# Superhero Sport Illustrations Artist Maris Wicks Makes Athletes Out of Cartoon Heroes By Jordan Sowunmi | Published 2011-05-25 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/maris-wicks References: [theuniblog.evilspacerobot](http://theuniblog.evilspacerobot.com/?p=4288#more-4288) & [dotsforeyes.blogspot](http://dotsforeyes.blogspot.com/) Massachusetts-based artist Maris Wicks has discovered an intriguing and comedic way to humanize some of your favorite superheroes -- by drawing them in the act of playing sports. Maris Wicks' illustrations depict a wide array of superheroes, including Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Batman and the Incredible Hulk as they participate in a variety of traditional athletic activities. The illustrations do a great job of capturing the inherent comedy in seeing someone one views as a spectacular superhero doing something a little more normal. So far, Maris Wicks has drawn 9 athletes in the superhero sports series and she plans on selling the official prints on her website soon. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.3/10 - Popularity: 80% | Activity: 42% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Superhero Sports Illustrations:** The trend of humanizing superheroes through sports-related artwork provides an opportunity for merchandising and licensing collaborations. - **Comedic Depictions of Superheroes:** Creating humorous illustrations of popular superheroes participating in everyday activities opens up opportunities for collaborations with comic book publishers and entertainment companies. - **Niche Art Market:** The growing popularity of niche art forms like superhero sports illustrations presents an opportunity for artists to tap into a specific audience and generate revenue through print sales. ### Where This Applies - **Art and Illustration:** The art and illustration industry can leverage the trend of superhero sports illustrations to attract new customers and explore new revenue streams through licensing deals with comic book publishers and merchandise sales. - **Merchandising and Licensing:** Superhero sports illustrations offer merchandising and licensing opportunities for companies in the entertainment industry to create unique products that cater to fans of both superheroes and sports. - **Comic Book Publishing:** Collaborating with artists who create superhero sports illustrations can diversify comic book publishers' product offerings and tap into a broader audience, potentially increasing sales and brand engagement. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Comic-Inspired Soda Cans](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-heroes.md) - [Comic Book Hero Collectibles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/comic-book-heros.md) - [Reimagined Beloved Character Comics](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marvel-and-disney.md) - [Superhero-Guided Workout Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/superheroguided-workout-app.md) - [Villain-Themed Shoe Capsules](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kith-for-asics.md) - [Superhero-Inspired Comic Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marvel-collection.md) - [Superhero-Inspired Protein Powders](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gnc-pro-performance-100-whey-protein.md) - [Classic Superhero-Inspired Donuts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/krispy-kreme-hungry-for-heroes.md) - [Superhero-Themed DIY Art Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jim-lee-batman.md)