The Visitor #6 Spotlight: Coloring

 

The Visitor #6 Pre-Order Cover by Francesco Francavilla

It is the colorist's job to help us feel the emotions of the characters, and ground us in their world. In The Visitor #6, Ulises Arreola makes some very interesting color choices to help us do just that.

In this opening panel, my eyes are drawn to the coldness of the interiors. Even Kubo-sama's bright blue jacket is cool, as blue lies on the cool side of the color wheel. The only warm color he wears--his red tie--symbolizes who he is. Kubo-sama believes the future of Japan rests in his hands. The Japanese flag, remember, is a red circle on a white field.

 

Despite her artificial and cold surroundings, Talia Dauber's skin tones and the earth tones of her clothing radiate warmth. When we look at the two characters, we immediately know which one we identify with.

 

Despite what seems like equally spaced light sources, shadows stretch across the floor. They form an arrow or triangle, reminding us that The Visitor is at the center of this series. All the other areas of graduated darkness add richness to the seemingly bland interiors.

 

Just like in Francesco Francavilla's cover, Ulises Arreola shows us the storm raging within Talia Dauber at this moment. The lightning in her eyes joins with the explosions coming from her gun, helping us feel Talia's struggle.

 

It is The Visitor who brings calm to this storm. He does so with this cool blue explosion of force. With the cloud of white, it suggests his attack is actually a fire suppressant. 

Even with The Visitor's aid, Talia must still break free from Kubo-sama's attack. The way her surroundings transform from yellow-and-orange to red, and the yellow leaves her eyes, suggests her efforts at shaking off the mind control have reached new levels of intensity.

Or do her red surroundings signal that Kubo-sama is working even harder to exert the same domineering control he would wield over Japan?

Certainly this next panel, with the way he seems to be shining with a neon glow, suggests that despite his demeanor of calm, he is far from nonplussed by Talia's resistance.

 

Will Kubo-sama's overwhelming mental powers defeat Talia and The Visitor? Read The Visitor #6 and find out!

Great job, Ulises Arreola! Your colors imbue this issue with a wealth of meaning!

Dragon Dave