Comics artist and illustrator Mark Chiarello (Batman, Hellboy, Star Wars) and non-fiction writer (National Geographic, The History Channel), former Marvel Comics senior editor, colorist and writer, and consultant for Major League Baseball Nel Yomtov have teamed up to join the ultimate baseball debate: Who are the greatest 100 players in hardball history?  Who holds the number one spot?  Is it Babe Ruth?  Willie Mays?  Jackie Robinson?  Shoeless Joe Jackson?  Baseball 100: A Celebration of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time is a new book offered as part of a crowdfunding campaign that began yesterday.  And it is already halfway funded.

In a hardcover edition with 128 pages, each page features a full-color illustration of a legendary player, among the best to play the national pastime.  Yomtov provides context via a mini-biography highlighting the player’s major achievements and place in baseball history.  Chiarello and Yomtov promise only the best across all leagues and even those often omitted from hall of fame talk like banned-for-life players and even some current players.  Certainly to raise controversy as all good lists do, the creators of course couldn’t stick to only 100–as a bonus, Baseball 100 includes the next 25 players that didn’t make their top 100.

Don’t forget to check out Chiarello’s baseball artwork in his prior book on the game, Heroes of the Negro Leagues.  Look for some key players from that book featured in this new work.

Check out the Kickstarter campaign to fund this project here.  The campaign features several options for original sketch art and other perks like autographed copies.  The campaign ends August 27, with books expected to ship in November.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg