Black & White Reprints

When it comes to value for money (which I’m unabashed to admit is a concern for me) there’s no beating the Showcase Presents and Essential editions. I suppose that by definition I am a comic collector, but I see myself more as a comic reader and the black & white collections that are produced by the Big Two (and increasingly by other companies, Dark Horse in particular) are a great way to read comics that are often difficult or pricey to get hold of.

The only disadvantage is the lack of colour. But is that really so bad?

The vibrancy and instant eye appeal that the colour reprints provide is a great draw, but the more Showcase and Essentials that I read the more I come to appreciate the format. For me there is a purity with the black and white art that colour can detract from. Ditko is a prime example. Most of Ditko’s work was pencilled and inked by his own hand, so what you see in a black and white Ditko reprint is “pure” Ditko. What you get on the page is exacly as he produced it. When you start adding colour, particularly darker shades, it can muddy the line an leave the reader with an impression of the art that was unintended by the artist. I suppose that what I’m saying is that the colour can distract from the subtlety of the finished ink work.

But that’s just me. Not everyone will want to pore over artwork in the way that I sometimes do, and rightly so, the primary reason for comic art is storytelling, not showcasing the work of a specific artist. There is another consideration though and as ever, it comes down to a matter of taste: Some art just looks better left uncoloured. If you’re sceptical fair enough, but Gene Colan’s Tomb of Dracula is a great example. Gene Colan’s pencils under Tom Palmer’s inks on ToD are really beautiful. The only way to read them is in black and white. It’s a shame that they were ever coloured, when you put them in context with the horror theme of the comics the addition of colours is garish and unnecessary. So with the Essential ToD, what was printed as cheap alternative has become a definitive edition in terms of clarity and beauty, it’s just unfortunate that some of the art was retouched to cover lady bits.

I’m not advocating that all comics be black and white, just that some artists are better served by not being coloured and no pencil and ink artist should need to rely on a colourist to complete their work. There are of course exceptions.

Joe Kubert’s Enemy Ace is one such exception.

I wrote that last sentence about 10 minutes ago and I’ve been trying to articulate my reasons for writing it and in all honesty, I can’t. I have no idea why some art works better in black and white and other art works better with colour. Looks like this post is about to fizzle out. What can I say.

How about this?

Don’t discount a cheap black and white reprint as inferior to a colour reprint. Sometimes the cheaper option is a better product. I’d suggest browsing both volumes and making an informed choice afterward.

Mad Thinker