Truly an artist's artist. Jones' art is always beautiful, intelligent and intriguing.

Where can I get these *ahem* issues?

Corben is a great example of a great creative artist who does everything and doesn't seem to simply bide his time until he's offered a penciling gig on Captain Superhero. From the earliest days he's been doing his own thing, and nobody's ever been as good at it as he was. His masterful use of color, as in your example, must be seen to be believed... it's just so damn good.

I recall starting buying Heavy Metal just so I could read his serialized Bloodstar graphic novel. (That there were titties in the mag was just an added bonus to the teenage me!)

A fine, fine artist... and I can't believe I totally forgot about him when writing up my own list!!!

My second choice is not exactly the most prolific creator, but I'll be damned if he didn't create one of the world's most original comic book series.

#11: Larry Marder

Billed as 'a most unusual comic book experience', 'Tales of the Beanworld' establishes a strange, new world which exists due to a complex ecological process. The art is deceptively simple, and narrative mostly centres on how the Beanworld's inhabitants react to changes in their world, whether it be from outside the 'world' or from the actions of the world's inhabitants.
Characters include Proffy, the Beanworld's scientist, Beanish, a bean who 'breaks out' and becomes an artist, and Mister Spook, the Beanworld's hero. The series' visual simplicity allows the reader to immerse themselves fully in the narrative - the series has been described as a 'process' or an 'experience' rather than a story - without being distracted by irrelevancies, and yet the series is so completely charming and engaging, filled with mysteries to explore, wonders to experience and problems which the Beans will have to figure out how they're going to deal with.

I was a huge fan of the cartoon of Fish Police as well, it was different than the comic but fun.

MRP's CReator Slam Day 2

So right off the bat Cei-U and Shax give me two I am unfamiliar with beyond having heard the name's and being vaguely aware of them with Victor Moscoso and Lyn Ward

Kirby was on my initial list and considered for the short list, but his scripting can be uneven sometimes, and if I am in the wrong headspace when I try to read it it can be a slog for me-most times I chew through it no problem, but there are times I just can't, so ultimately I left him off the short list. It was a little easier to do knowing he would get some love from the folks here.

Dave Stevens was another oversight on my part, glad folks here mentioned him though.

I really need to read more Jack Cole and Don Rosa

I had heard of/seen Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, so was vaguely aware of Vasquez, not that I could have told you who the creator of it was, but serial killer stories usually hold absolutely no appeal to me (with very rare exceptions), so I've never given it any consideration.

Charles Burns is another I should like, I've just never gotten into. Maybe one day I'll get around to checking more of it out.

Al Jaffee is another I was vaguely aware of through Mad, but never really got into much.

Steve Moncuse is an intriguing choice. Fish Police was always on the periphery of books I checked out during the black and white boom, but never followed regularly.

I am not as big a fan of the Far Side as most folks. There were times when I found a panel spectacularly good and highly amusing,and would run around showing everyone, cutting it out and taping it up on a the wall above my dorm desk, but then I would go weeks of reading it and be just meh, ok and move on and not giving it a second thought.

Wally Wood is another I am more familiar with the art than the writing and just haven't read much of his scripting.

Eric Shanower made my short list-final list? wait and see.

Robert Minor was someone I was unfamiliar with, great choice though.

I was vaguely familiar with the Curtis strip, but could not have told you Ray Billingsley was the cartoonist who did it. Solid stuff though.

John Byrne was a name I thought of when I made my list of cartoonists, but he didn't get any serious consideration for inclusion. I like his stuff, don't love it, like his art better than his writing and find at times he is way too self-indulgent when he plots and scripts things, and pacing is not his strong suit as a writer. I usually enjoy reading his stuff, but never enough to go back for seconds unless he is collaborating with someone else.

Jurgens repeat from day 1, like but don't love his stuff. Bob Layton gets added to that list for me.

Herriman is a creator I am more familiar with for his historical significance and influence than I am with his actual work. I need to remedy that.

Naoki Urasawa and Jinky Coronado were two I was unfamiliar with.

More Jeff Smith love, well deserved, and it's wait and see to find out if/where on my final list Smith might land.

I am more familiar with Jeffrey Catherine Jones as an illustrator (particularly covers for paperbacks) than I am with any comic work Jones did.

Corben was an acquired taste for me. When I fist discovered Corben in Epic Illustrated when I bought issues for Metamorphosis Odyssey, I didn't like it, but when I revisited Corben's work years later (post-undergrad) I fell in love with it, but he didn't make my short list as I am not as enamored with his scripting.

Larry Marder was more a name I was familiar with than having any clear idea of what he worked on and embarassingly, I always confuse him with Larry Mahlstedt the inker for some unknown reason. I see Marder's name and for some reason I think hey he's the inker on Baron's Flash wasn't he? and I am always embarassingly wrong.

and that wraps day 2

-M

I didn't think of Goldberg, but that's a great choice. He was endlessly inventive.