Writer Jason Aaron's early collaboration with artist Cameron Stewart on DC/Vertigo's The Other Side was named one of The Washington Post's "Best Comics of 2007." His next project, Scalped, garnered industry-wide praise and led to a guest spot on Wolverine. After signing with Marvel Comics, Aaron completed another run on Wolverine, as well as stints on Black Panther and Ghost Rider, before moving on to launch Wolverine Weapon X and relaunch Wolverine. He brought Frank Castle's tortured tale to a devastating end in the pages of PunisherMAX and, in the wake of his status-quo-shattering miniseries X-Men: Schism, helped usher in a new era for Marvel's mutants in the pages of Wolverine and the X-Men.

Italian artist Simone Bianchi spent 11 years making a name for himself in Europe, including writing and drawing his own science-fiction epic Ego Sum. He won Europe's prestigious Yellow Kid Award as the year's best Italian artist and writer. America first got a taste of his work in DC Comics' Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight. Bianchi has brought his ferocious talent to blockbuster runs on Wolverine with writer Jeph Loeb and Astonishing X-Men with Warren Ellis, as well as the epic limited series Thor: For Asgard.