Alex Ross Universally acknowledged as one of Just as Andy Warhol elevated soup can labels the greatest artists in the field of comic into multi-million dollar artworks, Alex has books, Alex Ross has revolutionised the elevated the art of the comic book, building on industry, breathing new life into the the foundation of the great artists who came classic superheroes. By turning them into before him including Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, works of fine art, he has transcended the John Romita, Neal Adams and George Perez. newsstand origins of his profession. From the age of three, Alex was obsessed book work published in 1990 for NOW Comics. with illustration, capturing life as he saw He created all the art for a five-issue miniseries, it and turning it into something more and went on to create similar work on a variety of titles over the next few years. In 1993, he dramatic with his pencil. completed his first painted superhero assignment, the cover of a Superman novel, Encouraged by his parents he pursued his Superman: Doomsday & Beyond and from passion for drawing and like many other small here on, a series of commissions from, and boys, became enamoured of the exciting partnership with, the biggest brands in the world of superheroes. His mother was an industry took him soaring into the illustration artist and his father was a minister, and the stratosphere. combination of art and morality in his home made these guardians of the good the perfect The particular brilliance of Alex’s work subject for him. lies in his ability to blur the lines between At 17, Alex followed in his mother’s footsteps fantasy and reality. and enrolled at the American Academy of Art in Chicago where he discovered the work of Working almost exclusively in watercolour other artists including J.C. Leyendecker and gouache, he strives to make his images Salvador Dalí, whose “hyper-realistic quality” as lifelike and realistic as possible, though seemed to him not very far removed from the always fully inhabiting the fantastic worlds of classic superhero images that he loved. After Gotham or Metropolis, and accommodating three years of building his ideas, expanding the necessary suspension of disbelief. Like his knowledge, studying other artists and Norman Rockwell, he is much praised for his honing his technique, he graduated with the figurative portrayals, meticulous execution, plan of becoming a comic book artist. dramatic composition and evocative style. His illustrations have been described as adding a After working briefly for an advertising agency third dimension to previously two dimensional as a storyboard artist, Alex had his first comic characters. Awards Since 1998, Alex has won countless awards for his prolific artistic contribution to contemporary culture. He has enjoyed the enviable status of one of the most revered comic book artists of our time with hundreds of thousands of devoted fans, and his unique images have become highly sought after as stand-alone works of art 1994 1999 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Cover Artist Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Painter/Multimedia Artist Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Painter/Multimedia Artist Harvey Awards Best Cover Artist Harvey Awards Best Artist or Penciller Harvey Awards Best Continuing or Limited Series 2000 Harvey Awards Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Awards Best Graphic Album of Original Work Harvey Awards Special Award for Excellence in Presentation Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Cover Artist Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Painter/Multimedia Artist 1995 Harvey Awards Best Single Issue or Story 2003 Harvey Awards Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards – Winner Bob Clampett Humanitarian Winner: Comics Buyer’s Guide’s CBG Fan Award for Favorite Painter seven years in a row from 2003 to 2010. 1996 Winner: Best Cover Artist CBG Award 11 years in a row, from 1995 to 2005. Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Cover Artist Harvey Awards Best Cover Artist 1997 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Cover Artist Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Painter/Multimedia Artist Harvey Awards Best Artist or Penciller Harvey Awards Best Cover Artist Alex Ross “Ross may simply be the field’s Favorite Painter, period. That’s 1998 despite the fact that many outstanding painters are at work in Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Cover Artist Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Painter/Multimedia Artist today’s comic books.” National Cartoonists Society Comic Book “Reuben” Award for Superman: Peace on Earth Maggie Thompson, Comics Buyer’s Guide Senior Editor Harvey Awards Best Cover Artist Video Links Secret Origin: DC Comics UnMasked Alex Ross Alex Ross The Story of DC Comics The DC Universe & Multiverse Character Lineups Classic Superman Alex Ross Alex Ross Superman Origins: Wonder Woman Norman Rockwell Museum Tour The Heroes of DC Comics Over the Years Video Alex Ross Alex Ross Batman Joker Character Lineups Inspiration for The Justice League Through the Years Tango with Evil Paintings TM & © DC Comics. (s20).