10 Best Alex Ross Comics of All Time

Every comic book fan has seen Alex Ross‘s art, whether they were aware of it or not, whether they knew who the man was or not. Alex Ross is one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, and that’s not an opinion shared only by a minority; Alex Ross has dozens of Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best Painter, Best Cover Artist, and Best Penciler to back up these claims.

His work on DC comics like Kingdom Come and Justice or Marvel books like Marvels and the recent Fantastic Four: Full Circle are iconic. His use of multimedia and realism has distinguished him from other comic artists. Fans smile when Alex Ross’s name is in a comic. They’re happy because they know they’ll receive nothing but quality storytelling and inspiring artwork.

10 Alex Ross Creates Iconic Amazing Spider-Man Covers

In the fourth volume of Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker was no longer just a friendly neighborhood superhero; he was as rich as Tony Stark thanks to Parker Industries and wore an all-new Spider-Armor designed by Alex Ross. Ross illustrated every cover for Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4), from Spider-Man’s heroics across the world to his battles with Norman Osborn and the Superior Octopus.

Ross didn’t provide any interior artwork for Amazing Spider-Man, but his cover art solidified this volume as one of the most stunning and memorable in Spider-Man history. Some Spider-Man characters have never looked better: Mary Jane wore Spider-Man’s Civil War Iron Spider suit, Green Goblin and Carnage merged into the Red Goblin, Gwen Stacy returned in Clone Conspiracy and so much more.

9 The Justice League Vs. An Alien Virus

After the success of Kingdom Come, DC Comics––and the fans––wanted more Alex Ross comic art. DC paired one of their best writers––Paul Dini, known for his incredible writing on Batman: The Animated Series––with one of their best artists at the time, Alex Ross. JLA: Liberty and Justice was the last in a series of graphic novels written by Dini with art by Ross.

Whereas the previous works focused on a single member of the Justice League, Liberty and Justice starred the entire team battling an alien virus. Like all of Dini and Ross’s work, Liberty and Justice presented interesting views of these classic heroes, spinning public perception and presenting unconventional threats––a virus blamed on the Justice League, in this case.

8 Batman & Bruce Wayne Save Gotham City

How much can one man do in Gotham City? Batman tries to do as much as possible, but he can’t save everyone. Batman learns this hard lesson in the pages of Batman: War on Crime. The Dark Knight encounters an eight-year-old boy who watches his parents die, mirroring the young Bruce Wayne in Crime Alley.

Batman: War on Crime is not an action comic but a character piece that observes Batman’s efforts in and out of the cape and cowl. Batman must realize that he cannot completely stop crime, but every person he can help is a victory. Like many of Alex Ross and Paul Dini’s graphic novels, Batman: War on Crime won several Eisner and Harvey Awards.

7 Superman Saves The World

Superman can battle Darkseid on Apokolips and go toe-to-toe with Mongul on War World, but how can the Man of Steel stop war on Earth? How can the Man of Tomorrow end world hunger with his heat vision and super speed? Superman: Peace on Earth asks these questions and leaves the reader to ponder the answers.

Superman: Peace on Earth is inspiring and thought-provoking–in many ways more interesting than watching a simple brawl between Superman and a super-powered villain. Ross’s cover and interior art for Peace on Earth have won many comic awards, and it is generally regarded as one of the best Superman “character pieces,” representing what the Man of Steel wants for humanity.

6 Earth X Is An All-New Marvel Universe

Creating an entirely new future for the Marvel universe––a world where all humans had gained superpowers and Marvel’s classic superheroes, like Spider-Man and the Hulk, now had to navigate a world where their powers didn’t make them unique or extraordinary. That’s every Marvel fan’s dream, and Alex Ross lived it after Marvel agreed to create a new Marvel universe based on his notes and sketches for Earth X characters.

Earth X is an incredibly cool miniseries and one of the most interesting worlds in Marvel’s multiverse. Earth X deserves even more recognition for its originality and character designs. Alex Ross didn’t illustrate the interiors, but he co-created the series and provided cover art for the entire Earth X book.

Alex Ross didn’t illustrate the interiors for Astro City, but he did illustrate the beautiful covers and design most of the characters. Ross usually stays away from ongoing titles. Ongoing comics have a lot of tight deadlines, and you just shouldn’t rush someone like Alex Ross when it comes to art. Astro City was originally published by Image Comics.

While it doesn’t have the mass appeal of heroes from DC or Marvel, it should still be noted as one of the best comics Alex Ross helped create. Astro City was more of an examination and critique of superhero comics, ditching the dark, edgy themes of the 1990s in favor of the lighter, more inspiring themes of the Golden and Silver Age comics.

4 Alex Ross Recreates A Fantastic Four Classic

Alex Ross proved in 2022 that his best work was indeed not behind him. Fantastic Four: Full Circle may be one of the best-looking comics of all time. The original story was crafted by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby decades earlier, depicting the Fantastic Four traveling into the Negative Zone for the first time. Still, Ross updated the comic script and redrew the series as he imagined.

The finished, updated product that readers received in Full Circle was a psychedelic trip to the Negative Zone. Ross’s pencils were sharp and accurate, and the colors made everything seem like an alien dream sequence. The Fantastic Four have never looked better, and Ross should consider redrawing other Silver Age Marvel comics.

3 Justice League Vs. Legion Of Doom

Fans of the Challenge of the Superfriends animated series from the 1970s will find some similarities in the hero and villain rosters of Justice. The Legion of Doom features villains like Lex Luthor, Toyman, Solomon Grundy, and Giganta, who also appeared in Superfriends. However, that’s where the similarities stop.

Justice is a limited series that is extremely sophisticated and epic. The Legion of Doom concocts an elaborate plan to defeat the Justice League, but not through brute force. The Legion of Doom actually proves to be better heroes than the Justice League, saving the world more efficiently, but it’s all a ruse to secretly destroy the heroes. With guest appearances by the Doom Patrol and Metal Men, with all-new armored suit designs for the Justice League, Justice is one of Alex Ross’s best, most beautiful comics.

2 Marvel Comics In The Golden & Silver Ages

Marvels presents the world of Marvel Comics from the perspective of a news photographer named Phil Sheldon. Marvels is unlike any other Marvel comic book, and offers new perspectives on iconic Marvel events, such as the emergence of mutants and the X-Men and even the death of Gwen Stacy.

Marvels feels like a love letter to Marvel’s Golden and Silver Ages, highlighting characters like the original Human Torch and Spider-Man and giving additional, deeper meanings to these events. Fans of Marvel’s early comics will enjoy the added level of narrative storytelling that does away with the campiness of early comics and replaces it with the heartbreak and intrigue those stories deserve.

1 The Return Of Superman & The Justice League

There was likely little doubt that Kingdom Come would sit in the top spot of “best Alex Ross comics.” Kingdom Come put Mark Waid and Alex Ross on the map. Kingdom Come is not only one of the best Superman comics of all time––not only one of the best DC comics of all time––but one of the best superhero stories ever written and illustrated.

Told from the perspectives of the Spectre and Norman McCay, Kingdom Come is an epic story about Superman’s return from early retirement. However, it’s also an examination of superhero comics at the time–how comics had lost a bit of their lighthearted, inspiring nature in favor of brutal anti-heroism.