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●ARTICLE● THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART IV

This month's AKIRA issue #17 released in the US by EPIC and collected in OORU KARAA KOKUSAI BAN AKIRA 5 (オールカラー国際版 AKIRA 6), includes a three page article, the last of a four part series, about the making of the colored version of AKIRA.

THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART IV - WORKING ON AKIRA AT EPIC

Over the past few months, we've examined the art, coloring, and scripting of the Epic version of Akira. These three elements are combined by the staff at the Epic editorial offices to form each issue of Akira. In our fourth and final article on The Making of Akira, we will explain the role of editorial, as well as the duties of the staff involved.

Editor Margaret Clark and Assistant Editor Marie Javins are in charge of producing Akira for Epic. They traffic the various elements, create mechanical representations of the final product, make necessary script or art corrections, and design covers and text pages.

The most apparent role of editorial is in trafficking. Tokyo's Kodansha Ltd sends the original "mirror" proofs, as well as the script translation, to Epic. Epic in tum sends the script to Jo Duffy, who then "westernizes" the script and returns the new version to Epic. The editors then send the script to Kodansha for approval. Upon approval, the script is sent to Michael Higgins, who letters the word balloons and returns the lettering to Epic. The "mirror" proofs and the lettering is given to the Marvel "Bullpen", where graphic artists diligently paste the words down onto the art, and return the proofs to Margaret Clark. She carefully checks the pasted-up proofs, and makes necessary corrections.

The Epic intern then photocopies the proofs, and copies are again mailed to Kodansha for approval. Ms. Yuka Ando sends her comments, and the proofs are put back into the Bullpen for the necessary corrections.

Simultaneously, Margaret Clark and Marie Javins work on other aspects of the book. They choose scenes from each issue for the cover and back cover; as well as the frontispiece and text pages, and have photostats made of the chosen scenes. The artwork is then sent to Steve Oliff and Olyoptics for coloring, while the stats are pasted down onto mechanicals and marked that they are "For Position Only." This indicates to the printer that the mechanicals are only a representation, and the actual art is to be shot separately from the cover. The Epic staff also chooses the colors for the cover. Clark says that she attempts to choose colors that look attractive when put next to each other; since in Japan, the Epic Akira's are sold in boxed sets of three.

Margaret Clark writes the teaser for the back cover; and edits the "What Has Gone Before" summary, while her assistant works on the text pages that appear at the end of Akira. Together they spec the type for the three text items as well as the indicia. credits, price and cover information. They also spec type for any signs that appear within the artwork for the issue, and for the computer-like speech of the caretaker robots.

After the type is generated, it is given back to the Bullpen along with the cover mechanical and interior art pages for pasteup. The proofs and mechanicals are sent to the printer, as are Steve Oliff's color-coding disks. The Epic staff waits for the return of chromalins. as detailed in the last article.

After the chromalins are marked-up and returned to the separator; the separator makes the detailed corrections and, as discussed last month, the printer pulls "blues" on the book. The blues are also marked-up or given the go ahead, and Akira is printed.

●ARTICLE● THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART III

This month's AKIRA issue #15 released in the US by EPIC and collected in OORU KARAA KOKUSAI BAN AKIRA 5 (オールカラー国際版 AKIRA 5), includes a two page article on the making of the colored version of AKIRA.

THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART III - COLORING

When Akira is printed in Japan, it is printed in black and white. The American version, however, is meticulously colored by Steve Oliff and his Olyoptics staff. This month we will examine the coloring of Akira step by step.

As detailed in Part I of The Making of Akira, Kodansha first makes "mirror" proofs of Katsuhiro Otomo's original artwork. A large set of proofs (10" x 15") is sent to Epic Comics for scripting and paste-up. An identical but smaller set of proofs (7" x10 ¾)

is sent to Steve Oliff for coloring.

Using felt pens, airbrushing and gouache, Oliff colors in these proofs. These "color guides" are then sent to Otomo and Kodansha for approval and any necessary corrections.

In the meantime, Epic Comics sends the larger proofs, complete with pasted-up lettering, to Olyoptics. The proofs are entered into the Olyoptics computar system, utilizing proprietary software developed by Pixelcraft, by way of a scanner.

Following the "color guides," Oliff and his staff of five then enter colors for each proof into the computar program. "This," says Oliff, "is where we fill in the subtle shadings."

After coloring on the computar system. Oliff saves all the information onto floppy disks. He sends the disks, along with the line art and color file to Network Color, the company that is responsible for outputting the film. The info is loaded into Network Color's linotype machine, and the resulting output is

chromalins.

A chromalin, or chrom, is a mechanical generation of each color plate registered to itself. lt represents how each color is printed separately and then combinad together to form a visual representation of the final product. In short, an early version of the final Akira is produced and sent to Epic Comics.

The Epic staff examines each chrom carefully, checking for errors in coloring and printing. After indicating the errors on the chroms, Epic returns the chroms to Network Color and corrections are made on the film.

Following the corrections, the final film goes to the printer. "Blues" are made from the film. "Blues" are an actual representation of how the final comic will appear-minus the color. The pages are instead printed in shades of blue. At this point, Epic checks for final corrections, and makes sure that all the pages are present and in order, and the blues are returned to the printer for printing.

Steve Oliff colors using the same computer system as the one used for most Marvel Comics. The difference is that Oliff colors the final film himself, while other Marvel Comics send color guides to the separator, who then assigns the colors using the computer. Oliff, in other words, acts as both the colorist and the separator. Akira is the first regular comic book in the world to be colored using such a system.

●ARTICLE● THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART II

This month's AKIRA issue #14 released in the US by EPIC and collected in OORU KARAA KOKUSAI BAN AKIRA 5 (オールカラー国際版 AKIRA 5), includes a two page article on the making of the colored version of AKIRA.

THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART II - SCRIPTING

The scripting of the Epic version of Akira requires a detailed translation and westernization process involving approval by two separate companies and a number of individuals.

Epic Comics first receives the English translation of Akira in volumes, each of the five Japanese volumes is 280 to 400 pages each. Epic is sent the translations of the volumes one at a time, as each is completed. Kodansha's translators. Yoko Umezawa and Linda M. York translate the Japanese to literal, straightforward English. The Kodansha volumes have been divided into 64-page Epic editions by former Akira editor Archie Goodwin. Each edition's translation, a long with a copy of t he issue's artwork is then sent to Jo Duffy.

Jo Duffy then "Americanizes" the script. The direct literal translation is often stiff and the flow of the script , although fine in Japanese changes entirely when translated.

"An idea that takes three words in Japanese," says Duffy "may take 10 or 20 words in English.

"Also because of the length of the Epic issues characters must be re-introduced every 64 pages. American readers should be able to pick up any issue of t he series and identify the main characters within the first few pages.

Duffy completes the script with careful attention to the onomatopoeia of sound effects and an even flow of language. She tries to Americanize Akira without taking away from the Japanese elements.

Using her script, Duffy then marks the places on the artwork where the word balloons should go. The script is sent to the Epic offices where editor Margaret Clark checks it before sending to the staff of Kodansha in Tokyo for approval. Epic receives the Duffy script back from Kodansha, complete with changes and corrections. The complete script, along with the balloon placements is then sent to Michael Higgins for lettering. Higgins draws in new balloons according to the balloon placements he receives from Duffy, and then letters all of the balloons as indicated by the script. Akira is unlike most comics in that some word balloons already exist, and he must draw the new balloons to fit with those drawn by Otomo.

"lt's a question of balancing the American balloons with the Japanese," he says.

After Higgins returns the lettering to Epic, the lettering and the proofs of the original artwork (see article in Akira #13 on "mirror proofs") go into the Marvel "Bullpen" for production. The Bullpenners carefully cut out the word balloons and paste them to the artwork according to Jo Duffy's balloon placements. A copy of the finished artwork with word balloons is then sent once again, to Kodansha for corrections.

The copy is returned to Epic with corrections. Common problems include word balloon pointers that indicate that the wrong character is speaking, incorrect words or letters, and the occasional word balloon that should have been filled in with artwork before the proofs were made. Periodically, we encounter problems involving reversal, meaning that during the process of making "mirror proofs", a panel or part of a panel was reversed when it should not have been. Finally, when all of the corrections have been made and the staffs of Epic Comics and Kodansha, are satisfied, the black and white artwork is sent to Steve Oliff and Olyoptics for the coloring process.

●ARTICLE● THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART I

This month's AKIRA issue #13 released in the US by EPIC and collected in OORU KARAA KOKUSAI BAN AKIRA 5 (オールカラー国際版 AKIRA 5), includes a two page article on the making of the colored version of AKIRA.

THE MAKING OF AKIRA THE EPIC COMIC PART I

The publishing of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira in the United States requires much more time and effort than a standard comic book reprint. Before American audiences see the final product, it has gone through a complex "Westernization" procedure.

In Japan, Akira is first serialized in 20 page black-and-white installments in Kodansha Ltd.'s Young Magazine. Young Magazine is a 300-page weekly aimed at high school and college students.

The serialized installments are collected into volumes of 300 to 400 pages each. A fifth and final volume is forthcoming, bringing the total number of pages in Akira up to 1800. The sales of these volumes in Japan have been phenomenal. The completed Akira saga will have a total of three and a half million copies in print.

Archie Goodwin, former Editor-in-Chief of Epic Comics together with the staff of Kodansha, divided the volumes into 64 page sections for publication. Kodansha then provided "clean proofs" of the artwork. Japanese comics are designed for lettering that reads vertically. Before sending the artwork to Epic. Mash•Room Co., Ltd., Otomo's own studio, removes all Japanese lettering, sound effects, and dialogue balloons. The artwork is reversed through a camera process, so that Akira will reproduce from left to right. New artwork replaces the dialogue and sound effect balloons and eventually new balloons will be drawn to hold horizontal lettering. The clean "mirror" proofs are then sent to Epic, along with the script translation.