Popa's Favorite THOR Artists

My guess is comic book artists love drawing The God of Thunder.  It's not like you can go too far - Thor is all about power and energy and bad ass energy.

Created by Stan and Jack, Thor has spent as much time in The Avengers as he has on his own.  In making a Top 10 list, it wasn't so much about defining runs on the main title, there are a couple stand-out runs, to be sure, but, really, it was about finding art that captured that primal energy of Thor.

I quickly realized I was creating a real who's who of super hero artists with this list.  Part of that is nostalgia, sure, but part of that is modern comics being a little more static than their predecessors.  With Thor, bigger is better and the artists on this list got that.

Without further rambling from me ...

10. SAL BUSCEMA:

Sal Buscema may not have the notoriety of his brother but his Thor blends that Buscema gristle with Walt Simonson's splash.  He also drew the terrific Balder the Brave mini-series in the 80's, adding to his street cred on the Rainbow Bridge.

9. BOB HALL:

Hall drew Thor's main book and also The Avengers.  It always felt like his Thor was willing to get his hands dirty along the way.  I wouldn't mess with a Bob Hall Thor.

8. GEORGE PEREZ:

George drew a sleek and handsome Thor.  His Thor was an Avenger through and through - truly iconic.

7. JOHN BYRNE:

There isn't much John Byrne can't do with super heroes.  His Thor is typically on point - what I like about Byrne's characters is they look like they're thinking.  No matter how bad ass his Thor is - and it is bad ass - he's always a character solving issues, even if it's just with his hammer.

6. STEVE EPTING:

Epting's the newest artist on the list (although he's been drawing comics for 30 years now.)  His Thor is a splash of John Buscema and a bigger splash of Steve Epting.  He looks ready to fight, as Thor should.

5. RON FRENZ:

Frenz took Kirby's and Sal Buscema's Thor and blended them together into something that was both nostalgic and modern.  This is classic super hero imagery.

4. JOHN ROMIMTA JR.:

Romita Jr. did the first relaunch of Thor.  His Thor was thick - MIGHTY for sure.  Romita's Thor felt like a god among men.

3. JACK KIRBY:

The King, baby.

2. WALT SIMONSON:

Walk redefined Thor after the character hit a bit of a lull over the years.  His Thor wasn't quite as beefy as others make him but there was power and energy coming off him at all times.  He really felt like the God of THUNDER under Simonson's ink.  Plus Walt wrote some simply amazing Thor stories too.

1. JOHN BUSCEMA:

If Romita Jr.'s Thor is a god among men, Buscema's is a man among boys.  There's so much presence in his Thor, he fills the room every time he appears.

HONORABLE MENTION: BRYAN HITCH:

The Ultimates may not be the exact God of Thunder we all know, but, man, Hitch's version is much more a force of nature than some other versions, fitting to the Ultimates over the top style.

"Shane can't believe he bought art from..." Part 4: Brett Booth

This year I was able to add some artwork to my collection from some of my favorite artists, artists I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to own original art from!

Part 4: BRETT BOOTH!


Shortly after Image Comics launched, Jim Lee recruited a bunch of brand new talent which introduced us all to Brett Booth! His artwork was super detailed and always dynamic!

The Kindred mini-series pushed Brett Booth further into the spotlight where he got to draw 2 of my favorite characters, Grifter and Backlash!

Booth was an instant fan-favorite and comics legend! Being a West Coast guy, I've never had the chance to meet him, get a book signed or shake his hand.

Around the end of 2018 I learned that Brett Booth would draw a few weekly sketches and sell them on Twitter! Whatever he was in the mood to draw was up for grabs.
This year I was able to get this insanely detailed "Sketch Saturday" art from Brett of Zealot and Grifter, of the WildC.A.T.s! No scan can do this artwork justice, you have to see it to believe it!

A few months later Brett Booth started a Patreon page and took a handful of commissions. I was lucky enough to get on the list and went back to the nostalgia of Kindred, with Backlash and Grifter, pencilled and inked by Brett! It looks like an unused cover!

I loved the artwork so much that I commissioned Ross Hughes to add digital colors and he really brought this beauty to life!

A short time later, Brett Booth penciled up this Kindred tribute in celebration of the series 25th Anniversary! The amount of detail in this artwork borders on overwhelming! I am happy to say I was able to get this from Brett to add to my collection, too!

Being an Anniversary piece, Brett had his original inker on Kindred, Sal Regla, ink a scan of the artwork! This is a great example of how an inker adds depth with their brush.

Finally, Brett had Andrew Dalhouse color the scanned inks and made a print out of it! This artwork is stunning! It's a shame that DC Comics let the anniversary of such a fan favorite series, pass by. 

I may have gotten a little carried away but I have no regrets adding 3 unbelievable Brett Booth pieces to my collection this year!

"Shane can't believe he bought art from..." Part 3: Mike Zeck

This year I was able to add some artwork to my collection from some of my favorite artists, artists I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to own original art from!

Part 3: MIKE ZECK!

Secret Wars came out just as I was starting to collect comic books and was the first series that I actively searched out the next issue! And come on, that cover to Issue 1 alone would make any kid a Mike Zeck Fan!

Over the years, Mike Zeck drew so many characters and stories that I enjoyed, The Punisher, Spider-Man, Batman, Deathstroke and G.I. Joe, just to name a few!

Mike Zeck on Captain America has always stood out! The stories seemed more real when Mike drew them and the art always grabbed your attention!

I've had the chance to get some books signed by Mike Zeck over the years but he wasn't always drawing at conventions and it seemed like when he was, I couldn't make it happen.

Over the summer, right before I saw Mike Zeck at Heroes Con, I happened to check out his online store and he had 1 Captain America head sketch! I didn't hesitate! It was such a great take on Cap looking somber and intimidating! When I did see Mike at Heroes and told him I was bale to snag that sketch, he told me how lucky I was because a lot of people contacted him upset that it was gone!

I am proud that the one Mike Zeck piece of art is this Captain America! Even though Cap looks like he might be a little disappointed in me!

"Shane can't believe he bought art from..." Part 2: Paul Smith

 This year I was able to add some artwork to my collection from some of my favorite artists, artists I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to own original art from! 

Part 2: PAUL SMITH

 I started collecting comic books with Uncanny X-Men issue 172! I probably know this issue better than any comic book I've ever read! Written of course, by Chris Claremont and drawn by Paul Smith and inked by Bob Wiacek. Paul Smith was my introduction to how the X-Men looked and moved and I loved every panel!
 

Every Member of the team, everyone who appeared in the book, looked perfect to me, exactly as they were supposed to! These are some of my most favorite issues, ever!

My favorite stories, characters and creators, life as a young kid reading comics couldn't get much better!

Paul Smith was at one of the first conventions I went to as a collector of sketches. And he agreed to draw Colossus for me. I didn't realize Paul Smith was as big a deal to everyone else as he was to me and unfortunately Paul smith was extremely busy and my sketch was only a layout. I was excited to have something from Paul but it wasn't much of a sketch.

Last year I was able to meet Bob Wiacek at a convention and he agreed to ink the sketch for me. I know many people get copies inked but after so many years, I wanted this framework to come to life! Bob did a wonderful job of finishing Paul's art and I was excited to have a sketch by the 2 artists who I started reading X-Men with!

 

 The Colossus sketch was now complete but I still felt like I still didn't have a true Paul Smith piece of art. As luck would have it, Paul sells artwork online from time to time, if you're quick enough! And I was quick enough to add a Paul Smith Rogue to my collection! And no one draws a better classic Rogue than Paul!

While I lucked into that Colossus years ago and was able to complete him last year, this Rogue is the artwork I'd always hoped to have from Paul Smith!

11 year-old me would flip out if he could see these!