Waiting for a Superhero

A superhero sits in a movie theater, biding her time until she can leap onto the silver screen for long-awaited glory. Artist Ben Wiseman was the creative force behind this illustration published with “Waiting for Wonder Woman,” a Times Sunday Review article on December 21, 2013. The image is part of our collection of editorial illustrations being offered for the first time ever to the public as unframed or framed fine-art prints.

Illustrations have played an instrumental role in The Times’s journalistic legacy since December 11, 1861, when we published our first drawings – front page cartoons of James Gordon Bennett, rival publisher of The Herald. Today, The Times commissions thousands of original illustrations from freelance artists around the world. Artists, each with a distinct approach and personality, enhance stories with thought-provoking images that enrich the reading experience.

This image is by Ben Wiseman, an illustrator based in New York. His bright, graphic illustrations engage equally in information and wit, forming a body of work with unique contemporary relevance. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, having created more than 100 illustrations related to the 2016 presidential election. He has been illustrating Frank Bruni’s column in The New York Times Sunday Review since 2011. His work has been featured on the covers of New York, TIME, Newsweek, Der Speigel and The New York Times Magazine. His clients include Apple, Clinique, CVS, New York City Center, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Nike, Penguin Random House, Samsung, This American Life, TIME, Vanity Fair, Warby Parker, Westfield and Wired. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, his work has been recognized by ADC Young Guns, AIGA and American Illustration.