When you flip through a comic book, you’re looking at a medium that has existed for less than a century. Within those approximate 80 years, comic book stories and the avatars within have graduated from the scrutiny of child psychologists to multimedia empires that annually generate billions of dollars. Arguably, we’re in a golden age: the legacy characters of Marvel and DC have the support of the largest companies in the world, while any writer or artist can transform their own compelling cast into a creator-owned foundation, stewarding the most innovative intellectual properties forward (hello Saga and The Walking Dead).

With so many stories and characters out there, what still resonates and drives us to the comic store every Wednesday? The Paste staff decided to dig deep into their long boxes to identify the faces who shaped some of the most compelling narratives in sequential art. Quantifying characters from such a wide range of genres and eras was undeniably difficult, but a good story is universal. We guarantee that any one of these heroes, villains, lovers or fighters has earned their immortality in comic book history.



First Appearance: Locke & Key #1

Best Writer: Joe Hill

Best Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez



Locke & Key centers on the members of the Locke family, who move into patriarch Rendell’s old New England home in the wake of his grisly murder. The overarching Big Bad of the series comes in the form of an ancient demon who’s entwined with the soul of Dodge, Rendell’s childhood friend. For close to 40 issues, the demon-possessed Dodge wreaks havoc not only in the lives of the Locke children, but anyone even tangentially related to them, all in relentless pursuit of the Omega Key. While comics have no shortage of great demonic characters, it’s Dodge’s unique, twisted brand of cruelty that makes him one of the greats. — Mark Rozeman



First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #66

Best Writer: Roy Thomas

Best Artist: Gil Kane



Some of the characters on this list are here because they have become a template or trope for other heroes and villains. Adam Warlock’s role is rooted in un-assimilated weirdness, and little of that has changed in the space god’s 47 years. Yes, with his tendency for cocoon-hatching resurrections, early storylines hint at more than a few Christ parallels, but over time, the character has settled into a near-unique role as a fill-in-the-blank protagonist in any story with cosmic undertones or stakes. — Michael Burgin



First Appearance: Sex Criminals #1

Best Writer: Matt Fraction

Best Artist: Chip Zdarsky



One of the most interesting comic characters we’ve seen in recent years doesn’t fly. She doesn’t have x-ray vision or scale buildings or fight bad guys. She does, however, stop time with her earth-rocking orgasms, and that’s pretty much all you need to know to get the gist of the very hilarious Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Suzie — a sexually liberated librarian who robs banks while in her post-climax “quiet” — is more than you could ask for in the role of Sex Criminals’s deeply troubled (and hilarious, and real) lead character, and she forever sets an example for selfish dudes to be considerate. While Suzie’s conflicted about robbing banks, she’s doing it in the spirit of Robin Hood to give back to her own troubled library. Guys, maybe the special lady in your life could rob banks if you just gave her the extra 50-to-75 percent. — Tyler Kane



First Appearance: Deadline #1

Best Writer & Artist: Jamie Hewlett



Long before visualizing the cartoon anarchists of Gorillaz with Damon Albarn, British artist Jamie Hewlett devised the perfect grrrl power counterculture icon in Tank Girl. A blinding reflection of the punk groundswell that greeted former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s ultra-conservative legislation, Tank Girl occupied a series of underground comic strips before writers like Peter Milligan cast her in long-form comics and graphic novels. A gorgeous, gratuitous veneer of post-apocalyptic guns ’n ammo excess, Tank Girl evolved the gritty 2001 AD formula with a needed dose of estrogen. — Sean Edgar & Caitlin McGurk



First Appearance: Chew #1

Best Writer: John Layman

Best Artist: Rob Guillory



Chew embraces one of the more eye-raising concepts in recent years — a Philadelphia FDA agent draws psychic impressions from whatever he eats to solve crimes, even if it means biting into the occasional human body part now and then. Such a bonkers premise necessitates a great protagonist to keep the story anchored in an emotional reality, and Tony Chu is the man for the job. He’s a fiercely intelligent, grounded character in a world full of crazies. Tony also represents a pleasant oddity in comics — he’s a Chinese-American hero who’s neither a hacker nor ninja/samurai stereotype; in a medium where minority heroes remain unfortunately minimal, Tony is a delightful exception. — Mark Rozeman



First Appearance: Saga #1

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Best Artist: Fiona Staples



Don’t be fooled into believing Lying Cat is nothing more than a glorified polygraph. Sure, she only speaks one word — “lying” — whenever she witnesses someone bend the truth, but she also possesses unfathomable depths of loyalty. Lying Cat fights for the individuals she cares about, whether that entails sacrificing an eye in battle or nurturing former child sex slave Sophie:

She makes us weep; she makes us cheer and snort with laughter. In Lying Cat, we find extraordinary heroism in the guise of the quirkiest sidekick. —Frannie Jackson



First Appearance: Swamp Thing #1

Best Writer: Len Wein

Best Artist: Berni Wrightson



It’s not often that heroes get to stare into the eyes of the villains who killed them — okay, maybe it is — but there was a special brand of evil in the heart of Swamp Thing’s nemesis. Anton Arcane, like Spider-Man’s Venom, is terrifying because he doesn’t take a form you can just kill or send to a supervillain prison. We’ve seen him take on many different forms since Swamp Thing #1 in 1972 — an old man, a demon from Hell, Swamp Thing himself and the recent protector of The Rot (or basically everything that’s dead) — but the same always remains for Alec Holland’s fly-infested foe: he’s a brilliant manipulator with a soul of pure darkness. — Tyler Kane



First Appearance: Fables #1

Best Writer: Bill Willingham

Best Artist: Mark Buckingham



Frankly, if you’re a recurring character in Bill Willingham’s Fables, there’s probably an argument to be made to put you on this list. The series is so well-written and the characters so well fleshed-out … if you don’t belong here it’s likely just because Willingham hasn’t gotten to you yet. Still, some arcs stand out, such as the journey of Flycatcher (also known as the Frog Prince or Prince Ambrose) from humble janitor to an Adversary-thwarting king. Bigby Wolf may give the Fables series much of its punch, but Flycatcher is its undeniable heart. — Michael Burgin



First Appearance: The Demon Annual Vol. 3 #2

Best Writer: Garth Ennis

Best Artist: John McCrea



Garth Ennis’ most underappreciated creation, this sunglasses-wearing assassin (whose Catholic upbringing only lets him take out “bad” people) and the regulars at Noonan’s Sleazy Bar are the motliest crew in comics, prone to mocking superheroes — Batman finds himself on the receiving end of some undigested Indian food, Green Lantern gets stuck with a bar tab and Lobo…you don’t want to know. The crew takes out a bizarre litany of terrifying targets, including zombie dolphins and a T-Rex, while trading stories over endless games of poker. You wouldn’t want to mess with Tommy Monaghan … but you probably wouldn’t mind having a beer with him, either. — Zack Smith



First Appearance: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #1

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: Kevin O’Neill



I’m sure you’ve noticed, but mainstream comics tend to have a gender-equality issue. The Wonder Womans and Sue Storms of the world are nice, of course, but comics could definitely use more gals like Mina Harker. A former prisoner of stifling Victorian patriarchy, Harker’s experiences with Dracula led to her becoming the leader of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Alan Moore’s Avengers-like super group of famed literary characters. Fiercely independent and unafraid to explore her sexuality, Mina is the kind of person who can verbally dress down her egotistical male counterparts while simultaneously one-upping them in sheer badassery. — Mark Rozeman



First Appearance: Saga #1

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Best Artist: Fiona Staples



We aren’t swooning over The Will for his bad-boy mystique and roguish charm — handsome, brooding tough guys are a dime a dozen in comics. What sets The Will apart is the complexity of his characterization. He assassinates people for a living, yet rescues a child from sex slavery. He’s a human with the chiseled jaw of a greek god, but he’s in love with a monstrous arachnid man-eater. We root for The Will, even as he hunts Saga’s protagonists, because he challenges us to reject normalcy and embrace the unconventional. — Frannie Jackson



First Appearance: Hellboy: Seed of Evil

Best Writer & Artist: Mike Mignola



No one could have expected the twisted, elaborate backstory of the genteel merman hanging out with Hellboy and a crew of government officials way back in “Seed of Destruction.” Alas, Abe Sapien turns out to be a former Victorian cultist whose marine-biology friends preserved his body after he merged with a sea deity. More than the religious and mythological undertones of Hellboy, Abe harkens back to the gothic and fantastic remnants of 19th century esoterica that are largely ignored today, save for the occasional H.P. Lovecraft shout out. This agonizing narrative keeps getting weirder and darker, and as much as we’d all love to see Abe get a happy ending, the rabbit hole he’s currently falling down is endlessly fascinating. — Sean Edgar



First Appearance: The Demon #1

Best Writer: Garth Ennis

Best Artist: Jack Kirby



Etrigan is a demon of wit and wonder

Who, in a moment, can tear you asunder

Always forced to respond in rhyme and wit

Overwhelmed by his power, opponents always forfeit

Regardless of his constant sing-song tone,

His presence leaves hero or villain chilled to the bone

That’s what’s impressive — this demon’s dichotomy

Whose prose most likely makes writers want a lobotomy

But every time he’s on panel, he makes you grin

Because he’s the demon, Etrigan.

— Darren Orf



First Appearance: X-Factor #5

Best Writer: Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb

Best Artist: Walt Simonson



The best, or at least the most memorable, moments in comics are the big reveals, and these moments have a few tell-tale signs. When a page ends with a foreboding passage followed by an ellipsis, a scheming villain or a shocking death usually follows. Among these moments, only a few baddies exist who can elicit an audible response that’s some variation of “oh shit.” Apocalypse is definitely one of them. When this dude is around, trouble is brewing. Remember when he conquered the ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE (it may have been retconned into Earth-295, but still).

Many find Apocalypse’s moniker a little heavy-handed with its biblical connotations, but it’s not an overstatement when the guy lives up to the name. Easily the most powerful foe in the mutant universe (the Phoenix is a cosmic being, so don’t go there), he also comes with his own group of minions, known as the Four Horsemen. Though he was supposedly destroyed, Apocalypse’s reign of terror has left mental and physical scars across Earth-616, cementing the ancient mutant’s name through his catastrophic wake. — Darren Orf



First Appearance: Dreamwalker #0

Best Writer & Artist: Eric Powell



The Goon is the quintessential strongman and the most memorable character from the mind of writer/artist Eric Powell. A vehicle for Powell’s own ruminations on social issues, the comic industry or funny shit in general, The Goon often moves beyond slapstick into much more subversive territory. He’s quick to throw a punch and mumble a witty retort to his pint-sized companion, Franky, and he’s known broadly as the neighborhood rough houser and excessive drinker. Although he’s all of these things, many of The Goon’s stories, especially the heart-wrenching Chinatown tale, reveal a deeper side to the mountain of malice and muscle. The Goon mirrors his namesake: dark, cynical, and unwilling to pull punches. It’s a comic and a character that can make you laugh and think simultaneously — a combination that’s rare in any medium. — Darren Orf



First Appearance: Y: The Last Man #5

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Best Artist: Pia Guerra



In a world devoid of men, Agent 355 manages to stand out amongst throngs of women. A confident bodyguard, she devotes herself to protecting the last man on earth — even at the expense of her own happiness. Whether she’s kicking a ninja’s ass or knitting in her pajamas, Agent 355 earns our respect and admiration as she represses her own internal desires. — Frannie Jackson



First Appearance: Comical Funnies

Best Writer & Artist: Peter Bagge



Generation X’ers might’ve known when they were being pandered to, but they weren’t always good at knowing when they were being made fun of (or else they just liked laughing at themselves). Peter Bagge’s semi-autobiographical Buddy Bradley isn’t a character to look up to or emulate — he’s a petty, cynical, hate-filled loser who’s too self-absorbed to have any true friends. For some, though, Bagge’s early ‘90s hipster caricature was the closest comics got to depicting the world Gen X’ers knew, or at least the world they thought would make them look cool if they acted like they knew it. Through Buddy, Bagge bitingly dredged up the paranoia at the core of every ‘90s alt doofus. — Garrett Martin



First Appearance: Scalped #1

Best Writer: Jason Aaron

Best Artist: R.M. Guera



There are antiheroes and then there’s Dash, the “hero” of Jason Aaron’s Indian reservation-set noir. A seemingly ruthless “borderline sociopath” with a shaved head and a thirst for nunchucks-induced violence, Dash spends a good portion of the comic torn between his FBI supervisors and the reservation’s local crime boss. Much like he does with the series as a whole, however, Aaron soon peels away the layers to reveal something far more complex, eventually using Dash’s experiences to broach broader issues regarding the plight of modern day Native Americans and the cyclical entropy of reservation life. By the end of the series, you may not completely align yourself with Dash, but damn if you don’t understand where he’s coming from. — Mark Rozeman



First Appearance: New Gods #1

Best Writer & Artist: Jack Kirby



Jack Kirby took the nature vs. nurture argument to new heights with his New Gods epic, a grand mythology that repurposed Abrahamic plot beats into a Technicolor space opera. Almost any one of the gods could slide into this list; the Freon degree of cool surrounding Mr. Miracle, Big Bartha and the sinister Apokolips crew is undeniable. That said, Orion, son of ubervillain Darkseid traded to heavenly New Genesis as an infant, takes special notice. Orion overcame his diabolical lineage to soar around on an astro-harness and challenge his birth father for the planetary equivalent of hell. Reread that last sentence and thank the gods, new or otherwise, for Jack Kirby. — Sean Edgar



First Appearance: Marvel Premier #15

Best Writer: Matt Fraction

Best Artist: David Aja



As Matt Fraction has stated on multiple occasions, the “kung-fu billionaire” concept isn’t exactly a hard pitch. In addition, Iron Fist wielder Danny Rand comes with an elaborate backstory involving mystical cities, carnivorous business dealings and lots of punching. It’s ‘70s Wuxia grindhouse elation, with compelling racial commentary informed by Rand’s Heroes For Hire relationship with Luke Cage and the obvious Asian Cinema trimmings. The character’s aughties resurrection by Matt Fraction combined with Kaare Andrews’ Iron Fist: The Living Weapon relaunch have ensured that Iron Fist truly is immortal. — Sean Edgar



First Appearance: Mage: The Hero Discovered #1

Best Writer & Artist: Matt Wagner



Kevin Matchstick isn’t so much an actor as a guide, escorting the reader into writer/artist Matt Wagner’s examination of modern mythology in Mage: The Hero Discovered and Mage: The Hero Defined. The beauty of Matchstick is that he takes Joseph Campbell-heavy themes and makes them undeniably interesting and grounded. Aided by Wagner’s gorgeous line work (the artist and character bear more than a few visual similarities), Matchstick fights dragons and tumbles down the monomyth with reluctance and honesty, wielding Excaliber incarnated in a baseball bat. If Matchstick were the default teacher of other pop art academia, there would never be another empty classroom. — Sean Edgar



First Appearance: Pep Comics #22

Best Writer & Artist: Bob Montana



As a character, Archie’s not that interesting. He’s a typical mid-century American (white, middle-class) teen: a boringly pleasant, hetero horn-dog with the sort of “problems” (car, girl, money) that could only be considered problems by the middle-class. As the centerpiece for one of comics’ largest and longest-running cast of characters, though, Archie is a perfectly calibrated place-holder — a sounding board for his diverse friends and the idiosyncratic faculty of Riverdale High. And if Archie seems a little stereotypical, that’s because (along with Mickey Rooney’s Andy Hardy) his character basically created the template for the American teenager. — Garrett Martin



First Appearance: Watchmen #1

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: Dave Gibbons



It’s hard to think of a more powerful hero than Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan, born after physicist Jon Osterman was trapped in an intrinsic field subtractor in the ‘50s. When his body reassembled atom-by-atom, a deity formed — one so powerful that Nixon himself called upon the hero to intervene when Vietnam got rough. Dr. Manhattan’s detachment from humanity is almost understandable; the post-human sports telekinesis, matter control and clairvoyance. What earthly pleasures could keep a god happy? — Tyler Kane



First Appearance: The Walking Dead #19

Best Writer: Robert Kirkman

Best Artist: Charlie Adlard



The laconic ronin of the zombie apocalypse and an integral member of Rick Grimes’ band of survivors, Michonne quickly became a fan favorite for her katana skills and penchant for dragging around leashed, armless walkers. But what really sets her apart is her capacity for brutality — and not just in killing zombies. She reveals what even good people are capable of when pushed to the breaking point. After bearing the brunt of The Governor’s sadism, her revenge involves a massive amount of maiming and mutilation (not to mention her cringe-inducing use of a spoon). That said, the brief moments of humanity that shine through Michonne define the grey morality that saturates The Walking Dead universe. — Robert Tutton



First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #48

Best Writer: Stan Lee

Best Artist: Jack Kirby



Please, for god’s sake, let’s forget the “Galactus” in the execrable Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer. (In fact, forget everything about that movie, if you can.) While superheroes have defused many Earth-destroying threats over the decades, Galactus represented perhaps the most implacable. His original arc in the pages of the The Fantastic Four (#48-50) is a classic, and his level of menace, metaphysical. Somehow, in a world filled with power-hungry tyrants, an impersonal destroyer of worlds — dude’s gotta eat — terrifies on a whole different level. — Michael Burgin



First Appearance: Tech Jacket #1

Best Writer: Robert Kirkman

Best Artist: Ryan Ottley



At his core, Robert Kirkman’s young hero represents an intriguing mix of Peter Parker-meets-Kal-el. The storylines here are seldom predictable, mixing a vast framework of beats established by Marvel and DC over decades in new and astonishing ways. So much happens in the course of any single Invincible arc (betrayals! new brothers! death! more death!) that this comic book bildungsroman avoids anything remotely resembling a status quo, relying on its winsome lead to be the glue behind an aggressively-shifting narrative. But when your character is as pure and likable as Grayson, there isn’t much that could happen to keep you from devouring next month’s chapter to discover how everyone’s favorite hero-in-training will greet his next earth-shaking conflict.



First Appearance: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1

Best Writer: Chuck Dixon

Best Artist: Brian Bolland



Like The Joker, the scariest thing about Bane is his motives (or lack thereof). The beastly man infamously put Batman out of commission in the Knightfall comics, forcing a broken Bruce Wayne to let Jean-Paul Valley take over the Dark Knight mantle. Bane’s a terrifying foe, born in darkness and raised to thrive on terror—not endure it. As badly as he was botched in Batman and Robin, his first on-screen appearance, Tom Hardy later knocked the role out of the park in The Dark Knight Rises. — Tyler Kane



First Appearance: Destroyer Duck #1

Best Writer & Artist: Sergio Aragonés



Mad Magazine vet Sergio Aragones obliterated the swords and sandals archetype with Groo, a bumbling barbarian who can shake a mean saber but isn’t good at much else. Groo greets massive battles with nothing to rely on except a steady stream of testosterone and his blades. He extends the eccentric idiocy of male comic protagonists not just to Medieval brawlers, but to all violence-prone heroes in the medium. Though he was created in the ‘70s, much of Groo’s chaotic, exaggerated wit seeded a future where characters like The Tick could continue to skew the tights and muscles crowd. — Sean Edgar



First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #129

Best Writer: Joss Whedon

Best Artist: John Byrne





First Appearance: The Sandman #4

Best Writer: Mike Carey

Best Artist: Peter Gross





First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #252

Best Writer: David Michelinie

Best Artist: Todd McFarlane





First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #48

Best Writer: Stan Lee

Best Artist: Moebius





First Appearance: Detective Comics #233

Best Writer: Greg Rucka

Best Artist: J.H. Williams III





First Appearance: Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws

Best Writer & Artist: Hergé





First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #15

Best Writer: J.M. DeMatteis

Best Artist: Mike Zeck





First Appearance: Zero Hour #1

Best Writer: James Robinson

Best Artist: Tony Harris





First Appearance: The Amazine Spider-Man #25

Best Writer: Sean McKeever

Best Artist: John Romita, Sr.





First Appearance: Sin City: The Hard Goodbye

Best Writer &Artist: Frank Miller





First Appearance: Pep Comics #1

Best Writer & Artist: Bob Montana





First Appearance: New Mutants #98

Best Writer: Fabian Nicieza/Joe Kelly

Best Artist: Ed McGuinness





First Appearance: Avengers #54

Best Writer: Roy Thomas

Best Artist: George Perez





First Appearance: The Walking Dead #1

Best Writer: Robert Kirkman

Best Artist: Charlie Adlard





First Appearance: Iron Man #55

Best Writer & Artist: Jim Starlin





First Appearance: Watchmen #1

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: Dave Gibbons





First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #57

Best Writer: Matt Fraction

Best Artist: David Aja





First Appearance: Pilote #1

Best Writer: René Goscinny

Best Artist: Albert Uderzo





First Appearance: Saga #1

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Best Artist: Fiona Staples





First Appearance: Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1

Best Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Best Artist: Jim Steranko





First Appearance: Comico Primer #2

Best Writer & Artist: Matt Wagner





First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73

Best Writer: Andy Diggle

Best Artist: Jock





First Appearance: Marvelman Annual 1954

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: Alan Davis





First Appearance: X-Men #1

Best Writer: Jason Aaron

Best Artist: Jim Lee





First Appearance: Alias #1

Best Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Best Artist: Michael Gaydos





First Appearance: Fables #1

Best Writer: Bill Willingham

Best Artist: Mark Buckingham





First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #1

Best Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Best Artist: Jack Kirby





First Appearance: Strangers in Paradise #1

Best Writer & Artist: Terry Moore





First Appearance: Thorn: Tales from the Lantern #1

Best Writer & Artist: Jeff Smith





First Appearance: Strange Adventures #180

Best Writer: Grant Morrison

Best Artist: Chas Truog





First Appearance: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1

Best Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Best Artist: Leinil Francis Yu





First Appearance: Habibi

Best Writer & Artist: Craig Thompson





First Appearance: Action Comics #23

Best Writer: Brian Azzarello

Best Artist: Frank Quitely







First Appearance: V for Vendetta #1

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: David Lloyd





First Appearance: Strange Tales #110

Best Writer: Steve Englehart

Best Artist: Steve Ditko





First Appearance: Lone Wolf & Cub: The Assassin’s Road

Best Writer: Kazuo Koike

Best Artist: Goseki Kojima





First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #14

Best Writer: Gerry Conway

Best Artist: John Romita, Sr.





First Appearance: Ghost World

Best Writer & Artist: Daniel Clowes





First Appearance: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life

Best Writer & Artist: Bryan Lee O’Malley





First Appearance: Thorn: Tales from the Lantern #1

Best Writer & Artist: Jeff Smith





First Appearance: Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History

Best Writer & Artist: Art Spiegelman





First Appearance: Detective Comics #38

Best Writer: Jim Starlin

Best Artist: George Perez





First Appearance: Giant-Size X-Men #1

Best Writer: Chris Claremont

Best Artist: Dave Cockrum





First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #1

Best Writer: Peter David

Best Artist: John Romita, Jr.





First Appearance: Albedo Anthropomorphics #2

Best Writer & Artist: Stan Sakai





First Appearance: House of Secrets #92

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: Stephen Bissette





First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #83

Best Writer & Artist: Walt Simonson





First Appearance: X-Men #1

Best Writer: Chris Claremont

Best Artist: John Byrne





First Appearance: 2000 AD #2

Best Writer: John Wagner

Best Artist: Carlos Ezquerra





First Appearance: The Flash #110

Best Writer: Geoff Johns

Best Artist: Scott Kolins





First Appearance: Transmetropolitan #1

Best Writer: Warren Ellis

Best Artist: Darick Robertson





First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39

Best Writer: David Michelinie

Best Artist: Bob Layton





First Appearance: Dime Press #4

Best Writer & Artist: Mike Mignola





First Appearance: Preacher #1

Best Writer: Garth Ennis

Best Artist: Steve Dillon





First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #1

Best Writer: Stan Lee

Best Artist: Jack Kirby





First Appearance: DC Showcase #22

Best Writer: Geoff Johns

Best Artist: Neal Adams





First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #5

Best Writer: Stan Lee

Best Artist: Jack Kirby





First Appearance: Dell Four Color Comics #178

Best Writer & Artist: Carl Barks





First Appearance: X-Men #1

Best Writer: Chris Claremont

Best Artist: Frank Quitely





First Appearance: The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37

Best Writer: Garth Ennis

Best Artist: Steve Dillon





First Appearance: X-Men #1

Best Writer: Chris Claremont

Best Artist: John Byrne





First Appearance: Love and Rockets #1

Best Writer & Artist: Jaime Hernandez





First Appearance: Love and Rockets #1

Best Writer & Artist: Jaime Hernandez





First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #180

Best Writer: Chris Claremont

Best Artist: Joe Madureira





First Appearance: The Sandman #1

Best Writer: Neil Gaiman

Best Artist: Dave McKean





First Appearance: Captain America Comics #1

Best Writer: Ed Brubaker

Best Artist: Jack Kirby





First Appearance: All Star Comics #8

Best Writer: Brian Azzarello

Best Artist: George Perez





First Appearance: Daredevil #1

Best Writer: Frank Miller

Best Artist: Bill Sienkiewicz





First Appearance: Batman #1

Best Writer: Alan Moore

Best Artist: Brian Bolland





First Appearance: Action Comics #1

Best Writer: Grant Morrison

Best Artist: Curt Swan





First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15

Best Writer: Stan Lee

Best Artist: Steve Ditko





First Appearance: Detective Comics #27

Best Writer: Frank Miller

Best Artist: Neal Adams

