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Post by brutalis on Nov 6, 2019 8:21:33 GMT -5
This post shall sing the praises of Black and White (and grey wash) artwork! Every country has black and white comics (some more so than others) that us readers follow. Well then, I want to recognize right here the wondrous variety and plethora of dynamic black and white artistry there is to be found. Let us all discuss and peruse the glories of published works to be found within the worlds comics that have made their mark without color.
Whether it be from the newspaper comic strips of yesteryear or in current strips, perhaps in the magazines like Eerie, Creepy, Savage Sword of Conan, Deadly Hands of Kung Fu or the imports like 2000 AD, Corto Maltese, Torpedo or the numerous Manga and series from the 80's independent explosion with books like Cerebus, Elfquest, A Distant Soil, Usagi Yojimbo and so many other series. Even newer stuff like Bone, Walking Dead continue to bring new readers. It’s time for us acknowledging the glories of the black and white world of comics which are just as intriguing and captivating as their 4-color brothers and sisters. Many of the creators chose to produce their comics in a black and white format for specific reasons and many have gone on to becoming classics
Let the discussions flow like night and day (get the picture? In black and white no less) over all the artistic greatness to be found with no coloring (excepting commentary of course) outside the lines. I could begin a list that would be a mile long of influential artists and series that are deserving of conversation but instead I will let the talk start from you all and throw out my own favorites along the way.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2019 8:39:20 GMT -5
"My" version of Eagle ran from 1982 to 1994. I started reading it in the late 80s. I eventually bought almost all back issues. "Doomlord" was a photo-strip when it started in 1982:  It eventually became an illustrated strip:  Also in Eagle was the strip "Computer Warrior", about a young boy, Bobby Patterson, who could enter his computer and play games for real:  And "Charley's War" (which began in Battle Picture Weekly) is one of the greatest WWI stories told, I can't praise it enough:  So many I could think of! |
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 6, 2019 9:07:22 GMT -5
Brutalis, you’re my brother from another mother but I want color. COLOR !!!!!
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Nov 6, 2019 9:11:58 GMT -5
It was always a thrill to open the table of contents of one of the Warren horror mags and see Bernie Wrightson's name listed under Artists. "Jennifer" from Creepy #63:  |
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Post by MDG on Nov 6, 2019 9:52:28 GMT -5
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Post by brutalis on Nov 6, 2019 10:33:23 GMT -5
Brutalis, you’re my brother from another mother but I want color. COLOR !!!!! Color has its place brudder, but some of my favorite comics are black and white and when I see them colorized it just doesn't "feel" right to me. I say this knowing most US readers are prejudiced for having color as the predominant choice. There is less appreciation for black and white. Alex Toth is one of the few early on to figure out how to block out a scene appropriately with black versus white for emphasis of what he wanted the reader to see/feel. Many artists don't make enough effort to "design" a scene or comic without color. Steve Rude is another who knows how to use the black and white with color in the proper ways so that the color won't ruin a mood or flow of the story or scenes. Horror stories I grew up reading Warren comics and for me Horror just seems better in black and white. I got hooked on Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Strontium dog and others from 2000 AD in black and white so color really doesn't add or detract from them. So black and white seems natural for them to me. Cerebus just doesn't work in color as far as I am concerned. Detracts from Sim/Gerhards art and story and writing. Usagi Yojimbo and Elfquest while looking good in color I totally prefer in black and white. Eisner's Spirit is another that looks odd when I see it in color. Tomb of Dracula is sooooo much better in showcasing the Colan/Palmer art than the muddied coloring of the 70's print process. I think Corto Maltese looks great in watercolor textures but black and white evokes the time and feel of the series much stronger. Tarzan is clear and slick in black and white, just the way he is in my memories when 1st seeing Weismuller movies and the Russ Manning comic strip in the newspapers. Black and white makes a lot of 60's and 70's comic book artists I grew up with look better. Heck, Tuska, Brown, Colan, Perlin, Dillin, Nebres, Taloac are just a few that it always seemed to depend upon the correct inker being paired with them or printing/coloring.The black and white format shows off their pencil skills without "ruining" what they drew. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2019 11:19:33 GMT -5
I grew up on black and white comics as quite a few UK comics weren't colour. One strip might be colour. In Eagle, only Dan Dare (centre pages) was colour, the other strips were black and white.
I think some Marvel stories lend themselves well to black and white, e.g. the pathos of the Hulk, the tragedy of the Punisher, the semi-bleak world of Spidey, etc. Oddly, I could never get used to DC in black and white. DC was always more fantastical than Marvel (that's a topic for another time!), and seeing Supes, Flash and Wonder Woman in black and white was odd.
The Dredd I grew up with was black and white, but once it became a colour strip, I think that was effective, showcasing Mega-City One in all its glory.
I can't imagine "Charley's War" working as well in colour.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on Nov 6, 2019 12:18:52 GMT -5
I love black and white. When it's done well, it's often superior to color.
Alex Toth is a genius.
I also loved reading Savage Sword of Conan as a kid. Some of the shadow effects in there were just so detailed and amazing.
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Post by beccabear67 on Nov 6, 2019 12:29:16 GMT -5
Yes, the first artist I think of is Toth... (possibly because I wasn't around when Caniff and Crane and others were in their heydey in the newspaper strips). Alex Toth: magician with a felt-tip!   |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2019 13:07:36 GMT -5
Just love Marvel in its black and white glory:  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Nov 6, 2019 13:38:29 GMT -5
I love black and white. When it's done well, it's often superior to color. Alex Toth is a genius. I also loved reading Savage Sword of Conan as a kid. Some of the shadow effects in there were just so detailed and amazing. No. It’s not.  |
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Post by rberman on Nov 6, 2019 13:59:38 GMT -5
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Nov 6, 2019 15:32:46 GMT -5
No conversation about black and white comics art is complete without mentioning Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez.   |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2019 15:43:17 GMT -5
I read a lot of the DC Showcase volumes that presented those stories in black and white.
It was incredibly helpful when trying to read the classic stories on a budget.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2019 16:13:45 GMT -5
I read a lot of the DC Showcase volumes that presented those stories in black and white. It was incredibly helpful when trying to read the classic stories on a budget. It certainly was. I got the DC Comics Presents Showcase volume for about a tenner. To have bought those issues individually could have cost well over fifty quid depending on the dealer. So I accept the b/w reprints in that respect, but given the choice, I'd have opted for colour. I need and want to see the Flash and Supes in colour. It was odd to see Booster Gold get a Showcase volume. That's a character I feel needs to be in colour. I think Rampaging Hulk works very well in b/w. |
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