In Defense of Comics: 20 comic creators you should sample before dismissing the medium
Posted by: Matt Gamble in Comics, Movies
On a recent episode of the Row Three Cinecast, Kurt and I got into a discussion about comic book movies, only in a Kurt styled twist he merely complained about comic book films that actually were not based on comics. This topic had actually started the previous day when Kurt referred to both Alien 4 and the latest Star Trek film as “action comic book movies.” And since he was using this term in an attempt to disparage the films, I found it to be completely disingenuous as a label, and perhaps worse, was inherently derogatory towards comics. It also doesn’t help Kurt’s argument when he freely admits that he doesn’t read comics. Arguing from ignorance is rarely an envious position to be in.
A it turns out, the discussion ended up becoming rather enjoyable, as it morphed from the original subject of comic book films to a discussion on how the film industry now operates during the blockbuster season. But one thing I was hoping to talk about was mentioning some of the authors I enjoy reading and would recommend others to take a chance on. And while I do this in the hopes others enjoy this medium as much as I do, I also write this so that when the next Kurt comes along I can simply link to this rather then repeat my arguments ad nauseum.
So I have compiled a list of comic book creators (both writers and artists) along with a short description of the works by them I enjoy the most as well as my general thoughts. I’ve tried to include a few smaller press names as well, so as not to stick to only the most well known writers working today. I’ve also tried to stick to people currently working in the industry, which would account for the exclusion of famous names who just happen to be deceased (Will Eisner & Jack Kirby for example) or seemingly clinically insane (John Byrne). Hope you enjoy and even more so, I hope you pick up a few comics!
Art Spiegelman
Arguably the most widely recognized name on this list, Spiegelman is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning comic Maus, which tells the story of his family’s suffering during World War II in Nazi occupied Poland. An emotionally honest tale, it nevertheless manages to showcase the visual strengths of the medium along with its powerful story. Truly a must read for any avid reader.
Alan Moore
The most obvious choice for the label of best comic book writer. With multiple “masterpieces” including Watchmen, From Hell and Miracleman (and seemingly dozens more), Moore excels at taking poorly regarded genres and elevating them beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Which is why my favorite work of his is Swamp Thing, in which Moore takes a D-grade character in a forgotten comics genre (horror) and turns it into a visceral, existential horror epic. All by employing one simple twist of genius.
Neil Gaiman
Official Website
His laid back rhythmic style quickly made him one of my favorite authors because he has a knack for transforming the physical act of reading into a blissful romp. Perhaps not the best writer on the list, he’s a tireless worker with the potential to become the first mainstream comic book superstar. If only he wrote more comics. Though his landmark comic Sandman is as rich and textured as anything you will find in literature, comic or otherwise. Plus he makes goth girls swoon.
Warren Ellis
Official Website
I’ll admit it, I’m a total Ellis fanboy. Sure the mad Brit would fornicate with a dead squirrel if he thought it would give him a nicotine fix, but the man is the type of unbridled talent that seems to only improve the more hair brained the comic concept is. While Transmetropolitan, with its iconic bowel disrupting journalist Spider Jerusalem, is his most widely known work, it is Planetary that is his best work, with the gripping Fell not far behind. If you are a fan of Hunter S Thompson and “gonzo” writing, you have no excuse not to be reading Ellis.
Grant Morrison
Official Website
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Morrison, as his talent is undeniable, but I’ve rarely connected with his work at a visceral level like I have with most other creators on this list. While I enjoy The Filth, We3 is not only my favorite Morrison comic, but one of my favorite comics period and it is one the few comics written that seems tailor made for the screen with minimal adaptation. Though I’m not much of a fan, be sure to check out The Invisibles, for I am in the vast minority for not falling head over heels for the book.
Garth Ennis
Official Website
While Ellis is considered a gonzo styled comics author, Ennis writes straight from his gonads. While I’m not much of a fan of his Punisher run or his numerous attempts to jump start war comics, I will defend Preacher with every breath I have. It follows a Preacher (Who knew?) who has lost his faith, but through a strange celestial act he becomes imbued with the Voice of God. Discovering that God has abandoned Heaven, the Preacher attempts to track him down and hold God accountable for his actions. If forced to pick only one comic to own over any other, I’d probably take Preacher over anything else as it mixes genres with perfection and is the rare comic written that feels distinctly American. That Ennis is Irish makes Preacher all the more impressive.
Robert Kirkman
Official Website
While not the strongest plotwise, Kirkman’s The Walking Dead relies on its continual ability to punch the reader in the gut again and again to keep both the audiences interest and their wits at their very end. That and zombies totally rule. I’d go into the comic more but I already talked about it here.
Bill Willingham
Official Website
Willingham’s Fables takes a relatively overdone concept, that being what if Fairy Tale characters actually existed in the real world, and blows it up to such an epic scale that it practically boggles the mind. Referencing not only mythology and fairy tales, but modern literary works as well, Fables is often working on multiple levels, turning every scene/storyline/phrase into a web of double entendres that would be flashy if it wasn’t so damn seamless. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Fables is that it turns a comic built upon the back of tales like Snow White and The Three Little Pigs into a fantasy war comic, with battles taking place on multiple worlds and espionage and intrigue happening around every corner.
Mark Millar
Official Website
The mad Scot has never reached quite the acclaim or achieved a devoted fan following like many of his British compatriots, but Millar can match their creative output and is every bit as capable of creating a brilliant story. His work on The Authority (check out Warren Ellis’ run on this comic as well) and Wanted are testaments to his skill when he’s at his sharpest and most belligerent. But while those are scathing rebukes of the superhero “genre”, Millar has also in recent years been responsible for such noted franchises as The Ultimates and the Fantastic Four. That Marvel would entrust several of their key franchises to him is impressive to say the least.
Ben Templesmith
Official Website
I am of the biased opinion that Templesmith should be taught in schools. The man is a genius, and since he’s Australian, probably insane. Easily my favorite artist working in comics today, his dark style is immediately recognizable and quite simply, cool as hell. His art work coupled with Warren Ellis’ script makes Fell one of the best comics being produced. But Templesmith’s own books are fantastic in their own right. His acerbic wit coupled with his visceral art makes for truly one of a kind comics that are an absolute joy to read. And while comics have never had much of an exploitation movement (though it can be argued that comics have been inherently exploitive throughout their history), Templesmith certainly seems to be creating one all on his own. Thinking werewolf stories were inherently stupid, Templesmith set out to write his own werewolf story, called Welcome to Hoxford, in which werewolves take on serial killers, in a Russian prison. What a concept! But Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse is where he truly lets loose, as a tiny worm that controls any corpse it inhabits takes on a war mongering race of Calamari intent on destroying every known universe. All Wormwood has to help him is a perverted android, celestial strippers and a female Leprechaun. It truly needs to be read to be believed.
Brian K Vaughn
Official Website
Everything Vaughn touches seems to turn to gold. His three best known comics, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina and Pride of Baghdad are all critical darlings as well as financial successes. Vaughn has a simple and clean narrative style that makes his work both easy and enjoyable to read. And his style of throwing fantastical situations into real world settings makes for an intoxicating mix. No wonder Lost was quick to add him to their writing staff, as he’s a perfect fit.
Alex Robinson
Official Website
Alex’s books Box Office Poison and Tricked are must owns, as both deal with obsession, fandom and the loss of youth in a remarkably honest and engaging manner that even non comic book readers can relate to and appreciate. If you read his books, prepare to have your ideas of what a comic is, or can be, drastically changed for the better.
Brian Ralph
Official Website
Ralph writes and illustrates a small independent zombie comic called Daybreak. What sets it apart from other zombie comics is that the entire thing is drawn from a first person perspective and the main character is never depicted speaking. This makes for a one of a kind read as you are forced to pay particular attention to the panel art to understand what is going on, and you get to make up your own dialog for the main character, effectively drawing the reader into the comic itself. It is not only the best zombie comic I’ve ever read, but one of the best comics I’ve ever read. My only complaint is that there are only three issues to date and only a single issue is released every year. Dammit, I want more Daybreak now!
Antony Johnston
Official Website
I only started reading Johnston’s Wasteland because Ben Templesmith did the cover art for the book, and thank gawd I did. While still early in its creation (only three trades have been released to date) Johnston has created a rich post-apocalyptic world filled with strange monsters, religious cults and cryptic technology from a long forgotten age. I’m not sure where Wasteland is headed, but I am enjoying every moment so far. And thanks to this fascinating comic, I’ll be sure to check out much more of his work in the future.
Rick Veitch
Official Website
Rick Veitch just might be the most talented comic book writer/illustrator that you’ve never heard of. Brat Pack is one of the most scathing critiques of both superhero comics and their penchant for including kids as pages for their adult characters. Not content with simply inferring this was an unhealthy relationship, Veitch depicted it as a den of molestation and exploitation, with the kids being utterly disposable once they became as unhinged as their elders. What makes this comic all the more poignant, is Veitch wrote it just before DC comics allowed fans to vote on whether the character Robin should live or die in the latest Batman comic. (Spoiler alert – he dies) But Veitch’s masterpiece are his dream comics. For several years Veitch decided to forgo narrative storytelling in favor of simply illustrating his dreams. This audacious concept resulted in a legendary and landmark set of books entitled Rare Bit Fiends that are truly bizarre yet utterly captivating.
Jim Rugg
Official Website
If there is one thing consistently lacking in comics it is strong, believable teenage characters. Toss female into the mix and you might as well give up trying to find one. The furor over Women in Refrigerators is as much due to it being far to close to reality in the medium. Thankfully, Jim Rugg has done his best to help rectify this situation with Street Angel, which follows a crime fighting, skate boarding, homeless ninja named Jesse Sanchez who is, for lack of a better term, kick ass. That Street Angel also acts as a satire of super hero comics while also being a fantastic throwback to Golden Age comics is an extra added bonus.
Carla Speed McNeil
Official Website
Another rare commodity is female creators, and while there is certainly a strong group that have risen to prominence, they are still a bit thin on the ground in the medium. Perhaps one of my own frustrations is that female creators seem to be pushed to write comics solely for women rather then simply being allowed to create whatever they want. I can understand the desire to draw more women to the medium (their certainly is no shortage of talented female writers and artists) but deliberately alienating a huge portion of your potential audience seems a bit silly to me. But Carla Speed McNeil’s Finder is a comic that is difficult to categorize. With its fantasy bent and numerous lead female characters it might give you the impression it is a comic for women, but appearances can be deceiving. With its complicated narrative structure (the protagonist is only focused upon in the first two trades after which he only appears in later stories as a minor character) Finder effectively shifts the frame with each successive story arc, in each instance creating brand new characters that are allowed to grow and flourish in the course of their arc. This results in a universe that is rich and varied and scarcely comprehensible due to its sheer size and scope. McNeil’s copious notes at the end of each trade only further illustrate how vast the landscape is, as even the tiniest detail has its own tale. Finder is an epic by even epic standards, and in my opinion, the best comic ever written.
James Kochalka
Official Website
An Indie comic superstar, James Kochalka is known for his irreverant artistic style and his affecting stories that make up American Elf. But my personal favorite Kochalka comic is Superf*ckers. An outlandish spoof of superhero comics, Superf*ckers is inspired lunacy of the highest order with its ridiculously self-centered characters, over the top dialog and copious drug use. There are few comics that make me chuckle, and Superf*ckers routinely makes me laugh until I cry. Oh yeah, it should be mandatory that everyone knows that Jack Krack is the motherf*cker!
Jeffrey Brown
Official Website
Another highly regarded Indie comic “auteur”, Brown’s simple, almost childlike artwork goes hand in hand with his strikingly honest autobiographical storytelling. But don’t expect long narrative structures, as Brown prefers a snapshot style that progress under a common theme, similar to your standard comic strip. Clumsy is a personal favorite, although the Incredible Change-Bots and Cat Getting Out of a Bag are guilty pleasures of the highest order.
Eddie Campbell
Official Website
Some might say that the reason why From Hell is considered Alan Moore’s finest work is because he worked with his most talented co-creator on that project. That co-creator being Eddie Campbell. It might even be said that Campbell is the most talented creator in comics. While Campbell is not an obscure creator by any means, few know of his work outside of From Hell, which is an absolute shame. Campbell has a very unique drawing style that has an unfinished look that is quite striking and is often compared to impressionists, but it is his narrative style that sets him even further apart from other writers. Rather then using the standard panel style, Campbell mixes mediums by also writing sections or chapters of his works as straight fiction or, well, you’d have to see it to believe it. While this can be a bit jarring at first, this maneuvering is done in a very rhythmic manner, which creates a unique flow to his storytelling that is unmatched in comics or novels. While the term graphic novel is bandied about rather freely, Campbell is probably the only comic creator who truly approaches that designation. You can’t go wrong with any of his titles, but feel free to start with The Fate of the Artist and The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard and go from there.
Not enough for you? Here is a few more creators you should take a chance on as well.
Matt Wagner – Grendel, Mage
Mike Dawson – Freddie and Me
Craig Thompson – Blankets
Brian Michael Bendis – Jinx, Torso
Charles Burns – Black Hole
Tony Consiglio – 110Per¢, Double Cross
Jason – I Killed Adolf Hitler, The Last Musketeer
A co-worker recently purchased a Dairy Queen chicken fingers basket for her lunch and brought it in to work. If you have never had a DQ chicken fingers basket I recommend trying one. Not highly recommended mind you, but if you are looking for something relatively inexpensive and borderline tasty you can do much worse.
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