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February 15, 2005

100 of my favorite artists

It started with everybody's favorite cartoonist-blogger-funnybook fan Fred Hembeck posting his "100 Swell Things About Comics" from 1983, and soon it became a massive series of Valentine's Day love letters from blogland to comics. Everybody and their grandmother is listing 100 things that they love about comics (You can see a few examples here, here, and here).

As usual, I am showing up to the party late, bearing the wrong kind of gift. The one thing I love the most about comics is that it's one of the few remaining media that relies on drawing. Sixty years ago you could pick up a Sears catalog or an issue of Life Magazine and find dozens of illustrations. Technological advances in photography and printing eventually slowed that flood of drawings to a mere trickle. It wasn't that long ago that cel animation was the only game in town; the success of Pixar's and Dreamworks' digitally animated films has turned the technique that brought us Sleeping Beauty and Bugs Bunny into a dinosaur. Soon it will be nothing but a fossil. But the act of telling stories by putting pencil, ink, brush, or whatever to paper is still alive and well in my beloved little world of comics! So without further ado, here are 100 of my favorite comic artists:

  1. Art Adams
  2. Neal Adams
  3. Mike Allred
  4. Sergio Aragones
  5. Peter Bagge
  6. Kyle Baker
  7. Lynda Barry
  8. Georges Bess
  9. Edvin Biukovic
  10. Phillip Bond
  11. Berke Breathed
  12. Charles Burns
  13. John Byrne
  14. Eddie Campbell
  15. John Cassady
  16. Paul Chadwick
  17. Frank Cho
  18. Dan Clowes
  19. Gene Colan
  20. Jack Cole
  21. Colleen Coover
  22. R. Crumb
  23. Farel Dalrymple
  24. Geoff Darrow
  25. Guy Davis
  26. Jack Davis
  27. Stephen DeStefano
  28. Steve Dillon
  29. Steve Ditko
  30. Julie Doucet
  31. Mort Drucker
  32. Will Eisner
  33. Steve Epting
  34. Duncan Fegredo
  35. Bob Fingerman
  36. Michael Gaydos
  37. Melinda Gebbie
  38. Dave Gibbons
  39. Matt Groening
  40. Tony Harris
  41. Sam Henderson
  42. Bryan Hitch
  43. Brian Hurtt
  44. Stuart Immonen
  45. Klaus Janson
  46. Phil Jimenez
  47. Jock
  48. J.G. Jones
  49. Gil Kane
  50. Jack Kirby
  51. Goseki Kojima
  52. Joe Kubert
  53. David Lapham
  54. Alex Maleev
  55. Don Martin
  56. David Mazzuchelli
  57. Dave McKean
  58. Mike Mignola
  59. Frank Miller
  60. Tony Millionaire
  61. Takumi Nagayasu
  62. Dustin Nguyen
  63. Kevin Nowlan
  64. Kevin O'Neill
  65. Carlos Pacheco
  66. Paul Pelletier
  67. Sean Phillips
  68. Paul Pope
  69. Eric Powell
  70. Frank Quitely
  71. Eduardo Risso
  72. Darick Robertson
  73. John Romita, Sr.
  74. John Romita, Jr.
  75. Steve Rude
  76. Jim Rugg
  77. P. Craig Russell
  78. Johnny Ryan
  79. Joe Sacco
  80. Stan Sakai
  81. Charles Schultz
  82. Seth
  83. John Severin
  84. Bill Sienciewicz
  85. Dave Sim and Gerhard
  86. Walt Simonson
  87. Jeff Smith
  88. Paul Smith
  89. Chris Sprouse
  90. Cameron Stewart
  91. Dave Stewart
  92. Mark Texeira
  93. Chris Ware
  94. Bill Watterson
  95. Chris Weston
  96. Mike Wieringo
  97. J.H. Williams, III
  98. Barry Windsor-Smith
  99. Makoto Yukimura
  100. Mike Zeck

That was a lot of fun, and much easier than I thought it would be... Man, now I really want to read some comics!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at February 15, 2005 05:15 PM

Comments

Are those in any particular order? And if so, does that make Art Adams best or worst?

I know who too many of those people are for my own good.

Posted by: Peat at February 15, 2005 08:02 PM

Actually they are in a particular order, it's an obscure-yet-effective cataloging system known as "alphabetical." Keep an eye out, I think it will be catching on everywhere.

Heh. Zing!

Posted by: jdonelson_nyc at February 15, 2005 08:52 PM

Dick.

Posted by: Peat at February 16, 2005 11:51 AM

Dustin Nguyen? was he on 21 jump street?

Posted by: derek at February 17, 2005 12:25 AM

Edmonton dominated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night and the 4-0 margin in Game 6 makes it hard to imagine the Oilers not hoisting hockey's Holy Grail above their heads in less than 48 hours. And it would not come as any shock to see defenseman Chris Pronger, who had another 31-minute night, take the honors for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

Posted by: alisoalin at June 18, 2006 05:35 PM