Blog Assignment #7

These pictures are both similar and alike in terms of color. Both images use a variety of similar hues, drawing on shades of blue, red, green, orange, yellow and black, intended to portray a state of chaos. The brightness of both scenes are very different, however, in large part due to their different animation styles. Spiderman originates in the United States and uses a serious comic-book style of animation, while Astro Boy is a Japanese cartoon and exhibits traits similar to anime. Superhero comic books with a dark theme tend to use more realistic and less bright colors, while anime characters typically shine and are drawn with visible light effects, and therefore the Astro Boy picture is much more bright than the Spiderman image. In keeping with Spiderman's more serious tone, the colors are generally less saturated and distinct than those of Astro Boy, however both pictures use more value for the villains than the heroes.

Lighting also plays a large part in distinguishing between the two images. Shadows are everywhere in Spiderman's image, especially in the top part of the screen. The sky is nearly black, the villains are drawn dark up against the sky, and the little light in the picture is behind Spiderman. In an image so dominated with villians, shadows are representative of the grimness of the Spiderman universe. The Astro Boy picture uses shadows more subtly, such as on the villain and the rocks, and are mainly to make the scene appear lit from the explosion at the bottom of the screen. The Spiderman picture also uses more symbolism. The smoke and the dark sky in the background behind the villains represents how they are a sudden and unexpected threat. The little bit of bright yellow behind Spiderman emphasizes his heroism. Spiderman is sensing his enemies with the rays that come out of his head, but the arc that they form is similar to a halo, which also symbolizes his goodness. Astro Boy is at the right and larger in his image than his enemy, which is left-center and smaller, representing the concept that Astro Boy can stay one step ahead of his enemy. The confused multitude of colors rushing by him also represents the confusion and chaos of a battle. In terms of mood, both images display a tumultuous scene, but Spiderman's image is more gloomy while Astro Boy's is intense.