Color Symbolism in Comics: Insights from "The Magic Fish
Interpreting Color in
Comics
With examples from:
THe Magic Fish
Coloring Comics
“
colors aren't just coloring in, it’s world building,
it’s narrative driving devices that our books solely
misses without it…”
-Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou of
Strip Panel Naked
Coloring comics = creative and rhetorical
decisions
made by the colorist/author/artist
Colors are there for a reason
(authorial/ artist intent)
Colors are up for reader interpretation
Interpreting the Why of Coloring
Let’s watch this video from
Strip Panel Naked:
Colors Mean Different Things to Different People
The rhetorical situation consists of a: Creator (author/artist), Audience, and
Purpose/Message.
When interpreting and analyzing comics, and the colors of a comics, we can think
about the intent of the creator, and the interpretation of the audience (you).
Colors mean different things in different cultures. Take a look at the image on the
next page and take note of how interpretations of colors can differ.
Colors Mean Different Things to Different People
Colors in
The Magic Fish
In
The Magic Fish,
Trung Le Nguyen did everything (author/artist, colorist,
wording).
Take a look at the page from
The Magic Fish
on the next page
1.
What do you think the author was trying to communicate with the reader?
2.
What do the colors mean to you?
3.
How does the coloring help the reader interpret and understand the
intersecting storylines?
4.
How do the colors help the reader understand the story?
5.
Who is represented in the purple panel? What does this tell us about Tién and
his feelings for Julian?
Example:
The Magic Fish
(pages: 44, 69)
Group Work:
The Magic Fish
(pages: 170-171)
Group Work:
The Magic Fish
(pages: 170-171)
Here we can see the evil stepmother biting the head off of a pesky bird that’s
trying to remind her of the murder of Tám. The red of the blood shows up on
the otherwise purple panels of the fairy tale.
●
Why do you think Nguyen chose to integrate a new color into the fairy tale?
●
On previous pages, Nguyen also used orange when displaying peaches in
the fairy tale. Why?
●
Placing this purple page (with red blood bleeding into it) next to the present
page (in red)--what does the juxtaposition do to help us understand the
story?
●
Is the evil stepmother representative of the priest?
●
How does the mood of page 170 relate to that of 171?
●
How does the evil represented on page 170 help the reader understand
Tién’s situation as he’s confronted about his sexuality by the priest.?
Delve into the significance of colors in comics, focusing on the narrative-driving role they play. Learn how colors in "The Magic Fish" by Trung Le Nguyen enhance storytelling, convey emotions, and guide reader interpretations of intersecting storylines. Discover the creative decisions behind coloring in comics and the impact on audience perception.
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Presentation Transcript
Interpreting Color in Interpreting Color in Comics Comics With examples from: THe Magic Fish
Coloring Comics colors aren't just coloring in, it s world building, it s narrative driving devices that our books solely misses without it -Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou of Strip Panel Naked Coloring comics = creative and rhetorical decisions made by the colorist/author/artist Colors are there for a reason (authorial/ artist intent) Colors are up for reader interpretation
Interpreting the Why of Coloring Let s watch this video from Strip Panel Naked: Colour as Subtext | Pretty Deadly (2013) - Jordie Bellaire | Strip Panel Naked On this 'Strip Panel Naked', we look at Jordie Bellaire's colour work on 'Pretty Deadly', from Image Comics. Focusing on two key elements: how Bellaire uses a limited colour palette and how she uses colour to represent key themes. Creating a Good Action Comic (Moon Knight): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbMj9f0mcBA Entering a New World and Subsequent Themes (Southern Bastards): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGBREIlHo7c Using Dialogue as Action (Saga): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBjjYAtHqN0 Controlling Movement (Black Widow): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErwykjaeyXE Panel Density (Hawkeye): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqbPRTi8SN8 Colour as Subtext (Pretty Deadly) https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ua92kh38wbM Narrative Distancing (Hellboy in Hell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Xd-kDl5IU The 9-Panel Grid (The Omega Men) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQzXcFmf98I The Sound of Speech Bubbles (Sandman) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nqgJ3k1Crk
Colors Mean Different Things to Different People The rhetorical situation consists of a: Creator (author/artist), Audience, and Purpose/Message. When interpreting and analyzing comics, and the colors of a comics, we can think about the intent of the creator, and the interpretation of the audience (you). Colors mean different things in different cultures. Take a look at the image on the next page and take note of how interpretations of colors can differ.
Colors in The Magic Fish In The Magic Fish, Trung Le Nguyen did everything (author/artist, colorist, wording). Take a look at the page from The Magic Fish on the next page 1. 2. What do the colors mean to you? 3. How does the coloring help the reader interpret and understand the intersecting storylines? 4. How do the colors help the reader understand the story? 5. Who is represented in the purple panel? What does this tell us about Ti n and his feelings for Julian? What do you think the author was trying to communicate with the reader?
Group Work: The Magic Fish (pages: 170-171)
Group Work: The Magic Fish (pages: 170-171) Here we can see the evil stepmother biting the head off of a pesky bird that s trying to remind her of the murder of T m. The red of the blood shows up on the otherwise purple panels of the fairy tale. Why do you think Nguyen chose to integrate a new color into the fairy tale? On previous pages, Nguyen also used orange when displaying peaches in the fairy tale. Why? Placing this purple page (with red blood bleeding into it) next to the present page (in red)--what does the juxtaposition do to help us understand the story? Is the evil stepmother representative of the priest? How does the mood of page 170 relate to that of 171? How does the evil represented on page 170 help the reader understand Ti n s situation as he s confronted about his sexuality by the priest.?
