Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4452849-20140209142518/@comment-5487126-20140302010842

My opinion of these comics is influenced heavily by the artwork. The art seen during the Ken Penders era (STH #1-#159) was, IMO, absolutely HORRIBLE. Since the start of the Ian Flynn era (STH #160-Present + Sonic Universe, etc.), however, the art has improved dramatically. For me, that makes the comics far more appealing (visually, at least).

Of the current artists, Tracey Yardley & Ben Bates tie for numero-uno on my list, while Steven Butler comes in dead-last. Jamal Peppers's art comes REALLY close to Tracey & Ben, but he hasn't done as many issues, so that puts him slightly behind. Tracey, of course, has been around longer than Ben & has done way more issues, but despite this, Ben's artwork just kicks ass. As for Steven...not to be rude or anything, but compared to the others, his art SUCKS!

Of course, since the reboot, we've seen some newcomers:

- Evan Stanley ~ To me, she's notable for being the artist of both the final issue of the old timelines (STH #247) & the first issue of the new timeline (STH #252). IMO, her art isn't exactly as great as Ben's & Tracey's, but she still does a phenominal job; I doubt STH #247's last panel (where Team Fighters & Silver are engulfed by the 2nd Genesis Wave) would be as haunting to me if someone else had drawn it. Great job, Evan!

- Lamar Wells ~ IMO, Lamar's art looks a lot like Ben's, though there are some noticeable differences. This guy's got a lot of potential, I think, & I really hope he draws more issue stories in the future.

- Rafa Knight ~ One Word: EPIC!!!; seriously, her CGI art alone just sells STH #257 for me. I LOVE IT!

- Ryan Jampole ~ Mainly an Archie Mega Man artist as far as I know. The only time he did an issue story was in the 2nd half of MM #25 (Jamal Peppers was having surgery done & was thus unable to pencil that whole issue, so Ryan had to do it in his stead), but he has done a lot of "Chibi" covers since his Archie Sonic debut. FYI, I'm NOT a Chibi person, but overall, Ryan does a pretty good job.

What about you, folks??? Does the artwork in the comics affect as well, and if so, how so???