LIVEWIRE Goes High Fashion in Magazine-Style Covers

The Valiant Universe’s core hero is getting her time in the limelight. Amanda McKee, also known as the technopath Livewire, is continuing her solo run arc. Valiant Entertainment is having some fun with the comic’s design, creating four fashion-inspired magazine covers for her upcoming issues.

LIVEWIRE Goes High Fashion in Magazine-Style Covers_1

For those unfamiliar with Livewire, she first appeared in the Harbinger series as a pupil at the Harbinger Foundation. Her superhero alias name, Livewire, refers to her ability to control machines with her mind. She eventually left the Foundation to join the Harbingers, led by Sting. She was also an MVP for Unity, an elite strike team, during Vailant’s large crossover event. However, Amanda never got her individual moment until December 2018 with the first issue of her solo series. 

Now, she’s back, with Shuri and Supergirl writer Vita Ayala and interior artist Tana Ford (SILK) creating her next journey. This next run in Livewire’s story will focus a lot on media representation for psiots—those with psychic powers like Amanda. Ayala already stunned audiences earlier in the series by deftly balancing the good and bad consequences of Amanda’s decision making. Artist Ford is hoping to continue to juggle this duality in the art. Even a subtle change in appearance, from on-screen to off-screen, will reflect the artificiality versus candidness behind psiots’ dueling personas.

Besides this exciting premise, Livewire’s latest arc is also including some amazing artists for their fashion magazine covers. These covers are not just gorgeous to look at, but already great insights into Amanda’s image in the media. Director of Design and Production Travis Escarfullery used real life magazines and brands as inspiration for these covers.

The first cover, done by Kris Anka, is inspired by Sports Illustrated, Nike, and Adidas, copping in on the athleisure trend. Amanda laces up her shoes (Adidas boosts, anyone?) while buzzwords around her talk about teamwork and superhero training. The second cover, illustrated by Irene Koh, draws from Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Allure, with a more streetwear look. Amanda’s blasé attitude pairs well with her milk tea and suit-and-sneakers look. She really makes orange look good.

The third issue, done by Annie Wu, is all about glam rock, with Glamour (duh) and Rolling Stone as inspirations. The yellow outline and cut-out shades give her a rocker edge, which seems fitting for her defiance with the Harbingers. The final cover, illustrated by Kevin Wada, is very couture, with Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Couture aesthetics. Amanda dazzles against a pretty pink backdrop in her electric yellow dress.

We’re glad Valiant is embracing Amanda’s current media storyline with these covers and for bringing these amazing artists altogether. We can’t wait to see how the soundbites on these covers will unfold within the comic series, with the 9th issue coming out August 21.

Images: Valiant Entertainment

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