The Top 10 Most Important and Influential Writers/Artist in Avengers History

[Havok83]

This was a feature in the new Wizard. They basically ranked the top writers and artists who made their mark on the team.. What do you think of thier choices?

Artists
10. Leinil Francis Yu
9. Neal Adams
8. Don Heck
7. Steve McNiven
6. Jack Kirby
5. Tom Palmer Sr.
4. David Finch
3. John Byrne
2. John Buscema
1. George Perez

Writers
10. Geoff Johns
9. Bob Harras
8. Steve Englehart
7. Kurt Busiek
6. John Byrne
5. Roger Stern
4. Jim Shooter
3. Brian Michael Bendis
2. Stan Lee
1. Roy Thomas

 

[SuperFerret]

I disagree with Bendis being that high, and with Kirby being that low.

 

[Spider-Vader]

I disagree with Bendis being that high, and with Kirby being that low.

Bendis changed the whole Avengers for 10 years. That's pretty influential.

 

[Havok83]

Bendis is kinda high but the fact is he's shaped the modern day Avengers. He brought in alot of new readers and fans and pretty much everything has followed his direction He's helped carve out the direction for the Avengers line and has had broad influence and power across the Marvel Univese

 

[kguillou]

Say what you will about Bendis but without him, the franchise wouldnt be the power house it is today. Before him the franchise just couldnt seem to catch on.

 

[SuperFerret]

Yeah, I guess you have a point. Negative influence is influence nonetheless. It's still too high for him.

 

[Watchman]

I agree with the top three but I think Buisek and Stern should be higher. Drop Geoff Johns and replace him with Mark Millar.

 

[bored]

Agree with the number 1's on both lists. Wish Bendis wasn't so high but I understand why he is. Johns's tenure was good, but not great.

 

[Madelow]

Hello all: I really think Jack Kirby should be higher. I'll write off my misgivings about the lowballing of Don Heck. That might be childhood sentimentality creeping in. Interesting lists. Thanks for posting them. Best regards, Madelow.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The artist list fails because Steve Epting is not on it. He drew one of my favorite eras of the Avengers with Bob Harras writing.

 

[runawayboulder]

Artists
10. Leinil Francis Yu
9. Neal Adams
8. Don Heck
7. Steve McNiven
6. Jack Kirby
5. Tom Palmer Sr.
4. David Finch
3. John Byrne
2. John Buscema
1. George Perez

I'd flip flop Kirby and Finch. And no Epting, WTF? I'm with you there Corp...

Writers
10. Geoff Johns
9. Bob Harras
8. Steve Englehart
7. Kurt Busiek
6. John Byrne
5. Roger Stern
4. Jim Shooter
3. Brian Michael Bendis
2. Stan Lee
1. Roy Thomas


Personally, I'd put Stern, Busiek, Johns, and even Harras before Bendis. But since we're talking influential, it would just be Stern and Busiek before Bendis. Johns and Harras were awesome, but they haven't seemed to influence anybody.

Harras' run was very underrated, it was kickass thru and thru with no Iron Man, no Cap half the time, and Eric Masterson Thor. His Avenger teams were led by Black Knight and Sersi (can someone bring her back please!) and featured Black Widow, Vision, Crystal, and Hercules. Somehow it all worked great.

 

[bored]

It worked because Harras respected them as characters, and let them develop together. That line-up lasted so long because he made it make sense that they'd work well together.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Harras' run is the reason the Black Knight is one of my favorite characters at Marvel. It boggles my mind that Dane is still considered C-list when he was an Avenger for almost 2 solid decades and his stories during the Harras run were actually really compelling (aside from the '90s costume and morphing into Gambit when he took his helmet off).

The Vision had a pretty interesting story (and his best costume to date) during that run, too. Rediscovering his emotions and trying to sort through his personality problems =

 

[runawayboulder]

Avengers vol1 #348....the BEST Vision story ever.

 

[KangConquers]

Writers
10. Geoff Johns
9. Bob Harras
8. Brian Michael Bendis
7. Steve Englehart
6. Kurt Busiek
5. John Byrne
4. Jim Shooter
3. Roger Stern
2. Stan Lee
1. Roy Thomas

Fixed.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Avengers vol1 #348....the BEST Vision story ever.

Yep. One of my absolute favorite issues of Avengers.

By the way, in case it wasn't clear, the costume I loved from that run was not the pure white look the 616 Vision had, it was the streamlined red/green/yellow one he got when he switched bodies with the evil Vision:

 

[fifthfiend]

Hello all: I really think Jack Kirby should be higher. I'll write off my misgivings about the lowballing of Don Heck. That might be childhood sentimentality creeping in. Interesting lists. Thanks for posting them. Best regards, Madelow.

Greetings to my dearest Madelow,

How does this morn find thee? Well I do hope. It's been so long since last we met. How fares darling Emmaline? Has the wooping-cough remitted? She is always in my prayers.

Yrs in fondest faretheewells and wishing blessings to you and yours,

Fifthuel J. Fiendimrius, Uqs.

 

[hippie_hunter]

I agree with the top three but I think Buisek and Stern should be higher. Drop Geoff Johns and replace him with Mark Millar.

Millar wrote the Ultimates, not the Avengers

 

[Havok83]

I dont have the experience with the franchise that most have here, only really becoming a fan with New Avengers, but I have to say I love that Finch is on this and so high. He's one of the main reasons why I started reading the line as New Avengers 1 looked absolutely amazing. I hated when he left the book. His current work isnt as good but what he did on that title was the best work of his career

Id have traded Yu out and put Coipel on the list. He's one of my favorites from the 3rd series

 

[bored]

Yu isn't terribly important to Avengers history, though admittedly I like him on here just because he's a good artist.

 

[Havok83]

Yu isn't terribly important to Avengers history, though admittedly I like him on here just because he's a good artist.

I do love his work but he does kinda seem to recent and didnt really make a huge impact

 

[kguillou]

Yu's work on New Avengers was horrible, it was incredibly rushed and sloppy looking and was far from his best work.

 

[El Bastardo]

Finch shouldn't be on a list of greatest artists for anything. His art is horrible.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

But the crosshatching, man. Have you ever seen such crosshatching before?!

 

[El Bastardo]

Perhaps not! But I know I've seen those faces before... somewhere... hmm... Oh yes! In this OTHER David Finch art.

Actually, I was surprised with his cover art for Brightest Day #3. Aquaman and Mera had never-before-seen faces.