Dear comic artists

[gremcint]

you all draw the same characters differently, please tell me people's names. especially coming from a tv show, some people have an iconic look to them but honestly half the time I can't tell who the hell is who.

These thoughts brought to you after reading Jericho Civil war.

[Ginger Tea]

OK do you mean the same artist throughout the run draws the characters differently?

[I re read the first line and it wasn't as vague 2nd time round so ignor this]
Draws a generic character with only a few tweaks here and there and calls it a new character and we are meant to learn that hair parted that way is someone else and with an earing and the same parting a 3rd?
[/ignore paragraph]

Or there are many artists involved and each has their own take on how everyone looks?

Other.

I admit that when a different artist takes on an established look and feel of a character but draws in a totally different way, it can be jarring knowing who is on the page for the first time.

The Ultimate Marvel Universe didn't have to have all the classic characters as they were just younger, but I am not sure if they would be accessable to existing audences if Wolverine was 7 foot and blonde vs short and brown although I think he is taller than he used to be even before Hugh Jackman (whom I have no qualms with the role).
Newer readers would be none the wiser till they started reading the cannon universe or saw the first Xmen movie and although it is nice to give writers and artists a free reign on an existing franchise that they can even gender/race swap at will, doing so causes problems (fan backlash notwithstanding) when trying to introduce them to their established counterpart.

The blame should lie at the feet of the editors for not giving multiple artists a design brief to adhere to on the general look and feel of the principle characters and if based off a TV show, that should be the global standard all should adhere to.
I don't see BSG's Starbuck as the original runs character, just a pilot with the same call sign (although I think in the original it was his given name, but I could be wrong soforgetaboutit /sadpanda), but I expect all artists working on an adaptation or expanded universe to atleast keep her within the realms of knowing it's her at first glance, not having one depict her more like jessica rabbit in a flight suit.

Although keeping the two boomers different is a boone.

[gremcint]

for the comic I just read all the mean looked exactly the same except for hair colour and then they meet up with someone who was only in five episodes of the show but act like we perfectly recognize him. they don't actually say his name until he leaves.

I remember in Buffy season 9 comic there was a point where there where three blonde guys lined up next to each other that buffy was commenting on but as someone who watched the entire show and read the preceding comics I only knew who two of them were even with comments about them. just drop a name now and then.

[Bloodsoul]

Wait, so is it "the same characters differently" or "different characters the same?"

I haven't published (or even drawn) my own comic yet (lazy), but there's actually a bit of a thrill in trying to make characters as different to each other as possible (within the bounds I'm given; i.e., all the characters being Human as opposed to Vulcan, Vorlon, or Wookie). Not just in physical appearance, but in fashion styles as well; in the in, I imagine each character having a fairly to vastly different personality to each other and I want their personalities to be fully reflected in their design.

On the other hand I went into this thread thinking the outrage was against different artists drawing the same characters differently; i.e., one artist may draw Peter Parker differently from another artist, so without hearing his name or seeing him in his Spider-Man get up you'd never know who it was (does Clark Kent still have that little curl of hair upon his brow?).

[gremcint]

both really, I sometimes two artists draw the same character so differently it's hard to tell who's who and also they will draw different characters the same only changing the hair making it hard to tell who's who.

in a superhero comic where everyone where's a costumes it's not as big a deal.

[Nekojin]

Wait, so is it "the same characters differently" or "different characters the same?"

I haven't published (or even drawn) my own comic yet (lazy), but there's actually a bit of a thrill in trying to make characters as different to each other as possible (within the bounds I'm given; i.e., all the characters being Human as opposed to Vulcan, Vorlon, or Wookie). Not just in physical appearance, but in fashion styles as well; in the in, I imagine each character having a fairly to vastly different personality to each other and I want their personalities to be fully reflected in their design.

One of the worst offenders on this score was Barry Blair, of Elflord fame. It was very difficult to tell his characters apart.

[Bloodsoul]

I was just thinking, isn't the whole "same except the hair" bit a defining characteristic of the "moe" style?

(I still can't see that word without thinking of The Three Stooges, and have honestly contemplated the idea of drawing them in that style just for the hell of it)