Written by Andrew Salmon from impressionsoncanvas.com
Illustrating comics may seem like a dream job come true where fame, fortune and convention appearances are only a brush stroke away. However not every comic artist to ever lay out a panel joins the pantheon of the greats like Jack Kirby and Neal Adams. And yet, some are more than worthy to do so. Here are 6 under-appreciated comic book artists.
1. Ross Andru
When we think of the array of artists The Amazing Spider-Man series has been blessed with, the same names keep popping up: the Romitas (Jr. and Sr.), Steve Ditko, and Todd McFarlane – all know for their impressive runs on the title. But Ross Andru also worked for 5 years on the book when the book was Marvel’s best selling title. Working for DC and Marvel over a career that spanned decades, his name rarely comes up these days. Dynamic, inventive, captivating and exciting, he gave ol’ webhead a timeless look and feel.
2. Tom Sutton
A journeyman artist with credits at Marvel, DC, Chalton and Warren’s horror magazine line, Sutton quickly established himself as a premiere horror illustrator though he worked in all genres, including humor on such titles as Not Brand Echh. With his quirky, energetic style, he was a fixture of the Silver Age of comics through the late 60s and 70s.
3. Bob Powell
Powell hails from the bygone Golden Age of comics during the 1930s-1940s all the way into the early 1960s but he has left us a legacy of truly remarkable artwork. Along with his runs on Sheena and Mr. Mystic, he was also responsible for the finished art on the now classic Mars Attacks series of trading card which were all the rage back in the 60s and are highly collectible today.
4. Don Newton
Newton worked for DC, Marvel and Charlton in a career that lasted 50 years. He put in impressive runs on Batman, Detective Comics and World’s Finest Comics for DC and his short run on the Phantom for Charlton contains some of his best work. His style was both dynamic and intricate. He was known for his attention to detail and produced a great deal of memorable pages. Sadly, today, he is all but forgotten.
5. Ron Smith
Smith is best known for his work on the British comic Judge Dredd though his name rarely gets mentioned in critiques of the character. In fact, his work is not even included in recent reprint editions of the Judge Dredd series. Here’s hoping that time and tide will give the man his due in time. Perhaps his unique interpretation of the character leaves him in oblivion, but this is something that needs to be rectified.
6. Alex Toth
Toth may be known to fans of classic Hanna-Barbera animation of the 60s and 70s, but this Space Ghost and Super Friends contributor also made his mark on the comics field with an unforgettable stint on Disney’s Zorro series and was adept in various genres, including war, western, romance, science-fiction and superhero tales.
These and countless others have given us the genre we comic lovers enjoy today. With the growth of the reprint market, these fine artists are all worth checking out as each put their own stamps on the four color world.
This is a guest article by Andrew Salmon who contributes articles on a variety of subjects including printing photos onto canvas for the website ImpressionsOnCanvas.com. They provide high quality canvas reproductions of your original photographs and art.
