Cliff Chiang’s Atomic Bombshells

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Cliff Chiang is an awesome artist, and that’s a stone-cold fact.

At this point, though, nobody really needs me to tell them that, as his work on books like Dr. Thirteen–wherein he draws a vampire Nazi gorilla who hangs out with a pirate ghost and a French caveman–pretty much speaks for itself. He’s got the kind of clean, beautiful linework, expressive faces and sense of fluid motion that always makes me wonder why DC hasn’t just backed up a truck full of money to his house and asked him to draw Justice League or Morrison’s Batman run.

What you might not know, however, is that Chiang’s also a genius. For proof, you just have to run over to the guy’s website and check out stuff like his old pitch designs for an anime-inspired Justice League that includes “Science Ninja Hero Batman” and Superman as a giant robot controlled by a kid’s signal watch. It’s fantastic stuff, but his newest project is even better: A series of World War II-style pin-ups starring characters from classic cartoons.

He had the first couple with him at HeroesCon, but at San Diego, he’ll have the full set of six on display. In the meantime, he’s debuting them on his blog, and the reason I’ve brought all this up is the one he put up today. Admittedly, the one of Teela might just be the best so far, but I’d be remiss as a fan of things that are awesome if I didn’t show you this:

 

 

I’m still holding out hope for a matching Baroness, but in the meantime, swing over to CliffChiang.com to check the rest of ’em out, and if you make it out to SDCC this year, head over to his booth to check out the originals. They’re absolutely worth it.

And make sure to tell him I sent you. If he stares blankly when you say “Chris Sims,” just tell him it’s the guy who sent him all those ROM: Spaceknight spec scripts.

14 thoughts on “Cliff Chiang’s Atomic Bombshells”

  1. Hey, Chris. Forgive me for being self-indulgent to start the comment section. I’m an old fart, 48, been a professional writer since 86 and have always told new writers I learned to write from reading comics. I’ve learned to write with a more humurous bent thanks to YOU. Most Excellent Rom Collector Sims. Also, and I wish there was a way to just email you about the following as it might seem silly, I have cerebral palsy. Mornings are the worst. Drinking coffee and reading ISB is my physical therapy. Let me end this maudlin email by telling you that, also thanks to you, Tenth Planet in Oak Lawn, Illinois, now sells ten copies of TAROT whenever it comes out.

  2. Hey Wayne! Just so you know, my email address is in the sidebar at the top under “About.”

    Seriously, though, thanks for the kind words. I always appreciate it, and I’m glad I could help boost sales on Tarot.

    No, wait… “glad” isn’t the right word…

  3. Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and cast my vote for Teela as the best. That tagline is both funny and dirty at the same time.

    And am I the only one who notices that redheads apparently make superior pin-up girls?

    Just sayin’.

  8. I gotta say, that Poison Ivy pin-up is my favorite of the three by far. Now if only he’d do the other half of that duo and make a Harley Quinn pin-up…

  9. Those are great. He watched an awful lot of Battle of the Planets when he was a kid – Keyop as Robin is weapons-grade genius.

  10. Ohman, oldskool anime and sentail inspired Justice League? I would totally buy that!

    Of course, in Spider-man’s case, the Japanese really DID that. Unfortunately it seems the clips of the 1970’s Japanese live action spidey have all been taken off Youtube. It had mariachi guitar guns, giant vikings attacking the city, a giant spider-man mecha and spidey had a transformation sequence and shouted out his attacks!
    Well, I found the opening at least.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGxde2a2_iQ
    I love Japan. Gotta love a country which hasn’t even got a word for ‘irony’.

  13. I thought the Poison Ivy one was great. He absolutely hit the vibe he was going for, a design you could imagine seeing on the backs of the leather jackets of a ’50s girl gang. Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff, all of them, but the Poison Ivy one was my fave.