Someone posted this idea a while ago on the Usenet (the format was more-or-less his, not mine), and this was my response. There’s more than enough comic book fans on the SDMB to make this interesting here. I’m happy to answer about why I picked someone, and I’d be interested in seeing alternate lists, addtions, subtractions, etc. (Yes, this list is only North American, or I’d certainly add Herge and ummm…can’t spell it but the guy who did Asterix)
Golden Age/EC-era artists
- Grahm Ingels
- Wally Wood
- Al Williamson
- Wayne Boring
- C.C. Beck
- Carl Barks
- Will Eisner
- Dick Sprang
- Jack(?) Cole: Plastic Man
- Sheldon Mayer (Dammit DC, I want a Scribbly and the Red Tornado Archive and I want it NOW!)
Honorable mention: William Moulton-Marston/Harry Peter (Early Wonder Woman…odd drawings style but weirdly imaginative layouts/concepts)
Silver Age
11) Jack Kirby
12) Carmine Infantion
13) Joe Kubert
14) Gil Kane
15) Murphy Anderson
16) Marie Severin
17) Steve Ditko
18) John Romita Sr.
19) Bob (Little Archie) Bolling
20) Neal Adams
Honerable Mention: Jim Steranko (not enough volume to quite qualify)
Underground/Independent/Ground Level, etc
21) R. Crumb
22) Whichever Hernandez Brother did “Mr. X” & Electropolis.
23) Art Spegilman
24) Reed Crandall(??) Omaha The Cat Dancer
25) Vaughn Bode
26) Paul Chadwick (if he belongs here, and not in the 80-90s batch)
27) Dave Sim
28) Scott McCloud
29) Wendi Pini
30) Phil Foglio
70s-80s
31) Gene Colan
32) George Perez
33) Curt Swan (Yeah, he started in the '60s, but he achieved a new level of greatness in the '70s)
34) Bernie Wrightson
35) Jim Starlin
36) P.Craig Russell
37) Frank Miller
38) Marshall Rodgers
39) Michael Golden
40) John Byrne (then, not now)
Honerable Mention: Frank Brunner (whatever happened to him?) and Barry Windsor-Smith
80s-90’s
41) Alex Ross
42) Bill Sienkevetcz (sp)
43) Tom Mandrake
44) Art Adams
45) Matt Wagner
46) Dave Gibbons
47) John Muth
48) Kevin O’Neill
49) Barry Smith
50) Alan Davis
Opinions?
Fenris