Can you separate the artist from the art? What if the artist has undeniable and hard-to-ignore flaws? How do you look at the work of a comic book creator if you now know they are a credit hog, online troll, or potential sex criminal? Controversy sells, but sometimes, it also destroys or alters legacies. Here are eight of the most controversial comic book creators ever.
1. Stan Lee
Even though he died in 2018, Stan Lee is still one of the greatest comic book creators who ever lived. Lee is the co-creator of Marvel characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Black Panther, Black Widow, and Scarlet Witch, to name a few.
Lee is also one of the most controversial comic book creators ever. In his lifetime, Lee was known to take sole credit as the creator of many superheroes. Additionally, Lee also took sole credit or too much credit for writing comics when other co-creators, like Steve Ditko or Jack Kirby, were known for co-plotting or adding character dialogue to art.
No one is saying Stan Lee was not an immensely talented individual; he put Marvel Comics on the map as a writer and publicity ambassador long before the MCU. However, many of his critics believe he took too much solo credit for the successes of the company.
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee is a 433-page biography written by Abraham Reisman. Reisman’s book is the result of 150+ interviews and document research that spans decades. The book presents Lee’s achievements and shortcomings in equal light, dispassionately and fairly, while still respecting his legend.
Buy the hardcover at Amazon now for $13.84.
2. Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane rose to superstardom in the 1980s as a cover artist for Spider-Man reprint comics. McFarlane is now one of the most successful and yet controversial comic creators ever. The iconic artist has faced numerous lawsuits throughout his career.
McFarlane was legally embroiled with writer Neil Gaiman over various Spawn characters for multiple years. Gaiman specifically sued McFarlane, claiming ownership of the character Angela. Angela is now a Marvel Comics IP.
Hockey player Tony Twist sued McFarlane for naming one of his characters “Tony Twist”; Twist won over $15 million in a settlement in 2004.
The Spawn character shares a name with a former real-life employee of McFarlane’s, Al Simmons. Simmons wrote a book claiming the Spawn character was based on his life; McFarlane then took Simmons to court for breach of contract. Both parties came to an out-of-court settlement.
3. Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter is one of the most controversial comic book creators in history. Shooter was writing comic books for DC Comics when he was in his teens. He became Marvel editor-in-chief in 1978 when he was in his late 20s. Shooter is an iconic creator who was also greatly disliked by his staff for his authoritarian style of doing business. The list of controversies that Shooter found himself in is too long to list.
One notable controversy was the refusal of Marvel to return thousands of pages of artwork to Jack Kirby in the 1980s. Even though the controversy began decades before Shooter was at Marvel, Shooter became infamous for the ruthless manner in which Kirby’s art was kept from him. Kirby would pass away in 1994 without reclaiming his lost artwork.
Shooter died from cancer complications in June 2025.
4. Tony Harris
Comic book artist, writer, inker, and colorist Tony Harris has over 19 Eisner nominations and won two of them. His artwork features fine linework detail and is known for its photorealism. Harris uses models and photographs to structure his artwork. Harris is known for his work on Ex Machina, Starman, JSA, Star Wars, and more.
A caustic 2012 Facebook post by Harris would make him one of the controversial comic book creators in the business. Harris went on a tirade about overweight, female, and phony comic book cosplayers who come to comic book conventions to take advantage of naive and virginal comic book nerds.
Critics would accuse Harris of being misogynistic and sexist. Harris stands by the post to this day.
5. Frank Miller
Frank Miller is a comic book legend who would reinvent Batman and Daredevil in the 1980s when he was in his late 20s. His work on The Dark Knight Returns and Daredevil: Born Again is still influential today. However, as he got older, Miller became one of the most controversial comic book creators of his era.
One controversy Miller is known for is his self-admittedly propagandistic 2011 Holy Terror. Miller originally meant to create a Batman Vs Al-Qaida comic, but could not get the green light from DC. So, Miller would create a Batman-like stand-in, The Fixer, who lives in a Gotham City-like city that is a victim of a terror attack by Muslim terrorists.
Critics would lambast the comic for its simplistic views of good versus evil and its obscenely stereotypical depiction of all Muslims as evil. In a non-apology apology-like statement, Miller said in 2018 that the comic was a representation of his mindset after 9/11 and, “I’m not capable of that book again.”
6. Kevin Smith
Cult independent filmmaker, screenwriter, and reality TV star Kevin Smith is notorious in comic book fan circles for never finishing some of his comics. Many fans are still waiting for the completion of these stories to this day.
For example, the 2002 Daredevil and Bulleye comic, The Target, was supposed to see a four-issue run at the time. The comic would release one issue and had been delayed since. The 2009 comic, Batman: The Widening Gyre, written by Smith with art by Walt Flanagan, was originally a 12-issue series. After issue #6, the comic remains unfinished. His 2002 comic, Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, had a three-year delay between issues #3 and #4.
Additionally, the comic would infuriate critics with a more serious tonal shift in the story after the delay. Also, Black Cat would be the victim of a shocking sexual assault in the comic. Critics did not like the shock value of the story or how Smith would reduce Black Cat to a victim in her own story.
7. Rob Liefeld
Rob Liefeld is an outspoken comics creator who is well-known for being one of the founders of Image Comics in 1992. Along with Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Jim Valentino, and Mark Silvestri, Liefeld launched Image in an era where Marvel was the undeniably powerful Big 2 of comic book publishers. Liefeld is well known as the creator of Deadpool.
While comic books are a subjective art form, Liefeld’s artwork still polarizes fans to this day. Fans either love or hate Liefeld’s art talents. Liefeld has been criticized for his simplistic and stiff figures and for being unable to draw proportionally realistic characters.
Liefeld is also notorious for not drawing feet and adding too many zippers, pouches, pockets, giant shoulder pads, and lots of unnecessary, superfluous aesthetics that defined the gaudy superhero uniform tropes of the 1990s.
The creator is notorious for engaging in public online feuds with fans and other fellow creators. In 2024, Liefeld said that MCU exec Kevin Feige did not treat creators well. Liefeld said he was not given enough public credit by Feige nor invited to afterparties after the success of Deadpool and Wolverine.
8. Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is one of the most popular and controversial comic book creators on this list. He is a fan-favorite novelist, writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He is known for his comics The Sandman, Anansi Boys, Good Omens, Stardust, Coraline, and more. Gaiman is an award-winning creator known for injecting gravitas, drama, and gripping storytelling elements in his works. Popular shows like The Sandman and American Gods are direct adaptations of his works.
Beginning in late 2024, almost a dozen women have come forward to accuse Gaiman of violent and degrading sexual assault. The allegations of assault go back decades. While The Sandman Season 2 will see release, most of Gaiman’s current live-action adaptations are on hiatus. Gaiman denies all allegations.
Most Controversial Comic Book Creators
Lewis Carroll, the writer of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is still the subject of controversy 130 years after his death. Scholars have found letters that point to Carroll’s unhealthy fascination with young girls. Furthermore, Carroll was an avid photographer and took dozens of semi-nude or nude pictures of young girls.
By modern standards, Carroll would be known as a pedophile. However, his impact on children’s storytelling is still influential. Live action and animated films will still be made using Carroll’s work as inspiration. Tim Burton’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland would go on to gross over $1 billion.
There is a 1978 Marvel Comics adaptation of the tale, Marvel Comics Classics: Alice in Wonderland #35. A copy of this comic with a CGC grade of 9.8 is worth $789.
Will you vow to never read or watch an adaptation of Carroll’s work again?
It is not my job to tell you how to view your favorite creator. You may be able to separate art from its creator, but you can’t separate the flaws or wrongdoings from the creator at the same time. To what degree you can do that is entirely up to you.
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