Much has been written - and rightly so - about Roy Lichtenstein and his controversial practice of appropriating/stealing comic book panels and "elevating" them into the realm of fine art.

I'm curious to hear everyone's opinions on other artists who draw significant inspiration from comics and sequential art in the fine art world.

Lichtenstein is often the starting point but the conversation shouldn't end there. For instance, look at some of the work of Mel Ramos who has painted satirical portraits of iconic comic book characters like Superman and Wonder Woman. His approach offers a very different flavor than Lichtenstein's mechanical reproduction.

More recently, I was absolutely captivated by the paintings of an artist named Sharon Moody. Her trompe l'oeil pieces use comic books as their central subject matter. The technical skill and faithfulness to the original comic art are astonishing. What strikes me is the difference in tone: unlike the perceived intellectual detachment or even contempt some attribute to Lichtenstein, Moody's work seems to display a genuine reverence and appreciation for the source material.

What are your thoughts on these or other artists who utilize comics as inspiration? Do you see a fundamental difference in their approach compared to Lichtenstein's Pop Art methodology?