Gotham Recap

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a Batman fan for life. So the premiere of Gotham topped my list of most anticipated TV events of the year. In preparation, I blew through the acclaimed comic series Gotham Central by two of my favorite comic scribes, Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka. Like most translations to screen of Batman's world, Gotham is not a direct adaptation of this work, but it should definitely provide inspiration for the series which focuses on Gotham's major crimes division.

I don't expect Gotham to fulfill all of my expectations, but I decided to put a list together on Forces of Geek that laid out what I'd like to see from the series.

I also collected my thoughts here on the pilot episode and will begin reviewing each episode going forward.

What did you think of Gotham? Did the pilot impress you enough to stick around? Leave a comment and let me know!

Or not. It's a free internet.

Batman - Top 10 Artists

Continuing on from my round up of the Top 10 Best BatmanWriters, I pulled together my personal favorite Bat artists and did my best to rank them based on skill, influence, with my own personal taste mixed in. Some of them had long extended stays in Gotham while others dropped by a handful of times but managed to leave a lasting impression. Having very limited drawing skills myself, I am in awe of these masters at their craft and would gladly pick up any book with their credit attached, no matter how poor the writing. Anyway, enough with this intro, on to the list:

10) Marshall Rogers

Together with frequent collaborator Steve Englehart, Rogers contributed to one of the best Joker stories of all time, The Laughing Fish. Under his pencil, the Joker never seemed more menacing. Rogers hits the perfect balance of scary and humorous. This story has stood the test of time and it’s in part due to the captivating imagery. One thing that sticks out to me is when Rogers drew Batman, his cape seemingly had a life of its own, very much emphasizing his bigger-than-life persona and adding a sense of movement that you rarely see in comics. In addition, Rogers teamed with comics legend Len Wein to reinterpret Batman’s foe Clayface. Rogers’ run on Detective Comics is still looked back on as one of the all time best and it’s easy to see why.

Notable Works: Strange Apparitions, Dark Detective

9) Dustin Nguyen

I initially discovered Dustin Nguyen (like I discovered most artists on this list) through his Batman work when he first collaborated with Paul Dini on their acclaimed Detective run. Nguyen's take on the character was unlike any art I've ever seen in connection with Batman. The closest comparison I could make is that of Mike Magnolia, but Dustin has a style all his own. I especially loved Nguyen’s version of Hush, even better than his character designer, Jim Lee’s take which is saying something. Nguyen currently still resides in Gotham working on the Li’l Gotham series, and while those are fun, I like to think of chibi versions of superheroes as being Scottie Young's area and I'd love to see Dustin back on a regular Batman book soon. Bonus points for his awesome Batman Beyond covers.

Notable works: Heart of Hush, Hush Money, Lil’ Gotham

8) Tim Sale

Sale’s Batman truly embodies ‘creature of the night’ in every way, as his version thrives on shadows and mood. You know how with iconic movie characters it’s hard to imagine any other actor filling that role? Similarly, it’s impossible to imagine any other artist working on such masterpieces as The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. Certainly, Sale’s partner in crime, Jeph Loeb, deserves some of the credit, but it’s Sale’s contributions that elevate these essential Bat stories to the top of the pack. Not only do they showcase many of Batman’s colorful rogues gallery in unforgettable renderings, but they also add great depth and humanity to the characters of Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent and Dick Grayson. By illustrating their pain and suffering with subtlety and grace, oftentimes in just a single image, Sale proves to be a master at his craft. He is the artist Batman deserves. Let’s hope they reunite soon.

Notable Works: The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Haunted Knight

7) Norm Breyfogle

Breyfogle’s take on Batman manages to stradle the line of being both classic yet also his own style all at once. His run with Alan Grant is a classic one that holds a special place for me since it introduced us to the underrated Scarface and the Ventriloquist (I know I’m in the minority here). Breyfogle also got in on the Knightfall saga, ensuring that the quality would be up to snuff for such an earthshattering event. More recently, Breyfogle has returned to Batman’s world in the Batman Beyond series, bringing his unique talents to the Gotham of the future.

Notable Works: Detective Comics #583-594 , Knightfall, Batman Beyond Unlimited

6) Jim Aparo

Following the lead of Neal Adams, Aparo’s style strived for realistic interpretations of the Dark

Knight with a great attention to detail. Although drawing inspiration from Adams, Aparo’s Batman was not a carbon copy and soon branched out with a style all his own, often inking and even lettering his own work. Aparo got his start on Batman with the classic Brave and the Bold series which he worked on for over a decade. Once that series ended, it was replaced with another landmark series in Batman’s history, Batman and the Outsiders which he co-created. Aparo’s most notable contributions to Batman would come later though as he contributed to some of the most impactful stories in Batman’s history including Death in the Family as well as Knightfall creating such iconic imagery as Batman cradling Jason Todd’s limp body and Bane breaking Batman’s back, respectively. Aparo certainly made his mark in Gotham and Batman rarely looked better under anyone else’s pencil.

Notable Works: The Brave and the Bold, Death in the Family, Knightfall

5) David Mazzuchelli

Mazzuchelli doesn’t have a ton of Bat credits to his name, but the one he does is enough to rank him on this list. His clean, crisp style was a perfect fit for the retelling of Batman’s origin, spotlighting the Caped Crusader’s shadowy persona while balancing emotional beats with cinematic flair. Mazzuchelli reteams with his Daredevil collaborator, Frank Miller, who sticks to writing duties on this one, giving his collaborator a chance to shine. I can’t imagine if Miller had taken this one on as an artist. I think it would have been good, but the art here is what elevates it to the status it has attained in the years since. This story is worth picking up for the art alone and there’s not much more praise you can lavish on an artist than that.

Notable Works: Year One

4) Greg Capullo

Prior to Capullo’s pairing with Snyder, I had yet to read a comic featuring his art so my only

awareness of his style was his album cover art. As good as that was, I could never have anticipated that he would rise so quickly in the ranks to become one of my all time favorite Batman artists. Under his skilled pencil, Batman looks as badass as, well, Capullo! Seriously, the guy is a beast. What these guys have created together is an all-star run that makes up some of the best comics on the shelves today and will no doubt be pointed to for years to come as essential reading for any Bat fan. Snyder loves to beat up Batman throughout and Capullo makes us feel his pain, reminding us again and again there’s a human being under the cape and cowl. Batman is a stand out series since the dawn of the New 52 and it’s in part thanks to the stellar artwork from this guy. I’m now a fan for life and will happily seek out his next project after Batman but hopefully that won’t be for a good, long while.

Notable Works: Court of Owls, Death in the Family, Zero Year

 3) Jim Lee

If this were a list of the top 10 X-Men artists, Lee would probably be number one. He redefined the X-Men in the ’90s and then when he got his shot to interpret Batman and his foes, it was like he'd been waiting to draw them his whole life with so many iconic images coming out of his yearlong stint on the Hush arc. Writer Jeph Loeb, known for writing epic ensemble pieces, managed to work numerous villains into the plot, unleashing Lee's pencils on all the major villains. Lee would later team with Frank Miller on All-Star Batman and Robin. Miller at his most unfiltered combined with Lee’s mainstream style makes for such a bizzare dichotomy that I’m still kind of amazed that this even happened. This one has to be read to be believed is all I can say.

Notable Works: Hush, All-Star Batman and Robin

2) Frank Miller

Didn't we just cover this guy in the writer's section? Well, in addition to altering Batman’s

personality, Miller also slapped a new coat of paint on the look of DC's most popular superhero. Miller's take on the suit has been so popular it's appeared in animation, video games and even serves as the inspiration for Ben Affleck's version of that character in the latest cinematic iteration. I mean this iteration has even been spoofed on Tiny Toons, which obviously is the measure for when you know you’ve made it. I’d go as far as to say that Miller’s Batman is just as widely recognized today as the Adam West version. Various panels and splash pages from his Dark Knight series have become so iconic and widely circulated that they are now seared into my brain. I’ve lost count of how many times Miller’s covers for the series have been paid homage to year after year. Not only is Miller now a filmmaker and practically a household name in his own right (thanks to his Sin City fame) he’s also got the ear and respect of one of the most influential directors working today in Zach Snyder, who has ripped several pages right out of Miller’s book for Batman’s upcoming trip to the big screen. How much more influential can you get than that?

Notable Works: The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again

1) Neal Adams

Often times when I picture Batman in my head, it’s the Neal Adams version that comes to mind. It is so classic and timeless that another 75 years from now, I still think it will feel fresh and exciting. Adams’ contributions to the look of Batman are an important landmark in that his unique take ushered in a new house style for Batman at that time, not only revitalizing the character but also creating a new blueprint for the uniform look of an iconic superhero. His Batman leapt from the page, crackling with life and creating a new, dynamic energy rarely seen in comics at that time. In addition, Adams was responsible for giving readers their first look at Ra’s Al Ghul and Man-Bat, two very distinct and innovative character designs which were conceived during the artist’s prime. Between his pencils and O’Neil’s writing, they formed a dream team rarely seen in comics and set a high standard for those following in their footsteps. His most recent stint on the character, Odyssey, proves that Adams has not lost his touch and is still one of the best living artists today.

Notable Works: Daughter of the Demon, The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge, Odyssey

Honorable mentions - Bruce Timm and Alex Ross. While Timm defined the look of Batman for my generation, simplifying his look for animation while still remaining iconic and recognizable. Countless fans were introduced to the Dark Knight with this iteration and the design has aged well over two decades later (has it been that long?) Whereas Timm simplified Batman’s look, Ross took it in the complete opposite direction, depicting Batman and his world as being photo-realistic on countless covers and most notably in War on Crime, his oversized comic one-shot with Paul Dini. His depiction of Bruce Wayne in Kingdom Come undoubtedly had an impact on both Batman Beyond and The Dark Knight Rises.

Special shout out to cartoonists Matt Wagner and Darwyn Cooke who prove that Frank Miller isn’t the only one capable of writing and drawing captivating Batman stories. Wagner helped redefine Batman’s early days of crime fighting with the one two punch of Monster Men and Mad Monk plus his Two-Face story, Faces, shows early signs of brilliance. Cooke not only captured the spirit of Batman in Ego, he left his mark on Catwoman as well, flashing out one of Bats’ most notorious supporting characters. Your Batman collection will not be complete without their contributions lining your shelf.

That wraps it up. Did I miss your favorite Batman artist? Are my rankings way off? Leave a comment and let me know!

Animated Batman Movie Rankings, Part 2: #5 - #1

Continuing on from Part 1, here we count down the Top 5 animated Batman movies of all time. Will my picks match up with yours? Read on an find out!

5) Batman and Mr. Freeze: Subzero

"Come on people! A guy in a weird suit with two polar bears can’t be too hard to spot!" - Commissioner Gordon

My favorite trivia about Subzero is that Warner pushed back the release date to distance it from the disaster that was the campy live-action Batman & Robin, a movie so bad, it put the Batman movie franchise in hibernation for nearly a decade. It was intended as a home video tie-in, but to avoid further embarrassment that the cartoon Batman took itself more seriously than the big budget bomb, it got delayed. Although the second animated Batman movie didn’t surpass its predecessor (Mask of the Phantasm), it’s still a worthy addition to the animated Bat library and lives up to the standard set by the series it’s based on. Batman: The Animated Series redefined Mr. Freeze with a sympathetic backstory, painting him as a tragic villain, and Subzero advances his story about a scientist determined to save his ailing wife by any means necessary, even if it means taking an innocent life. Freeze’s co-headlining is well earned, as this is primarily his story. Batman’s partners, Robin and Batgirl, have their share of screen time as well, with a budding romance sparking out of costume (Dick and Barbara are unaware of each other’s secret identities at this point). Having a bigger budget to work with, many of the vehicles are computer generated, but the CGI here doesn’t always blend seamlessly with the 2D animation. It doesn’t distract from the story but it does date it a bit. However, the runtime is a bit on the short side compared to other home video releases, and would have benefited from more breathing room to incorporate more character development for Freeze. Anyone who’s seen the classic episode “Heart of Ice” already knows about his wife Nora and Freeze’s mission to save her, but the movie could have used some flashbacks to fill in more backstory about their relationship prior to that. Freeze’s crooked colleague, Dr. Belson, could have used a little backstory to tie him into Freeze’s past as well. As it stands, Subzero is worth adding to your Batman collection, but I would have traded the CGI for more story, which would have added depth and making it feel more like a movie than a two-part episode.

Batman: Kevin Conroy

Heroes: Robin (Dick Grayson), Batgirl, Commissioner Jim Gordon

Villains: Mr. Freeze

4) Batman: Under the Red Hood

“I’m cleaning up Gotham. More than you ever did.” – Red Hood

The comic arc, Under the Red Hood, was perfectly suited to be turned into a movie. What I love best about it is it's a Batman movie made for Bat fans. Too often, superhero movies feel the need to start at the beginning, rehashing the origin in order not to alienate casual fans who have a basic understanding of the characters but aren't caught up to speed with how they've developed over the years. Red Hood keeps Batman’s continuity intact, managing to tell its story while also weaving in elements from classic stories like Death in the Family and The Killing Joke. Writer Judd Winick does an excellent job of adapting his own work onto the screen, and knows what needs to be cut in order to keep the story moving along at a good pace. This is a prime example of how a comic story should be adapted where making those cuts actually makes the end result stronger. Just like all the best Batman stories, this one involves a mystery at its core – who is the Red Hood? The story doesn’t leave a lot of room for speculation as to who the Red Hood is but while the revelation rubs a lot of fans the wrong way, it does pack an emotional punch. Bruce Greenwood brings a seasoned maturity to Batman and almost makes me forget about Conroy, as he’s one of the best actors to portray the dark knight in animation.  The Joker factors in to the plot, bringing the events that catapulted this storyline full circle. Voiced by John DiMaggio (aka Futurama’s Bender), this is one of my favorite interpretations of Joker yet. It’s a bit of an amalgam of Mark Hamill’s iconic take with a dash of Heath Ledger mixed in. Now that Hamill has supposedly retired from the role, I wouldn’t mind DiMaggio voicing Joker on a more regular basis with future projects. He brings a dark humorous edge to the role that Hamill perfected. The other major villain featured is Black Mask. The way he’s been portrayed here is one of the movie’s drawbacks as he just comes off as a raging hothead when the way he’s portrayed in the comics is cold and calculating. In the comics I always imagined his voice sounding similar to the way Jeffrey Combs portrayed The Scarecrow in the New Adventures of Batman series, which was menacing because it was devoid of emotion. When I first heard Black Mask’s voice in The Batman series, I was pretty disappointed with the way he was depicted and hoped future versions would tone him down a bit but if anything, they’ve taken it up a notch with his outbursts. It doesn’t ruin the movie, but if the movie has a weak link, this is it. Overall, the direction is top notch, with thrilling action scenes balanced with great character moments. It is a solid entry into the animated Batman library and set a new bar for all future releases.

Batman: Bruce Greenwood

Heroes: Nightwing, Robin (Jason Todd)

Villains: Red Hood, Joker, Black Mask, Ra’s Al Ghul, Riddler, Amazo

3) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

“In all the years to come, in your most private moments, I want you to remember the one man who beat you!” - Batman

While I said before that Year One, while essential to the Batman mythos, was a tad overrated, to me Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. It does receive more credit than it deserves in regards to bringing Batman back to his dark roots, but it has had an undeniable lasting impact on future Batman scribes who have cited DKR as their one of their biggest inspirations and will serve as a major influence on the upcoming Zach Snyder movie featuring Batfleck. But enough about its reputation, how does the movie stack up to the rest? As far as adapting classic DC properties, this one nails it. This is the best comic-to-screen DCU offering since Justice League: The New Frontier in that it feels like a complete story and not just focusing on the major beats. They were able to accomplish this by splitting it up over two releases and leaving very little on the cutting room floor. If they had treated it the way they did the Death of Superman story in Superman: Doomsday, they most likely would have condensed all of the Two-Face and mutant gang stuff and just focused solely on the showdowns with Joker and Superman, but by allowing the time and care to do it right, it feels more lived in, taking the viewer on a journey. I still remember the classic animated episode, “Legends of the Dark Knight,” where they portray different variations of Batman and one of them was a snippet of DKR and at the time I thought, “how cool would it be if they made that into a movie?” It took a few years, but it was worth the wait. Peter Weller (Robocop) is perfectly cast as the grizzled caped crusader coming out of retirement. It was a smart choice because as much as Kevin Conroy’s older interpretation of Bruce works for Batman Beyond, Weller captures Miller’s Batman spot on. I enjoyed Michael Emerson as a villain on Lost, and the guy can play creepy, but he’s far from my favorite Joker. He’s not bad, he just doesn’t steal scenes the way Joker should. While I think the DCU movies need to ease up on adaptations and focus more on original content, if all future adaptations are treated with this kind of respect, that’ll be a major step in the right direction.

Batman: Peter Weller

Heroes: Robin (Carrie Kelley), Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon, Superman

Villains: Joker, Mutant Leader, Two-Face, Superman

2) Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

“If you don’t like the movie, I’ve got slides” – The Joker

While it may not be Bruce Wayne under the cowl, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker is a Batman movie through and through. Many, like myself, scoffed at the idea of a teenage Batman, but who knew it would turn out this good. Or dark. This is by far the bleakest Batman movie on the list, with the flashback sequence alone earning it that label. If Batman Beyond was a completely separate entity from the original animated series, it wouldn’t resonate with me as much, but this is a direct continuation of the series, giving fans a look at what becomes of Bruce after retiring from his vigilante days, and that’s what really drives it. Return of the Joker fills in more gaps, especially in regards to Batman’s archenemy. One of the biggest questions jumping forward in time was, “what happened to The Joker?” and this movie sets out to answer that. The answer is both shocking and satisfactory. Mark Hamill is back in the role he was born to play and although this version of Joker is a little more toned down than usual, he’s still just as menacing as ever. The Batman of this series, Terry McGinnis, at this point had carved out his own path as Batman, but it’s with this movie that he takes the next step of not simply filling Bruce’s shoes, but really honoring the legacy of the Batman. It’s not really fair to compare Will Friedle’s Batman to Kevin Conroy as he’s not voicing the same character, and because Conroy reprises his role as Bruce Wayne, we don’t have to. Bruce’s former partners, Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake, factor into the plot, keeping the supporting cast in the Bat family. In addition to building a new mythology, the series had always touched on elements from Bruce’s past before, but when it came to crafting a movie, the creative team knew they would have to dig deeper to make it feel worthy of a movie, and the scope of this does feel big. It’s a shame that we have yet to receive another Batman Beyond movie as this proved to be a major achievement and there are clearly many more stories to be told. I’ve still got my Batman Beyond spec script on file, so what are you waiting for WB, let’s fast track it!

Batman: Will Friedle

Heroes: Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Robin

Villains: The Joker, Harley Quinn, The Jokerz gang

1) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

“Your angel of death awaits.” – The Phantasm

The benchmark. The first full length animated Batman movie and so far only one that’s ever been released theatrically. Therefore the one every subsequent movie is compared to. Not only is Mask of the Phantasm the best animated Batman movie ever made, it’s arguably the best Batman movie of all time. It’s got all the elements that make for a good Batman story - mysterious plot, intriguing villains, tragic love, and if that’s not enough, it’s got The Joker piloting a jet pack. Spinning out of the best animated superhero show ever (no debate), Phantasm benefited from a dream creative team at the top of their game. The episodes of the show have been described as “mini-movies,” bringing a size and scope to the small screen unrivaled in animated programming at that time, and Phantasm builds on that model, allowing for a little more breathing room to include some fantastic flashbacks that not only provides additional insight into Bruce’s decision to don the cape and cowl, but also ties in directly to the main plot in a completely satisfying way. Others have come close, but no Batman movie since has matched the pathos on display here. And did I mention The Joker was in this? Yeah, he appears in half these movies, but I don’t think he’s utilized better than he is here (Return of the Joker being a very close second). The way he ties into the plot is one of the movie’s major highlights and Mark Hamill is at his manic best, the perfect balancing act between scary and funny. The story’s primary antagonist, the Phantasm (loosely based on The Reaper from Year Two), fits perfectly into Batman’s world and the mystery surrounding the foe’s motivation makes for a cool twist. It really doesn’t get much better than this, and in my eyes, it has yet to. If you’re a Batman fan and haven’t seen this, stop reading, do yourself a favor and go watch this now.

Batman: Kevin Conroy

Villains: The Phantasm, Joker

There you have it. I don’t claim this to be the definitive list, but that’s how I rank them. It’s worth noting that the Joker appears prominently in 5 of the 10 movies and that out of those, 4 ended up in my Top 5. Does Joker instantly increase the quality of any Batman story, or is it just a coincidence? Either way, it doesn’t seem to hurt.

As much as I enjoyed comic-to-screen adaptations of The Dark Knight Returns and Under the Red Hood, it would be nice if the direct to video line of DC Universe Animated Original Movies would live up to their name and actually be fully original content as opposed to just adapting the most popular DC comic stories. I’m sure it’s only just a matter of time before they adapt such classics as The Long Halloween, Knightfall, Hush and the more recent Court of Owls story lines, and while those are all fantastic tales of the dark knight, I really don’t want to experience the abridged versions. The first release under this banner was Superman: Doomsday, a truncated reworking of the Death of Superman arc. The execution was pretty sloppy and what could have been Part 1 of an animated trilogy, instead resulted in a stripped down version that didn’t do the story justice and left fans wanting.

What I’m getting at is if a comic storyline can’t be adapted into the strict 75 minute limit that is imposed on these movies without making major sacrifices, come up with something new that does work within that timeframe. How about it WB?

Having said that, I’m looking forward to the upcoming release of Batman: Assault on Arkham this summer, which tells an original tale set in the world of the Arkham video games and I will revisit this list at that time to see where it slots in. Until then…

How do my rankings compare to yours? Am I totally off base and you would have liked to see something ranked higher on the list? Let me know!

Colorist Appreciation Week Day 5 - Alex Sinclair

One of my all time favorite comic book artists is Jim Lee. Growing up on Marvel Comics in the 90's, I was introduced to his work through his groundbreaking run on X-Men. So it comes as no surprise that frequent collaborator Alex Sinclair has turned out to be one of my favorite colorists.

Art by Jim Lee

His stellar work on Batman: Hush alone is enough to earn my respect, as he was given the opportunity to color a good chunk of Batman's most notable rouges which, for me, have turned out to be some of the most iconic Batman imagery of the modern era. Simply put, this guy knows how to color Gotham City and its inhabitants just right.

Whereas some artists have a stylistically minimalist style that relies on moody shadows to fill in the backgrounds of their panels, Lee has also always been very detailed, which means he sometimes gets delayed, but in my opinion, always worth the wait. But it would all be wasted effort if Sinclair didn't know how to color it to emphasize every last pencil line (special shout out to Scott Williams for the inks!) and it really enhances the art in a way that I can only describe as awesome. To get even less technical, I love that glow effect he whips out every time Batman is at his computer in the cave. Like I said, if Lee's attention to detail didn't have a colorist that could match him panel for panel, it just wouldn't work. Sinclair would probably make a good DP as he has an amazing eye for lighting. Check out the above panel with Killer Croc to see what I mean.

Art by Jim Lee, pencils to final colors

Art by Jim Lee

 His take on Superman is equally impressive in that it captures the Man of Steel's iconic colors the way they should look. I said in my original post that you can't picture Superman without his red cape and yellow chest emblem (although he's ditched the red shorts), and similar to how I suggested that Dean White colors the Marvel characters the way they were meant to be colored and should be referenced by all future colorists, the same can be said about Sinclair and the way he depicts the DC superheroes. See his work on the New 52 iteration of the Justice League if you don't believe me.

Art by Brent Anderson

One of the series where I've been most taken with Sinclair's work is on the underrated Astro City. The reason I say underrated is, unfortunately, I don't hear this series come up on conversation enough as a must-read, but I think it's one of the best takes on superheroes that I've ever witnessed. But before this turns into a "Why Astro City Deserves More Recognition" rant, the coloring on this book is so consistently good! Furthermore, these are not heroes whose look had been defined for decades prior to Sinclair trying his hand at them so he's really able to make their look his own. I'm thrilled that when Vertigo revived the series, they they brought back the key creative players, including artist Brent Anderson, whose work I don't see nearly often enough, and if for whatever reason, Sinclair wasn't available to join the party, Astro City would have lost one of its key architects. The coloring on this series is some of the best I've ever seen and every color pops right off the page. In some ways it reminds me of Lynn Varley's work on The Dark Knight Strikes Again, another of the most colorful superhero books that I've ever laid eyes on.

If you've never read Astro City, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Come for the unique perspective on superheroes in a universe that's all its own, stay for the killer artwork and some of the most brilliant use of colors that you'll ever seen in a comic.

You can find more of Alex Sinclair's work here.

That's going to wrap it up for #ColoristAppreciationWeek. I enjoyed feasting my eyes on some incredible art and figuring out what I liked about each colorist best. Who are some of your favorite colorists? I'd love to know who else deserves a look so feel free to leave me a comment!

Until then, I leave you with this...

Once again, art by Jim Lee. This one hangs on my wall printed on canvas. Beautiful!