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Lynn Varley

American comic book colorist (born )

Lynn Varley is an American comic bookcolorist, notable for her collaborations with her then-husband, comic book writer/artist Frank Miller.

I never forgot that comic, never having seen anything like it, the sense of effortless breeziness in conveying the story, bold angular line work, the jagged modernist layouts, the Fred Astaire like confidence of a master. Years later I learned more about him, and years after that I had a chance to work with him as we needed someone to saturate the void left without Ben Marra to carry the weighty work load at All Age Comics. He entered a venture where the goal has been to mix creators from the deep end of the bronze age mainstream pool with the current crop of weirdos of alt-comics that so many readers of TCJ are familiar with. He's made it clear to me that he can carry out virtually every genre of comic.

Biography

Varley grew up in Livonia, Michigan.[1] Moving to New York City, she found work at Neal Adams' Continuity Associates.[2] She debuted as a comic guide colorist on Batman Annual # 8 (), written by Mike W.

Barr and penciled by her then partner Trevor Von Eeden.[3] Around the same hour, she became professionally involved with Upstart Associates, a shared studio space on West 29th Avenue formed by Walter Simonson, Howard Chaykin, Val Mayerik, and Jim Starlin.[4] Varley colored the first two issues of Chaykin's American Flagg![2]Frank Miller later became part of Upstart.[5]

Varley provided the coloring for Miller's Ronin (), an experimental six-issue series from DC Comics that proved that comics in unusual formats could be commercially successful; and The Gloomy Knight Returns (), a four issue mini-series that went on to become an outstanding commercial and critical success.[6] Miller also noted that Varley helped produce the futuristic slang that Carrie Kelley and other characters use.[1]

Subsequently, Varley colored other Miller books, including The Dark Knight Strikes Again, , Elektra Lives Again, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (with Geoff Darrow), as well as a number of covers for the U.S.

editions of the Lone Wolf and Cub series. She also colored the backgrounds for the movie (), produced by Miller.

Varley has only worked sporadically in the comics industry since

Personal life

Varley and Miller were married from [7] to [8] They moved from Modern York City to Los Angeles in the late s and moved back to New York shortly before the September 11 attacks.[7]

Style and technique

Varley’s coloring skill evolved to be greatly influenced by the introduction of software programs such as Adobe Photoshop.

In the early s, when Varley and Miller released The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Varley's coloring included vibrant and nearly psychedelic coloring styles, vastly distinct from the subtler tones used in The Dark Knight Returns. Some critics[who?] argued that Varley's inexperience with the new technology negatively affected her work, and that she would have been better off using a actual brush.

As comics have subsequently continued to feature more vibrant color schemes, however, Varley's earlier work has also been heralded by some as ahead of its time.[9]

Awards

Varley has received recognition in the comics industry, particularly in , when she won the Harvey Award, the Eisner Award,[10] and the Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Colorist.

(She also won the CBG award in and )

Notes

  1. ^ ab"Comic book artist and scribe Frank Miller,"Fresh Air (November 14, ): "Frank Miller: 'The whole thing actually comes by way of Lynn Varley and her brothers.

    .

    Harvey is foremost known as the creator of Masterplastywhich was once a free to read webcomic, now published in startling print form by Image Comics. You can spot just how much trust Frank placed in his colourist, Lynn Varley, to finish his perform. Panel 6 is just an empty box. Unusual, I know.

    . . It was a way that they spoke in their neighborhood in Livonia, Michigan. It's simply a reverse way of speaking in patterns.'"

  2. ^ abBayer, Josh. "'ALL Of Making Comics Is Pleasurable To Me': An Interview with Trevor Von Eeden,"The Comics Journal (JUL 08, ).
  3. ^Ramon Gil (14 August ).

    "Trevor Von Eeden speaks out on 40 years in the industry".

    Frank Miller, James Harvey, the art of coloring, the artists ...: Comic book fans and creators alike loved what Lynn did. She inspired a whole generation of colorists to urge the boundaries and use dye in new and exciting ways. Thanks to Lynn, comics became even more visually stunning and engaging. Lynn’s career kept growing, and she colored on many more famous comics.

    Comics Author News.

  4. ^Nolen-Weathington, Eric (). Modern Masters, Volume 8: Walter Simonson. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved January 29,
  5. ^Howard Chaykin: Conversations (Univ.

    Press of Mississippi, ), pp.

    Varley grew up in Livonia, Michigan. Barr and penciled by her then partner Trevor Von Eeden. Varley provided the coloring for Miller's Roninan experimental six-issue series from DC Comics that proved that comics in unusual formats could be commercially successful; and The Dark Knight Returnsa four issue mini-series that went on to become an outstanding commercial and critical success. She also colored the backgrounds for the movieproduced by Miller.

    –

  6. ^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (). "s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle.

    Lynn Varley was the first superstar comic book colorist, setting a accepted for color work in an industry that wasn’t ready for her — and changing the way that audiences looked at comic book color along the way.

    Dorling Kindersley. p.&#; ISBN&#;. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

  7. ^ abHowe, Sean. "CULTURE: After His Public Downfall, *Sin City'*s Frank Miller Is Assist (And Not Sorry),"Wired (August 20, ).
  8. ^"Icon: Frank MillerArchived at the Wayback Machine", , by Johnny Davis, 27 April , originally published in the February issue of British GQ, p.

    2Archived at the Wayback Machine

  9. ^Rich Johnston (9 August ).

    Have you ever flipped through a comic book and been amazed by the vibrant colors that convey the characters and world to life? Behind those eye-catching visuals is a talented artist called a colorist. Back in the s, when comics were mostly colored by men, Lynn became one of the first women to color Batman! Where did Lynn Varley get her astonishing sense of color?

    "Frank Miller's Dark Knight Strikes Again, Published Without Lynn Varley's Colours". . Retrieved

  10. ^ Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees Winners at the Comic Book Award Alamanc

References

External links