Built Like An Amazon: Artemis of Bana Mighdall Artcard by Kevenn T. Smith
This artcard showcases Artemis of Bana Mighdall in her Requiem costume that seems to have made a comeback in DC Comics' recent publications. Artemis is from the Middle Eastern tribe of Amazons from the hidden city of Bana Mighdall. At one point, Artemis ended up beating Princess Diana of Themiscyra for the title of Wonder Woman. Artemis served as Wonder Woman for a short time. The Amazon sorceress, Magala, had put a spell on Diana on the behest of Queen Hippolyta that would transfer half of Diana's strength and speed when they were near each other. Artemis' stint as Wonder Woman was short-lived, and she was killed by the villain, The White Magician. However, death cant keep a tough Amazon down, and Artemis ended up clawing her way out of hell and her own grave.
Artemis has proven to be a popular character in the Wonder Woman franchise. She's more headstrong and less compassionate than Diana, but her heart is in the right place. She ended up becoming the leader of the Bana Mighdall Amazons on Themiscyra. Aretmis has just returned to Themiscyra in the Wonder Woman title, and her future roll remains to be seen.
For this piece, I went back to Ed Benes' original drawings of Artemis in the Requiem miniseries, as well as Nicola Scott's take on the costume in the recent Secret Six storyline. In some of Benes' early drawings, he had the green lining at the decolletage make a "w" shape. I like that element to help visually tie Artemis into the Wonder Woman family, and as a former Wonder Woman, I believe she's entitled to wear a "w" symbol - even a simplified one. I left of the skull on her headband because I thought that element was excessively 90's. Instead, I opted to repeat the tripple-arrow "A" symbol that the Requiem costume has on the sternum area. I really liked the seams and the side-lacing that Nicola Scott added to the costume in the Secret Six issues, as well as the kneecap armor she gave the boots. The sword is the special demon killer sword that Artemis ended up having in the Byrne run of Wonder Woman that was also included as an accessory to the Artemis action figure that DC Direct made.
This artcard is available as cards, postcards, and a small matted print at RedBubble.com!
4.25 x 5.5 inches cardstock.
Pencil, ink, and Prismacolor pencil.
Artemis ©DC Comics 2011