Wonder Woman of the Week: Nicola Scott

There have been a lot of women of the years who have brought the character of Wonder Woman to life including Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot. One woman who’s had a hand in bringing the character to life is nowhere near as well known however- but her effect on the character was essential. The spotlight for this week is an artist who drew the character for DC Comics for years and gave life to a dying character, helping to bring Wonder Woman not only back in comics, but returned the Wonder Woman comics back to such a level of popularity that she was able to make it to the silver screen of Hollywood. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Nicola Scott.

Nicola Scott hails from Australia, but began drawing for mainstream comics when she relocated to the United States. The hire was part of a long journey of Scott’s that began while she was working as an actress and model. She was a lifelong fan of Wonder Woman and realized one day that someone somewhere in the world was being paid to draw her favorite character. Nicola Scott had no formal education in comic book art and no contacts in the industry. All of that should make her achievement even more impressive because in 2013, Scott was named one of two of the best comic book artists by USA Today. [1]

When Nicola Scott signed on with DC Comics, the industry had a hard time assembling a loyal fan base for strong female characters. One of Scott’s challenges was to draw the most famous female comic book character in a way that could establish a base of loyal fans who could be counted on to read regular issues of the comic. Scott’s first assignment was to completely redraw the three major characters of DC Comics- Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman- for the launch of a new story line for the comic company. Her work paid off and DC Comics found the loyal fan base it was looking for thanks to Scott’s artwork. [2]

After saving DC Comics from a gradual decline, now veteran comic book artist Nicola Scott returned to her indie roots to publish a new comic book series. “Black Magick” went on to be such a success that it was picked up by SyFy Channel to be developed into a television series. Scott’s work across series explored LGBT issues and earned praise from the LGBT community and from the comic book community for her art. [3]

Nicola Scott is the artist behind the image in the case of Wonder Woman. Her artwork for the comic’s sixth decade helped revitalize the character and make her popular enough to establish a loyal fan base. The Wonder Woman comics of the 21st Century have received so much praise for both artwork and story that Gal Gadot’s iteration of the character has been greatly influenced by Nicola Scott’s work. This is made more impressive by Scott’s progress through the industry which began with nothing and continues on with a successful art career, multiple publishing roles, and a television series based on her work.

Lewis, Maria. “Comic maestro Nicola Scott’s life is a Wonder.” Sydney Confidential. The Daily Telegraph; 6 January 2014. Web. 23 November 2016.

Valentine, James. “Nicola Scott’s comic book career: From indie to DC and back again.” ABC News. np; 12 October 2015. Web. 23 November 2016.

Lewis, Maria. “Nicola Scott: Meet the woman behind Wonder Woman.” The Feed. Special Broadcasting Service; 20 September 2016. Web. 23 November 2016.