In the world of comics, muscle bound men still get the lions 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. Theres 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
Well start with an artist whos so well known for his work on comic book women, he has volumes of art books dedicated to the subject. Theres very little that Frank Cho cant 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 theres no surprise that hes such a much loved cover artist. However, Chos 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. Theres 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 Chos 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 Shannas place in the Marvel Universe all at the same time. Chos designs for Shanna are amazing and theres nothing quite like watching her fighting dinosaurs. Also be sure to check out Frank Chos 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.