Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Amanda Deibert, archie comics, Cat Staggs, dc comics, dean haspiel, ethan van sciver, gail simone, red circle, sensation comics, The Fox, wonder woman
Dean Haspiel Finally Draws Wonder Woman (And Deadman, And Ra's Al Ghul) For Sensation Comics, Plus Sketches
Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman arrives in its first 2014 issue on August 20th. It's a "digital first anthology" that will bring in a wide range of comics talent to explore the character and her Amazonian background in a number of guises. Already announced on the book are Gail Simone and Amanda Deibert writing on #1, with cover and interior art by Ethan Van Sciver and Cat Staggs.
Over the past 10 days or so, artist Dean Haspiel has been posting some interesting from the drawing board images on social media, featuring Deadman, Wonder Woman, Ra's Al Ghul, and Etta Candy, in various stages of production. Yesterday, it was formally announced that Haspiel would be contributing to the anthology.
When I asked him if he was allowed to share any more information on the project, he said:
I really loved drawing golden age Etta Candy and I discovered that I liked drawing Deadman, too.
Plus, it was cool to illustrate Ra's al Ghul, which was co-created by Denny O'Neil, who's son Larry, I'm old friends with.
Significantly, Haspiel has been known for drawing female heroes for some years since the invention of Jane Legit, whose fists of fury dominate the creator-owned comic Billy Dogma. He has a compelling eye for producing muscular, active female characters without making them seem like action figures or unrealistic pin-ups. It's very refreshing to see him taking on Wonder Woman in similar fashion, and of course his silver-age homage comic The Fox with Red Circle/Archie Comics clarifies his ability to transform visual comic traditions into something bracingly new and meaningful. He's also been reviving that silver age feel in recent issues of Fantastic Four for the Original Sin storyline. We look forward to his work on Sensational Comics.
Here are his process sketches from Haspiel's drawing table at Hang Dai Studios in Brooklyn: