Tired of picking up comics and looking at page after page of crudely drawn, anatomically impossible women? Now, thanks to books like this, there’s no excuse for an artist to struggle with anatomy, poses, and facial expressions. Comics scribe and photographer Buddy Scalera has taken women of four different ages (16, 22, 26, and 34) and modeled them in various ways to help artists determine how their characters should look on the page.

What’s available? Flying. Jumping. Punching. Blasting. Using swords. How capes look draped across the body. Proper make-up. Facial expressions. Lifting. And much, much more. Basically, anyone who wants to work on their skills and would like to actually not turn off their potential female reading audience could use this book to make huge strides in developing their talents. Plus, Scalera brings in some ringers; Josh Howard, Terry Moore, Jamal Igle, and J.G. Jones do short chapters on using some of the applied skills being offered in the book, giving the book even more added value.

But that isn’t all- at 136 pages, this book is very thorough- but Scalera shot a lot more than could possibly be printed. So inside the back cover you’ll find a cd-rom with over a thousand pictures, many of which are variations on what you find between the covers, so if you don’t see something here in print to match your intent for the panel you’re drawing, you can check the disc and flesh out what you’re trying to do.

This book, and the series it is a part of, would be a fine addition to any budding young artist’s educational tools. It’s very useful, essential stuff.

Marc Mason