Horror comics are in the middle of a renaissance, with too many skilled artists bloodily carving out their niche in the genre to name them all.
But the current crop of up-and-coming horror comics artists have their foundations in the creators that defined the genre, the best horror comic artists of all time.
Now, just in time for spooky season, we’ll dig into the roots of the horror comics genre, counting down our picks for the 10 best horror comic artists ever.
10. Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson’s expressive, detailed art may fall slightly more into the dark fantasy territory in many cases, such as her beloved Scary Godmother comic. But one of her incredible strengths as an artist is her ability to adapt her classic spooky sensibilities into everything from all-ages stories to all-too human fables like her work on Sandman and Swamp Thing, and even into mind-bending psychedelia with the Invisibles, making her one of the most widely influential horror comic artists of her generation.
9. Ben Templesmith
Ben Templesmith became synonymous with a certain brand of comic book horror thanks to his seminal work 30 Days of Night with Steve Niles. Templesmith’s moody, abstract art brought a sense of foreboding mystery to the brutal, bloody vampire tale, and the artist has since honed those skills even further.
8. Dave McKean
Dave McKean’s dreamlike art, which incorporates photography, painting, graphic design, and collage, came to prominence in the comic world thanks to his work on the covers of writer Neil Gaiman’s magnum opus The Sandman. Alongside original interior artists Mike Dringenberg and Sam Keith, McKean set the pace for not just the ongoing vibe of The Sandman, but what comic covers for more mature audiences could look like. It helps that McKean’s striking, almost psychedelic art strikes a singular chord in viewers that adds a darkly fascinating quality to everything his work touches.
7. Kelley Jones
There are few artists who have perfected the concept of blending superheroes with horror like Kelley Jones, the artist of DC’s Batman/Dracula: Red Rain trilogy, an Elseworlds story in which Batman is turned into a vampire by Dracula himself. Jones is now teaming up with writer Matt Wagner for a new Dracula comic which tells the unseen history of the legendary vampire, continuing his horror legacy even as we speak.
6. Guy Davis
Guy Davis may not be the best known name on this list on his own, but you’d definitely recognize his work. Davis’ work on Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and his own horror hero The Marquis brought him a reputation that his since led him to become one of director Guillermo del Toro’s go-to designers, employing Davis’ lack for uniquely horrifying monsters for the kaiju in Pacific Rim and other creations. Most recently, Davis also did some design work for the smash-hit video game Diablo 4.
5. Gene Colan
Along with fellow artist Mike Ploog of Werewolf By Night and Ghost Rider fame, Gene Colan defined the horror comics of a generation with his work on Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula, which set the standard for what superhero-adjacent horror comics could be. Colan’s refined but unrestrained pencils and inker Tom Palmer’s knack for adapting the sheer energy therein have given Tomb of Dracula a reputation as a clinic for up and coming artists on what sequential horror storytelling is capable of in the right hands. And that’s just scratching the surface of Colan’s career.
4. Mike Mignola
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has carved out his own niche in comics with his BPRD universe and its many spin-offs and related stories. At this point, his dramatic, larger than life cartooning style is recognizable to almost anyone, even folks who don’t read comics. Mignola’s style incorporates a strong sense of design coupled with stark contrasting inks and ample use of negative space, making it feel as moody and foreboding as a classic silent horror film.
3. Jack Davis
It’s tough to pick a single artist from the original run of the beloved (and infamous) horror anthology comic Tales From the Crypt, with its murderer’s row of classic Golden Age and Silver Age creators. But if you’ve got to boil it down to just one artist, Jack Davis is arguably the very top of the heap, as the cover artist and lead interior artist for the bulk of the title’s legendary run in the ’50s, defining what has become the franchise’s lasting visual language. Davis is also a massively influential cartoonist outside of horror comics thanks to his work on the cover of TV Guide, in Mad Magazine, and his various movie posters, with his well-known illustrations for the University of Georgia Bulldawgs football team making him an icon even in the sports world – a rare feat for a beloved comic artist.
2. Junji Ito
Mangaka Junji Ito’s gruesome, ghastly art is instantly recognizable, to the point where many pages and panels from his works such as Uzumaki, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, and Tomi have even become memes above and beyond the stories they’re from. There’s something deeply visceral about his horror works that sincerely makes readers’ skin crawl, whether he’s depicting fully unleashed gore or mounting psychological terror.
1. Bernie Wrightson
Bernie Wrightson’s name goes hand-in-hand with horror comics in a way few others can match. From his legendary Frankenstein illustrations, to his work co-creating Swamp Thing, Wrightson’s uncannily detailed renderings capture the perfect balance of mood, style, and storytelling to grip readers in awe and terror like no other horror comics artist. Wrightson remains a legend of the genre both among fans and even other artists of all media.
Read the best horror comics of all time.
