Greatest Comic Writer/Artist of all time?

Moogle

I was just wondering who people would pick as their top comic book writer / artist of all time?

I don't think a poll would do justice to the writers/artists and I would like to see the reasons why people picked that person. Also, it would give other people a chance to see who would be a good person to collect.

My picks, if I was forced to choose would be:

Writer
Alan Moore (Watchmen, Swamp Thing)
I started off with Watchmen. Since everybody was saying it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, I was expecting to be disappointed but it exceeded all expectations. It has so many layers and uses such innovative story telling techniques. I the moved on to League of Extraordinary Gentleman and finally where Alan Moore's mainstream work began, Swamp Thing. Even then you can see the creativity that would make him a star. He completely remade the character and took him to places that nobody had before (and has since).

Artist
David Mack (Kabuki, Daredevil)
I first caught a glimpse of Mack's work on Daredevil. It was there that I learned of his work on Kabuki. He also wrote and created this series. Although, the first mini series Circle of Death seems like the work of a regular artist, it well makes up for it in story. His art really starts to shine in Dreams, where he uses a mixture of photography and painting to tell the tale which is a mixture of poetry, Japanese mythology and a modern near death experience. The main reason I like Mack is because he does it his way and, like Moore, he is an innovator of a variety of storytelling techniques.


Who would everybody else pick and why?

DoctorEdgeWild

I'll go for Alan Moore as writer, but with Stan Lee a close second. Moore for me opened up the real potential of comic books as a medium to tell a story. Especially a story which just can't work in any other medium. The guy's imagination is just off the scale and not in the random hyperbole sense. There are more out there writers than Moore certainly but for me he is instantly accessible for new readers but still so rewarding for long term readers. Put it this way, if there is an Alan Moore book in a shop, I can very rarely just walk by it.

It can only be Jack Kirby as far as artists go. So much storytelling ability in such a simple and direct style. His work on Silver Surfer - giving emotion to a somehow emotionless face - is just unbelievably brilliant. For me his work is everything that is great about comics. So instantly obvious but also worthy of further study. Whoa, that sounds ridiculous. What I mean is, you can read a Kirby illustrated story straight through without really taking in all that he conveys in his pictures, such is his simple style or you can really soak it all up and be transported to wherever he wants you to be.

This rambling was brought to you by a very inarticulate DoctorEdgeWild.

spooydermot

I'd have to throw my tuppence for Alan Moore aswell, Gareth Ennis would have to get a mention too, in tems of just being able to hook me from page 1.

Strazinsky has done a lot of good work - Supreme Powers for one,Rising Stars and gave the nature of Spidermans powers a bit of a twist...and pushed the story into interesting placess, but I'm still not sure if he is on par with Moore etc for being a comics icon....also I think marvel are turning him into a bit of a golden goose.

Grant Morrison for simply just throwing over the top weirdness at you (although it occasionally misses the mark -> X-Men:Imperial)

munky

I ain't sure Bout what artist I'd go with, but Moore is prob the best!

edibility

Warren Ellis would be to me the best writer.... Transmetro, for example, is just fantastic.

nicolo

definitly alan moore, love frank miller but hes to gritty crime for me sometimes chris claremounts good to, loved gaimens stuff for awhile but he gets a little samey. but id go for dave mckean or dermot power as artist, maybe bisley to but i dont think i could forgive him for the art in that lobo vrs batman comic

Jay Tomio

At the risk of sounding redundant, I'd have to say Alan Moore as well as a writer, with respect to Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, Frank Miller, and Jeff Smith.

Regarding artists, I enjoy Alex Ross (although somewhat mechanical) I really have to say Tohru Fujisawa or Bill Sienkiewicz..

snuffles

I haven't read enough to have a fully formed opinion, but as a writer, Gareth Ennis is just fantastic. I have never been addicted to anything like I was with Preacher, and they stand up on the reread again and again.

MorningStar

Neil Gaimen or Alan Moore fro writers

I am amazed nobody mention Alex Ross as an artist

eefa

id agree that warren ellis is one of the best wirter out there, for the dialogue its good use of humour while having very dark and off-beat stories.also chris claremont for giving personalities and characteristics to a large variety of characters (particulary the women) in his lenghtly x-men run and really decent stories to boot.

the best artists,i think,are the legend ditko for bringing spidey to life with originality and vibrancy (im not pretentoius,i swear) in his books and jim lee i cant explain it but i just could stare at his stuff all day.and honourable mention to john romita Jr
anyway thats just my (very) humble opinion.feel free to disregard

simu

snuffles wrote:

I haven't read enough to have a fully formed opinion, but as a writer, Gareth Ennis is just fantastic. I have never been addicted to anything like I was with Preacher, and they stand up on the reread again and again.

Ennis has his moments but some of his stuff is pure cringe fodder - did you see that once off story in Preacher about French people wating horses. Man, it sucked!

snuffles

Yeah, that was kinda random and one of the weakest points of Preacher. I still adore the series though.

Rozie

I couldn't pick some for definite.

I've been reading quite a bit about McFarlane lately, Spawn is actually pretty amazing, and he's had some of the greatest guest writers. That Cerebus dude's comics really opened my eyes. Todd and the rest that had written for Spawn(including Gaiman, Frank Millar and Alan Moore - three of my favourites nailed in one!) Spawn did such a marvellous job. And despite the writer rotation, it all held together seemlessly.

Amazing artist too. His was some of the best Spidey art.

So basically everyone I've mentioned is awesome, and alone with Millar and Hitch(currently working on the Ultimates Vs.2) as well as Bendis, Bagely, and the rest of the Ultimate Marvel team, have really rekindled my love with comics, as if it needed to be rekindled.

I really want to write comics now because of those people.

So yeah, all of them are the best. And Stan Lee and Steve Dikto too, obviously.

bagdaddy

I would say Edmund M Quartes as he always deliver fresh and new ideas to comics