This December, Marvel illustrators will step away from the pages of comic books and take on the honor of personifying real-life superheroes in a creative team-up with espnW. This year’s espnW IMPACT25 list, which spotlights female athletes and influential figures in the field of female athletics, features inspirational figures worth of comic book hero treatment.
To accomplish this representation of the IMPACT25 honorees, a group of Marvel artists will render “Super” versions of these already exceptional individuals. As Alison Overholt, editor-in-chief of espnW, states, “There have been some truly superhuman accomplishments in the last year, and there is no one better than the artists of Marvel to depict these women as the heroes that they are.”
Marvel artists seem to feel the same way about the collaboration. Marvel Director of Content Development, Sana Amanat, states that “Marvel’s mission is to celebrate the hero’s journey – and espnW’s IMPACT25 is a uniquely incredible way to do that.
Like our powerful heroes, the IMPACT25 have made a remarkable impression on the world and this is our salute to them. By merging this exceptional group of women with our mighty Marvel artists we are able to truly capture their super human feats in a program that brings together talent from on and off the field.” With real-world heroines such as IMPACT25 Woman of the Year honoree Becky Hammon, Condoleeza Rice, Ronda Rousey, and Mo’ Ne Davis, this talented team of Marvel artists should have plenty of inspiration for this event.
The announcement features a team-up of Captain Marvel and USA Women’s National Team hero Cari Lloyd; a promising preview for the full announcement of the IMPACT25 Roster and featured Marvel art set to be released on December 7th at espnW.com/impact25.
To accompany the artistic renditions of the IMPACT25 honorees, more information and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the creative process will be featured by both espnW and Marvel. The hosts of the Women of Marvel Podcast will be hosted on espnW Presents: Be Honest with Cari Champion on the day of the release, and the Women of Marvel will host espnW guests on a later episode. More insight into the creation of these Super-Hero transformations will also be featured on espnW.com.
There is no doubt that this fantastic array of athletes and supporters featured in 2015’s IMPACT25 roster are deserving of Super-Hero recognition, and thus far all signs promise an inspiring and artistic collaboration in honor of these real-world heroines.
