A great artist can elevate a comic far beyond the original script. While writers are an essential part of the comic making process, it’s impossible to overstate how vital great art is to the comic book medium. Every year, ComicBook strives to recognize the best of the best in terms of comic artists, from the talents behind indie books, to the big two, to comics based on popular licenses. All qualify for the Golden Issue Awards each year, and the finalists are voted on by the ComicBook staff. This year featured some very tough competition, including some of the talents behind books like Universal Monsters: Dracula, Helen of Wyndhorn, and Bear Pirate Viking Queen.
And the winner for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Artist is…
Jorge Corona for Transformers!
In 2023, Skybound’s Transformers ongoing series kicked off under the direction of writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson. Warren Johnson quickly established a style that stood far apart from anything seen in the previous Transformers books from Marvel, Dreamwave, and IDW. That style earned Warren Johnson ComicBook.com’s Golden Issue Award for Best Cartoonist in 2023. After six issues handling the art, Warren Johnson began solely serving as writer, with artist Jorge Corona taking on the next six issues. Any readers concerned about Warren Johnson’s absence on art quickly had those fears assuaged. Corona’s art felt like a logical continuation of what had been seen in the previous issues, but with a distinct tone that still felt all his own.
The style of Skybound’s Transformers run blends the character designs and narrative elements of the original ’80s animated series with a grittier realism closer to the Paramount films. The actual damage and impact of the Transformers conflict is felt on an issue to issue basis. In many ways, the story feels pretty close to the classic Transformers storyline, but in a world far darker than the one depicted in the first two seasons of the show. Corona’s art perfectly captures that, starting his run with the jaw-dropping issue #7. Throughout the first six issues, the Decepticons had been led by Starscream, and found themselves in something of a draw with the Autobots. With limited resources, Starscream’s cruelty had been on full display, stripping his own allies for parts. Tensions between the Decepticons finally led to a fight over leadership, with Soundwave challenging Starscream for command.
Throughout Warren Johnson’s run, Transformers (and other creatures) had seen horrible fates as a result of the war. However, the conflict between Soundwave and Starscream was more shocking than anything that had appeared in the comic up to that point. Soundwave brutally beat Starscream physically, before sending Laserbeak to bite out the Decepticon’s eye. Corona’s art perfectly captured the conflict, with Starscream’s body slowly crumbling apart with each punch, headbutt, and chokeslam (Warren Johnson loves to script wrestling moves). Starscream has always been a hard character to root for, but the brutality of Transformers #7 almost makes the reader feel a degree of sympathy for the guy!
While the big action sequences in Transformers tend to get the most attention from fans, the quieter moments in Skybound’s ongoing are every bit as notable. A perfect example of this takes place in the opening sequence to issue #10. The story begins with a flashback that sees the Autobot Beachcomber hurled into space by Skywarp, crash landing on Earth’s moon. That moment would prove to be a defining one for Beachcomber, who fell in love with the planet while staring out over it. Coronoa lets us experience that through Beachcomber’s reflective visor, as the view of Earth from the stars above elicits true joy from the Autobot. Beachcomber’s story is not only a reminder of the beauty of our own planet, but of the brutality of war, and the impact that endless conflict has had on these characters. Beachcomber’s love of Earth was a major part of his character in the original animated series, but actually seeing how that began really fits with the book’s “Ultimate Spider-Man” inspired take on the brand.
2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. In that time, some terrific artists have drawn Transformers comics, and Skybound has now introduced fans of the franchise to both Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona. On one hand, it would be nice to see some of the franchise’s great talents get another crack at drawing the brand, but Skybound clearly wants its run to stand out from other Transformers books that have been released throughout the last four decades. That mission has been well accomplished thus far.
Are you happy to see Jorge Corona win the Golden Issue Award this year? Have you been enjoying the artist’s work on Transformers? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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