"Oh Bwunnhiwda, you're so wuvwy..."
For today's comic art Friday, I've a real doozy for you.
(Most people think the term "doozy," meaning something special or remarkable, is a reference to the Duesenberg automobiles of the 1930s. The word actually predates the car by a decade or two, and more likely is derived from "daisy," as in the flower. Just a little linguistic tidbit from your Uncle Swan.)
This inspiring drawing by the enormously talented Geof Isherwood depicts one of my favorite Marvel Comics heroines of the 1970s, the Valkyrie, alongside her trusty winged steed Aragorn. (Apparently, Val is a Tolkienista.) Never a major star in her own right, Val was a key member of that fondly recalled '70s superteam, the Defenders. The Defenders' gimmick was that the team was comprised of the last characters in the Marvel Universe you'd expect to team up with anyone. The three charter members were chronic loners Dr. Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Hulk. Later additions, such as Valkyrie, the Silver Surfer, Hellcat, and Nighthawk were cut from the same bolt of iconoclastic cloth.
I always liked the Valkyrie because to me, she was Marvel Comics' Wonder Woman — a no-nonsense female warrior whose roots lay in an ancient culture. Like Princess Diana's original incarnation, Val's only superpower was her tremendous strength (Wonder Woman didn't pick up the ability to fly until later). Instead of metahuman abilities, Val relied on her cunning, her warrior instincts, and the fact that she could swing a mean sword (hers was named Dragonfang) and chuck a mean spear (which had no name that I can recall). Despite the fact that she dressed as though she might break out in a Wagnerian aria at any moment, Val was a worthy addition to the Defenders, often taking the lead when Dr. Strange wasn't around.
When I commissioned this artwork from Geof, I gave him only two instructions: I wanted to see both of Val's signature weapons in her hands, and I wanted her hair to fall across one eye (the "Veronica Lake Effect," as I like to call it) as artists such as Sal Buscema typically drew her in The Defenders. It was Geof's idea to add Aragorn into the picture — one of the reference scans I provided Geof showed Val riding her fabled mount, and Geof became inspired. His meticulously detailed and anatomically perfect rendering of this beautiful animal is nothing short of magnificent.
His Valkyrie's not half-bad, either.
(Most people think the term "doozy," meaning something special or remarkable, is a reference to the Duesenberg automobiles of the 1930s. The word actually predates the car by a decade or two, and more likely is derived from "daisy," as in the flower. Just a little linguistic tidbit from your Uncle Swan.)
This inspiring drawing by the enormously talented Geof Isherwood depicts one of my favorite Marvel Comics heroines of the 1970s, the Valkyrie, alongside her trusty winged steed Aragorn. (Apparently, Val is a Tolkienista.) Never a major star in her own right, Val was a key member of that fondly recalled '70s superteam, the Defenders. The Defenders' gimmick was that the team was comprised of the last characters in the Marvel Universe you'd expect to team up with anyone. The three charter members were chronic loners Dr. Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Hulk. Later additions, such as Valkyrie, the Silver Surfer, Hellcat, and Nighthawk were cut from the same bolt of iconoclastic cloth.
I always liked the Valkyrie because to me, she was Marvel Comics' Wonder Woman — a no-nonsense female warrior whose roots lay in an ancient culture. Like Princess Diana's original incarnation, Val's only superpower was her tremendous strength (Wonder Woman didn't pick up the ability to fly until later). Instead of metahuman abilities, Val relied on her cunning, her warrior instincts, and the fact that she could swing a mean sword (hers was named Dragonfang) and chuck a mean spear (which had no name that I can recall). Despite the fact that she dressed as though she might break out in a Wagnerian aria at any moment, Val was a worthy addition to the Defenders, often taking the lead when Dr. Strange wasn't around.
When I commissioned this artwork from Geof, I gave him only two instructions: I wanted to see both of Val's signature weapons in her hands, and I wanted her hair to fall across one eye (the "Veronica Lake Effect," as I like to call it) as artists such as Sal Buscema typically drew her in The Defenders. It was Geof's idea to add Aragorn into the picture — one of the reference scans I provided Geof showed Val riding her fabled mount, and Geof became inspired. His meticulously detailed and anatomically perfect rendering of this beautiful animal is nothing short of magnificent.
His Valkyrie's not half-bad, either.
SwanShadow was randomly pounding the keyboard at 8:50 AM
2 insisted on sticking two cents in:
She's suppose to be coming back in the new Thor series. But it won't be Brunnhilda...
Thanks for the tip, Joel. I'll try to check that out, and see what they do with the character.
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