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Jan 30 08 12:41 AM
captainmarvel1957 wrote: They would almost have to be printed from photographic plates. Hal would be the guy to ask about this---what's the answer, Hal???
They're all printed from photographic plates, cap. And on the same presses, whether you use coated or uncoated stock (newsprint). Only difference between a regular comic, graphic novel and Essential type 'phonebook' is whether you use a saddle stitch or a perfect bound binder. As a matter of fact, they're all printed heatset offset these days. But it wasn't always so. Years ago, we wanted to demonstrate to Marvel what a good flexographic press could do (the difference being that flexographic uses rubber printing plates and vegetable ink that air dries -- more eco friendly -- while heatset offset uses metal plates and oil based inks which need to be set by heat -- hence the name). As a test, we ran some ZORROs, and some ALFs (I think that was my first work for Marvel -- re-colorkeying Zorro using a flexographic color chart. Talk about recieving a crash course in color theory). Eventually Marvel was interested to see how Jim Lee's X-MEN would look printed flexographically. We'd been doing color work for them since the cover of the first issue of X-MEN, that big fold out thing and it's singular variations, all on an overnight turnaround. So they held up a copy of the most recent issue, I think it was like #2 or #3, showed us Scott Williams really thin linework, and asked if it would stand up to a flexographic press, and how soon could we run a test. That's when we told them that we'd had open presstime and had already gone ahead and printed it flexo, and that's what they were holding, and it just blew them away. Every line was intact, no dropouts, and the color was rich and vibrant. Other factors lead to flexo being replaced by offset, but the point is, yeah, even super detailed stuff can be printed on newsprint, and using a variety of equipment. Heck, we used to print early Alex Ross MARVELS samples in Marvel Age on newsprint (back before anyone knew who he was), and they looked perfectly fine. The original art, of course, looked even better
Jan 30 08 6:09 AM
Jan 30 08 9:41 AM
captainmarvel1957 wrote: It just seemed to me that when "contemporary" comics emerged with the Image line that the move to slick stock made it possible to do more with the colors---more subtle shading, color effects, making them almost photographic in quality. I would never have guesed that the same type of art reproduction would have been possible using standard printing techniques on pulp quality paper.
Jan 30 08 3:23 PM
Jan 31 08 8:39 AM
So, did you keep any proofs? Hmmmm? I bet those would be worth a fortune.
Jan 31 08 9:51 AM
Jan 31 08 10:43 AM
Jan 31 08 11:04 PM
I had a Rolling Stones cover that got pulled and the Bowie Diamond dog with a d*ck sleeve.
Feb 1 08 8:36 AM
...seen some of Guy Peellaert's work
Feb 6 08 1:17 PM
captainmarvel1957 wrote: I wonder what the folks that did the color separations on Curse of the Spawn went through?
Remember the art in that book? I could never figure out how the artist had enough time in a month to create that many lines.
Feb 7 08 12:17 AM
Feb 7 08 9:18 AM
Feb 7 08 9:53 AM
Feb 7 08 10:32 AM
Feb 7 08 6:21 PM
Many of Lee/Ditko's early tales were similarly self contained. Reboots wouldn't be half as necessary if more epics had a begining, a middle and an end contained within the span of 17 pages.
Feb 10 08 6:26 PM
captainmarvel1957 wrote: Well, I was just talking about this the other day. With inflation taken into account the comic book we used to pay twelve cents for should cost about sixty cents today. If that were the case there would still be comic book racks in every drug store and grocery store in the country.
Feb 11 08 9:22 AM
Hawkboy wrote: captainmarvel1957 wrote: Well, I was just talking about this the other day. With inflation taken into account the comic book we used to pay twelve cents for should cost about sixty cents today. If that were the case there would still be comic book racks in every drug store and grocery store in the country. Well actually thats not correct Captain. Comics disappeared from newsstands because they didn't give the store owner enough profit. The store owner would have to sell 5 comics to make the same profit of one magazine ...that is why comics aren't seen in Drug Stores or Super Markets anymore. They take up too much room and return very little. As for the Rebooted Spider-Man ..count me in as a HUGE fan!
The spinny things took up too much room? I really miss the days of browsing those spinners.
Feb 11 08 12:24 PM
Feb 11 08 2:14 PM
Feb 11 08 2:49 PM
captainmarvel1957 wrote: Carl, do what I did---I've got a stocked comic book rack five feet away from my desk. It is an old one, too! I got it from a magazine distributor when a drugstore was closing down.
Ya know...I have an old (REAL old) drug store in my town. I haven't looked around there to see if they have an old spinner still sitting out. I should look to see if there is one. In the next few months we have a Super Wal-Mart about to open, and I expect that little Mom and Pop drug store will die. I won't switch my allegiance until I have to though. Only place in the world it takes less than 5 minutes to get a prescription filled. That's why I never noticed a spinner if there was one. Must look, must look.
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