Contest: Your Top Ten!

[J. Torres]

Post the names (including their links please) of YOUR top ten and see how they stack up against the jury's picks when they're announced!

The person(s) whose top ten matches our official top ten the most wins a big whack of comics from me (and maybe some of our former idols) including copies of Ninja Scroll, Wonder Girl, Love as a Foreign Language, Teen Titans Go, Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century and more!

The deadline is noon (E.S.T.) Thurday, October 4th.

[escapegoat]

Cool! I had already posted thisin the discussion thread. Here's my top 10 (I'll leave out the honorable mentions):

Mikel Whelan
David Bovey Jr
Dan McDaid
Bryan Martin
Nicholas Pitarra
Daniel Lafrance
Charles Paul Wilson III
Sami Kivela
Vince Sunico
Alex Aguilar

-Ty

[Phil Clark]

The deadline is noon (E.S.T.) Thursday, October 4th.

GAH!!! That means... oh, the humanity... :eek:

Oh my frazzled nerves.

[JaimeRamirez]

Sorry for the repost. But I just put this up over the weekend on the comments thread.

There was a good amount of people that submitted after I did this, and although there was some good ones. I'm sticking with my ten.

Good luck everyone!

***

So I just spent the last couple of hours looking through all of the submissions and I thought I would share my ten. Not all of these are perfect, but they are the ten that I would like to see more of.

In no particular order:

WILL SLINEY (http://bp0.blogger.com/_2L2FOfVu4ec/RuFgNTH8OrI/AAAAAAAAAFo/DgDz0aqOX4M/s1600-h/YR1.jpg)
He was the first one that I liked (after about 2-3 pages). I'm not 100% on his faces, but he does some really solid work. His Iron Man pin-up (http://bp3.blogger.com/_2L2FOfVu4ec/RuErBDH8OlI/AAAAAAAAAEs/KIm6WywazGM/s1600-h/WillSlineycbi4.jpg) is awesome.

ALEXANDER STOJANOV (http://alexanderstojanov.deviantart.com/art/4-63156036)
This guy was the first one that posted? I overlooked him the first time, but after looking at everything today, he made it through. I love his wide shots. He would be perfect for a widescreen Ellis adventure. Example. (http://alexanderstojanov.deviantart.com/art/color2-63204379)

SEAN IZAAKSE (http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee297/sean_izaakse/IFvsJpg3A.jpg)
This little Juggernaut/Iron Fist fight was pretty cool.

CAIO OLIVEIRA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/13261499@N02/1360579209/in/photostream/)
One of my nuttier picks, but his style and take on Wolverine cracked me up. The trio of pages (http://www.flickr.com/photos/13261499@N02/1366114173/) with the DC girls was real good too.

JUAN (http://www.juansoriginalart.com/nfpage.html) (couldn't find a last name on his gallery)
This guy was just a solid comic artist. Nothing too original in his style, but I'd like to see him do some pages in this contest. Another example. (http://www.juansoriginalart.com/nfdoublepage.html)

JEFF CLEMENS (http://jeffclemens.com/images/Green_Arrow_4.jpg)
I really liked this guy. Just a fun, solid clean artist.

NICHOLAS PITARRA (http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Page=1&Order=Date&Piece=171569&GSub=27391&GCat=0&UCat=0)
Probably my wackiest pick. Just a really interesting style. GREAT detail. And although I wouldn't expect to see him on a mainstream superhero book, I would love to see him to do some of the challenges, that's for sure. Although he did do some cool Authority pages. More Authority here. (http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Page=1&Order=Date&Piece=212830&GSub=27391&GCat=0&UCat=0) And another non-authority example. (http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Page=1&Order=Date&Piece=212839&GSub=27391&GCat=0&UCat=0)

KAMERON GATES (http://www.kamgates.com/cbi/pages/Wolv_pg2.html)
Heavily stylized, heavily cool. I suspect that with pin-ups like this (http://www.kamgates.com/cbi/pages/hulk_kg.html) and this (http://www.kamgates.com/cbi/pages/Skeletor_kg.html). Well, and this too (http://www.kamgates.com/cbi/pages/Joker_kg.html). He will be one of the early fan favorites. But he can do sequential (http://www.kamgates.com/cbi/pages/PermanentDamage_pg2.html) too!

T. WING III (http://igrendel.com/images/sequentials/moon1.jpg)
This is one of those guys that I liked instantly. Really really cool stuff. I hope he/she makes it, because I want to see more. Here's another. (http://igrendel.com/images/sequentials/moon3.jpg)

MARK TORRES (http://www.comicspace.com/mytymark/comics.php?action=read&file_id=160070)
The characters are stiff, blocky and not very life like at times, but that is definitely part of his style. His design is unique and for the most part, this is pretty damn good. I bet he'll have some fans if he makes it into the ten. Another. (http://www.comicspace.com/mytymark/comics.php?action=read&file_id=160073)

I had a few honorable mentions, but I'll just leave it at the above.

JR

***EDIT TO POST***

Since Will Sliney has dropped out (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=192644) of the competition. I feel like I should add a replacement to my Top Ten. One of my honorable mentions moving in:

C.P. WILSON III (http://www.comicspace.com/cpw3art/comics.php?action=read&file_id=40279)
This guy was tough to leave off the first time, so I'm happy to add him in now. This (http://www.comicspace.com/cpw3art/comics.php?action=read&file_id=41283) is another pretty rad page. And his Man-Thing pin up (http://www.comicspace.com/cpw3art/comics.php?action=read&file_id=161156) floored me. Awesome.

[cg_maniac]

CPWilsonIII
Vince Sunico
Andrew Huerta
Francisco Javier Plascencia Perez
Kameron Gates
Fabio Redivo
Justin Render
T. Wing III
Dan McDaid
David Bovey Jr

Jim Thorpe - honorable mention (had to add myself somewhere for good luck, lol)

[Nick Pitarra]

For diversity sake I'm going too pick guys based on categories...not so much overall talent. For the record 10 "modern super hereo" type guys that I really enjoyed and a few raw talent indy/weird guys had to be chopped do to space (I'll add them in a later post). I only went by sequentials...if you only had a few or zero sequentials...then I axed you. If your 2 or 3 latest sequentials were beautiful...but the ones before that were questionable...then I had to cut you. I based my picks on if I thought you could tell a story. If I thought you had settled in on a specific style. And if I thought you could tell a wide range of stories in your style. The category slots are listed below. I'll add in there links later.
2 Classic Illustrators.
3 modern superheroe guys.
2 fun and different styles.
2 Raw Indy guys.
1 Manga Guy.

Classic Illustrators. I feel these guys have complete control over what they are doing. I'd be comfortable handing them almost any project or story(if I were an editor). It's ashame that they aren't already working professionally. They are the juggernauts of the contest in my eyes.
Dan Mcaid
CPWilsonIII
Modern Super Hereo guys. They're were so many of you guys it really rattled my brain. Alot I left off are completely enterchangable with these I'm listing...but here's what I've settled on. Everyone in this category has room to grow and needs some refining.(edit...still deciding these guys)
Alexander Rumenov Stojanov
Jimmy Bott
Fun & Different Styles.I really love these guys. Interesting style driven work here....and hard to crit. I would purchase anything they drew. One is blocky..one is rubbery...both have the same unique charm to their work.
Caio Oliveria
Jon Reed
Indy Guys. If these guys make it..I expect both to go far...unless the voters are hooked on flashy art. Their story telling is concise and easy to follow. They seemingly have styles that can adapt to what they are working on.
Dave Chisholm
Wilfredo Torres
Manga Guy. The best manga guy here. I'm not a huge fan of the style,but its obvious this guys got a pretty good handle of what he's doing.
Aaron Houston

All the best of luck to everyone who entered.
~nick

P.S. I have to admit towards the end of piling through these I really started to blur...so the later entries didn't get my full inspection....if a portfolio didn't open... I'd skip it...or if i couldn't easily find your sequentials... I'd assume you didn't have any, Sorry...but I've literally spent hours upon hours on the CBI forum piling through these and I'm burnt out.There's atleast 15 guys who's work I admire that just couldn't be squeezed into a category above.I'll try and post those guys later with some crits. Right now...it's time for bed.

[Gonzogoose]

Alexander Rumenov Stojanov (http://alexanderstojanov.deviantart.com/gallery/)

David Bovey Jr. (http://www.davidbovey.com/cbrportfolio.htm)

DaFu Yu (http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd15/dafuyu/Sequentials/)

Jim Thorpe (http://www.jimthorpe-art.com/comic.all.html)

Paul Williams (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99624608@N00/)

Martin Morazzo (http://mmorazzo.deviantart.com/gallery/)

Daniel Lafrance (http://danlafranceportfolio.wordpress.com/)

Vince Sunico (http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=47636)

Jaime Salangsang Jr. (http://s89.photobucket.com/albums/k202/liteboxxx/)

Daniel Wichinson (http://danielwichinson.blogspot.com/)

I should note that I had around 30 that I looked at several times narrowing them down to my top ten. So there are plenty of honorable mentions as far as I'm concerned, some of which made other lists here so far.

[davechisholm]

yeah! thanks npitarra!
i made someone's list!
that made my day. :D

[davidbovey]

Wow, thanks! Flattered to be in anyone's top ten with all this great talent around. :)

I'll probably post my list up tonight.

[kamgates]

My Top Ten. These are the people I'd most like to watch compete if I don't get to myself (which is looking pretty likely at this point). Good luck to all!


Dan McDaid - http://danmcdaid.com/comicsfront%20page.html

Daniel Lafrance - http://danlafranceportfolio.wordpress.com/category/3-you-missed-all-the-action-9-pg-story/

Mike Jungbluth - http://www.sketchtavern.com/mike/sequentials.html

Atula Wickramaratne Siriwardane - http://www.atulasiriwardane.com/

Armando Mendoza H. - http://www.flickr.com/photos/60772020@N00/

Mark Torres - http://www.comicspace.com/mytymark/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=14896

Alexander Rumenov Stojanov - http://alexanderstojanov.deviantart.com/gallery/

Jon Reed - http://www.jonreedcomicart.com/index.html

Dan Duncan - http://dan-duncan.deviantart.com/gallery/

Francisco Javier Plascencia Perez - http://fcomix.com/cbr.html

[davidbovey]

I think this shows just how difficult a job the judges have. I found myself looking through these and thinking that I could come up with 10 completely different artists depending on the mood I'm in... these were the ones I chose today:

Ronald Salas
http://www.zenwavearts.com/gallery/index.php

Charles Paul Wilson III
http://www.comicspace.com/cpw3art/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=14831

Alexander Rumenov Stojanov
http://alexanderstojanov.deviantart.com/gallery/

Andrew Huerta
http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b153/Aztekh/

fco plascencia
http://fcomix.com/cbr.html

Caio "Zed" Oliveira
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13261499@N02/

Nicholas Pitarra
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=27391

Aaron Houston
http://pencilmachine.deviantart.com/gallery/

Joh James
http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/a...ames/NewSire2/

Scott White
http://www.comicspace.com/scottwhite...comic_id=14698

[booberry]

My Top 10

Alexander Rumenov Stojanov
http://alexanderstojanov.deviantart.com/gallery/

Atula Wickramaratne Siriwardane
http://www.atulasiriwardane.com/

Jim Thorpe
http://www.jimthorpe-art.com/comic.all.html

Sean Izaakse
http://seanizaakse.blogspot.com/

Wilfredo Torres
http://www.comicspace.com/mightyfineline/comics.php

Joh James
http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa297/johjames/NewSire2/

Jon Reed
http://www.jonreedcomicart.com/

Ronald Salas
http://www.zenwavearts.com/gallery/index.php

Charles Paul Wilson III
http://www.comicspace.com/cpw3art/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=14831

Mark Philip Torres
http://www.comicspace.com/mytymark/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=14896



Honourable Mentions:

Dan McDaid
http://danmcdaid.com/comicsfront%20page.html

Neil Edwards
http://thebristolboard.blogspot.com/

Kameron Gates
http://www.kamgates.com/cbi/

[mytymark]

my top ten in no particular order...

1. charles paul wilson III
2. nicholas pitarra
3. david bovey jr.
4. twing III
5. dan mcdaid
6. alexander rumenov stojanov
7. daniel lafrance
8. wilfredo torres
9. sean izaakse
10. Atula Wickramaratne Siriwardane

[Physicdesigns]

Ayinde Palmer (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v452/yinstro/portfolio/)
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde palmer

just kidding! for 9 of them, im gonna go through em now and see, its a tough thing though, many to choose from, many even just to go through

oops too late, only got up to page 9

[R Santos Jr]

Ayinde Palmer (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v452/yinstro/portfolio/)
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde Palmer
Ayinde palmer

just kidding! for 9 of them, im gonna go through em now and see, its a tough thing though, many to choose from, many even just to go through

oops too late, only got up to page 9
I'm SO GLAD I wasn't the first one to do that. :P

But hey! That Ayinde Palmer guy draws some awesome Gatchamans. :)

[icarus]

Neil Edwards
david bovey jr.
wilfredo torres
twing III
charles paul wilson III
dan mcdaid
alexander rumenov stojanov
Jim Thorpe

sean izaakse
Atula Wickramaratne Siriwardane

[J. Torres]

I kept this thread "open" a bit longer but that's it, no more entries past this post!

We're hoping to announce the names of the contestants sometime tonight, so we'll see who won this contest soon...

But at a glance, and you guys can help me verify later, I can see at least three winners... including ONE OF THE CONTESTANTS!

And EVERYONE who posted a "top ten" got at least ONE right!

[Red Jack]

Congrats, CP WILSON.

No way you're not one of the ten.

[R Santos Jr]

EVERYONE who posted a "top ten" got at least ONE right!
Even Ayinde?? ^^

[davidbovey]

Looks like I got five right. If anyone had me down, sorry I didn't make it! :evilangry

:D

[escapegoat]

Gah! So close, I only got 4...I was hoping I'd get 5 of 'em. :(
Looks like Mytymark got 5 of the 10 as well, so him and Dave Bovey tie for first.

-Ty

[mytymark]

woot! that was fun! i think i got half of the finalists nailed...along with dave, who i'm sad to see aint part of the top10...really like your stuff, bro! tnx to escapegoat for checking out who got most of the names.

also just wanted to thank everyone involved for going thru my gallery, and most especially to jaimeramirez, kamgates and booberry for adding me up to their prestigious lists of potentials. and to everyone else who dug the work. thanks you guys, really overwhelming!!!:)

[Nick Pitarra]

Sweet I got 5 out of my 9 I posted. And made it myself! I was trying to decide between..... David Bovey(Awesome Rendering),Joh James(sick and slick...wonderful style), Will Sliney(great 1st set of pages...maybe the best 3 in the contest...but the drop off between the Iron man pages and the superman stuff scared me away abit), Mark Torres(love the style, but it was to close to what Jon Reed posted(style wise...both blockier super hero stuff))...and he had more sequentials).Sean Izaakse(clear concise,clean,welldrawn...this guys gonna make it)...jim thorpe(pro stuff...but a dated style...steve rude'ish....which is a compliment)...these were just a handful of the (about to 10-15) guys that were racking my brain for my modern superhero artist spots...but I couldn't decide. If their were a contest just for superhero work...you would have all made my list.

Kamgates was probably the best pin-up artist of the bunch(great energy)...but the sequentials fell off too much compared to some of the other guys. Take the time to refine that raw talent and you got the potential to be really big. Look at J.scott cambell and Joe mad to see how their energy driven stuff transfers into sequential form.

I ultimately settled on JimmyBott because I felt he had alot of sequential pages(effort)...and his style wasn't so over stylized that it could still be transfered to multiple types of stories(adaptability). Plus, he still felt raw and I see improvements that need to be made in his work...but I see the ability and effort to make the improvements by looking at his pages(if that makes sense).Plus I loved his collage pin-up stuff.
Also...I forget the other guys name....first.....I had to pick him b/c he was like the youngest guy(19!) who entered and drew just like bryan hitch...i'm talking dead on....he was so good that i started questioning use of too much photo refrence....but then again...his work looked just like bryan hitch's and he's only 19...so i had to put him there. But really everyone of the guys I listed and like 5 or 6 that i don't have time to list...were all more than interchangable.

I have to say Greg's Woncheks(misspelled I'm sure) work was the most charming of all who entered...but I couldn't squeeze him in to my top ten. I just love that guys work.

A few of the guys who got picked I didn't even see their portfolios until today...and couldn't imagine spending the time to reorganize my top ten with them factored in...awesome stuff all the way around on the Top Ten...I'm humbled to be included with everyone of those guys.

~nick

[kamgates]

Kamgates was probably the best pin-up artist of the bunch(great energy)...but the sequentials fell off too much compared to some of the other guys. Take the time to refine that raw talent and you got the potential to be really big. Look at J.scott cambell and Joe mad to see how their energy driven stuff transfers into sequential form.

Thanks for the critique nick, I appreciate it. You got me looking over my submission again and that's a very valid point. It gives me some new stuff to think about. :)

Congratulations on making top 10!

[Gonzogoose]

Well, I only had two right, and only one of the ones that made it was on my full list before narrowing it down. I can't believe Alexander Rumenov Stojanov didn't make it. He was a favorite of mine from day one. Or David Bovey for that matter. Oh well.

It will still be fun to watch.

[cg_maniac]

...jim thorpe(pro stuff...but a dated style...steve rude'ish....which is a compliment)...~nick

Thanks for the review, being in the same breath as Steve Rude sure is a compliment, though I do not claim to be anywhere near that talented.

I have always looked at the top guys' first published work, and am amazed how much it evolved. Usually within a year or so, they have started to develop a style, but they always had a good foundation with solid drawing skills. I look at Jim Lee's Alpha Flight's and it is like a totally different artist from the guy who blew me away with his X-Men work only a year or two later. Or even Frank Cho, look at his first Liberty Meadows work, and how it evolved over time. This is just a small example, but you get my point.

I always hoped that I had those solid drawing skills, and that my style would develop if given the chance.

I'll keep drawing, though.

When is the next Comic Book Idol? hah.

and good luck in the competition, Nick!

[Johnny Golden]

Jeez, you guys and those illustrious judges seemed to have overlooked the marvelous might of Capn' Johnny Golden! ;)

Ah well, maybe next year. I have a lot on my plate as it is. Plenty of room to grow, too.

I would appreciate some feedback and constructive criticism, so please check out my website listed below as well at this Flickr gallery:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13385065@N06/sets/72157601974577498/

Adios amigos!

[J. Torres]

Our winners are three who got five out of ten!

Nick Pitarra, Mark Torres (no relation!), and Dave Bovey, please PM me with your snail mail addresses and I will put some comic books in the mail for you shortly.

And let me know if you want them signed, plus if you have little ones around you who might like some all-ages comics (e.g. Teen Titans Go, Batman Strikes, Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century)...

[davidbovey]

Thanks J!

PM sent with my info.

[mytymark]

tnx j! this is so amazing! sent you my snail mail already, hope you get it successfully. congrats as well to the dashing davidboveyjr and the fearsome finalist nick pitarra for bagging the prizes!!!

oh, and yes...no relation at all...maybe we oughta check with wilfredo (torres) as well:)

[R Santos Jr]

I can't believe Alexander Rumenov Stojanov didn't make it.
I have to admit, I am curious as to how he did NOT get picked... Cause with a first entry like that, I immediately said to myself that he'd be that one guy the OTHER nine entrants would have to get on par with...
Did he get snatched up by some editor somewhere already? Did he already have pro work under his belt?
What happened? :confused:

[Jerkmeister]

I thought Alex Rumenov was a shoe-in too, but upon closer inspection you can see he put out some inconsistent work. I didn't look through all his work but there was this one page, the one with nudity, that was very poorly done. Not in line with his other gorgeous pages.
I think he needs just a few more years of hard work and he's good enough for a gig with the Big Two.

[mytymark]

btw, tnx to npitarra for the special citation as well. goodluck on the competition, bro. im sure you'll do well....you remind me a lot of the brilliant geoff darrow! (who i'm sure a lot of people miss as well!:)

[R Santos Jr]

I didn't look through all his work but there was this one page, the one with nudity, that was very poorly done. Not in line with his other gorgeous pages.
Note to future prospective artists: Only show your BEST WORK. ^^

[Nick Pitarra]

btw, tnx to npitarra for the special citation as well. goodluck on the competition, bro. im sure you'll do well....you remind me a lot of the brilliant geoff darrow! (who i'm sure a lot of people miss as well!:)


Thanks dude....your work is awesome...really unique and fun. I was trying to think like a judge when I broke down my picks. Leaving openings for certain categories,instead of going on just talent...if I was going by guys who's work I'd buy.....you'd be in my top ten ...easy.

~nick

[gwor]

*sigh*

I'm disappointed (not the only one, of course, and congrats to everyone who gave it a shot); I wish I'd had more examples, especially more color stuff.

Looking at who was picked makes me rethink my submission strategy for the next time around (if there is a next time, fingers crossed <g>). My pages certainly weren't buzz worthy, c'est la vie, as they say. I wanted to represent what I had previously accomplished under strict deadlines, and stuff I was proud of. The fact that the pages shown involved a flashback killed the storytelling clarity, a dumb choice on my part, in retrospect.

Ah well.

I'll try the 'play-at-home' version, why not? Point is, I love comics, and have always wanted to draw them for a living (ever since my first Perez New Teen Titans issue back in the day <g>) so I'm gonna keep banging my head against the wall <g>.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/gwor/banner_2.jpg

[R Santos Jr]

I wish I'd had more examples, especially more color stuff.
Judging by your work on your website, I'd say your color stuff is not your strongest attribute. >.>

I'm gonna keep banging my head against the wall
Don't hurt your head. You might need it later...
Why not try a drill? http://www.eatpoo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27
http://www.eatpoo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29

[gwor]

Oh.

Well, I'm still learning Photoshop, since my background is traditional media.

Thanks for the comment, I guess.

[R Santos Jr]

Oh.

Well, I'm still learning Photoshop, since my background is traditional media.

Thanks for the comment, I guess.
No problem.
I think anyone that takes their work seriously must always continue to be a student of the craft. I certainly know that I have alot to learn in many areas as well. ^^

[gwor]

Absolutely true, well said.

I find that I learn things with each new drawing I tackle, although I wish I'd started doing comics seriously when I was alot younger <g>.