I tend to admire artists who can create the illusion that a character can actually fly. It’s not like they can ask someone to model for them, right? Depicting a flier is a bit more than outstretched arms and feet pointing to the earth. There needs to be a sense of suspended movement that invokes wonder. We’re a long way from the times of Superman when a character who could fly impresses a reader. These days, a character has to have an arsenal that includes flight, strength, some level of invulnerability and perhaps a healing factor just to get in the superhero consciousness. So, when I see an image of a character in flight I tend to analyze it. I look for a solid form existing within an environment of the fantastic. I want a merging of the real with the surreal. I think the above image by Thomas Frisano accomplishes these prerequisites and allows the viewer to enjoy Storm in all of her elemental glory. Her tiara is a bit too small for my tastes but everything else is fantastic! Besides, those shoes? To die for! Check out Frisano’s version Giant Size X-Men at Comic Art Fans! Click on any of the images in this post to see them larger.
Check out the pencils of J. Scott Campbell’s cover for X-Men: Worlds Apart. It’s interesting how that title doesn’t have Storm’s name in it even though it is her mini-series. Actually, I would say it is the best Storm story in a very long time. If you want to see Storm in all of her glorious aspects check it out! This image is pretty amazing in spite of it’s overwhelming cheesecake attributes because one gets that sense of suspended movement I talked about earlier. Storm’s cloak billows taut in an updraft and her hair roils upward in its path. Gorgeous!
This art was credited to an R. Green and is apparently the cover art from a Reign of Apocalypse video game cover. If you know differently, let me know and I will correct it. This image is competent enough but lacks the glory of the previous art pieces. Perhaps it’s the chunky style, but Storm’s big hands and face don’t leave me breathless. The extreme black and whites aren’t doing it for me either. I wonder how it would feel if the artist had chosen to have Storm look at the viewer instead of looking off the page.
Salvador Larroca knows his way around drawing Ororo Munroe–he did it for quite a while as regular penciller on X-Treme X-Men! This character design sheet not only shows Storm in her element, it details all of the intricacies of her costume and hair! Amazing!
These images of Beast, Storm, Colossus and Rogue are from a 1990 trading card set. I do not know who the artist is. Storm’s posture depicts her in the action of controlling the weather just as her teammates are captured in poses reminiscent of their powers and personality. I have all of but the Beast card from this series. It’s a great trading card set from a time when super-hero trading cards were still a fresh idea.
