Comics are the perfect synthesis of story and art. As important as a good script is, the art can make or break a comic. Bad writing with great art can still produce an amazing comic because of the visual nature of the medium. Over the years, DC has depended as much on its artists as they have its writers, and it’s paid off very well for them. DC has employed some of the greatest artists, helping make their stories that much better.
In the modern age of comics, DC’s artists have done work that changed the publisher and the industry forever, supplying visuals that make the stories pop.
10 Howard Porter Is One Of DC’s Most Reliable Artists
Howard Porter came to prominence at DC in the mid-90s. His big break was Underworld Unleashed, but what came next made him into one of the biggest artists in the industry. Working with writer Grant Morrison on JLA, Porter’s eye-catching style brought Morrison’s widescreen action to life and was a key ingredient in the success of the book.
Since then, Porter has worked on multiple books for the publisher. His work is never anything short of amazing, combining stylized figure work, great storytelling chops, and an eye for laying out an action scene that separates his work from that of his peers.
9 Kevin Maguire’s Art Was A Key To The Success Of The Justice League International
The Justice League International is one of the most beloved incarnations of the group. As great as the scripts by J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen were, without Kevin Maguire’s art, there’s a good chance the book never would have had the impact it did. Maguire’s expressive pencils made the humor of the book pop and was just as great for action.
Maguire’s style emphasized characterization over everything else, which is just what the JLI needed. Few artists out there can capture facial expressions like he can, and his work became a staple of late ’80s DC. He taught a generation of artists how important character acting was to making comics come to life.
8 Bruno Redondo’s Mastery Of Action And Page Layout Sets Him Apart From His Peers
Nightwing #87 is an amazing comic because it’s all one continuous scene, an entire book comprised of double-page spreads to tell a high-octane chase story as Nightwing and Barbara Gordon try to save their puppy from kidnappers. It’s jaw-dropping and as good as writer Tom Taylor’s script is, without Bruno Redondo’s skill as an artist it could have easily fell flat.
Redondo is one of DC’s best artists currently working. His figure work is amazing but he especially excels at creating kinetic action scenes in a static medium and laying out pages like few others. He’s a rising star at DC and his art is already looked upon as the pinnacle of superhero pencils.
7 Ivan Reis Is Modern DC’s Sci-Fi Master
Ivan Reis served his time in the trenches at DC before getting his big break, penciling The Rann-Thanagar War and part of Infinite Crisis before becoming regular penciler on Green Lantern. His art graced two of the biggest Green Lanterns stories ever, The Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night, and he’d eventually work on Aquaman and Justice League during the New 52.
Since then, he’s worked on Superman with Brian Michael Bendis. His eye for detail is amazing and he’s at his best when creating sprawling sci-fi battles between superheroes. His alien designs are second to none and he’s DC’s master of sci-fi.
6 Phil Jimenez Has One Of The Most Beautiful Styles In Comics
Phil Jimenez has been working at DC since the ’90s and has a distinct, beautiful style. Much like George Perez, he excels at multi-character pages and his detail is second only to Perez’s. His style feels like that of a high fashion designer and has graced some of the biggest DC books of all time, like the seminal event comic Infinite Crisis.
He’s a double threat as well, writing and drawing an amazing Wonder Woman run. Jimenez’s style has it all; his pencils are expressive, his details are impeccable, and his actions scenes are wonderfully laid out and exciting. His recent work on Wonder Woman Historia Book One: The Amazons reminded everyone just how amazing he can be.
5 Dan Jurgens Gave ’90s DC Some Of Its Biggest Moments
Dan Jurgens came to prominence in the ’80s, creating fan-favorite character Booster Gold. He’d eventually take as over writer/artist on Superman and was a key architect on the ’90s epic The Death Of Superman. Jurgens’s clean, detailed pencils made him one of ’90s DC’s biggest artist and his writing chops landed him the event book Zero Hour: Crisis In Time.
Jurgens’s proved to be an amazing action penciler and his rendition of Superman became iconic. Few artists had the power he did at DC and he deserved every bit of it, creating bombastic action that defined Superman for a generation of readers.
4 Alex Ross Brought Out The Grandeur Of DC’s Superheroes
Alex Ross made a name for himself on Marvels, but he truly became a superstar when he and writer Mark Waid dropped one of DC’s most beloved stories of the ’90s, Kingdom Come. His painted art felt like Norman Rockwell drawing superheroes and he captured the essence of DC’s biggest heroes like few other artists before and since.
Alex Ross created beautiful art prints and his interior work with Paul Dini on a series of books about the biggest stars of DC gave fans breathtaking art. His Justice Society Of America covers are amazing and he penciled a special about Kingdom Come Superman that was one of the few times he worked with a traditional colorist. DC’s superheroes looked mythical when rendered by Ross.
3 Brian Bolland’s Cover Work Made Him An Icon
Brian Bolland made his name in the UK drawing Judge Dredd before coming to DC and working on Camelot 3000 with writer Mike W. Barr. If that was all the work he did in the US, he’d still be an icon but his pencils on The Killing Joke helped make that book a classic. Since then, interior work by Bolland has been rare but he’s created some of the greatest covers of all time.
Bolland’s simple, detailed line work found a way to make the fantastic world of superheroes look real. His covers have graced some of DC’s biggest books and his renditions of DC’s pantheon of characters made him a star.
2 Jim Lee’s Art Style Hit The Next Level When He Came To DC
Jim Lee made a name for himself drawing the X-Men at Marvel before helping found Image and Wildstorm Studios. He’d sell Wildstorm to DC in 1998 and do cover work and interiors on Batman: Black And White. In 2003, he’d join writer Jeph Loeb on Batman for the iconic “Hush” storyline, making Batman and his rogues gallery look better than ever.
Since then, he’s worked on Superman, All-Star Batman And Robin, and Justice League, while doing cover work for multiple books. His art has aged like fine wine, getting better and better, and he’s DC’s head honcho now, making him influential for more than his art.
1 George Perez Is Possibly DC’s Greatest Artist
George Perez is a legend in the comic industry, working on genre-defining stories at Marvel and DC. His highest-profile work was at DC, working on books like The New Teen Titans and Justice League of America. His work with writer Marv Wolfman is his most iconic; the two were a team like few others and were responsible for Crisis On Infinite Earths and The History Of The DC Universe. He’s just as great a writer as an artist, as proven by his post-Crisis Wonder Woman run.
George Perez is the kind of artist that other artists all look up to. His pencils are at their best when there are a multitude of characters on the page and his detail is second to none. His style defined DC and its characters for decades. Pros and fans alike love him.
About The Author
