Marvel Colorists Share Their Standout Coloring Moments

In honor of Colorist Appreciation Day, which takes place on January 24, Marvel is celebrating our mighty colorists all week long. To do that, we spoke with a handful of our finest colorists to gather insight on their work, the skills they learned from their peers and mentors, the advice they would pass on to the next generation of colorists, and more.

To celebrate their accomplishments, we asked Jesus Aburto, Edgar Delgado, Marte Gracia, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Matt Wilson to share the proudest moment from their careers (so far). From major events like HOUSE OF X/POWERS OF X to the thrill of working with their heroes, here are a few standout moments in Marvel coloring.

Jesus Aburto

"One morning, I took my kids to school. We were waiting in line to drop them off when, out of the blue, I saw appearing an email from Rob Liefeld. WHAT? And he was asking me to color some of his stuff! I grew up reading comics in the '90s in North Mexico, so I never thought [I would] someday work in Marvel comics, getting direct emails from my heroes. That was a mega thrill moment for me."

Edgar Delgado

"When I started working on STRANGE ACADEMY, I really wanted to separate it from my previous work. I even created a new brush just for that book. That first issue is the before and after of how I approach a page, at least in my head."

Marte Gracia

"Without a doubt, it has to be HOUSE OF X/POWERS OF X. I've always been a X-Fan—most of my '90s books were mutant books—and having the honor of being a part of this incredible adventure of revamping the whole X-MEN line was humbling and exciting. Everyone involved did their absolute best and the energy within the creative team felt electric. Definitely one of my favorite moments!"

Rachelle Rosenberg

"I have so many great moments where I am proud—moments where I sit back and stare at the shelves of books I’ve colored… Where I see my colored work printed larger than life. When I see the pride in my kid’s eyes when they see something I worked on. But I think what makes me most proud is the moment when I get an email or note from an editor of artist and they are happy. That makes me the most proud."

Matt Wilson

"I might have too many to choose just one, so I'll narrow it down to three, if you'll let me: YOUNG AVENGERS with Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, because that was a creative team that had a long history of making independent comics outside of Marvel getting to work together on a Marvel book for the first time; BLACK WIDOW with Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, because it was such a cohesive creative vision set out from the beginning, and well executed for the entire 12 issue run; and lastly, THOR/THE MIGHTY THOR with Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman, because I had so much fun using colors to develop a neon sci-fi aesthetic alongside Russell's beautiful character and environment designs."

Thanks for celebrating Colorist Appreciation Day with us! Don't miss these other articles about the art of coloring:

Inspirations | Proudest Moments | Advice | Fun Facts

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