Top Five Comics Pencillers

I've blathered on about Alex Ross enough. He's hardly prolific and he rarely does comic interiors at all these days. It's time the pen and ink guys got some recognition. (N.B. I'm currently hooked on Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. I read mostly Marvel all the time so this list may be skewed slightly.)



1. Alex Maleev
Resident artist on Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. (Don't say I didn't warn you.) In recent years Daredevil's secret identity has been revealed and he's become the crime boss of Hell's Kitchen in the Kingpin's absence, presumably in the belief that crime is safer organized than disorganized. (I'm not sure. I didn't get to that part yet.) Maleev depicts these epic events using a photo manipulation technique. He inks and colours his own work so he has full control over what the finished art will look like: all ragged lines and scratches, giving the impression that the world itself is against our hero as he valiantly tries to make order out of chaos.

2. Jack "The King" Kirby
Marvel Comics looked the way they did for so long because of this man.

3. Mike Deodato
Currently drawing The Amazing Spider-Man. Apparently his early stuff was reminscent of Jim Lee but lately he's adopted the more realistic style I know him for. He can convey emotion with a small expression on a character's face. Mary-Jane Parker never looked so good!

4. Frank Miller
Is it sacreligious to place one of the few true comics auters in fourth place? I never had a particularly great time with any of his books, except The Dark Knight Returns. I haven't read his classic run on Daredevil and I didn't even spare two hours out of my life yet to watch Sin City. Out of guilt for not giving Mr. Miller a fair appraisal, I just pre-ordered Sin City on DVD.

5. John Romita Jr.
Like his father before him, "JRJR" is one of the most prolific men of his time. My gran would buy me The Incredible Hulk comic each week because I liked Bill Bixby on T.V. but I'd only see her every six weeks or so, so I'd get a small stash each time. If this was a ploy to keep me quiet and well-behaved, it worked. And that's how I first got into comics. Romita's was the only art I knew for superheroes for years. His son has the same knack of drawing figures with convincing weight and bulk. John Junior drew this and that. What's not to like?

Comics these days look the best they ever have - no doubt about it. No doubt either that the recent spate of superhero movies has helped comics creators approach their subject in a more cinematic way.

Sony Pictures has released the first picture of the Sandman, a thuggish villain from Spider-Man 3. Tobey Maguire-a-like Topher Grace has also been cast as Venom - an inspired choice considering the similarities between Peter Parker, Eddie Brock and both their alter-egos. Only 523 days to go!