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| X-O Manowar #5 Retailer Incentive Cover by Michael Cho |
In X-O Manowar #5, colorist Ruth Redmond drags us into the inky black of the sea at night.
Anyone who has ever taken a night-time SCUBA dive knows that the sea can take on the appearance of space. Little specks of detritus reflect the light from one's artificial lights, and glitter like stars.
The nanite swarm that attacks Aric drags him down to the ocean floor, and casts more detritus into the water.
And yet, turn off your powerful artificial light and you will notice the moonlight that shines through the water. At least, you will once your eyes adjust to seeing without the aid of whatever light you brought with you.
Ruth Redmond may be enhancing the power of moonlight here, but she reminds us of the beauty to be found beneath the waves.
The pink lighting in Troy Whitaker's sea pod reminds us of the artificial environment he inhabits. It also reminds us that his tinkering with Shanhara has added a little red to Shanhara, Aric's sentient armor.
I love the backlighting here, as the pink interior lighting of his craft tinges Whitaker's gray wraparound headbrace or headphones with purple. I love how the lighting colors the frame of his viewport.I love how the exterior lights shine down on Aric and the waves beneath him. I love how Shanhara's power makes Aric's faceplate glow.
As you may have noticed, I love a lot of...well, everything in this panel. As a colorist, Ruth Redmond really makes it shine. Or should I say glow?
Later on, the story shifts to a new locale. Ruth makes this a pleasant-enough looking area.
As I hinted in the last post, there will also be a series of panels (of pages, really), that are tinged with gray. After the richness of the ocean nighttime scenes, I think you'll enjoy reading those, once you have the issue in your hands.
In X-O Manowar #5, Ruth Redmond enhances each page with color and light, reminding us why we prefer color comics to their Black & White cousins. Great job, Ruth!
Dragon Dave
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