RKNet Blog... Thing

Three things to love about this JLA Classified cover: Bondage, superheroes, and Joshua Middleton.

The original is currently for auction. Anyone who is a fan of Middleton’s art, enjoys rare comic art or likes seeing Wonder Woman tied up should probably jump on this ASAP.

Joshua Middleton is best known - in my book - for this started-and-stopped comic Sky Between Branches. The publisher, ComX Comics is either defunct or totally forgot to update their domain registration. Oops. It’s a gorgeous one shot which delicately skims the surface of what promised to be a really wonderful story. Unfortunately due to budget constraints, Middleton was not able to continue with Sky Between Branches.

Yet his career hasn’t suffered for this. He has now done serious work for big names in comics like X-Men and now JLA. His fluid style and lush, often muted palette invite closer inspection than some of the hard, fast art seen in traditional and even modern comics. I really can’t find enough good things to say about Middleton’s work. Check it out for yourself, he’s got lots of really good pieces up for Sky Between Branches, as well as lots of finished and sketch work for some of his recent comic work.

Oh Wonder Woman, with your silly, patriotic outfit, and your invisible jet, and your cuffs and lasso, what an icon you are!

Jamar Nicholas, comic artist and traditionally-trained animator, has set about the task of collecting artists’ renditions of this comic book momma as big, bold, and beautiful as possible. So far I feel he’s done a great job. The art ranges from somewhat abstract to highly detailed. Each artist puts a new, amusing, adorable, or sensual spin to the concept of “fat Wonder Woman”.

Far from insulting, I find this to be encouraging and positive. Women who are overweight are often cast as matrons, villanesses, or as irritating. Depicting Wonder Woman as overweight - or at least at a weight other than svelte - departs from that stereotype. I would argue that it serves to remind artists and authors that body type does not dictate personality. It can set limits to physical ability at times, but I don’t believe body type to be a key factor in attitude.

Above and beyond any social debates on what weight means or does not mean when it comes to stereotyping women, this is a really neat blog full of great art and artists.