Comics have been a large part of popular culture for generations. Today, this genre continuously churns out amazing artwork from some extremely talented artists. Of course, comic books are close to many designers' hearts because often they are their first encounters with art.
Here we look at some of the wonderful works over the years that have graced the covers of comics art that has delighted and dazzled fans and non-fans alike from shelves and displays across the globe, the kind of works that tempt those not usually taken by this genre to give it another look or to pick up a book for the first time.
And when you look at some of these images, you soon realise how well these artists could draw. In fact some artists, like Bernard Krigstein stepped outside the world of illustration and commercial art and brought a fine artist's sensibility to the medium.
There are many great artists who have worked in comic books but Jack Kirby's accomplishments are legion. Not only a great artist and cartoonist, but a breathtaking visual stylist who created a large portion of the storytelling language every comic artist uses today. He is the unquestioned king of invention; not just characters, but devices, stories, races, worlds, genres, and even companies flowed from his fingers. For over 50 years his exuberance, his vitality, and his sheer will helped him carry an industry on his shoulders. Very few people in any creative field are acknowledged as the obvious and unchallenged master of their domain. Kirby is one of them.
John Fountain is a freelance copywriter
