Digital artist Martin Koza does the kind of deceptively simple work that grabs you without a lot of bells and whistles. His work ranges from painterly to cartoony, but everything in his DeviantArt gallery is a pleasure to behold. The first image that hooked me was his Amanda Waller, below. This portrait sums her up perfectly, capturing her dead serious, I-will-cut-you vibe. However, there’s also the slight hint of a softer side, which surprised me. I think some artists go out of their way to make Waller unappealing, but Koza’s illustration shows (duh) that being large and being attractive are not mutually exclusive. She looks a little bit like one of my aunts!

The Wall

This Power Girl image is simply radiant.

Up, up, and away!

Koza obviously has some affection for Batman, and he depicts the Dark Knight in ways both thoughtful and comical. In this image, Batman’s cape looks almost like a tidal wave, and the stark palette makes it appropriately intense.

Finally, there’s this abstract, alluring Black Cat piece, which would make a great poster or T-shirt image. It’s definitely sexy, but in an almost effortless way. No need to gild the lily.