Age of Bronze: full color

Showing posts with label full color. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Betrayal Part One in Full Color

At last, Book Three of the Age of Bronze graphic novel series shines with full color for everyone to see! Betrayal Part One goes on sale today from Image Comics.

This volume tells the story of Philoktetes's betrayal and digs deeply into the beginnings of the Troilus and Cressida episode. The cover features the moment just after Philoktetes is bitten by the snake.

John Dallaire's colors bring to life the Achaean attack on the island of Tenedos, the embassy to Troy when Hektor seems to be the only person still trying to reach peace between the two sides, and Menelaus's drunken memories of growing up with Helen.

Age of Bronze Book Three: Betrayal Part One--in color!--is available for sale at comics stores and wherever books are sold. Here's a short preview:

Thursday, August 12, 2021

More Betrayal in Color

John Dallaire is still coloring Age of Bronze: Betrayal Part One. Here's another sample page of finished color, the scene where Philoktetes's foot is pierced by one of his arrows.

Looks great, doesn't it?

Monday, April 26, 2021

Betrayal in Color

John Dallaire, the Age of Bronze colorist, has been working hard coloring my black-and-white artwork for Age of Bronze: Betrayal Part One. The battle scenes, the crowd scenes, the embroidery on the Trojan costumes--it's all got to be colored. John follows the first two Age of Bronze volumes with the same quality work on the next volume.

I've approved a decent number of pages so far. And the book's getting to a state in which I'm approving pages at a faster pace. It's still not ready to be put on a publication schedule yet, but we'll get there eventually. And I'll let you know here when that time comes.

Until then, however, here's a sneak peek at a finished page of Betrayal Part One in color:

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

The Color of Sacrifice

It's here at last!

As just published by Image Comics, Age of Bronze Book 2: SACRIFICE shines forth in full color, thanks to the restrained and steady hand of John Dallaire, colorist. Newly colored artwork enhances Helen's arrival at Troy, the accidental battle at Mysia, the regrouping of the Achaean army, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, and more.

You can buy a copy of Sacrifice by clicking here.

Working with John on coloring Age of Bronze is quite an experience. My drawings are extremely detailed and he spends the time to color each bead in a necklace and each stripe on a tunic. John assigns a unique skin tone and a unique hair color to each character. We're both sticklers for consistency, and unless there's a specific story reason for a character's color to change, all these colors need to be carried through hundreds of pages.

As the creator of Age of Bronze, I have final say on John's color work. Pages generally go through several color versions before I okay a final version ready for publication. Part of my task is to catch lapses in John's consistency. Turnabout is fair play, and while John's coloring my work, he catches lapses in my consistency, mistakes I've made in the black-and-white artwork. These usually consist of missing costume details. Occasionally John fills in easy and obvious corrections, but sometimes I need to add elements—such as armbands and straps, things like that—which I originally forgot. Disappearing sandals and wristbands have been particularly annoying.

Some backgrounds are so complicated or obscured by foreground figures or word balloons that when I look at John's colored version I can tell he had no idea what I'd intended in my artwork. Usually these instances are easy to fix, but sometimes even I have no idea what I originally intended. Fortunately I saved photocopies of my penciled artwork, and I can often look at those to figure out confusing backgrounds. But it's annoying when I realize that I originally drew something in pencil, then mistakenly inked it differently than what I'd intended. Those mistakes are often the cause of confusion in John's coloring. Depending on the specific circumstances of each of these instances, I ask John to revise the color as seems most appropriate.

Of course, most readers won't notice these things. And they shouldn't. Readers should be following the story. All the details and all the color are there to support the story, to bring it to life, to transport the reader to the long-ago world of the Trojan War, to keep the spell of the drama going from first page to last. I hope this new color version of Sacrifice will do that for you.

To whet your appetite, below is a six-page excerpt from Age of Bronze Book 2: SACRIFICE. Click on each page to see it larger.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Sacrifice - New Cover

Sacrifice, book two in the Age of Bronze graphic novel series, will be published by Image Comics in full color for the first time in February 2020. Colorist John Dallaire brings the same subtle palette and vibrant hues that he brought last year to book one, A Thousand Ships.

Full color brings new dimension to the story, especially as Achilles battles Telephus in the vineyards of Mysia, as a storm scatters the Achaean fleet, as Paris and Helen wake within a fog-bound world, and as political shenanigans point Iphigenia toward the sacrificial altar. The full human drama of the story of the Trojan War comes to life again.

Take a look at the new cover for the new color edition of Sacrifice.


Age of Bronze: Sacrifice, color edition coming in February 2020.

For samples of story pages in color, click here to see the earlier posting.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Sacrifice in Color

So where's the new full-color edition of Age of Bronze: Sacrifice, you ask?

It was supposed to be out in September. Now it's December.

When John Dallaire colored A Thousand Ships, he spent about seven years on it. He was scheduled to complete the coloring of Sacrifice in one year. One year wasn't long enough, so publication was postponed.

The good news is that Sacrifice in full color will be out in February 2020 from Image Comics.

In the next couple weeks, John will be finishing the final touches to the coloring and I'll be finishing the layout to send to the publisher. Here's a preview to tide you over until Age of Bronze: Sacrifice is released for the first time in full color in February 2020:

Click on any image to see it larger.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

At Long Last: Age of Bronze #34

Finally! It's published. Yesterday the long-awaited new issue of Age of Bronze went on sale. Age of Bronze issue #34 contains the episode of Achilles and Helen meeting on the highest peak of Mount Ida. Here's the link to the issue.

In the original tradition, Helen was carried to Mount Ida by the goddess Aphrodite, so for Age of Bronze, which eschews the supernatural, I had to do a lot of behind-the-scenes manipulation to get Helen out of Troy and to that mountain peak in a natural manner. I planted early seeds for the solution way back in issue #24, pulling threads from other Trojan War episodes and weaving them together with as few knots and puckers as possible.

Achilles was a little easier to place on Mount Ida, but even for him I had to design the route using bits of the Trojan War tradition that had never to my knowledge been strung together in the way I chose.

Issue #34 of Age of Bronze also features the (I hope) unexpected return of a character unseen since issue #3. This won't be the last we see of that character, nor of the new character introduced in the same scene.

Also featured are short appearances by Troilus, Cressida, Hektor, Priam, Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Palamedes. One panel features a shot of most of the Trojan royal family. Keeping all those characters and their likenesses consistent is a painstaking but pleasant task. And now that Age of Bronze is in full-color and John Dallaire, Age of Bronze colorist, has assigned specific colors to all the characters in that scene, there's another level of consistency to maintain.

Click here to read Age of Bronze #34 on Comixology. Only $1.99!

Click here for a three page preview of Age of Bronze #34.

ADDENDUM - The Official Word on Age of Bronze Publication Formats

I'd assumed that anyone who follows this blog already knows that new Age of Bronze single issues are going digital with this current issue. But clearly there are readers who haven't read previous posts. So for everyone's benefit, here's the skinny again:

All Age of Bronze single issues will be published only in digital format for the foreseeable future.

The exception to that is a small number of print copies I'm privately printing for Age of Bronze subscribers. No new subscriptions are being accepted. When all current subscriptions run out, I'll stop these small print runs. Don't contact me asking how to get a copy if you're not an Age of Bronze subscriber.

Age of Bronze graphic novel collections will continue to be published in print form. So if you don't want to read electronic comics on a screen, all you have to do is wait for the graphic novel collection. As in the past, forthcoming Age of Bronze graphic novels will collect all the story pages from several issues, along with extra material such as maps, pronunciation guide, and bibliography.

In addition to print, Age of Bronze graphic novel collections will be published in digital form.

All new Age of Bronze comics—that means digital comic books, print graphic novels, and digital graphic novels—will be in full color.

All old Age of Bronze graphic novels are being reprinted in full color. A Thousand Ships (book 1) was published last fall. Sacrifice (book 2) will be published in 2019.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Let the Trumpets Sound!

WHOO-HOO!

Age of Bronze Book 1: A Thousand Ships is now officially published in full color. If you haven't picked up your copy, run over to your local comics store to get it. You can also order the book signed by me at this link.

For your viewing pleasure, I've included below three color pages from the book as a sample of what you get inside it. John Dallaire is the colorist. I think you'll enjoy his work on Age of Bronze.

There's plenty more of this Trojan War story action in the 224 pages of full-color comics art inside A Thousand Ships. You also get a brand new introduction to the story from Tom Beasley, Visiting Assistant Professor of Greek and Roman Studies at Vassar; an updated Afterword by me; a couple pieces of never-before-published color artwork; along with maps, pronunciation glossary, and bibliography.

Whether you're new to Age of Bronze or you've been reading the series since it began, I think you'll be pleased by the new color look of what Publisher's Weekly called "a fantastically rich narrative."

Age of Bronze and the likenesses of its prominent characters are trademarks of Eric Shanower.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

CBR interview about Age of Bronze

Michael C. Lorah of CBR interviewed me about Age of Bronze in conjunction with the release of Age of Bronze Book 1: A Thousand Ships in color.

Click here for the link to read the interview.

Monday, September 3, 2018

A Thousand Ships Finally Landed

Image Comics has released the new full color edition of Age of Bronze Book 1: A Thousand Ships at last! John Dallaire's coloring looks beautiful!

Geek Out recently recorded an interview with me about the new color A Thousand Ships and about Age of Bronze in general. Listen to that podcast by clicking here.

You can order your copy of the new, full-color A Thousand Ships at this link. I like to support comics retailers, so if you have a local comic store, ask it to reserve a copy of Age of Bronze Book 1: A Thousand Ships for you. But if you don't have a local comic store or you just can't wait until September 12, you can buy it from me immediately by clicking here. I'll sign each copy ordered until further notice. If you want your copy personalized, simply include your preferred text in the "Special Instructions" box during the ordering process.

In an earlier post I included sample pages from A Thousand Ships in full color. See those sample pages by clicking here. And see a different 18-page sample on the ordering page here.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

At Last! AGE OF BRONZE in Full Color

Big news! Big changes for Age of Bronze.

For the first time ever, Age of Bronze will be printed in full color.

That's right. Full color.

No more black and white.

All new Age of Bronze material will be published in full color by Image Comics. All old Age of Bronze material will be reprinted in full color by Image Comics.

You'll see the story of the Trojan War in a whole new way.

I've been working with John Dallaire, Age of Bronze colorist, for several years in preparation for color publication. John and I were matched up in 2011 for Throwaway Horse's digital publication of Age of Bronze. Several issues were published digitally before Throwaway Horse ceased operations. But John continued coloring Age of Bronze under my direction. We knew that Age of Bronze would be printed in color one day.

First of all, Age of Bronze issue #1 in full color from Image Comics goes on sale April 25, 2018. That's next week. This reprint--in new full color--sells for the bargain price of $1.00! This bargain-price reprint of issue #1 is intended to give readers a sample of how Age of Bronze will look from now on. Find it in your local comic shop or order it digitally from Comixology. You can also order a physical copy here for immediate shipment--while supplies last.

All Age of Bronze graphic novels will receive new color printings. The first book, A Thousand Ships, will be published in full color in September 2018. Color versions of each subsequent Age of Bronze book will follow in print annually from Image Comics.

Age of Bronze #34, the first new issue in several years, will be published in full color in early 2019. All new Age of Bronze issues will be published digitally in color on Comixology. New issues won't see print--they'll only be available digitally. But the story pages from every new Age of Bronze issue will be collected into printed graphic novel format as usual--now in full color.

Some of you may remember that the first four issues of Age of Bronze appeared several years ago in color as an app for iPad. That version is being superseded. John Dallaire has refined many color details since those first digital color publications. In fact, due to a resolution discrepancy, John completely re-colored Age of Bronze #1 for the new print version. He made quite a few refinements. Eagle-eyed readers will be able to spot many differences when comparing the new color version with the old digital one.

So thanks to John Dallaire and to Image Comics for making this all possible.

For your enjoyment, here's a six-page preview of Age of Bronze #1 in full color. Click on any page to see it larger.

Continued in Age of Bronze #1.