Artists Talk About The Right Way To Draw Superman Part Two

Portraying DC’s Man of Steel

A month ago, Tripwire published an article that asked a number of wonderful artists how they approached illustrating Superman. It asked them within approximately 200-300 words to provide an answer to the following questions:

“What specific challenges do Superman and indeed Clark Kent present for an artist? Can it be difficult to find the right approach to the character? Also, who is your own personal favourite Superman artist?”

Please note, in most cases Tripwire lists two or three credits for each creator, although accurate these details by no means represent a complete list of their accomplishments.

A link to Part One can be found at the end of this article. Tripwire’s contributing writer Paul N Neal continued to ask more artists and creators for their thoughts. To start the ball rolling,  he spoke to Superman veteran artist Ron Frenz.

Ron Frenz

Artist, Superman, Action Comics, Thor, Amazing Spiderman.

I would NOT say it’s difficult to find the right approach to the Superman character, no. Being around for as long as he has in so many varied media, it’s really a matter of leaning into your favourite treatment because editorial control, to any oppressive extent, is very much a thing of the past.

When I was employed on the Superman titles there was tight continuity story-wise, but certainly a variety of illustrative approaches amongst the various titles although no one wanted to go TOO far afield.

I was most heavily influenced by Jon Bogdanove when he leaned heavily into Joe Shuster’s original face for the man of steel. I loved it and joined him in that endeavour.

Along with that I went all the way back to George Reeves for a lot of my Clark Kent wardrobe and Superman vibe at a time when Christopher Reeve was justifiably the accepted standard. Like I said, lean into your favourites.

For Clark, we were working off of the John Byrne premise that Kent had played high school football and lifted weights, so I just made sure he kept his head down into his shoulders and kept his shoulders rolled forward and rounded whenever appropriate and possible.

My personal favourite Superman illustrators are Curt Swan, Al Plastino, Kerry Gammill and the aforementioned Jon Bogdanove along with the contributions of inker/finisher Brett Breeding.

Mike Perkins

Artist, Lois Lane Enemy of the People, Swamp Thing, Captain America. Inker, Superman vs The Terminator.

Superman can be a difficult character to illustrate. In a comic world populated by angst ridden heroes and villains who tend to flourish in a shadowy environment – and can be a little easier to get our heads, and visual imagination, around – Superman stands as a bastion of light. It’s his hope and optimism in the human spirit that you simply have to get correct through an openness of face and a stature of pose.  His body language is all important. Batman is happy to crouch and conceal. Superman is a representative of truth and justice and is face forward because of that. He believes in that and confronts the perversion of that both as Superman AND Clark Kent.

Clark can be a little easier to draw than Superman – whether you choose to depict him as suave or schlub…and there should be a difference in posture when he’s got those glasses on…and, YES, despite all the snide jokes,they ARE the perfect disguise. If someone is so transparent – not disappearing behind a mask – then they have nothing to hide. Why should that have a secret identity? The glasses become the mask in a perfect, unsuspecting, role reversal.

My own personal favourite Superman artist?  That’s a long list…but always rising to the top of the cream is Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

Duncan Rouleau

Artist, Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Superman President Luthor.

Co -creator Ben 10 animated series for Cartoon Network.

When I first took the job, I don’t think I truly meditated on the cultural weight of Superman. If I had, I probably would’ve run screaming in the opposite direction. I mean, this isn’t just a character – he’s, and forgive the cliché, an institution. Superman carries meaning that far outweighs anything happening panel-to-panel in the comics. He’s less a “guy in tights” and more “moral compass for the free world.”

That said, once I accepted the cape, I spent a lot of time thinking: Which Superman am I actually bringing to life? His visual legacy is massive – a buffet of interpretations by legendary artists. You’ve got Tim Sale’s wholesome, corn-fed farm boy on one end, and Jim Lee’s chiselled action figure on the other. He’s been everything from dreamy boy scout to flying freight train. It’s a spectrum, and I wanted to find where my Superman landed.

Personally, I’ve always felt it’s the man in Superman that makes him heroic — not the powers. Anyone can punch a planet in half; not everyone can do the right thing when no one’s looking. When I spoke with Joe Kelly, it was like, boom, we were completely in sync on that. We both wanted a Superman who felt human — approachable, grounded. But let’s be honest: Clark Kent and Kal-El both have one big problem… they’re too hot. The man was born with cheekbones that could slice through steel. That’s his real secret identity — trying not to be the most super guy in the room.

So instead of antennae or tentacles, Superman had to disguise his god-tier jawline. He had to learn when to lean into the physical gifts and when to lead with his other powers: intelligence, compassion, and — maybe most important — vulnerability.

And for the record? My favourite Superman artist? Max Fleischer. Always and forever.

Ian Churchill

Artist, Superman, Adventures of Superman, Action Comics, Uncanny X-Men.

Superman is my favourite DC Comics character and always has been since I was a small kid.

The notion of being able to fly unaided always appealed to me which is why I think I gravitated to Superman.

Drawing comics in general is always challenging but, in my opinion, not-so-much the individual characters. At the end of the day all comic artists are commercial artists – you’re given an assignment, and you have X-Y-Z amount of time to get the work finished and hand it in to the best of your ability within those parameters. That’s how the old school guys approached it, and I think that still holds true today however much an artist wants to dress it up.

The advantage of drawing Superman in the modern era though is that there are decades of interpretations of Superman to draw from – no pun intended. Personally, I always give Superman/Clark a cleft in his chin which helps distinguish him from Batman/Bruce Wayne who, out of costume, is a very similar looking character. I extended the cleft to Supergirl too when I was drawing her – it’s a family trait!

Generally speaking, the current look of Clark and Superman is normally well established, so as an illustrator you just have to execute the writer’s vision and make Superman and Clark look as cool as possible in your own style while keeping readers engaged. Unless he’s in action.

I think Superman is best portrayed as a very relaxed individual. He knows how powerful he is – he has nothing to prove to anyone. It’s his upbringing that makes him the selfless hero of the stories. Clark has the swept back hair, glasses and somewhat ‘square’ dress sense and that’s enough to disguise him. Superman has no mask so why would anyone even begin to think he has a secret identity?

As for my favourite personal Superman artist? That’s a tough one! There are so many!

When I was really small, the Superman story I remember most was the one where all Kryptonite on earth turned to iron! If I remember correctly it was Curt Swan who drew that adventure. I loved John Byrne’s tenure on the character and the way he blended all the Superman comics history with the best elements of the two Richard Donner movies to push Superman into a whole new era. From the last few years though I would have to say Gary Frank’s impressive Superman and Clark rendition, and I adored Darwyn Cooke’s retro inspired take on the character too!

David Mack

Artist, Kabuki, Daredevil, Covers, Action Comics, Superman.

It was a joy to create covers for Superman.  I created 6 Superman covers, 3 for Action Comics & 3 for Superman, all at once, when Brian Michael Bendis was writing it.  I really enjoyed making cover images for this iconic character. I never thought I’d be asked to.  I’d love to create more.

I love the Frank Miller Superman in Dark Knight. I love the Bill Sienkiewicz image of his cape from the back.  So iconic. I tried to give that kind of feel but from the front, of my cover of him flying right at you, cape trailing – My approach to the character was just earnest and honest and pure.  I didn’t try to load it with anything extra.  I like that the core of the character is that he can do anything, but he chooses to be a good person, and do the right thing, and he doesn’t look at it like that’s beneath him, because of his abilities or his intelligence, or his lineage.  That is such a good-hearted example from the character, for me, it’s important that it goes into the thoughts behind the imagery of him.

Javier Rodriguez

Artist, Brave and The Bold, Daredevil, History of The Marvel Universe.

For me, Superman is the archetype of the superhero. He is the first of them all and the one who represents everything that a superman has to be. The challenge to physics, to nature. His beauty lies in flying. The one who belongs to the air and gets his powers from the Sun. It is difficult to reach a purer concept to the point that all the other superheroes seem to be derived from him.

Clark is the one who brings him closer to the human experience, to the earthly. The only way for Superman to go unnoticed is to disguise himself as an earthling, not the other way around. Superman does not put on a superhero costume. He takes it off.

Rather than pointing out how difficult Superman is, it would be better to point out how easy it is to approach the character. His concept is simple.  Superman is not a vigilante. Superman is not an avenger. He does not seek to recriminate. He is generous.

The character’s design is a pop icon. There isn’t a moment in our existence that Superman wasn’t there. When you get close to working with characters like that, it’s like you created them. It’s a mind-blowing feeling because at its core it borders on mythology. There’s no one who doesn’t know not only the look of the character but much of his idiosyncrasies.

It is difficult to choose a specific artist. There are stories that I like more or less but when it comes to such popular characters I always like to go to their origins. Joe Shuster is the best artist Superman has ever had because he created him. Curt Swan or Garcia-Lopez maybe because they are the ones from my childhood. But it would be unfair not to mention here the work of Darwin Cooke, Tim Sale or Frank Quitely to mention some modern ones. If you ask me for my favourite visually, I would say the animated version by Max Fleischer.

Karl Kesel

Writer, Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Superboy. Inker, Adventures of Superman, Superman.

On a technical level, the main question to any Superman story is “Why is Superman NOT winning this fight in 3 panels?” How can you get drama and tension when you’re dealing with a character who can do so many amazing things? Spectacle is easy, but how do you make Superman the underdog? So, you’re trying to think of ways to hobble the character— whereas with a Batman story you’re trying to think of ways the character can win, ways the character can be clever and resourceful in face of great adversity.

There are a number of ways to do this, of course. Have Superman face an even MORE powerful foe (although that gets old for me very, very quickly). Another tried-and-true trick is to create a situation where Superman has to be in two places at the same time- something he clearly cannot do, even with all his powers. But the best approach is to come up with an emotional or moral obstacle he has to work through to achieve victory. An alien entity has possessed Lois or Jimmy- how can he fight them? Saving an important world leader means thousands of innocent people will die- what should he do? These are always the most engaging, involving storylines for Superman— or any character, really!

On a personal level, my biggest challenge with Superman was figuring out what he wants. What motivates him to put on that costume and put his life on the line, again and again? It isn’t that someone he loved was murdered. It isn’t to make up for a past mistake. It isn’t that he’s part of some Superman Corps and this is his job. So why does he do it?

After struggling with this for some time, a light bulb finally went off over my head. Superman/Clark loves humanity. Deeply. For all our flaws, he sees a nobility and grandeur in the human race and feels that is worth protecting. This is something that was instilled in him by Ma and Pa Kent. He looks at humanity and is moved by what we do— what we struggle to do— without any powers. And he aspires to that himself. In a way, at a deep level, Superman wishes he was human. But that is something he will never be.

That’s what you look for in a character: what do they want that they can never have? Now you’ve got endless story potential. This is also why Luthor is Superman’s perfect counterpoint— because Luther desperately wants to be super-human. Something he will never be. They are opposite sides of the same coin.

There have been so many great Superman artists over the years. I have a deep fondness for Wayne Boring’s barrel-chested Superman and the weird Wiesinger stories they told, and Jon Bogdanove continues to do some of the most dramatic, even moving, depictions of Superman I have ever seen. But if push comes to shove, “the” Superman artist in my book is Curt Swan. He defined the Superman of my youth, bridging the worlds between those wonderful and often wacky “imaginary stories” of the 60s and the more serious “Kryptonite No More” era that he and Denny O’Neil ushered in.

Mahmud Asrar

Artist, Superman, Supergirl, Dynamo 5, Bug Wars (Image Comics.)

Personally, I find Superman to be one of the harder characters to depict simply because how iconic a character he is. Although I feel he’s not immune to interpretation, he still requires having a certain build and certain proportions so that we know he’s Kal-El and not an impostor. In this regard, one has to put in consideration to his attitude, his posture and body language too. One thing that I feel is important is to depict his hair properly. If done well it helps in conveying his age and even demeanour. Also, the “S” shaped curl helps in this regard. One key thing to note about his silhouette is that his neck needs to be strong and wide. With a more exaggerated style it could easily go wider than his head which could taper towards the top.

Another fun part of working on Superman is his Clark Kent persona. Now we’re talking about convincing everyone, including the readers, that this is a believable cover for who he really is. We can’t do that with his build, which leaves us with his body language and posture. The glasses do help but it’s the way he acts that sells it.

Some of my favourite Superman artists are Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Jon Bogdanove and John Byrne. From more contemporary depictions, I really adore what Frank Quitely did with the character.

Steve Pugh

Artist, Superman vs The Terminator, Darkseid, Animal Man, Hellblazer.

So, from an art side, Supes has a very specific anatomy set in people’s mind. That big barrel-chested Charles Atlas body that you don’t see in modern muscle builders, huge shoulders for the cape, a real Bruce Timm body. Big emphasis on the ribcage and an almost constant gut sucked in posture. That actually plays well against the leaner more modern swimmers body of his son, and a nice way to emphasise the different era’s they represent.

Kindness in the face is important. With most characters it’s ok if you give them murderous grimaces in fights, but that’s not for me in a Superman representation. He should have intensity, desperation, using the art to, weirdly, portray him as an underdog so you root for him. Things shouldn’t look easy for him or have any hint of triumphalism.

Clark, to me, is just a real world, more realistically proportioned, version of Superman. His personality and range of facial expressions all hit exactly the same notes, but he has the opportunity to be more of an observer and interact on a human level with other characters. I’d say drawing the difference between them is (almost) more about how the other characters react to them. People are at ease around Clark, but people’s emotions are heightened around Superman.  They love him or they hate him, or they’re even giddy around him, but no one is standing there unmoved.

I think the John Byrne Superman is just ingrained into my subconscious, but I always loved the joy in Jose Luis Garcia Lopez version (which I’d probably seen in adverts for the Atari superman game before I’d even read a Superman comic.)  and adore what Evan “DOC” Shaner does with the character.

Brad Walker

Artist, Action Comics, Aquaman, Sinestro.

Superman is one of the trickiest characters to nail and I’ve tinkered trying to get him just right for years. The reason is his face, and his hair are very much a part of his “costume”. If they don’t look right, he looks like a knock-off of himself. There are only a handful of characters like that.

I’m sure everyone has seen beautiful drawings of Superman that look like a cosplayer in a Superman suit. Every feature on his face is as key to making him look right as the shape of the S symbol, how his cape flows or how big his muscles are.

There’s a vague set of rules for his face. He has a square jaw, a cleft in his chin, and his hair has an S curl. But beyond that, how many features can most people describe? So, you have to feel those things out and arrive at something that looks distinctly “him”.

Then you have to find a balance of a very strapping, muscular build that also doesn’t look bulky or lumbering. Even though he’s super fit, he’s got to seem lithe enough that he can believably dart around and achieve dramatic poses. He’s gotta look like the most powerful person in the world, but also look warm, friendly, natural, and relatable.

By the time you have the face and the form, drawing the costume itself is just the reward. It’s simple and elegant. Any time they redesign it and overcomplicate the costume, they miss the whole point. The design is humble, like his personality. He would never wear a busy, modern design. He would be embarrassed.

Anyway. Those are some of my thoughts. There are a ton of artists that swim around in my head when I approach him. Some of the main ones are Garcia-Lopez, Ordway, Curt Swan, Jurgens, Bogdanove, and Bruce Timm. And Christopher Reeve.

Frank Cho

Artist, Liberty Meadows, Savage Wolverine, Mighty Avengers. Covers, Action Comics, Superman.

As a Marvel fan and kid with limited funds growing up, I did not really collect or read Superman comic books. Therefore admittedly, my knowledge of the Superman universe is woefully limited. That being said, I enjoyed the Superman movies immensely more than the comics.

In my opinion, Henry Cavill’s depiction of Superman was physically perfect. As an artist, when I draw Superman, Henry Cavill comes closest to what I envision Superman to be. It’s unfortunate that he got shortchanged with inferior scripts, and his tenure as the character came to a premature end.

Although Henry Cavill’s Superman portrayal is my favourite, I have a nostalgic affection for Christopher Reeves in the first Superman movie. I get goosebumps whenever John Williams’ fantastic Superman score blasts from the surround-sound speakers as Christopher Reeves’ name scrolls across the screen, triggering a sense of excitement from the combined audio and visual experience, unique to this timeless classic.

As for the art itself, I’m not too familiar with drawing Clark Kent/Superman since I’ve only drawn Superman covers a handful of times. I don’t think I’ve quite developed “a feel” for Superman. However, I often look to Neal Adams and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez for inspiration when depicting the Man of Steel. In my eyes, both of these master artists capture the power and the classical features of Superman very well.

Gavin Guidry

Artist, Superman ’78 The Metal Curtain, Action Comics, Uncanny X-Men.

For me, while not a difficulty per se, I think the most important thing to nail about Superman is his kindness. I usually consider that mostly portrayed through his eyes. If he’s got kind eyes, the s-curl, and a strong jaw, the rest of the details can be drawn a bunch of different ways and it’ll still read as Superman.

One of the unique challenges to drawing Superman in modern comics is that he’s not the rare character with a truly significant secret identity and nailing the differences between Superman and Clark is both challenging and a lot of fun. Each artist approaches it a bit differently, but finding that right balance of difference in posture, body language, or expressions is a blast.

My favourite comic artist, overall, also happens to be my favourite Superman artist, and that’s Stuart Immonen. What’s particularly interesting about his work on Superman is that he’s drawn him a few different times in different eras of his career and each time out has a different approach to it. Outside of Stuart, I think Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is undeniable.

Paul Pelletier

Artist, Superman Man of Tomorrow, Superman, Action Comics, Superboy and the Ravers.

There are many challenges I’m hit with when drawing a comic book. The one that I’ve always had a difficult time with is drawing hair and hairdos. The thing I found with many of the major DC characters, like Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Hal Jordan…is that if you don’t nail their hair correctly, they end up not looking like who they should. That was one of the things I really had to pay attention to when drawing Superman…..making sure his hair looked right. It may sound like a small thing, but it really did impact whether Superman actually looked like Superman.

As far as who my favourite Superman artist is? To be honest, I was never a DC reader until John Byrne jumped ship to draw Superman, so that run will always have a special place for me. But, to me, the BEST Superman artist has to be Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. I always loved seeing artists like Neal Adams, Alan Davis and Ivan Reis tackle Superman, but Jose stands alone at the top of the mountain.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

Artist, Action Comics, Superman, World’s Finest Comics,

I saw the first movie in 1976. I liked it then and I still do today. It showed the most decent approach to the character as I depicted in the comics.

Sure, I’m looking forward to the new movie and the changes and surprises that DC may introduce in this one.  I may not always agree with some changes, but DC owns the character after all. All the possible changes have an editorial consensus, so I only hope for the best.

There are no challenges for an artist, all the hard choices are in the writers’ field.

The artist is only a complement to the character and story. Trying to depict Superman as a strong guy but with human characteristics, mainly empathy, to their fellow Earth men. No difficulties at all. Clark Kent is slightly shorter than Superman and his expressions are more humble, even a little shy. The lenses of course, and a different hairdo style help to distinguish from the hero looks.

For me, the main challenge is how to best tell the story, and this is a job shared equally with the writer.

Curt Swan is for me the one who depicted the best Superman. My second-best would-be Ross Andru who did him in a great way in Superman Vs Spiderman.

If your favourite Superman artist has not yet been featured please return to Tripwire’s Website in a few weeks for Part Three of Paul’s article, he promises he has a few more BIG surprises up his sleeve.

Here’s Part One

Artists Talk About The Right Way To Draw Superman Part One