Matheus Lopes’s Colors in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

The colorist’s art often goes under the radar in discussing a successful comic (in large part because its effects are often subconscious though powerful). Despite this, several readers and reviewers have flagged Mattheus Lopes’s colors in Supergirl as spectacular. Let’s discuss why. #supergirl 1/12

The very first thing noted on the subject of coloring in “The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics” is that “A comic’s coloring is a lot like the soundtrack of a movie.” This is apt as a way of approaching Lopes’s colours in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. 2/12

Like a good soundtrack, Lopes’s colours can be seen to contribute to characterization, setting, genre, geography, and, of course, mood. It is constantly in-sync with the needs of the narrative – advancing them on both aesthetic and atmospheric levels. 3/12

The yellows of the opening chapter (apart from being a literal reflection of The Yellow Hills setting) help to establish the sword and sorcery genre (where later scenes’ colour palettes scream “space opera” instead) whilst also conveying a sense of sickness – a jaundiced world in which evil prospers. 4/12

For the climax of the story in issue #8, Lopes moves away from mood colours and instead opens the world up to a pluralistic approach in which a rich and diverse colour palette helps to signal the sense of narrative culmination and overwhelming intensity. We feel everything at once. 5/12

Nowhere is this more evident than in Ruthye’s split second realization of the impact that her journey has had on her holistically. Rendered in flashback, the colours jump all over the place, creating what is – functionally – a rainbow of lived experience. 6/12

Holistically, Lopes describes his approach as one informed by pandemic isolation: “I did something that I don’t usually do and I would say it’s kind of breaking the world of comics: I chose the feel of the style for the comic before I read a lot of it, and saw a lot of it, because it was the pandemic…” 7/12

“…It was a rough time, for me and for the whole world. I was trying to do some more colorful work. I don’t know why, but it was me trying to bring some color into a dark time. So even before Supergirl, I was like ‘No, I’m gonna make this a very bright vibrant world and universe.’” 8/12

This journey from jaundiced and isolated to vibrant and integrated works shockingly well with the work of King and Evely who portray an external journey that is an internal journey in which our protagonists find each other and themselves simultaneously. 9/12

In that, it is interesting then that epilogue comes back to a moody turquoise palette. It implies and instills a sense of calm, of a world that has come down from the chaotic highs of the story’s climax, whilst the later sunset tones signify resolution to a story that spans a massive time-period. 10/12

Lopes also creates parity between Kara’s costume and Kara. In the climax, the gold, blue, and red of Kara’s costume (primary colours symbolizing heroism) are matched to her hair, eyes, and the blood she sheds. In scenes such as this, Kara doesn’t just wear heroic colours – she embodies them. 11/12

In all of this, Lopes’s contribution to the story is vast – adding weight, depth, and emotional resonance through his deft application of colour, creating what is, in itself, a great object text for exploring what colorists can do in the medium of comics. 12/12