The world is on fire right now. Again. Again Again. So I need to think of something positive. So here it is: Underappreciated comics artists. #1 Dave Cockrum. Designed some of the most iconic costumes in modern comics. Dynamic and action-packed, the modern X-Men are built on his foundation.
#2: Jim Aparo. When I think of Batman, THIS is who I think of. Action packed and yet not somehow realistic in a way that makes it all believable. Aparo's Batman was not the 'bat god', but a dedicated and relatable human being with a human being's limits.
#3 Ross Andru - Spider-man has had many good artists over his lifetime, so it's no surprise that people pass over Andru on their way between the various Romitas and others. That's their mistake, IMHO. Few artists truly captured Spidey's athleticism better, Andru always has Spidey ready to leap.
#4 Sal Buscema - Buscema was never flashy so he was easy to dismiss. But he was a solid draftsman that was always delivered. He delivered solid storytelling reliably, time after time.
#5 - Jose Garcia-Lopez - When Curt Swan left Superman, Garcia-Lopez took the mantle - but not merely copy Swan's style, he delivered his own thing that many people instantly recognize, but don't realize who did it.
#6 - Stuart Imonnen - How he isn't a household name is confusing to me; not unknown, but his stellar work is so polished and despite his years of work, he seems like a relative unknown to many people. He deserves to be better known.
Continuing my #comics #underapprecitedartists list #7 - Nick Cardy - Some artists put in solid work and went largely ignored, even as their work wasn't. Cardy delivered amazing work for Aquaman and the Teen Titans but his work covered a lot of titles and styles.
#8 - Kyle Baker - you'd think a multiple Eisner and Harvey awards would be a household name, but you'd be wrong. Baker is viewed as a cartoonist, which he is...but compare his work on Truth and Plastic Man and you can see an amazing range #comics #underappreciatedartists
#9 - Babs Tarr - a freelance illustrator who DC tapped to reboot Batgirl (of Burnside), Tarr's electric artwork ends up more on covers and really deserves to be better known. That she was the first long-term female artists on a batcomic says a lot about the industry #comics #underappreciatedartists
#10 Dan Spiegle - an artist in the business for decades, Spiegle is almost unknown, but he's versatile and stretched from Gold Key adaptions to Disney work to Power Pack and Crossfire and DNAgents. A journeyman who never hit big name recognition, he was everywhere for decades, especially Blackhawk.
