It’s nearly impossible to narrow down the top cover artists working in comic books today, but we gave it our best shot …
10. Paolo Rivera
An Eisner Award-winning comic book artist, Paolo Rivera is mostly known for his work on Marvel titles like Daredevil, Avengers, All-New X-Men, Spider-Man, and Star Wars. In recent years though, Rivera has created variant covers for DC Comics, IDW Publishing, and Valiant Entertainment as well.
9. Skottie Young
Skottie Young’s whimsical take on the citizens of the Marvel Universe has endured him to fans of all ages. Currently working as the writer and artist on Marvel’s Rocket Raccon, Young also writes and illustrates his own title for Image Comics, I Hate Fairyland.
8. Terry and Rachel Dodson
Terry draws, his wife Rachel inks, and comic book fans drool. The Dodsons are best known for their cover work on titles such as Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Star Wars, X-Men, and Captain Marvel.
7. Fiona Staples
Cited as one of the best artists working in the industry today, Fiona Staples is a Canadian comic book artist known for her work on the recently relaunched Archie, Rat Queens, Superman/Batman, and Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga. She has won numerous industry awards, including Harvey Awards, Eisner Awards, and Hugo Awards.
6. Francesco Francavilla
Francesco Francavilla is an Italian artist best known for his pulp-inspired comic book covers. Afterlife With Archie, The Twilight Zone, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and Zorro have all featured Francavilla’s distinctive work.
5. Darwyn Cooke
A Canadian born writer and artist, Darwyn Cooke’s work brought a retro style to comic books not seen in decades. Most of Cooke’s work was for DC Comics, including Batman, Superman, and Justice League titles. An Eisner Award winner, Cooke sadly passed away in May 2016, but his work will live on in the hearts of comic book fans everywhere.
4. Phil Noto
Best known for his work on titles such as Uncanny X-Force, Black Widow, and Jonah Hex, Noto began his art career working for Disney. He describes his work as being a “retro paperback cover” style.
3. Adam Hughes
His illustrations of pinup-style characters, including work on titles such as Wonder Woman and Catwoman, has made Adam Hughes’ work some of the most distinctive in all of comics today. His talent is all the more impressive given he had no formal training.
2. J. Scott Campbell
Rising to fame in the late 90’s with his work on Gen 13 and Danger Girl, Campbell was also one of the co-founders of the Cliffhanger imprint, part of Wildstorm Productions. Most recently, his cover work on titles such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Gwenpool, X-Men, Wolverine, and Star Wars has become some of the most sought after for comic book collectors.
1. Alex Ross
Known for his painted “Norman Rockwell” style, Alex Ross won a Will Eisner Award in 1997 for DC Comic’s limited series Kingdom Come, with Mark Waid writing. His cover work for titles including The All-New Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and Marvel’s recent Secret Wars continue to solidify a remarkable career spanning nearly three decades.
