The Harbinger #1 Spotlight: Coloring Part 1

The Harbinger #1 Cover B by Rod Reis

 

Colorist Rico Renzi places his own stamp on The Harbinger #1. Right from the first page, he paints the room of the wrecked building in which Peter Stanchek awakens in electric colors. Writers Kelly and Lanzing have shared that this series was fueled by their love of punk and rock music. With Peter's mind being so active, and his consciousness bursting with psychic energy, I wonder how much of the colors around him are projections of his thoughts and emotions.

I'm also intrigued by the glowing handprints on the walls. Who left them, and how, and why? 

 

With so many other people's thoughts racing through his head, and Peter not remembering who he is (or was), all that psychic energy overwhelms him. While Robbi Rodriguez demonstrates Peter's panic attack through penciling and inking, Rico Renzi's psychedelic colors also make it clear that he is struggling for self-control. Hang on, Peter! Don't get overwhelmed like the folks in "Scanners"!

 

Here most of the wild coloring is behind Peter, although we can see the blue lines of afterimages from the movements of Peter's body. It's as if he's shoving out all his fright and uncertainty, and reclaiming his self-control. 

 

This last panel is small, but it says so much. We see Peter flying for the first time (in this series), and it's a joyous experience. The trail of yellow he leaves behind, and the greenish yellow surrounding the building he's heading toward, feel like more of that psychic energy he just naturally radiates. The fact that the air glows nearly white around him suggests that, should he choose, Peter can be a light to the psiot world.

 

Again, this is just a selection of panels from the initial preview pages. Nonetheless, they demonstrate how brightly colorist Rico Renzi has illuminated the pages of The Harbinger. The ability of the colorist to elevate comics has never seemed more clear.

Dragon Dave 

P.S. Make yourself, your retailer, and the good folks at Valiant Comics happy by pre-ordering The Harbinger #1 by Monday, October 4th.