TOP TEN :: Best Comics Artists Ever :: #8 :: Frank Quitely
While Frank Quitely’s highly stylized pencils divide the majority of comic book readers into one of two camps—love or loathing—it’s difficult to deny his talent as a storyteller. Best known for his collaborations with writer Grant Morrison, he has a talent for using subtle facial expression and body language to reveal a level of character that is scarce in mainstream comics these days. But he’s no slouch in the over-the-top-comic-book-melodrama department either. To get a true taste of everything he’s capable of, check out We3, a near perfect comic series in my humble opinion. If you don’t love Bandit by the end of the first issue, well . . . I don’t know what to tell you.
Required reading: New X-Men, All Star Superman, JLA: Earth 2, We3
Okay, so if I say I’m in the “loathe” camp and admit to not getting the Quitely love and thinking Grant needs to find a new partner…Will I be pelted with eggs the next time I come in the store?
(Although…I did like We3…He should stick to animals…)
I don’t want to commit to anything. It might be wise,howeverm for you to wear a poncho the next time you come in the store.
Seriously though, Quitely is an aquired taste, and I tend to drift toward highly stylized art.
Break up Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely? For shame, homewrecker!
Do what? That’s crazy-talk, Cooper! Quitely is the heat–if you doubt it, go back and read New X-Men. Issues with Quitely art–clear, concise storytelling. Fill-in issues: utterly inscrutable. Maybe only he can decipher Morrison’s Scottish accent, being a Scot himself. Who knows–but if you think about the bizarre number of things happening in every issue of All Star Superman, it’s amazing. And meanwhile, every issue can somehow be read on its own as an individual adventure. That gets less easy as this story gets close to its climax, but I don’t know of a single other artist, except MAYBE Romita Jr. who could do that.
I think I look at Quitely’s art a bit like Andy sees Paul Pope up in that thread. I’m not saying he doesn’t have a very distinct, “look-how-talented-I-am” style…but when I see his stuff, I wonder why it looks like all of his people seem to have some bizarre wasting disease…