Gabe

Mike Krahulik (a.k.a Gabe) is famously the artist of Penny Arcade, and renowned for his prodigious improvement over the ten years he has drawn it, drawing from sources far and wide, most notably Stephen Silver and early cartoons.
His artwork in Penny Arcade is incredibly expressive and imaginative, the character's faces often exaggerated eccentrically, with Gabe inventing unique solutions to character's visual language. I really admire his work here for the looseness and personality his drawings convey, and the way his art is so lovingly rendered.
He and his partner in PA, Jerry Holkins, often embark on side projects, or small series of comics commissioned by major games publishers. These pages are often an opportunity for Gabe to experiment with different art styles, rarely completely adopting someone else's technique but forging new ways of his own.
Mike Krahulik is one of the artists I most admire, and I've give anything to improve as much in the next decade as he has done in the last one.

heartshapedskull.com

Heart shaped skull is the website that hosts the comic 'Serenity Rose', among other things.
It could be more user-friendly by having the comments under each comic automatically, and the blog on a front page instead, but other than that the site is fairly clear and easy to use.
What makes the site worth writing about is the sublime presentation. The feel of the site really gives you an idea of the mood of the comic, and the polished look makes it very unique, and it is still very functional, with no rough edges.
The flash animation of the main character is seamlessly incorporated at the top of the page, and looks none the worse for having been processed through flash, as many such things do.
The way it is integrated through the navigation bar is inspired and ties the page together very well.
I think it is a very impressive website, and an even more impressive comic, rendered beautifully in pencil and coloured cleverly and stylishly in photoshop. Definitely worth a look.

Scott Pilgrim

Scott Pilgrim is one of the most beloved comic series of all time. With a movie coming out soon, it is not long 'til it becomes almost universally popular.
I want to talk a little about why I love it so much.
Firstly, it's an amalgam of all the influences a great many teenage boys share. Videogames, comics, manga and rock music all form equally important parts of Scott's world. Readers of this nerdy but broad persuasion can't help but wish to live in this world. The titular 'loser/hero hybrid' is an avatar through which nerds like me can experience his world, where despite being a useless bumbling happy go lucky guy (again, much like me and many fellow nerds) he is the 'best fighter' in toronto, is the bass player for a semi-successful band, and gets the girl of his dreams, all while participating in an exciting, action packed world.
Scott constantly makes references to nerd touchstones, telling his girlfriend about pivotal X-men storylines, or choosing drinks in a shop based on their 'stat bonuses'. This makes the reader feel that special 'in-joke' feeling, which nerds treasure above all else.
Secondly, Bryan Lee O'Malley, the artist and writer, is a master of loose yet detailed art, rich with animation and life. The books are in black and white, making use of interesting textures and techniques, but O'Malley also has a fine eye for interesting colour combinations, and below is one of his prints, this one is the one I own.


Scott Pilgrim is the ultimate comic book for young losers who want to live vicariously through another young loser who is extremely awesome. The character interaction and the videogame world really suck me in, and these books are amongst the most precious I own. Also, If anyone has a copy of 'Free Scott Pilgrim' they want to sell me, however remote the chance, I lent mine out and never got it back, so I'm willing to pay a fair amount

Hellboy (comics)

Mike Mignola has created many things, but none so accomplished or respected as his Hellboy series. Both writing and drawing the entire main series himself (up until 'darkness calls'), Mignola crafted a unique world through his mastery of the visual narrative medium.
What I love so much about his pages is the atmosphere stirred up through his timing. Dialogue is spaced through the panels in a sparse, reflective manner, simplifying the reading of the page while enriching the world it illustrates. With no huge speech balloons obscuring the art and directing the hierarchy unnaturally, the eye is free to soak in the rich artwork and vivid colours. Other comic artists will have silent panels to describe a pause for thought, or to let the environment or action take centre stage, but Mignola is unique in his employment of small square panels dotted throughout his stories at key points, containing small designs or portions of architecture, rarely of any importance to the plot, but instrumental in making the story that much more real and tangible.
Hellboy is an essential comic, but on it's own terms, bending rules and unashamed of it's origins in pulp ideas. It is a pure example of the art, unpretentious and yet fanciful and experimental.