Still on the Shelf #20 - Giant Sized Deadpool/Agent X

Art in comics is truly a team effort these days. Sure, the penciller gets most of the glory, as his work is the skeleton that the inker and the colorist rely on, and often times rightfully so.

I must apologize in advance if this list overlooks the outstanding work of a colorist or inker who does not get mentioned here. If I were to be honest with myself, by including all artists, no matter their position on the team in this list, my head would likely explode, as I would be honor bound to examine each and ever issue Deadpool ever appeared in, and weigh all aspects accordingly.

Sure a "Penciller" may do more than just draw in the end, and most of the people on this list earned their spot in my eyes working with more than just one team, so I feel it is justified. Hopefully you all agree as well.

5- Ed McGuinness - Some of you, no doubt, feel he deserves to be on the top of this list. While he was quite prolific on this series, and helped to define the initial run of the Deadpool ongoing series, I personally found the art to be cartoony, and that kind of took away from the brutal Deadpool we saw prior to his ongoing. However, McGuinness's art certainly fit with the story Joe Kelly was telling, and that is a definite plus. His art helped to reform the character from the cold-blooded villain we saw in the past, and helped us image Deadpool as something more than a one-page villain in an X-Force book.

4- Pascual Ferry - If ever there was a title that just screamed for Deadpool as a guest character, it was Heroes for Hire. Ferry's placement on this list is likely unexpected, but I found his work to be an improvement over Ed McGuiness's portrayal of the character. Ferry managed to capture the general, somewhat cartoony feel of Deadpool in his regular series at the time, and made him even more detailed. One of the worst things that can happen when a favorite character appears in another comic (or the regular title switches artists) is a poor rendition, and Ferry managed to do Deadpool justice. That certainly made all of the work I did tracking down those issues worth it to me.

3- Anthony Williams - Behind a lot of the art in several issues around #50 in the ongoing series, Williams, in my eyes, returned a lot of detail to Deadpool. So many artists seemed to forget that Deadpool was more than just a red and blue (or black) costume, he also came with belts and holsters and ammo pouches. Williams also had a dark take on Deadpool, which was all-too appropriate. Deadpool is an anti-hero, and while he can be comedic at times, the focus of his character was his dark and brutal nature, and Williams captured that extremely well.

2- UDON - UDON's work on this title (Deadpool and Agent X) is, and always will be, linked with Gail Simone's writing on the book. If ever there was an example of art and story coming together perfectly, this is it. The art throughout the end of Deadpool and through the first 7 issues of Agent X was consistant and detailed, and fit the story seamlessly. In my eyes, no greater compliment can be paid to a comic artist.

1- Rob Liefeld - True, he is probably one of the most hated artists in comicdom. Also true that his early work on Deadpool was highly inconsistent. But it is also true that Liefeld was the brains behind Deadpool, and the character's whole look was conceived of by him.

His work also evolved over time, and each time Liefeld drew Deadpool, the look got better and better. When I think of Deadpool, it is Liefeld's image of him that comes to mind- and for that reason alone he deserves to be at the top of this list.

I have one single piece of comic art hanging on my wall at home, and that is the 2-page splash of Deadpool and Wolverine from Wolverine #155. Until another artist can top that, in my eyes, Liefeld is not going anywhere.