Color My World

As many of you Martian Manhunter fans know, Silver Age Detective Comics issues aren't cheap, so it wasn't until the Showcase reprint edition was released that I finally got to read most of Detective John Jones' earliest adventures. As I've been sharing the experience with others through the blog, and did run across a bit of a problem. Since that reprint edition was black and white, and folks prefer a colorful visual, I took it upon myself to digitally "bleach" and recolor images from those books. I was careful to note "without reference" on the entries, but I still strive to be as reliable a resource as possible. For instance, while I could never find color pictures of villains like Monty Moran and B'rett, folks in the know told me roughly what color those characters were, so I could add them to the Vile Menagerie.

Forward to the present, I now have color reference for all of J'onn J'onzz stories, excepting in "Justice League of America," through the late 70's. That being the case, I plan on stepping up entries in the Vile Menagerie, as that was always a major sticking point. However, I'm undecided if I want to use the scans I now have, as I rather liked how my coloring efforts (coupled with the crisp reprint quality) turned out. I'd remain true to the originals, but that digital pop really sings in comparison to the muddy originals. I have decided to leave most of my coloring jobs up, but I wanted a reference for folks as to the original colorist's intent. Those interested should check the comparisons below.

Meanwhile, I also felt the need to correct or replace other entries, and provide links for easy access. These include:

The Vile Menagerie: THE GETAWAY KING As best as I can tell, the Getaway Mastermind's eyes were grey or a vague blue, not dark green. Also, he wore a plain white lab coat, and the logo was originally publish as red. I also opted to take down the larger, yet still barely legible scan. The text has now been reproduced on the blog itself to ease eye strain.

Roh Kar, First Lawman of Mars (Batman #78, Aug.-Sep. 1953) I only recently found color reference for Roh Kar, so the original scan was in black and white. I chose a new image from before, and recolored it as an approximate recreation of the original panel.

Detective Comics #231 (5/56) Again, I never previously found color reference for the Magician-Thief, so I left him b&w. Now, I've replaced the first image with a color scan of another panel. As with Roh Kar, I'm saving the best image for a future spotlight entry.

Detective Comics #232 (June 1956) I was picky enough to not want to guess the color of John's pet dog Jupiter. However, I found a color scan online, which I doctored and posted a few months back. While I'm calling your attention to these others, I figured I'd throw this one in the mix.

Detective Comics #228 (2/56) I had completely miscolored the panel, and opted to post a scan of the original instead.

The Vile Menagerie: B'RETT I was told that he looked just like Martian Manhunter, but with yellow skin and purple boots/trunks/cape. That's how I colored him first time out, and wasn't too far off. The clothes were a different shade of purple, while the straps/belt/gun were blue instead of red.

More comparisons below...