The comic book cover is a thing of beauty. An image so stirring, so eye-catching, so attention-grabbing, that the best can make you snatch up a title from the shelf, even if you've never heard of the series behind the glorious image. The comic book cover can encapsulate an entire story, the characters' motivations, the cultural zeitgeist or they can just be a lot of fun. These are the cover artists who we think fully embraced and pushed the artform into new and exciting territories in 2010.
#10 Simon Bisley
The British artist Simon Bisley created some of the most interesting and edgy covers of the year for our trusty, morally-challenged magician, John Constantine in Vertigo's Hellblazer series.
#9 David Finch
David Finch delivered a killer end of the year run on a bunch of Batman titles, helping to redefine and relaunch the character for a number of new and exciting arcs.
#8 Brian Bolland
After a long and great career, Brian Bolland added some serious sexiness to the covers of everyone's favorite fishnet-wearing Mistress of Magic in DC's Zatanna.
#7 Skottie Young
Scottie Young's work on The Marvelous Land of Oz adds a hearty dose of whimsy to our favorites of the year. We're exceptionally pumped for his work on 2011's Ozma of Oz!
#6 J.H. Williams III
J.H. Williams III's work on Batwoman is quite simply breathtaking. We can't wait for 2011 when Kate Kane's brand new arc officially gets going!
#5 Dustin Nguyen
Dustin Nguyen's stylish and almost experimental take on Batman for the covers of Detective Comics safely secured his spot on our list.
#4 Alex Ross
Alex Ross! You know him, you love him, you've loved him forever. Of course he's here!
#3 Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola consistently knocked it out of the park with not only his flagship Hellboy, but on the spin-off series, B.P.R.D. as well.
#2 Salvador Larroca and Rian Hughes
Salvador Larroca and Rian Hughes' work had an almost pop art sensibility and certainly spiced up both Tony Starks' world and the shelves of comic book stores worldwide.
#1 Dave Johnson
From Deadpool to Unknown Solider to Punisher to 100 Bullets, Dave Johnson brought pulpy, pin-upy goodness to every cover he worked on. 2010 was a great year, but we have a feeling this guy's just getting started.
