Kevenn T. Smith 12/20/21 Kevenn T. Smith 12/20/21

Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Finale

I spent a year working on all of these individual designs and the setting for this composite piece. When I was working on it, several times throughout the year of 2021 I wondered if this piece would be obsolete or no longer relevant by the time I finished all the planned entries. Sadly, the answer is that it's more relevant than ever. With the Omicron variant being five times as transmissible as the already more transmissible Delta variant, whether you're vaccinated or not, the best way to help protect yourself and others (after being vaccinated) wearing a mask when having to be near others. Being vaccinated and wearing a mask are the best ways to stop the spread of this virus. I wish this piece was obsolete so that life could get back to the way things were before the pandemic happened.

Prints of this piece are available directly from me. Fill out the "Contact Me" form at the left of this page to contact me regarding a print and inquire about pricing.

Pictured Left to Right starting at the bottom, Row 1: Black Canary, Huntress, Barda, Isis, Donna Troy, Nubia, Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, Artemis, Vixen, Katana, Batgirl, Zatanna, Mera

Row 2: Ice, Omen, Power Girl, Flamebird, Hawkgirl, Dove, Bumblebee

Row 3: Fire, Dr. Light, Starfire, Catwoman, Batwoman, Raven, Supergirl, Green Lantern

Row 4: Red Tornado

Right-click on the thumbnail below and open it in a new tab to see a larger image size. Thank you for taking the time to experience this piece and this series. I hope it inspires you to wear a mask.
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
All characters ©DC Comics

Kevenn T. Smith 8/29/21 Kevenn T. Smith 8/29/21

Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Flamebird

This is the 26th entry that I've posted in the series featuring "red carpet" takes on superheroes in costume with masks to promote the pro-social & pro-health practice of mask wearing during a pandemic. At the time of this posting, the Delta Variant is still a serious threat, and many areas in the United States, like the one I live in, are under advisement for everyone to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. This entry is also one of the final six "deluxe" entries to this series.

All hail the original Dick Grayson Thirst Queen! The character Betty Kane was created in the 1950's, not long after her aunt, Kathy Kane, to combat those pesky homosexual rumors about Batman and Robin. Kathy Kane's Batwoman wanted to aid the Caped Crusaders, and her niece, Betty, became the original Bat-Girl...in order to get closer to Robin because she had a crush on him. AND NO ONE CAN BLAME HER.

Along came the 1960's and DC Comics had a Batman TV show that made big waves in pop culture, and they decided to introduce a new Batgirl character by the name of Barbara Gordon. Kathy & Betty Kane had been long disused, and it seems as though it was decided that those adventures with Batwoman and Bat-Girl took place in a parallel universe on Earth-2. The character of Bette Kane was later created, a tennis champion as a young teenager, a young beauty pageant winner to rival any Tots & Tiaras star, an Olympic level swimmer and acrobat, trained in many martial art forms, an experienced sky diver, wind sailer, and mountain climber. All that, and the only prize she couldn't win was catching the eye of the original Robin, Dick Grayson. She ended up creating the identity of Flamebird and set out to get Robin's attention by becoming a crime fighter. Eventually, she joined the Teen Titans West and was an auxiliary member of the Titans throughout the years. My favorite Flamebird moment occurred during the 1998 JLA vs. Titans miniseries by Devin Grayson & the LEGENDARY Phil Jimenez, when trapped in an illusion of her perfect world, her fantasy was playing a game of tennis against Robin in his original short-shorts/short cape costume, and watching him bend over - over and over - to pick up the ball. Bless her heart.

Flamebird received a bit of a makeover in the Batwoman title when she wanted to serve as a sidekick to her cousin, Kate Kane, who is Batwoman. Bette ended up taking up the new identity of Hawkfire. It's a terrible name, especially because DC has long had a character named Firehawk in its Firestorm stories, but Hawkfire did have a great costume which the chest symbol in this outfit is lifted from and the gold layered bracelet inspired by the gauntlets on that costume. The rest of the outfit is inspired by her two Flamebird costumes, the original containing a tennis skirt and color homages to the original red and green Bat-Girl costume. Her character's history and portrayal contains a level of camp that endears this character deeply in my heart. It's a real shame she isn't used more in comics.

Thank you for taking the time to experience this piece.
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Flamebird" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
Flamebird ©DC Comics

Kevenn T. Smith 4/20/21 Kevenn T. Smith 4/20/21

Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Batwoman

This is the 19th entry that I've posted in the series featuring "red carpet" takes on superheroes in costume with masks to promote the pro-social & pro-health practice of mask wearing during a pandemic.

Not to be confused with Batgirl, Batwoman is Kate Kane, DC Comics' most prominent gay and Jewish superhero. Kate Kane's father, Jacob Kane, is the brother of Martha Kane, who married Thomas Wayne and gave birth to Bruce Wayne, Batman. I assume Kate's mother, Gabrielle, was Jewish. When Kate was twelve, terrorists kidnapped Gabrielle, Kate, and her twin sister, Beth. There was a rescue attempt, and Kate was supposedly the only member of her family to survive it. That left her traumatized. She followed in her father's footsteps of going into the military, but was discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. After kicking around the globe a little, she trained under her father and was inspired by Batman to become the crime fighting Batwoman. And surprise, her twin sister Beth was somehow alive and became her arch enemy named Alice, which also lead to a falling out with her father. Kate has had some great romances in the comics, including Renee Montoya and Maggie Sawyer, both women who work in police forces, both established characters in the comics. By day, Kate is a "socialite," but by night, she fights crime and monsters as Batwoman.

Kate Kane has had some great looks in her civilian identity, some dresses, and even an iconic Marlena Dietrich-esque tuxedo look. I wanted to create a look that would easily fit among all of the dresses and skirts in this series, but also pay homage to the tuxedo look as well. Hence this dressy black and red onsie. Kate Kane was also a fan of a smokey eye makeup look, so far be it for me to stray from that.

Thank you for taking the time to experience this piece.
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Batwoman" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
Batwoman ©DC Comics

Kevenn T. Smith 4/6/11 Kevenn T. Smith 4/6/11

WonderCon 2011 Wrap-Up

I had an amazing time at WonderCon! I got to meet so many people who were more than nice and see some great talent there. I'd say it was an absolute success. Thanks to all who came by the booth and supported us. I made 3 artcards right before WonderCon, and one of them sold, and I wanted to spotlight them here. First up is Psyche from Brian Andersen's So Super Duper. This image is now available as cards, prints and Posters at RedBubble.com!

4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.

©Kevenn T. Smith 2011

Speaking of So Super Duper, I had the opportunity to go by Whatever Comics in the Castro, and issue #11 of So Super Duper with my 10 page back-up story was on display in the front window! You can't miss the hot pink cover:

Issue #11 of Brian Andersen’s So Super Duper is on sale at the shop at Prism Comics.com and Indy Planet.com!!! The 10 page back-up story that I wrote and created the artwork for is lettered by Ray Caspio (who also has a pin-up illustration in this issue!). Just click on the preview thumbnail images below to enlarge them.

Another artcard I did was of DC Comic's Batwoman. For this artcard, I wanted to capture some of the "feel" of J.H. Williams III's art in the Batwoman stories that he illustrates. This image is now available as prints. Please use the "Contact Me" form at the top-left of this page to request one and inquire further about pricing and sizes.

4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil.

The third card that I made before WonderCon was of one of my favorites, She-Ra. I also couldn't resist the chance to illustrate the Whispering Woods backgrounds from the She-Ra cartoon again.

4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.

Pencil, ink, Prismacolor pencil, Prismacolor marker.

UPDATE: Brian Andersen wrote about his own experience at WonderCon and mentioned me in the write-up over at Comicbook Queers.com. Take a look!