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.