Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special: Lettering

 

Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special--Cover by Dan Brereton

 

Reviewing comics has given me a greater appreciation for the role of the letterer. It's easy to take all those narrative boxes, dialogue balloons, thought clouds, and sound effects for granted. 

The late colorist Justin Ponsor once told me that he received the penciled and inked artwork at the same time the letterer did. Marvel would then receive his colored files, and the letterer's files, and composite them together to make the finished panels they sent to the printers. That was awhile ago, and I don't know what Valiant's process is like. Still, it gives me a sense of how the publishers interact remotely with creators all over the world, and how they speed that whole process along. 

One thing I know for sure is that Dave Sharpe does a terrific job at lettering, so let's dive into his contributions in the Bloodshot Free Comic Book Day 2019 Special.

 

The first panel in a comic sets the tone for the story. Here Dave Sharpe immediately drills us into place with his distinctive bloodshot/blood-splatter lettering. We also get the sense we're listening to a radio station, or some kind of electronic transmission, by the lightning edged dialogue balloon.

 

I love the symmetry of Dave Sharpe's lettering here. To the left, we get the hopes and dreams of these renegade cultists, encapsulated in the dialogue balloon. To the right, we get his stylish sound effect. 

Despite the symmetry, the way Dave Sharpe has written out the sound effect--letters not in a straight line, and some bigger than the others--is jarring. In his subtle way, Dave Sharpe is hinting that something is about to endanger all these men believe they have accomplished.

 

 

In this full page panel, the single dialogue balloon confirms this: that Bloodshot has arrived to halt this group's villainy. I love the way Dave Sharpe's red sound effects link thematically with the bloodshot/blood-splatter logo in the first panel. And of course, there's the sound of the bad guy's gun going off, which doesn't bother Bloodshot a bit.

 

When the cult warriors take flight, you know they're unhinged by the sheer fact that some of them are riding motorcycles across roads covered in snow and ice. The communication transmissions, contained in the lightning bolt balloons, tell us that observers are tracking the group.

The snow-covered sound effects help you hear the way the tire treads drag and slip on all that snow and ice. I want to know what that font is, Dave Sharpe! I want to write my Christmas letters with that font!

 

Here's another long, thin panel. Again, I love the symmetry here. To the left, we have the blood exploding out of Bloodshot as the cultists' bullets tear through him. But the damage they are doing to his body doesn't shake Bloodshot at all. 

As opposed to the Knock Knock the cultists heard in the earlier panel, notice how even, straight, and blocky these sound effects are. The red color links with the bloodshot/bloodsplatter logo. The way each successive BLAM gets bigger, and without a trace of unevenness, tells us that Bloodshot isn't shaken by anything the cultists can throw at him.

 

 

This may be the best panel in the entire Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special. From a lettering perspective, it's certainly my favorite. The word uttered from the van, presumably by one of the cultists, let's us know how much Bloodshot's actions have shaken his world, if not ended his jihad, or holy war.

Most of all, I love the sound effect of Bloodshot plowing this motorcycle directly into the van. Of all the panels in this comic, this one makes me think that Dave Sharpe must have had access to the colored panels of Diego Rodriguez. Whereas the earlier sound effect echoed the snow, this one reminds us of ice. We can hear the screech of all that metal being smashed together and torn apart, while the wrecked vehicles are skidding across the icy road. 

Well done, Bloodshot! You've halted the cultists' villainy! And well done letterer Dave Sharpe, for helping us hear and feel Tim Seeley's story so effectively!

Dragon Dave

Bloodshot Book One--Cover by Declan Shalvey

 

P.S. You can read the Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special in Bloodshot Book One.