Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jan 22, 2025 | 2 comments

A BIRTHDAY SALUTE to the artist, born 55 years ago, on Jan. 22, 1970…

By PETER STONE

Once in a generation, an artist comes along who creates a style so unique and revolutionary that it transforms the industry. Alex Ross is one of those artists.

Painting a comic was nothing new when Ross appeared, illustrating a Terminator series for Now Comics. We’d seen artists try but it just never clicked in a massive way. Then along came Ross and writer Kurt Busiek, with Marvels, which asked the question: What if we saw the rise of the Marvel Age from the eyes of the average man?

Those classic Silver and Bronze Age stories were reimagined by Busiek and Ross, giving readers epic images befitting an epic universe: Spider-Man swinging through Manhattan in the midst of a battle with the Green Goblin. The Avengers as gods who saved the world. The Fantastic Four battling Galactus like forces of nature high above the streets. Fans loved the story but they were thrilled by Ross’ wonderful, photorealistic art.

Ross, who’s turning 55 and has won a ridiculous number of Eisner Awards, inspired a whole generation of artists who wanted to create their own painted comics and covers, to the point where they are now commonplace. For his own part, he continued his foray into the world of Kurt Busiek’s imagination, painting covers for Astro City and designing, in brilliant pencils, the characters themselves. The voluminous series stands as a classic in its own right.

The best was yet to come. Ross and Mark Waid created the now legendary Kingdom Come for DC Comics. The classic heroes have retired and a new brand of violent antiheroes need to be stopped. Ross redesigned Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash, along with practically every other hero and villain. The images are more epic and stunning than anything he’d done before. His older Superman is inspiring. His other characters are designed with their classic costumes in mind, but are refreshingly new and exciting. Kingdom Come was a massive success and remains one of comics’ most influential miniseries.

So much followed: A run of tabloid-size DC books with Paul Dini, starring the Justice League, Superman, Batman, Shazam!, and Wonder Woman. Earth X for Marvel. Uncle Sam for DC. Video games. Magazine covers. Album covers. Covers for Dynamite starring many of the great public domain heroes of the Golden Age, like the Black Terror and the original Daredevil. Art collections. Murals. And, recently, a critically acclaimed Fantastic Four graphic novel — Full Circle — published by Marvel and Abrams ComicArts. And again, so much more beyond all of that.

His cover homages are particularly popular. Two incredible examples: He painted the famous Kryptonite Nevermore cover from Superman #233 over Neal Adams’ pencils, and did a version of Batman #241, originally pencilled by Adams and inked by Bernie Wrightson.

Ross is an artist in the same vein as the legends of comics. He has created a new style and inspired so many. He’s shown us what superheroes might look like in the streets or in the sky — beautiful and, at times, godlike.

His contributions to comics cannot be understated and he has a legacy that was secure long ago.

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MORE

— Dig These Magnificent ALEX ROSS Variant Covers for BATMAN AND ROBIN: YEAR ONE #1. Click here.

— 13 Delectable ALEX ROSS Collector Plates — RANKED. Click here.

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Peter Stone is a writer and son-in-law of the late Neal Adams. Be sure to check out the family’s twice-weekly online Facebook auctions, as well as the NealAdamsStore.com.