The Flash editor gave me a call to inform me that she intends to use my cover in the near future, but I got the eye color wrong (the current Flash, Bart Allen, has brown/gold eyes, not blue). I opened up the file to make the quick adjustment, but couldn't resist playing around a bit.
For whatever reason, it never occurred to me to include some "speed lightning" when I first drew the image, but looking at it again, it seemed like it could use some. So, a simple tweak to the eyes turned into what you see here. The overall mood changed as well, with the richer palette and darker tonality making this one feel more ominous, at least to me.
What do you folks think? I sent it in to get my editors' opinions, but the final decision won't be made until next week. Scroll down to my previous Flash post to compare with the original, and let me know which version speaks to you.
Thanks for the help!
J
March 23, 2007
Flash 2.0
Posted by Joshua Middleton at 9:47 PM
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33 Comments:
I prefer the lightning version. People who are familiar with the flash will immediated associate the lightning with speed.
This one is definitely more dramatic and on context for the character of the Flash. By showing his powers affecting the world around him, we see what great power this man wields, and why he is dangerous.
I definitely prefer the new one :)
The lightening is tastefully done, and the general atmosphere is much more forboding. Looks like he's seriously running to/from trouble rather than taking a run on a sunny day.
I prefer this one ! More dynamic !
I think I like this one more. The lightning helps characterize him more, he isn't just a guy running on the road anymore. And plus I agree that it is more ominous, and I like that you have darkened the whole image.
Want me to post this? Remove the old or just add this one next to it?
I like everything about the lightning version except for the fact that it's harder to tell the Flash's eye color. I think it's cool that the different characters' eye colors mean you can look at it and tell not only that it is the Flash, but WHICH Flash it is.
I think it definitely changes the mood of the piece, but don't know if it's better. I think with the lightning it makes more since to have it with a darker mood, so in that sense its better.
Keep up the great work man!
This version is my favorite! :D The atmosphere is great. It definitely catches my eye better now.
I also like this version better, but I feel that the lightning is also a bit random and maybe distracting. Admittedly i'm not too familiar with the "speed lightning", but I'd suggest that the lightning effects be maybe even kind pulled back like a sort radial blur -if that makes any sense-; it would make the lightning bolts less incidental and convey an awesome sense of speed since the Flash would be outrunning the bolts. Anyways, very awesome stuff!
Your work is some of the best I've seen in comics recently. Always look forward to seeing something new by you, and I am glad I found this blog. I do agree with dcfung that the lightning looks a bit like an add on as opposed to heightening his sense of his use of the speed force. Maybe drawing it the old fashioned way is the way to go. Either way, it is still really cool. Love your work!
Looking at it again J, I think that the lightning should be trailing behind him... to me it looks like he has been running for a while, so the lightning is trying to catch up to him, rather than on him.
Right now, it looks like it is a still that is paused and lightning added onto it.
Scott
PS I like it, but I am only suggesting.
Fantastic! The lightning really completes it.
They're both vey strong pieces , with the lightning version having more context , though I'm probably in the minority when I say I prefer the original version. I think it's more direct .
bring those to SDCC so we can drool in person. by the way thanks again for sharing your process.
peace out
both are awesome, first one looks like he's starting to run and the second one looks like he reached mach 2.0 :D
Big improvement. The lightning really adds alot of tension and interest. Makes the colors pop, too.
Good revision!
Like all the others, I prefer this version over the other one, not just because of the lightning but b/c of the glowing eyes. It makes him look more superhuman, IMO.
Ask for opinions and you'll get a million different ones...
I like the dark, ominous feel of the picture, but I have to say I prefer the original overall. Then again, I'm not that familiar with the character and I don't associate lightning with the Flash.
The original picture had more of a sense of speed to it, I thought, and the lightning and glowing eyes seemed a little overdone to me.
They're both outstanding pictures, by the way. It's really quite hard to pick a favorite.
Sencillamente lo de los ojos, me parece consecuente con el personaje. Si bien es un detalle, hace una gran diferencia. Me gusta.
Simply: the flash in his eyes, seems to me to be consistent with the caracter.
I like it
Ah, I know what was bugging me about this new version now... it's all spot on, but what's happened is that the lightening is so clear that it's locked him in space. It makes the picture look a lot more static. If the lightening were somehow blurred in places or around the perifery of the image to make it look like it were 'catching up' with him, I think the sense of speed would be fully preserved.
Thanks so much for all of the comments, folks. You guys are dead-on about the lightning, in that it should trail behind him more and should be refined a bit, but unfortunately, I am out of time and I won't be tweaking it any further. DC is going to run with the one they like best, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
Thanks again!
J
Hi Scott,
I pefer the second one because the darker background as the bright white backlighting on the first one made the Flash's face a litte hard to make out.
Hmm, reading that one it kind of sounds like I'm getting old. Where's that rocking chair?
Whoa.
I think "ominous" is the EXACT opperative word here. It has a lot of dramaticity to it, and, as previously said, people will immediately associate the lightning with Flash's speed.
Great, great work, man!
Best,
J.
I agree with the user above - the lightning one is definitely ominous! I don't know if it's the effect DC was looking for but a picture like this would stand out on the comic store shelf :-D
Keep up the good work, you're one of my favourite cartoonists - I was so excited when I found out your blog!
Both pieces say a lot. The eyes in the first piece definately give it an intense mood, and they compliment the blurry background very well. However, I feel the second piece is more intense. The lightning definately helps but the impact of his left foot to the ground gives this piece a more balanced feel and disrupting the chaos with his foot tells a better story and gives it a more powerful jumping off point. Pun intended.
I prefer the background and the face of the first one, but the lighting fx in the second one is definitely a plus. Both images do the job.
bravo!!!!
This is waaaay better. Funny, your original Flash was the only DC Cover that I didn't like, but this bumps it up to my second favorite (nothing's gonna top that Wonder Woman - except maybe a Mary Marvel)!
I know this has already been established from posts on this board, but I just wanted to say that I really like the new version of the cover. The eyes really make the picture unique. And if it weren't for the eyes, the lightning would seem out of place. Great job.
Oh yeah, those few tweaks just added so much to the new version. You get more of a sense of speed with it as well.
Groovy!
I really like the first one most... I read more clearly the main character on the poster!
Both version are amazing, though!
This is hot to death!
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