2018 will soon come to a close, and with the end of the year comes the time where we reflect on the amazing talent that the comic industry holds. ComicBook.com has gathered the whole team together to nominate five of our favorite creators as part of our Golden Issue Awards over several important categories, including Best Inker.
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Inking is as important as its ever been, if not more so. A quality inker can make a good penciller better and a great penciller’s work sing, adding new depth to the page and bringing small details to light. Seeing a page before and after an inker has gotten their hands on it is like night and day, and their importance to making a comic shine cannot be understated.
And the winner of Best Inker is…
Mark Morales!
Morales has been knocking it out of the park for years, and recently has done it once again on Marvel’s relaunched Avengers, a project he collaborates on with Ed McGuinness and writer Jason Aaron. McGuinness’ animated characters and lively expressions are truly brought to life by Morales’ inks, a process he still does the old-fashioned way. Morales’ inks are precise, but he’s not afraid to go bold either, and that’s part of why his characters appear as if they are about to spring off the page. Seriously, if you’ve never taken the time to admire how his inks can transform a character simply head over to his Instagram and watch him in action and prepare to be amazed.
Morales wins the crown over some tough competition too, including fellow Marvel inker Jay Leisten from Astonishing X-Men. DC made a compelling case as well this year, with Danny Miki, Dexter Vines, and Scott Williams all vying for the crown. Regardless of which inker you call your personal favorite, we can all agree the field has never been more full of talent, and that looks ready to continue in 2019.
Be sure to come back and check out the rest of the winners as they are announced throughout the week, then share your own favorite picks from 2018 with us on social media.
List of Nominees:
- Mark Morales (Avengers) [WINNER]
- Danny Miki (Damage)
- Dexter Vines (The Wild Storm: Michael Cray)
- Jay Leisten (Astonishing X-Men)
- Scott Williams (The Immortal Men)
