Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to witness incredible artwork from some of the best comic book artists that I have ever drawn. These artists created artworks that have inspired me and amazed millions of artists and comic book fans like myself. So, I have decided to create my personal list of the top 5 comic book artists of all time.. Keep in mind that this is my personal list of the top 5 comic book artists that have inspired me, so please do not send hate mail because I forgot to mention your favorite artist. Also I did not mention any Manga artists such as Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell & Appleseed), Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) and Akira Toriyama.
Jim Lee
Anyone who knows me knows that I consider Jim Lee to be a comic book god! His artwork is stunning and his panel layout and attention to detail cannot be beat. I marveled at many comic book artists work but it wasn’t till I saw Jim Lee’s cover for Uncanny X-Men #274 did I decide that I wanted to start drawing comic books. More importantly, I wanted my comic book art to look just as beautiful as Jim Lee’s. Over the year, his art continues to inspire me. From his early works on the Punisher to his more recent DC artworks, I continue to buy various comic book series just for Jim Lee’s artwork.
Jim Lee Artwork
Todd McFarlane
When it came to obsession with details, no other comic book artist even comes close to Todd McFarlane. My friends and I used to marvel at his artwork and try to guess how many days it must have taken Todd to draw some pages because of the sheer amount of details that he put on certain panels. It’s no wonder why some of his original comic artworks are now selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Todd McFarlane Artwork
Joe Madureira
Just like Todd McFarlane, Joe Madureira is another freak of nature in terms of his uncanny attention to details. He also creates some of the most dynamic poses and character pinups ever! I always found his art to be the perfect mix between Japanese manga and clean American art. His artwork has been reused on countless blogs and his artworked has spawned many clones but none come close to the man himself…
Joe Madureira Artwork
Marc Silvestri
Before I discovered the art of Jim Lee, I was in love with the art of Mark Silvestri. Mark’s work is very clean and sharp. I also find that his action scenes are some of the best in the business. I have always found that Marc is one of the most underrated comic book artists ever. But you look at his body of work and you will see that he has worked on some of the most popular comic book series of all-time.
Mark Silvestri Artwork
John Byrne
John Byrne was the first comic book artist that made me go wow! His artwork was always clean and beautiful and his artwork was always stunning and easy to follow. I discovered his artwork while reading Classic X-Men and I simply could not get enough. From his work on the Dark Phoenix Saga to his work on various DC titles and even his sketched work for Wolverine, John Byrne is one of the best comic book artists in History.
John Byrne Artwork
Honorable mentions
Some of the extremely talented comic book artists that did not make the list include:
If I’ve forgotten anyone, please let me know…
Hey mifty
Im looking to get into the comic book world myself or 2D/3D motion cartoons, already have a few good ideas but still needs work. Anyway not sure if you can but i was wondering if you have any tips for me as im still learning and practicing My drawing skills. Im forever looking at comic’s and drawing the charators to help but if you got any tips at all i would much appreciate it.
Thanks
Hi Christopher, I am by no means a professional artist but there are 2 classic books that I am aware of that can help you. The first is a classic from Marvel comics How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way
. This book is highly recommended by many professional comic book artists and offers some great info for beginners. The other book just came out recently and it is by DC comics. Its called How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way
. This book is also great for beginners and offers a lot of tips into storytelling and some very beautiful art.
How could you not mention the great Rob Liefeld?
I’d say Travis Charest beats all these guys on quality. I’m surprised he didn’t get an honorable mention at least.
I had never heard of Travis Charest but you are right. He is a very talented artist. But I dont think that he is better than anybody that is currently on my top 5 list.
Great list! If you can, look up Kerry Gammill. His work is incredible!
Thanks Zach. I’ve seen the work of Kerry Gammil before. I just never knew who he was. His work is spectacular. Thanks for adding him to the list.
Alex Ross?
I agree. I talked just that I only had 5 slots. Alex Ross is definitely on my top ten list.
Sorry, I’m late to the party here, but what about John Buscema? He’s right up there on my list.
yup. A fantastic artist. He is definitely up there for me too. He made some of the most iconic Wolverine covers ever.
Of all-time? WTF? Kirby, Barks, Ditko, Adams, Miller, Romita Sr & Jr, Mignola, Allred, Perez, Quesada, Wrightson, Steranko, Windsor-Smith, Infantino, Buscema… 3-4 of these guys should probably be on your list.