Comics, Catfish, and Colours, pt 1

[Jason Eberly]

This article seems to lend veracity to my thought that your are my other-brother-from-the-land-down-under.

It always amazes me how bright and vibrant my 30-year old comics on their old newsprint paper look compared to today's computer-generated mud on super glossy paper. I often feel like I'm looking through an old coffee filter at the world that was once crisp and inviting, even when the tone of the story was dark.

And for me, it's not just the "catfish-coloring" (beautiful term, by the way); it's the monochromatism...is that a word? Monochronasity? Monochromatoa? Anyway, the practice of using one color on a page, or in a lot of cases, the whole comic. This seemed (to me) to really take hold around the early 2000's, with titles like Daredevil would go whole issues of using only one or two colors, and not at the same time. Several pages would just be red, then a few pages would be just blue, then back to red.

Don't get me wrong. This can be done to good effect and has in the past (Frank Miller's work on Daredevil is a good example), but it's done so often now it has completely lost its potency for conveying a tone or feeling, and instead just feels like lazy coloring. "Oh, I've got to catch the 3:00 flight to fill-in-the-blank convention and I've still got 10 pages left to color that are due by tomorrow. I'll just red-wash these 5 pages because they're fight scenes, and these 5 pages in orange because they're romantic scenes (and all romance happens at sunset, right?). Done, done, and bring on the convention appearance fee!"

Anyway, back to your article. This should be published someplace. Well, in addition to here. Newsarama, CBR,somewhere with a larger (but not necessarily better than here) audience. This is good stuff.

[Le Messor]

This article seems to lend veracity to my thought that your are my other-brother-from-the-land-down-under.

And you will always remind me of the brother I didn't bury in the loose ground that August night, and nobody need ever find out...

It always amazes me how bright and vibrant my 30-year old comics on their old newsprint paper look compared to today's computer-generated mud on super glossy paper.

You'd think technology would make it better.

And for me, it's not just the "catfish-coloring" (beautiful term, by the way);

Thanks! I was thinking about realism and muddy colouring, and trying to think about where I've ever seen colouring like that irl. The only place I could think of was river and lake bottoms, or aquariums simulating them.
So, catfish.

it's the monochromatism...is that a word? Monochronasity? Monochromatoa? Anyway, the practice of using one color on a page, or in a lot of cases, the whole comic. This seemed (to me) to really take hold around the early 2000's, with titles like Daredevil would go whole issues of using only one or two colors, and not at the same time. Several pages would just be red, then a few pages would be just blue, then back to red.

Sometimes I see as many as two on a page... but only if they want to be daring.
I agree that monochromancy (I'm gonna go with that!) and duochromancy are a huge part of the problem. It just feels wrong.
I'd rather have full-on black and white; it steps out of the uncanny valley, and at least it's honest.

"Oh, I've got to catch the 3:00 flight to fill-in-the-blank convention and I've still got 10 pages left to color that are due by tomorrow. I'll just red-wash these 5 pages because they're fight scenes, and these 5 pages in orange because they're romantic scenes (and all romance happens at sunset, right?). Done, done, and bring on the convention appearance fee!"

I usually picture it like this: 'I'm late, I should've started my colouring before today, the day of the deadline. Oops! I just spilled my breakfast orange juice across the page! Uh... Uh... I'll just hand that in. They'll never notice.'

Anyway, back to your article. This should be published someplace. Well, in addition to here. Newsarama, CBR,somewhere with a larger (but not necessarily better than here) audience. This is good stuff.

That'd be cool, but this is basically the only place I have a voice.

~ Le Messor
"Many young people die of old age."
~ F.J. Mills

[Le Messor]

Anyway, back to your article. This should be published someplace. Well, in addition to here. Newsarama, CBR,...

I've been thinking... If you guys think it's worthwhile, does somebody who is signed in to one of those sites want to link it back here?

That could be cool... and might help publicise this forum. (For the better, I hope.)

~ Le Messor
"It's humbling to note that when Mozart was my age, he'd been dead 3 years."
~ Tom Lehrer