Without color, the stories we love would all be shades of black and white — and while that’s not a bad thing, it would certainly be different. Imagine Green Lantern without the green, Superman’s cape something other than its brilliant crimson or even just the different colors in a night sky as Spider-Man webs his way through the city. Color is an integral part of the stories being told in comics and in 2024, comics readers were fortunate to enjoy work from outstanding colorists using every shade and tone imaginable to support the words and art on the page and help bring some truly fantastic stories to brilliant life. Now that the year is at its end, we here at ComicBook have come together to give out our Golden Issue Award for Best Colorist to acknowledge the work that these truly talented artists do.
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And the winner of the 2023 ComicBook Golden Issue Award for Best Colorist is…
Jordie Bellaire for Birds of Prey!
This isn’t the first time that Bellaire has taken home our Golden Issue Award. Back in 2021, she brought home the prize for her work on Marvel Comics’ Black Widow and this year it’s DC’s Birds of Prey but the reason for her win remains the same. Bellaire is an incredible colorist use of a color palette makes not only ever title she works on that much better but truly elevates the art on every single page. With incredible precision and eye for detail with her use of color, Bellaire’s work does its magic in harmony with the to give things a richness and in many ways a distinct voice. These are colors you feel just as much as you see them.
And while Bellaire’s win is for Birds of Prey, it is far from the only title she’s worked on this year. Bellaire’s incredible skill with color has made her an artist that other artists and creators seek out, even beyond the superhero genre. Bellaire’s work has also appeared in G.I. Joe, The Department of Truth, WoRldtr33, Duke and more this year. She’s also behind the colors of the incredible Absolute Wonder Woman series this year as well and what is so brilliant about each of these titles is that Bellaire brings something different to each one. The colors are all fit to the title — not to any one hard set style. Versatile and stunning, Bellaire’s work is near legendary and makes her a fitting choice for this year’s Golden Issue.
The nominees for the 2024 ComicBook Golden Issue Award for Best Colorist are:
- Jordie Bellaire, Birds of Prey – WINNER
- Matheus Lopes, Batman & Robin: Year One
- Frank Martin, Absolute Batman
- Ronda Pattison, Night People, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Ruth Redmond, Thanos
