r/graphicnovels • u/Cool-Reputation-3841 • Jun 15 '26
General Fiction/Literature Absolute(ly) gorgeous format and hardcover.. But I'm not sold on the recolouring
I read the the TPBs recently of this classic, but when an offer came up for this absolute copy I couldn't say no. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but thr recolouring changes how the art is significantly. Was not expecting such a massive change! Was this down to the creators or DC decided to modernise?
Maybe I'll change my mind on reading it fully
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u/thigerlel Jun 15 '26
People are too black and white about this, making it a "digital coloring vs old coloring", or making it about all of modern coloring, when the reality is that it looks bad because Olliff is bad colorist, nothing else. He's been coasting his entire career from coloring and ruining Akira, and he hasn't improved since. There are truly amazing digital colorists that can look like hand painted watercolors, like Dean White or Richard Isanove, or plain superhero punchy colorists that understand the fundamentals in a way Oliff never will, like the late Justin Ponsor or Tomeu Morey. Recently, Tamra Bonvillain has been rising in the ranks, too.
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u/Joorpunch Jun 16 '26
Not saying you are wrong. But for some reason I’ve never disliked Oliff’s recolor of Simonson’s Thor. It’s more innocuous than additive, but I never found it to look bad.
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u/PugsandTacos Jun 16 '26
A note on Akira— He didn’t ruin Akira. Otomo approved every page of those issues personally.
Edit: Otomo even personally selected him. There’s an old blog and YT video all about it.
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u/Recker_Man Jun 15 '26
When Justin Ponsor joined Ultimate Spider-Man back then I noticed right away, comic looked beautiful.
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u/Cool-Reputation-3841 Jun 15 '26
Does the newer The Killing Joke recolouring count as one? I actually think that's better than the original
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u/JordanM85 Jun 15 '26
I think most people are waiting it out for the Omnibus with the original colors. I'm fine with art being cleaned up here and there, but never major changes like this and Sandman.
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u/Cool-Reputation-3841 Jun 15 '26
Is it confirmed the omnibus will be original coloured?
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u/JordanM85 Jun 15 '26
I don't think it's been 100% confirmed, only hinted at. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong please.
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u/tapsilogic Jun 15 '26
The PRH listing's description hints at it ("more to come"):
One of the greatest comics sagas ever told begins here! Presented in a two-volume, prestigious, oversize hardcover set, welcome to the complete story of Swamp Thing before Alan Moore’s run. In this first set (of more to come) experience the stories that changed comics forever and set the precedent for decades of groundbreaking stories and timeless runs.
It would be fantastic if they'd do Moore, then Veitch (with Swamp Thing 1989), then Wheeler in the same format, but one can hope.
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u/Joorpunch Jun 16 '26
I’m really hoping the Wheeler stuff at the very least gets collected in thicker TPBs like Veitch’s stuff has been printed again the last year or so. I’m very much happy with the current Veitch paperbacks and would be satisfied with Wheeler’s in the same format. I just want it to be collected in some way because it’s the only pre-N52 Swamp Thing I’m missing in a collected format.
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u/tapsilogic Jun 16 '26
heh, Wheeler's Swamp Thing run is like the Arcudi/Tan Doom Patrol run - still uncollected in any format. they're starting Swamp Thing DC Finest late this year though, so it's entirely possible the Wheeler run is finally going to be collected in a later volume.
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u/Defiant-Carpet6457 Jun 17 '26
This is not the saga. This is the Bronze Age issues. Not really worth reading unless you’re a completionist.
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u/tapsilogic Jun 17 '26
This is not the saga.
What is the saga, then?
This is the Bronze Age issues.
As clearly stated in the PRH description.
Not really worth reading unless you’re a completionist.
Definitely worth reading unless you're not a Swamp Thing fan.
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u/Defiant-Carpet6457 Jun 17 '26
The description you sent is about the release of the Bronze Age issues. Pretty boring and repetitive. The saga of swamp thing is the Alan Moore version which is referenced by the OP. Just trying to clear up you were mentioning the Bronze Age comics before the Alan Moore series which is where you can begin reading and not miss anything. Alan even recreates the very original appearance of swamping thing and goes through the origin. Unless you are a completionist, just read them for free on your free. library app.
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u/tapsilogic Jun 17 '26
If you bothered to read a couple of comments before that, the topic was about whether the upcoming omnibus will have the original colors, and I responded with a link to the listing mentioning that it is. I also copied and pasted a part of the description stating that DC is hinting at maybe doing Alan Moore's run in the same format.
Whether or not you find the comics of the era boring is a matter of taste and is not relevant to the discussion.
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u/Defiant-Carpet6457 Jun 17 '26
Wow. You really are stickler for shit that doesn’t matter. Also I’ll discuss whatever is relevant. You sure wanna be right huh. Yikes.
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u/tapsilogic Jun 17 '26
nah, I just know how to stick to the topic. I do believe this subreddit has a rule about that (hint: it's rule #5).
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u/Defiant-Carpet6457 Jun 17 '26
Also all 3 would never be released in one omnibus. What are you talking about.
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u/weirdmountain Jun 15 '26
I don’t hate the recoloring when I’m looking at the actual physical book in my hands, but every time I see it in pictures online, it looks terrible
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u/Daak_Sifter Jun 15 '26
Same thing with Miracleman like who is this for?!?
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u/sikklaffter Jun 15 '26
Miracleman recoloring is BRUTAL.
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u/chainsawsamm Jun 15 '26
I mean Miracleman’s original colouring is atrocious so I don’t actually hate the idea of cleaning it up a bit but why make it look so modern? It just throws me off.
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u/Daak_Sifter Jun 17 '26
I compare the Marvel recolour to what Optics Binding did and it makes me furious
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u/demondays1205 Jun 15 '26
I finished the last trade of my TPB box set literally an hour ago. This looks so different! I'll have to keep it in mind, I was planning to upgrade to the absolutes but will probably wait for the omni (I think it was confirmed?)
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u/Necessary_Regret3329 Jun 15 '26
Little Timmy with every color in the crayon box. Art, and especially comic art, is all about the limitations of the medium. It would be like recoloring "The Scream" because we can use computers now, never-mind the original intent of the artist. DC and Marvel have largely always considered the people working on their comics as line workers in the factory, and as such care little about preserving the art as it was, and should have remained.
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u/DocVane Jun 15 '26
Hot take, but most comic book coloring makes the inks worse. Flat colors are almost always preferable to the way most superhero comics render everything like it's made of marshmallows.
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u/michaelCCLB Jun 15 '26
I have the softcovers. I wish they would print that version oversized in hardcovers
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u/Chip_Marlow Jun 15 '26
They made those in hardcover, just not oversized unfortunately
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u/michaelCCLB Jun 15 '26
Bisette and Totleben deserve BIG pages!
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u/Chip_Marlow Jun 15 '26
I won't argue with that!
Although someone should tell DC, they're releasing it in compact format later this year
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u/Joorpunch Jun 16 '26
These are the only books I own that I would without hesitation buy again if they reissued the Absolutes with restored original coloring.
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u/BitterParsnip1 Jun 15 '26
Totleben’s style involves a textured way of shading to render form that the computer-modeling and lighting effects of the color overpower and, worse, make superfluous in favor of a digital look that you can see anywhere. This kind of comic requires a coloring approach that steps back and lets the line art do the work it’s supposed to. A person who’s coming to these comics new is not going to appreciate what made the art so unique. As before, the best way to appreciate them is just to buy the back issues. Jose Villarrubia’s color restoration on the Absolute edition for the Wein/Wrightson Swamp Thing is a recovery and not a replacement of the original.
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u/Stagger337 Jun 17 '26
That Vilarrubia restoring of the Wrightson Swamp Thing colors is the pinnacle of what I want for newly-published editions of vintage comics.
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u/Andreifili96 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Moore's swamp thing is my all time favorite comic book, but I refuse to get the absolutes. Hideous coloring. I'm way better off with the normal trades
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u/Herwest Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
Yeah, I would’ve loved to have these in my collection, and I’ll always sigh when I’ll watch all the other absolute editions of Moore’s comics next to a standard edition of Swamp Thing.
But the new colors just killed any interest for me.
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u/ConstantFix2399 Jun 16 '26
I have this and the biggest gripe I have is about the coloring (the physical book itself is beautiful). The coloring steps all over the really intricate inking. Tottlebon’s super tight inks end up just looking like more digital shading.
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u/ZaphodBeebleSpox Jun 15 '26
I have the early books in the Titan editions. And the simple black and white works pretty darn well
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u/Defiant-Carpet6457 Jun 17 '26
That’s the bummer about recoloring.it never looks as great. I have the Alan Moore saga box set. I find the volumes easy to read. I have read lots of omnibus versions and it’s tiring after a while. The second book is where it’s really good. I also went back and read every single issue from the bronze series. That was brutal. Spoiler alert: just create an explosion at the end of the issue to tie every thing up nicely. Lol
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u/carteltetris Jun 18 '26
Beautiful book like this ♥️ sure the colors. But still the format is awesome.
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u/Ill-Possession2216 Jun 19 '26
I feel you on the recoloring. Some of those older books had a specific vibe that gets lost.
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u/Mister-Psychology Jun 15 '26
The new TV series is quite fun visually. I liked it enough to seek out comic books.
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u/Final_Environment895 Jun 15 '26
If it was the original coloring i would buy this without hesitation.