# Who is the best comic book artist living today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011 "2015-09-13T01:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/1 "2015-09-13T01:24:58Z")
Let me frame it this way: You have a foot in the door at Marvel or DC, you’ve got one story, and they say “Any future sales to us depend on how well this sells. If it sells great, come back and if it sells poorly, we never want to hear from you again. We’re not going to pay you very much this time, but we will pair you with any currently-working professional comics artist of your choice.” Yeah, they won’t really offer you that deal, but they’ve made more Faustian pacts than that. It has to be somebody living, somebody active, somebody who can hit the ball out of the park. Also, tell me why you picked this artist. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/2 "2015-09-13T01:33:48Z")
John Cassaday. Check out the work he did on the Joss Whedon run of Astonishing X-Men. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/3 "2015-09-13T02:36:40Z")
Very fond of John Romita Jr. Maybe not the best, but very good. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/4 "2015-09-13T02:40:40Z")
Steranko’s still alive, so him. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/5 "2015-09-13T02:48:23Z")
I’ll note that Neil Gaiman says he writes stories for particular artists, to play to their strengths. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/6 "2015-09-13T03:37:22Z")
Me? I’d go for Frank Quitely, because Frank Quitely. Or Bryan Hitch. Now, OP aside, who’s considered the best active comic book _auteur_, of any genre? Chris Ware, maybe. The best comic book artist, as in just the art? The current flavour of the month is the amazing Fiona Staples. Who’s the biggest, most successful draw as an artist? As of right now, I’d say Cassaday. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/7 "2015-09-13T03:46:29Z")
Jim Starlin. Because, decades of great material. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/8 "2015-09-13T03:49:24Z")
Alex Ross should be a contender. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/9 "2015-09-13T15:19:23Z")
Given the op’s user name,how about Steve Rude? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/10 "2015-09-13T17:46:59Z")
[Esad](http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/3638185-thor+vs.+frost+giant.jpg) [Ribic](https://marswillsendnomore.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/comics-blow-out103.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Greekfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@Greekfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greekfreak)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/11 "2015-09-13T18:35:26Z")
It’s a toss-up between Barry Windsor-Smith and Bill Sienkiewicz. ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/12 "2015-09-13T18:49:52Z")
I was also going to suggest [Bill Sienkiewicz](https://www.google.com/search?q=bill+sienkiewicz+art&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=681&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI0Zrt5tT0xwIVEDuICh3MCwkq). And [Bernie Wrightson](http://411posters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/wrightson-I-Shall-Be-With-You.jpg) still blows me away. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/13 "2015-09-14T10:10:27Z")
Fiona Staples gets my vote, as artist I’d most like to write for. Or Romita, loved his work on _Eternals_ with Gaiman, amongst other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/14 "2015-09-14T15:29:24Z")
I don’t know if George Perez is a Great Artist, but I think he is one of the best illustrators in the business. For Great Artist, I guess Jim Steranko or Bill Sienkiewicz. Although I tend to like Sienkiewicz’s earlier work better than his more recent stuff. (I tend to prefer good craftsmanship to High Art. When artists develop their own unique style, they tend to lose me.) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/15 "2015-09-14T21:05:13Z")
I went looking through all of the little pouches on my bandolier to find my examples of Rob Liefeld’s greatness, but I think I lost them in the folds of my muscles. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/16 "2015-09-14T21:52:02Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#): > > Jim Starlin. Because, decades of great material. Starlin would be my second choice, behind Steranko. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/17 "2015-09-14T22:04:24Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I went looking through all of the little pouches on my bandolier to find my examples of Rob Liefeld’s greatness, but I think I lost them in the folds of my muscles. Did you look under your enormous and poorly rendered gun? ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/18 "2015-09-14T22:07:25Z")
Or maybe you put them in your shoes? I know that sometimes I … _looks down at where **Tom Tildrum’s** feet should be_ Oh. Sorry, man. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/19 "2015-09-14T22:20:34Z")
I’d ask to work with Amanda Conner for _expressive-to-the-point-of-almost-cartoonish_ art, and _okay-now-we’re-just-doing-cartoonish_ art; she’s fine at everything else, but her stuff is just plain _enjoyable_ even when she’s drawing badasses. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011/20 "2015-09-14T22:34:46Z")
> [@Sir\_Prize](#): > > Given the op’s user name,how about Steve Rude? That has the virtue that they could probably \*get \*Steve Rude. I would pick Jaime Hernandez as one of the best auteurs in my lifetime, but I don’t expect him to draw for Marvel or DC. But I suppose the best for a new project today is someone a bit younger. Stuart Immonen is very cool, and has an established reputation. Takeshi Miyazawa is pretty slick. David Lopez is amazing. I can’t really argue with John Cassaday, named above. The actual short list would depend on the book. If I’m going on existing reputation, any of the following come with a decently sized fanbase already: Alan Davis Stuart Immonen Cliff Chiang Amanda Conner Sophie Campbell Leaving that aside, I might just pick David Lopez, and because I don’t know when to quit, see if I can get Jay Anacleto and Chris Achilleos to contribute extras. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best-comic-book-artist-living-today/731011.md?page=2)