOT saying Kirby for Fantastic Four. In fact, although Kirby was responsible for a lot (a whole lot) of the FF, there's one man who defines the art style with which we recognize the FF and that's the inker, Joe Sinnott. For years after Kirby left, Joe Sinnott continued the look of the FF and made them resemble the Kirby era. Sure, layouts and stylings changed, but the look of the characters continued.

FF - Joe Sinnott









QED

[Iron Maiden]

When it comes to artist iconic version I think you have to go with Jack Kirby for:

• Thor ... I have to ask how is Simonson's different from Jack Kirby's?? The power of Kirby's work is that it endures mostly in tact to this day.
• Doctor Doom: again very little changes over the decades since Kirby
• Most of the Inhumans

The rest of my list

• Daredevil: Wally Wood again, going back to the source.
• Nick Fury: Steranko
• Dracula:Gene Colan Pony-tailed Dracula is not going to make anyone forget Colan's version IMO.
• She Hulk: John Byrne
• Vision: John Buscema
• Silver Surfer: Busema again
• Black Widow: I think Gene Colan started the black jumpsuit look but could have been Busema again

Heck, I might as well copy most of Panic's list

• Spider-Man: Steve Ditko
• Iron Man: the basic red/gold that started with Don Heck & Jack Kirby. It's gotten a lot of design enhancements over the decades by various artists

[CaptCleghorn]

Moon Knight - Bill Sienkiewicz (you know I think so 'cuz why would i have gone to the trouble of spelling Sienkiewicz)



Dr. Strange - Frank Brunner



The O5 - Neil Adams

[BlitheringToot]

Thor - Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott. That, to me, is THOR.
Dracula - Second Iron Maiden's Gene Colan nod. Screw Ponytail Drac.
Spider-Man - John Romita, Jr
Dr. Strange - Geof Isherwood
Nick Fury - Of course Steranko
Wolverine - Jim Lee
Dr. Doom - John Buscema
Hulk - Sal Buscema
Daredevil - David Mazzucchelli
Captain America - Jackson Guice (particularly his take on Bucky)

[Winterboy]

JG Jones - Black Widow.

[Panic]

Thor ... I have to ask how is Simonson's different from Jack Kirby's?? The power of Kirby's work is that it endures mostly in tact to this day.

Jack Kirby's Thor is stiff and over-dramatic, whilst Simonson's just feels more real to me - more relaxed, naturalistic whilst still being larger than life... I don't know quite how to put it. It's a bit like comparing Sean Connery's Bond with Daniel Craig's - both are good, both are essentially going for the same thing, but you'll find some people just like one more than the other. I'm biased towards Walt as I had never appreciated Thor until I picked up a Simonson issue and was blown away.

The O5 - Neil Adams

Neil Adams was totally THE Havok artist for me:

[Iron Maiden]

Jack Kirby's Thor is stiff and over-dramatic, whilst Simonson's just feels more real to me - more relaxed, naturalistic whilst still being larger than life... I don't know quite how to put it. It's a bit like comparing Sean Connery's Bond with Daniel Craig's - both are good, both are essentially going for the same thing, but you'll find some people just like one more than the other. I'm biased towards Walt as I had never appreciated Thor until I picked up a Simonson issue and was blown away.

I guess I am mistaking what the interpretation of iconic is. Take a character like Iron Man, who starts out with the clunky grey armor then goes through numerous changes over the years. But all of them are basically referencing the red and gold started by Don Heck. You may not like Kirby's drawing style but Simonson is still using his iconic look created by Jack Kirby. Black Widow on the other hand did go through some changes of wearing just a cocktail dress, then the fishnet tights, mini dress and mask to the black jumpsuit. That is the look that stuck and IIRC that was Gene Colan. Today's BW doesn't look that much different from his look.