That Spider-Man is, right now, one of the most fashionable superheroes, there is no doubt. Tom Holland plays a perfect flesh and blood Peter Parker, but before him he was the role in the comics. Therefore, we want to show those who made the superhero a legend recognizable anywhere, the considered best Spider-Man cartoonists.
We are not going to deny that a list like this is always difficult, that not all of them fit, and that some positions can be debatable. However, there is no doubt that each and every one of these cartoonists has reflected Spider-Man in an iconic way.
And we begin with the one that, perhaps, is the most peculiar of all.
10. Mark Bagley
Without a doubt, a very particular style, with cartoon touches for a more adolescent Spider-Man within the Ultimate Comics line.
Just because of his own recognizable style, which is a bit reminiscent of the Mexican Humberto Ramos (another of the best Spider-Man cartoonists), Mark Bagley deserves to be on the list.
9. Marcos Martín
It is not national pride, it is talent and truth. The Spanish cartoonist Marcos Martín took the Spider-Man inks in his number 559 and merged the traditional Steve Dikto with the new trends.
It is true that he has not participated in too many issues, but each one is a work of art that makes him be considered one of the best Spider-Man cartoonists.
8. Humberto Ramos
I’ve already named it and here it is. Ramos is responsible for some of the best Spider-Man of the 2000s. He has in common with Bagley being the most heterodox of the Spider-Man cartoonists.
His style is, again, somewhat exaggerated, distorted towards caricature or cartoon, but in a different way than Bagley. However, that same style would greatly influence the portrait of the character during the first decade of the 21st century.
7. Erik Larsen
Larsen took the witness from Todd McFarlane when he finished his stint as Spider-Man . After the darkest and most detailed stage of McFarlane, Larsen returns us to the most classic lines , to the original of Steve Ditko, but bringing it to modern times.
His stay in the comic was not very long, but his influence on the character, yes, setting the tone for those who came after. For that alone, he deserves to be considered one of the best Spider-Man cartoonists.
6. Alex Ross
Ross is an artist specialized in a drawing that brings comics closer to realism . His phenomenal Kingdom Come proved it and his Spider-Man follows the same faithful style as it would be in reality.
What can I say? I have a weak point called Alex Ross. His art is recognizable for miles (for good) and he drew Spider-Man with the same neatness and realism as the rest of the superheroes he has commissioned. One pass, in my opinion.
5. John Romita Jr.
It’s hard to meet parental expectations, which almost never goes well, except when it comes to John Romita Jr. and Spider-Man .
John Romita Jr. picked up the baton from his father, John Romita Sr. and became the Spider-Man of the 90s . Romita Jr. has also put his enormous talent at the service of other superheroes, from Daredevil to Batman, passing through some more alternative, such as Mark Millar’s Kick Ass.
4. Sara Pichelli
Sara Pichelli would deserve a place in this ranking solely for having co-created Miles Morales’ Spider-Man and having redefined the character, but she deserves much more.
He captured like no one else the essence of the new Spider-Man , who is actually a child in a world that is a bit too big for him, especially at the beginning. In addition to that, his clean line is impeccable and is responsible for Miles’s costume, already as legendary as Peter Parker’s traditional red and blue.
3. Todd McFarlane
The artist who drew the best-selling Spider-Man of all time. There is no discussion on that. Todd is quirky, I was always a huge fan of his Spawn in the 90s, his style captured me and transferred it very well to Spider-Man .
With McFarlane we have a darker, more detailed Peter Parker, especially when it comes to his cobwebs. All this would also serve to give life on paper to one of the most iconic characters in the Spider-Man universe: Venom , the symbiote.
2. Steve Ditko
Ditko is THE cartoonist for Spider-Man . That is undeniable. He was the one that first shaped it, the father of the drawing that brought to life what Stan Lee had in mind (a bit of a bounce, as Lee didn’t like the take on the legendary Jack Kirby’s character).
Be that as it may, it’s rare for the former to be the best at drawing superheroes, but Ditko is one of the exceptions that prove the rule.
I am not going to argue much with those who believe that Steve Dikto is the best Spider-Man cartoonist and should be at number 1. It is possible and it is a decision that has cost, but the gold medal goes to …
1. John Romita Sr.
Dikto bolted away in the 1960s and Marvel didn’t know what to do, so he commissioned veteran John Romita Sr. to draw the wall-crawler . Not only did he live up to the commission, many fans rightly believe (me among them), that he passed the test with flying colors.
So much so that he is considered the best Spider-Man cartoonist in history. His clean and emblematic stroke etched the usual Spider-Man in all his followers. In addition, it also meant the passage to adulthood of Peter Parker, already a man and with a somewhat more muscular constitution.
That maybe Dikto fans (I am, obviously) can start a civil war, but they don’t have to. I think everyone who knows and loves Spider-Man comics knows that one or the other may be at # 1 and it would be well deserved.
Or that even this is a shared podium , but since in the end it is my podium, and I think it is important to get wet (and deliver the article at once, instead of hesitating so much) the highest step is for John Romita Sr.