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Robert LaGuardia
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Joined: 15 November 2007
Location: United States
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| Posted: 14 August 2010 at 8:16am | IP Logged | 1
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The best coloring that Ive ever seen in a comic is Lynn Varley's work on Elektra Lives Again.
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Derek Cavin
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| Posted: 14 August 2010 at 8:20am | IP Logged | 2
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I've had a theory for a while that the reason so many new comics with the computer coloring look so dark has to do with the process. The pages are colored on an electrically-lit screen, then the artwork is printed onto an opaque page. I'd hope that they would proof (Matchprint, Epson, AX4) these prior to printing. The proof machine would calibrated to the printing press.
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Ed Love
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| Posted: 14 August 2010 at 9:56am | IP Logged | 3
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That pretty much requires that the person doing the coloring is working in the same facility where the separations and the printing are being done and/or on top of that knows the value of knowing the press' capabilities.
As so many comics are too dark and obliterating the penciler's work month in and out, I'm assuming they don't see the finished product as "bad". After all, people are still buying the comics. Maybe if enough artists or enough of the people reviewing the comics will start actually talking about bad coloring and voicing their displeasure...
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Stephen Churay
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| Posted: 14 August 2010 at 11:09pm | IP Logged | 4
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A lot of the coloring I've seen here isn't really upsetting to me in terms of what the spirit of this thread started out as. To me, the bad coloring we started out discussing is putting uber-realistic coloring to comic books that either don't need or just plain shouldn't have it (example: the current volume of Captain America). Even then calling the color work bad is subjective to the viewer. If the colorist, penciler or editor wants this type of color work, then the colorist is doing their job. To me, I think coloring a comic, especially a superhero title, with a realistic tone takes the power out of the work. Looking at Captain America, I at first I thought the the pencils were rendered in such a way that they could favor this modern coloring style. Then I got to see examples of Epting, Guice and even Weeks' pencils before ink or color were added. All three of their styles seem to be ( in varing degrees) a blend of Romita Sr. and J. Buscema. So it's the colorist doing this, and in choosing this style of coloring, the books lose there pop.
The problem becomes compounded when you realize that certain comic book storytelling tools don't seem to work when you color a book this way. Exaggerated poses, speed or swoosh lines, thought ballons, and extreme foreshortening look WAY out of place to me if you try to color a book with a realistic pallet. So, they aren't being used as much anymore. In that sense maybe the pencilers ARE starting to cater to it.
If there are colorists out there who work this way, that would like to comment on this, I sure would love to here there point of view.
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Greg Cordier
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Joined: 16 April 2004
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| Posted: 16 August 2010 at 5:59pm | IP Logged | 5
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I've had a theory for a while that the reason so many new comics with the computer coloring look so dark has to do with the process. The pages are colored on an electrically-lit screen, then the artwork is printed onto an opaque page.
This happened to me and I was very frustrated with the darkness of the end product. I had colored the comics trying to respect the artist's line work, but the printed comic always came out way darker than I had intended. I did not figure the lit monitor / opaque page problem out until the series was finished
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Stéphane Garrelie
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Joined: 05 August 2005
Location: France
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 10:09am | IP Logged | 6
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Speedlines: 
I like those colors, of course there's a choice done to make the speedlines white in the first pic and to keep themù black in the second panel.. Both choices works imo. /
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Stéphane Garrelie
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 10:24am | IP Logged | 7
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In this other exemple the laser/gunshot is colored light red/orange, explosions are colored orange, but speed lines are either black as they were drawn or blue: 
Edited by Stéphane Garrelie on 17 August 2010 at 10:25am
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Derek Cavin
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 10:35am | IP Logged | 8
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Removed.
Edited by Derek Cavin on 17 August 2010 at 10:38am
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Stéphane Garrelie
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 10:37am | IP Logged | 9
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I also like this page. In the new legion book, it really depend on which page we're looking at: Sometime it is fine, like here ande some other times it isn't. 
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Stéphane Garrelie
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 10:48am | IP Logged | 10
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This is fine: 
but i don't like this horror that we get a few pages further: 
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Stéphane Garrelie
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 10:50am | IP Logged | 11
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I may be a bit unfair though, the colors on the Legion are overall ok, that's just that this kind of choice in this last pic...... i mean what is left of the art?
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Ed Love
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| Posted: 17 August 2010 at 12:24pm | IP Logged | 12
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That Legion page still has what I consider bad modern coloring showing up mostly in the skin tones of Ultra Boy's face and arms. I don't like the trend of modern colorists using color to mold every individual muscle with its own highlights and shadows (often with very contrasting tones). Instead of being at all realistic, it's very unnatural and plastic looking. The human body just doesn't have that kind of clear delineation between tones.
The two Magnus pages are a lot more subtle with the skin tones, mainly with just mid-tone and shadow although even there the artist felt the need to give the girl nice highlights on her heaving bosoms to draw your attention there just in case you're missing the important part of that scene.
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Topic Closed)
