We are art fans. When we purchase a comic book, we are purchasing someone's art. These comic book artists have shaped the way we envision our favorite stories, characters and arcs that could last years. We honor our artists by bringing them to you to show off their work. Each year, we carefully curate a list of artists that all do amazing work on both local and national stages.
Jim Steranko
Sam de la Rosa
Jim Shooter
Al Milgrom
Mike Royer
Keith Williams
Bob Almond
The INKWELL Awards
Codakhrome Comic Shop
Kyle Willis
Matthew DiMasi
BUZZ the Artist
Ian Chase Nichols
Joe St. Pierre
The Jack Kirby Museum
Alex Cormack
Ryan Santos
Jay Kennedy
David LeBlanc
Mike Doherty
Mary Dumas
Damon Goss
Graphic novelist, musician, filmmaker, narrative artist, advertising art director, illustrator, magician, bookcover painter, storyteller, designer, writer, historian, escape artist, carnival fire-eater, male model, boxer, pop-culture lecturer, publisher, iconoclast.
Jim started writing stories for DC Comics in 1965 at age 13. In 1978, he became Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics. He introduced royalties and incentives that attracted phenomenal talents who did amazing work. Jim wrote notable series including the Avengers and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and laid the foundations for G.I. Joe and Transformers. Later, he founded VALIANT, DEFIANT, and Broadway Comics and was the principal creator of their characters. Currently, he works with Illustrated Media Group creating content for film and television.
Since 1982 Sam de la Rosa has finished art/inked/drawnfor Marvel, DC, Image, Disney, and Dark Horse. Credits,include Spider-Man,Venom,Carnage, Black Panther,The Avengers, Star Wars, X-Men and more. He worked on Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Star Trek, Firestorm and others for DC Comics. In 1989 at Dark Horse Comics he worked on the 1st and 2nd Predator comicbooks. Sam's work on VENOM LETHAL PROTECTOR #1-6 and Venom Separation Anxiety 1-4 is the main basis for the VENOM MOVIE. VENOM: Let There Be CARNAGE Movie is based on Maxium Carnage which Sam penciled/inked its conclusion over layouts also worked on.His work on Maxium Carnage and Venom Separation Anxiety were made into video games. So far this year he drew covers for Venom Lethal Protector II #1, The Uncanny Spider-Man #1, Predator vs Wolverine #2, Superior Spider-Man vs Doc Ock #3, and Wolverine:Madripoor Kights.
His credits include Marvel Fanfare, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, West Coast Avengers, and X-Factor. His career started at Charlton Comics in 1972 and moved to the next level as a penciler on Captain Marvel from 1975-77. As an editor at DC from 1977-78, he co-created the original Firestorm with Gerry Conway. Back at Marvel in 1979, he edited Marvel FanFare for it's 10 year run. Pencil credits include Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Mephisto, Secret Wars II, Kitty Pride & Wolverine, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Incredible Hulk. He is also known for his ink work on Thor, Thunderstrike, Captain America, Uncanny X-Men, J-2, and Thanos.
Royer, best known for his work with pencilers Russ Manning and Jack Kirby, inked the covers of writer-penciler Jack Kirby's The Forever People #2 and #5 (May and Nov. 1971), and The New Gods #5 (Nov. 1971) in Kirby's "Fourth World" epic at DC Comics, which he began after leaving Marvel Comics. He became Kirby's primary inker at DC, working on those titles and another title connected to the Fourth World series Mister Miracle, as well as on the preexisting series, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen which was incorporated into the same narrative. He additionally inked Kirby's next two DC series, The Demon and Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth, and, among other Kirby projects, inked the extant war comics feature "The Losers" in several issues of Our Fighting Forces in 1975.
Royer also lettered and inked the last six months of Russ Manning's Tarzan Sunday-newspaper comic strip and, in the late 1970s, the first four months of Manning's daily and Sunday Star Wars comic strips. Beginning in 1979, Royer spent 14 years on staff with The Walt Disney Company, doing art and design for books, comic books and comic strips, and theme park and licensed merchandise for its Consumer Product/Licensing division.
Since 2000, Royer has produced freelance art and design, including work on Digimon products, screen icons for the Fox Family cable television channel environment and its Fox Kids programming bloc, "floor plans" for computer game animators, Reader Rabbit workbooks, and Rescue Heroes toy packaging
Keith Williams, comic book inker, enrolled in the School of Visual Arts in New York City from 1976 to 1980. Majored in Media Arts and studied under Will Eisner, the creator of the Spirit comic strip. He received a Bachelor of Fine Art.
With the help of Marvel comic book artist and mentor Don Perlin, Keith started working for Marvel Comics in 1982 as a background inker. He worked for inkers including Joe Sinnott and Mike Esposito. At Marvel, he became the first John Romita Raider, an art correction group. Keith later became an assistant editor under Jim Owlsley (Christopher Priest) on the Spider-Man group of books. The two became the first all black editorial team in Marvel's history. He later became John Byrne's background artist on Alpha Flight, The Hulk, Superman and Action Comics.
Keith began inking regularly with the Web of Spider-Man, which lasted for four years. In between that time and after he worked on many other books at Marvel including The Silver Surfer and She-Hulk with John Byrne, Warlock, Quasar with Greg Capullo, Star Trek and the X-men.
At Dark Horse Comics, The Mask and Walter with artist Doug Manke and Star Wars Droids. At DC Comics, Superman, and the Lobo/ Mask graphic novel with Doug Manke. For Valiant, he worked on Quantum and Woody and the covers of X-O Man. At Moonstone Comics, The Kolchak Night Stalker Chronicles, Buckaroo Banzai and Domino Lady. For ten years he had worked on The Phantom for King Features Syndicate. And at Avatar Press he inked Lady Death and Crossed covers. A Crossed webisode comic, "Wish You Were Here" and the cover and interiors of the comic book Uber. He has also inked Avatar Press' published graphic novel Max Brook's Harlem Hellfighters. And has recently inked over Ron Frenz pencils for Marvel's Thor the Worthy one shot book.
Two years after graduating with a BFA in Illustration at the Umass Dartmouth art college Bob broke in at Marvel Comics in 1992 as a professional inker on Warlock & the Infinity Watch series which led to numerous projects at Marvel for the next decade straight like Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek: DS9 and later Annihilation: Congest-Quasar and Heroes for Hire. Most significant was his 3 years of work as inker/storyteller with Priest and Sal Velluto on Marvel's Black Panther from 1999-2002. This highly-acclaimed series won Bob two Squiddy Awards for "Best Inker" (2001-2002) along with one for "Best Creative Team" (2002). Together with Sal they were included in the Heroes 911 tribute book (Marvel), Bloodshot (Acclaim), JSA, Aquaman (DC), Captain Gravity and the Power of the Vril (Penny-Farthing Press), Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions (Valiant), The Phantom/Fantoman (Egmont), The Guardian Project with Stan Lee (Guardian Media), and the Kingstone Bible (Kingstone Media). More recently Bob has worked on The Liberty Brigade Kickstarter project w/ Mike Lilly (Thrilling Nostalgia Comics) and he's working with Mike again for "The Masters" (Power Comics) and inks over Joe Bennett for Kingstone. With other collaborators Bob has also inked assignments like Vampirella: Revelations (Harris), A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wildstorm), and Star Trek: The Last Generation (IDW). In 2018, Bob and his fellow Black Panther creative partners Priest & Velluto were invited by Marvel Studios to view the Hollywood LA world premiere of BLACK PANTHER where all three were credited with "Special Thanks" as Storytellers who's work influenced key elements in the film.
Bob has also acted as a columnist for his inker-centric "Inkblots" column for Sketch Magazine and First Comics News from 2007-2010. This led to his founding of the non-profit Inkwell Awards in 2008 where he acts as director and treasurer. He co-created the company spokesmodel Ms. Inkwell and she will be in attendance at this event for the 1st time, both senior SM Hailey Skaza-Gagne (tentative) and introducing Brie Danas. As the only organization/advocacy of it's kind on the planet it promotes and educates about the oft-misunderstood art form of inking and recognizes the best artists of inking in the field. In 2011 the Heroes Con became the host show for the annual awards ceremony and in 2019 The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! became a new host show. Almost 100% of funds raised go to the non-profit. They are now celebrating their 15th year anniversary.
Joe St.Pierre began his comic book career at Valiant Comics, as penciler of RAI, and co-creator/writer/artist of SECRET WEAPONS.
Joe is the penciler of the most #1 issues featuring SPIDER-MAN and/or the Spider-Man family.
He has also worked as a writer and artist for Marvel (Gambit, Fantastic Four), DC (Aquaman, Green Lantern), Image (Megahurtz), IDW(Transformers), Boom (Power Rangers), MTV (Daria), Warner Bros. Animation (Batman Beyond), Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, PBS and others.
Joe is the co-creator and illustrator of the FABIEN COUSTEAU EXPEDITIONS, a graphic novel series published by Simon & Schuster. GREAT WHITE SHARK ADVENTURE, JOURNEY UNDER THE ARCTIC and DEEP INTO THE AMAZON JUNGLE are in book stores and comic shops now!
Joe’s publishing company Astronaut Ink highlights his own creator-owned properties BOLD BLOOD, MEGAHURTZ® and most recently NEW ZODIAX. The NEW ZODIAX Graphic Novel first printing has sold out and is now available in its second printing.
