New breed of graphic novel
Many Australians dream of making it big in the United States - whether in Hollywood, Silicon Valley or Wall Street - but comic book artist Nicola Scott has done just that, without leaving her Potts Point studio. 
After years drawing for iconic DC titles such as Wonder Woman, Teen Titans and Superman, Scott is branching out on her own, collaborating with writer Greg Rucka on Black Magick, a new "witch-noir" police procedural.
Scott says being an Australian woman actually helped her break into the notoriously competitive industry.
"Being a girl, and especially an Australian one, helped me stand out - people remembered me and could see that I was improving every year and had a certain ambition and bullishness," she says.
Black Magick tells the story of a Rowan Black, a witch and police detective who must balance career with faith while preventing the two worlds from colliding.
Originally an actress, Scott started attending San Diego Comic-Con in 2002 to try and get her work noticed, returning each year to build contacts and get work before being hired by DC in 2005.
"At the time I didn't really know what I was doing, I just went in with complete ignorance and arrogance that I would make it work," Scott says.
"It worked in my favour because I wasn't prepared to take no for an answer - if I got criticism I would just say 'I'll be back once this is fixed'."
At DC, Scott made it her mission to respect the legacy of the comics she worked on while imbuing them with her own flavour.
"When you're working on licensed property like DC's superheroes, part of your job is playing by the rules but also bringing in a sense of your own vision and contributing to the decades-long legacies of these iconic characters," Scott says.
In a predominantly male, American industry, her uncommon background helped differentiate her work on titles such as Wonder Woman.
"As a female artist you're straight away bringing in a different perspective, and I definitely think there's a little bit of a unique attitude and flavour that comes with being an Australian working in the American industry," Scott says.
Scott's success at DC was also one of the reasons why she decided to leave it all behind.
"After getting steady work there for about three years I realised it was probably a really bad idea to get entrenched - I pictured myself in 20 years and realised that I didn't want to be producing work that although paid well, I didn't own," she says.
Having grown a significant fan base through her work, she decided that it was time to step off from the "DC family" and do something independent.
"While that was a pretty scary, everything that's come since has sort of confirmed that I've made the right decision - everyone at DC has been so supportive, but they do still encourage me to come back if I ever have free time."