Manga is a complex form of art, and numerous people work behind a single chapter or page to make it successful. Apart from the mangaka, there are the illustrator, editor and several other helpers who help the manga in reaching heights.
Letterers are those who help in setting the dialogues in manga or comics. Although it is a last-minute hustle job, the art of lettering is challenging to master and blend in with the manga itself.
1st September is celebrated as the Letterer Appreciation Day in memory of the great letterer, Gasper Saladino.
He was not only the letterer for many of the DC and Marvel comics but also designed the logos of several superheroes.
A tweet from Viz Media showed appreciation towards these unsung artists of manga.
An illustration of Tanjiro and Nezuko from the Demon Slayer series was also posted to show appreciation for their art.
Many might find that the letterer’s only task is to write the dialogues on the manuscript, but it is not so.
From creating appropriate speech bubbles to setting the theme of the conversations through font, their task is one of the toughest.
It is believed that a good letterer’s work blends in the comics/manga, but good lettering also sets the tone of the series and makes it stand out from the others.
Apart from speech bubbles, letterers also include suitable ‘sound effects’ in mangas, like ‘Boom’, ‘Bam’ and others.
If you refer to the illustration in the tweet, the “HUG” effect is also a part of lettering. Other sounds like that of walking or combat scenes complete a simple action and make it stand out.
To all behind the scenes artists and letterers out there, we wish Happy Letterer Appreciation Day! We hope we get to see more of your fantastic work in the future as well.
Source: Viz Media Tweet
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