ComicsAlliance’s Best Of 2016: Outstanding Colorist Of 2016

In her work on Kill Or Be Killed, Outcast, Velvet, and more, Elizabeth Breitweiser has demonstrated why her name is a mainstay on these lists. She utilizes a different palette on each project and makes unexpected choices that always deliver. Her impressionistic motes bring life to every character with a blushing cheek; her complex gradations set an arresting mood in all environments; her surreal flourishes make already dramatic scenes even more intense. [John R. Parker]

Nathan Fairbarn is, flat out, one of the best colorists working in comics. His work can be bombastic or subdued, depending on what a scene requires, and many comics are made better by his hand. Lake of Fire, which he also wrote, contains many of these scenes, but I find myself returning to one from issue #1: warm, pastoral colors in a meadow, so removed from the violence to come. [James Leask]

Rico Renzi has really stood out in the last few years as a colorist unafraid to experiment and play with different styles and color combos that you just wouldn't expect. His standout work has been with Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez on Spider-Gwen, but he’s also lent his palette to Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, which looks all the more inviting and enjoyable thanks to his tones. [Kieran Shiach]

Tamra Bonvillain has had a meteoric rise these past few years, working on everything from Image hits like Wayward and Rat Queens to some of the best and most exciting Big Two comics out there like Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Doom Patrol. Along the way, she's honed her considerable talents to the point where her work is instantly recognizable, accentuating the art of any other artist she works with, while adding her own heft, nuance and emotion to the page. [Tom Speelman]

Matthew Wilson can provide excellent subtlety and nuance with his colors, as he does with Cliff Chiang's art on Paper Girls, but he's at his absolute best when he brings the fireworks. Having developed his neon lightshow on Thor, he brought all those tricks over to The Wicked + The Divine to give "Rising Action" exactly the big budget blockbuster feel that arc needed. [Alex Spencer]

As colorist on something like a dozen different books in any given month, odds are you're reading something colored by Jordie Bellaire. Well, lucky you. Few colorists are able to transform their styles like a chameleon in the way Bellaire has done on projects as diverse as All-Star Batman, Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme, Future Quest, and Deadpool. Bellaire is a rare talent, who elevates not just the original linework, but the narrative as well, crafting palettes that inform readers about the mood, tone, and personality of a book with just a glance. [Luke Brown]