About time Change is sweeping through today’s superhero comics and artists are rising to the challenge, discovers Garrick Webster.
Comic books have always aimed to surprise. Sometimes through sheer weirdness and offbeat humour, like Guardians of the Galaxy. Sometimes through brilliant storytelling, such as The Dark Knight Returns or Grant Morrison’s run on Batman. But the past few years have seen more experimentation than ever before.
Eight issues into Marvel’s reboot of The Mighty Thor, the character disappeared and returned as a woman. Soon after, Wolverine also turned female. Captain America’s shield is now held by an African- American character, black teenager Riri Williams wears the Iron Man suit, and Ms Marvel’s alter ego is now Pakistani- American Kamela Khan.
In DC’s books, Batwoman is a Jewish lesbian, Catwoman is bisexual and there are dozens more examples we could mention. Despite the recent rise of populist politics and a lurch to the right, comics have embraced diversity more than ever before.
“If you ask me, I say, ‘Yes, this is cool,’” says Italian artist Stefano Caselli, who draws the Invincible Iron Man, which is written by Brian Michael Bendis.
“I was kind of shocked when I found out that Riri Williams would replace Tony Stark, but once I heard that Brian was writing it, I relaxed. He’s the best at writing about teenagers.”
CULTURE RESEARCH
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Denne historien er fra July 2017-utgaven av ImagineFX.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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PAINT EPIC BATTLES IN TRADITIONAL INK
Warhammer illustrator THOMAS ELLIOTT shows you how to create an epic science fiction fight scene with this step-by-step guide
CONJURE MAGIC ILLUSTRATIONS
Daria Anako demonstrates her process for creating a whimsical piece of art with some spellbinding touches
First Impressions
We discover the early influences that inspired the artist
ZBrush for iPad
GAME CHANGER The desktop version of popular 3D sculpting software ZBrush has been redesigned for iPad - and it's brilliant
BenQ GW2786TC
GET AN EYEFUL Don't scrimp out on your health with a monitor that's kind on the eyes and good for creative tasks
Huion Kamvas Pro 19
TABLET WARS An attractive pen display does an excellent job of balancing price and performance as it sets out to challenge its rivals in the mobile marketplace
DRAGON OFORCEC
Legendary D&D artist Larry Elmore explains the keys to crafting timeless fantasy art.
DUNGEON MASTERS
ImagineFX marks the milestone 50th anniversary of the launch of Dungeons & Dragons with a look at its rich tradition of illustration
Erik Ly
Gamer's haven Why the artist enjoys a maximalist aesthetic more than the minimalist approach.
2D meets 3D: How the workflows are merging
Interdimensional As VFX and animation evolve and tools become more accessible, Tanya Combrinck asks whether the separation between the mediums is reducing