How to Color Crime Comics with Brian Haberlin of Spawn Witchblade Black Panther

"How to Color Crime Comics" with colorist, writer, painter Brian Haberlin. DATE: 2/7/2026 TIME: 8:00 PM EST HOST: Buddy Scalera CO-HOST: Mike Fasolo GUEST: Brian Haberlin (Witchblade, Spawn) Website: https://www.haberlin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianhaberlinofficial/ Comic Book School Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-color-150717070 Oil & Water book by Brian Haberlin Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/4rjmhJG Analyze the technical craft and business of coloring crime comics with Image Comics creator and industry veteran Brian Haberlin. This episode evaluates professional workflows, cinematic lighting strategies, and the evolution of digital tools from the 1990s to the modern era. KEY TAKEAWAYS Mother Color Strategy: Learn the cinematic technique of using a dominant base color to establish mood and signal scene transitions to the reader. Lighting for Noir: Master single-source and high-contrast lighting to create focus, depth, and tension in crime narratives. The Catchers of the Industry: Understanding the professional reality of the colorist's role in meeting tight production deadlines and enhancing the line artist's work. Digital Tool Evolution: Comparison of early Wacom and Photoshop workflows to modern tablet and 3D modeling integration for faster sequential production. Portfolio Management: Why professional creators should maintain passion and continuous learning to improve their technical skill set over a decades-long career. FEATURED CREATORS Brian Haberlin: Writer, artist, colorist of Image Comics, revolutionary colorist, and artist for Spawn, Anomaly, and The Marked. Buddy Scalera: Founder of Comic Book School and writer for Deadpool and Richie Rich. Mike Fasolo: Emmy-winning writer for Robot Chicken and professional comic creator. FEATURED COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS TITLE: Anomaly PUBLISHER: Anomaly Publishing DATE: December 2012 CREATORS: Brian Haberlin (Writer/Artist), Skip Brittenham (Writer) TITLE: Black Panther VOLUME: Vol. 3, Issue 1 PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics DATE: November 1998 CREATORS: Christopher Priest (Writer), Mark Texeira (Artist), Brian Haberlin (Colorist) TITLE: The Marked PUBLISHER: Image Comics / Shadowline DATE: October 2019 CREATORS: David Hine (Writer), Brian Haberlin (Writer/Artist) TITLE: Hellcop PUBLISHER: Image Comics / Shadowline DATE: October 2021 CREATORS: Brian Haberlin (Writer/Artist) TITLE: Shifter PUBLISHER: Anomaly Publishing DATE: 2013 CREATORS: Brian Haberlin (Artist), Skip Brittenham (Writer), Brian Witten (Writer) CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction to Crime Comics Month 01:40 - Professional backgrounds of Buddy Scalera and Mike Fasolo 02:37 - Guest Brian Haberlin's career overview and Top Cow history 05:44 - The math of professional output: Drawing 2,759 pages 12:22 - Storytelling layouts and the gestural sketch process 21:12 - Integrating 3D models and Cintiq workflows for speed 27:57 - The Mother Color technique and cinematic palettes 37:12 - Case Study: Coloring Mark Texeira on Black Panther 43:11 - Visual focus: Balancing color surprises and Dutch angles 52:46 - Narrative techniques: Shadows, reveals, and crossing the line 56:36 - Lighting strategies for subterranean and noir environments 01:00:57 - Traditional watercolor techniques vs. digital painting 01:09:59 - Hardware evolution: From $10,000 Macs to modern tablets 01:12:43 - Researching the masters through high-resolution archives 01:17:24 - 3D printing and physical sculpture for character design 01:20:22 - Advice for aspiring artists: Managing the early career grind SOCIAL LINKS * Comic Book School Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/comicbookschool * Deanna Destito Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/deannadestito * Mike Fasolo's Substack: https://mikefasolo.substack.com