Does Color Matter Or Not?

[greatnessiam1]

I ask this because we are dealing with visual mediums here. And colors are always assumed to be the cherry on top
with comic pages. And I agree viewing pages in color makes a big difference for my reading experience.

But the question I have for you today is a simple one.

Does color define the success of a comic or not?

Greatness Lives Within
1.H.3.R.O

http://tapastic.com/series/2538

[Kamikaze]

If color defined success for comics manga wouldn't be a multi-million dollar business.

[greatnessiam1]

I agree.

To my amazement. I have met people who don't like manga nor want to read them due to them being in black and white.

And there are stories on tapastic i've watched stay stagnant. I believe it depends on the viewer that it can matter to them and be a deciding point.

[Kamikaze]

Folks who don't want to read comics due to their black and white nature often find them jarring, especially if they're used to western comics where color is used all over the place. However, if you want to gain the eye's attention, using color is going to get you further than black and white, especially on a webbased platform.

[quietsnooze]

I think it's all defined by the technique! Black and white can be very visually interesting, especially if it uses shadows and contrast effectively. If it basically looks like lineart, then yes, I can see it suffering a bit of a snub as compared to a comic of a similar style that went the extra step to fill in with colour.

But there are also some marvellous black and white comics that use value and tone very effectively, and they certainly don't suffer quality loss as compared to colour comics! The one aspect I can see, arguably, that would spell an advantage for colour over black and white is drawing the eye in with specifically eye catching colours. However, again, that's defined by technique; colour comics can do themselves a disservice with poor colouring technique too!

[Kura]

It matters for readers that MAKE it matter. Some people, especially for webtoon comics, will refuse to read a comic in B&W or will complain if your comic is in B&W, some will even go as far as to demand you release in colour.

Aside from those specific uptight people, readers in general don't have a problem, but yes, you will run into the type that turn it into some huge weird issue/argument. (for what reason I'm not sure)

[phen]

As a creator, there's always a little bit of a double-take on your work when deciding whether to work black and white versus colour. It feels somewhat unfinished, even if your intention is to present the story in black and white. But it doesn't dramatically affect the success-level in the end, no. I've seen extremely strong line work and mark making completely destroyed by mediocre colouring and painting and vice versa. Colour can be a gimmick. Ultimately, it's not about colour at all but about tight technical skills and fresh designs.

So if working in black and white, you have GOT to pay attention to your negative space. Black and white can be just as engaging as colour if you work those lines and forms just right!

[illizard]

Simple answer - no, it's not.

But statistically, color can improve the chances. After all, it's a big part of visual communication - color has cultural meaning, feeling, powerful impact on the frame and page composition.

[TrustyShamrock]

naw i think it just adds to the style of the comic. usually i think color makes a comic flashy and fun to look at. but not all styles are best with color. theres some black and white comics that look UHMAZING and color wouldnt do it too many favors

BUT i do think color makes it stand out more. cuz thats what colors do. but the story and characters are usually what makes people stay to read it

[nathankschulz]

For me, color isn't really important. Its all about the quality of the art.

[KreativeConfusion]

When it comes down to it, it's about style and the audience itself. I have no problem with black and white comics and honestly I love reading them and find the art to be something to admire. However it does take a bit more to catch my attention with those kinds of comics. Color just catches my eye

and like a bunch of others have said, it can be a cultural difference as well.

[agentfink]

As others have said, color can make or break a comic.
I actually started adding gray scale to mine to make the lettering pop off the page a bit more... but know that most likely, my comic will be overlooked for something that IS in color-- as well as art style. It's not manga/anime, so doubly hard to gain notice with some readers.

line work samples

and the gray

i was still working on the bush o the top left...

and the final gray...

... big difference in presentation.

---

I wanted the comic to be in color, but couldn't really find a vision for it... the color sample below was from a potential colorist with some edits I made. But, you can see that it really does give it that finished look.
lines

final gray

potential color

I know my comic would do better in color, but I am sort of afraid to color it. I like where it is now (in gray scale) though and I'm learning. I actually really like it in gray scale, turned out better than I thought!

[heterodont]

Color can catch a viewer's attention, yes, but it's also a whole other ballgame. You have to know how to use colors properly otherwise you aren't doing anything to enhance your artwork - or even in some cases degrading your art. I know, as a reader, I'd read a B&W comic over a colored comic that used garish or muddy colors, or just poor color usage overall.

[Alila]

Definitely not, I'm a huuge fan of many mangas and at times I even prefer black and white vs colored pages. I guess it just really comes down to how good is the context and the art, but color dosen't define it's success.

[joannekwan]

At first glance, color is eye-catching, but if you look deeper, those colors might not work at all for the comic and the story could suffer overall. What is important is if the colors are employed correctly.

I'm used to reading manga so I have no problems with black and white or grayscale.

[Mharz]

It shouldn't matter really. Whether the comic is colored or black and white, it'll still depend on the execution if the comic looks good or not. I honestly don't like it when people don't like to read comics just because it's black and white. It's like racism in a way. (and also because I'm guilty of having a black and white comic)

[AnnaLandin]

Does it make a difference for the quality of the comic itself? No, it doesn't. Some of my favourite comics on the internet are black and white.

But colour is a good attention-grabber. The trick is making sure the comic is good enough to keep people reading.

[blop]

I agree with @heterodont, it can be an advantage if you are a good colorist or if you keep it simple and readable, but if you're not good at coloring it might totally spoil your art and drive readers away.

[R.n.P]

To say the truth I feel a little bit uncomfortable when I read colored comics cuz of my love of the color combo black and white and cuz of that Im attracted to manga comics more, the only colored comic\manga I uphold a lot is The god of highschool which is part of my reason for uploading my comic THE LAST SAMURAI http://tapastic.com/series/THE-LAST-SAMURAI http://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/the-last-samurai/list?title_no=15779 on webtoons cuz dats where the author of the manga started posting at. But so far for me color doesn't matter, the main aspects that matter are storyline 70% and art 30%

[kambreapratt]

I think it depends on your audience. Whatever your audience is used to seeing is what they will prefer. Color works far better on our comic than black and white (we tried both.) We even switched to black and white, thinking we could get updates out faster and we could save color for the print edition, and the audience hated it! We went back to the color.