Ryan Cody

Ryan Cody doesn’t wear many hats in the comics industry—he wears them all, and he makes each one look effortless. Artist, colorist, writer, podcast host, festival organizer: Cody is the kind of creator who seems to run on pure creative adrenaline, and his body of work across multiple publishers proves it.

He first made waves with Doc Unknown, a pulp-action series he co-created with writer Fabian Rangel Jr. that Dark Horse eventually collected into a gorgeous complete hardcover. The series follows Gate City’s enigmatic supernatural protector through a gauntlet of Lovecraftian horrors and pulpy thrills—and it earned pin-ups from comics royalty Mike Mignola and Eric Powell, which tells you everything you need to know about the company Cody keeps.

At DC Comics, Cody brought his razor-sharp color instincts to Justice League Versus The Legion of Superheroes. At Image Comics, he colored Family Tree—Jeff Lemire and Phil Hester’s acclaimed series about a family on the run after their daughter starts transforming into a tree—proving he can make even the most surreal premises feel emotionally grounded. At Dynamite, he penciled and inked King Features’ The Phantom issues #2-4, and at Scout Comics, he drew Death Comes for the Toymaker.

Cody’s own creations burn just as bright. Old Man Thunderpunch: The God Slayer is a self-published passion project he writes, draws, and publishes himself, while The Ronin and The Shisa—a samurai-inspired tale—was crowdfunded through Kickstarter. He co-hosts the podcast The Illustrious Gentlemen, where comic creators riff on work, life, and pop culture, and The Oh Yeah! That’s Great!, a music podcast. His anthology credits include the hopeful sci-fi collection All We Ever Wanted: Stories of a Better World. He also organizes the Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival, because apparently sleep is optional when you’re this prolific.

Perfect for fans of Phil Hester and his bold, high-contrast visual storytelling, or anyone who believes a truly great comic creator never stops building.