The good news is that plans on releasing a massive (and massively expensive) Carl Barks collection later this year. The bad news? It’s based on an edition that’s been published in various European countries over the past few years and has been vehemently criticized for use of computerized color. Matthias Wivel has a useful breakdown of the problem:
When the first cassette of ten (containing volumes I, XI, and XXI of 30) was released in Denmark, it caused much consternation amongst fans for its colouring, as well as for its lettering, translation and other things mostly irrelevant to an edition in the original language. I wrote a lengthy, extensively illustrated review of it (in Danish) to which I refer readers interested in seeing examples of the vandalism wrought on the comics in these initial volumes. Protests raised by fans and customers of the books — which were sold by subscription only — made Egmont rein in their colouring strategy somewhat, toning down the use of gradients, airbrush, supplemental elements alien to the comics (such as vectorised cloud patterns), and other horrid computer effects. These changes were, however, only implemented from the third cassette onwards, meaning that six volumes out of thirty are pretty much ruined.
Wivel also compares the collection with the original comic book coloring here.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:43 am
Are the panels down the side of the Danish critique meant to be ‘vandalism’? They don’t look so different, just more vibrant.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Looks like the same problem Image had with those Kirby reprints.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
You know, looking at the example they posted, it doesn’t look so bad. There was a Barks collection in the mid-80s that was MUCH worse, actually. They blue-lined all Barks artwork and had someone famous airbrush all the colors.
This looks pretty mild, to get that much complaining. It won’t stop me buying the books, that’s for sure. I already put my order in for it and the Rosa collection.