In the world of comics, muscle bound men still get the lion’s share of page space. Everyone has their favourite Batman or Spider-man artist and lead titles such as Superman and Captain America always have artists that are at the top of their game because of the male led popularity of the genre.
Taking a side step away from the mainstream for a moment, I want to take a look at what I consider a true highlight of comic book art. The art of comic book women. From Wonder Woman to Betty and Veronica, comic book gals are in a bit of a golden age when it comes to artwork. There’s a great deal of talent dedicated to the art of comic book women out there at the moment and the true masters even get their own art of books on the subject. Here I list the cream of the crop and offer up a few examples of their work for your pleasure.
5. Frank Cho
We’ll start with an artist who’s so well known for his work on comic book women, he has volumes of art books dedicated to the subject. There’s very little that Frank Cho can’t do. Superheroes, cartoon animals, beasts and monsters, really the entire spectrum of comic book characters are covered in his work and most of his work is so staggering there’s no surprise that he’s such a much loved cover artist. However, Cho’s finest work is what he produces when his subject if women. One of his much loved titles is Liberty Meadows, a straight up comic strip with fun cartoon animals and of course his lead character Brandy Carter. With Brandy, Cho has produced numerous pieces of art that are fun, cute, sexy and just downright glorious. Cho understands the female form in ways very few comic book artists do. There’s a real sense that every muscle plays a part in the lines he creates and while, like most comic book woman the proportions are a little bit more than perfection allows in the real world, everything about Cho’s ladies feel 100% real.
Recommended Works: One of my personal favorites from Cho has to be Shanna: The She Devil. His work on this mini series is amazing. It manages to capture the tongue in cheek nature of cave girl comics but he also legitimizes Shanna’s place in the Marvel Universe all at the same time. Cho’s designs for Shanna are amazing and there’s nothing quite like watching her fighting dinosaurs. Also be sure to check out Frank Cho’s many collected art books, every single one is packed with comic book woman art as well as some finer art works that are simply breathtaking.
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14 Comments
Great article, will have to check out the Italian guy’s work as i’m not familiar with it. I’d definitely agree on Timm being at #1, I love his female form artwork, so much so that i’m banned from using his pics as wallpapers at work, which sucks!
I’d find it hard to pic a genuine No.1 out of the list if I’m honest. I love them all for different reasons really. I think I’ve risked Timm wallpapers before as well. They do tend to get looks at work.
Cho should be (my opinion) at #1 place. With his new run on Savage Wolverine he is proving to be a great artist and writer with no problem. Anyway, great list. Gotta check out for the rest of this artist. Altough, Manara is not that good, just thinking in a comic draw by him makes me feel sick :/
I found Savage Wolverine #1 to be a slow but solid start. I just hope he really puts the ‘savage’ into the title as it moves on.
For me, Rebekah Isaacs has to be on the list. Her work in Angel and Faith has just been fantastic, and she has the potential to have a long and prosperous career. Fantastic article, and love when artists can make women look commanding and not just sexual!
Love this article. Great way to show people there’s more to women in comics than being drawn as a big chested sex symbol.
I love Frank Cho and Amanda Conner. Sean Phillip’s is amazing, have you seen his work on Fatale?
I think Serpieri is a brilliant artist especially when it comes to women it has that distinct European vibe much like Manara’s work.
Ive always loved how Sam Keith drew women.
How did Adam Hughes not make this list?
Have to agree with that but I think any list article is going generate a number of “why didn’t you pick *insert person/artist/whatever here* comments”.
He does get a mention at the end….
Dave Stevens and Adam Hughes are two of the best.
I totally agree with Andy Haig’s comment regarding the art of Frank Serpieri. With that, I would also like to add my two cent by mentioning the beautiful artwork of Jose Gonzales. Vampirella has never looked more beautiful.
An art book (or artbook) may mean a conventional book on art or art history, or an artist’s book, which is a work of art in the form of a book, usually produced in a small limited edition, often not just using normal printing techniques. The term might also cover graphic novels, books of anime and other types of graphics, or books of fine art photography. It is not generally used for illuminated manuscripts, though these are both art and books.,
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