While my mind is still on the printing process, and to follow up on a post I did a while back, I'm going to show some example of what I think is a true four-colour hero.
Doctor Fate is one of my favourite DC heroes, and I like him because technically, Doctor Fate is the printing process. Observe:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJtKkg7igDKlrqnpV40E5bqqlu0vK8M5PvMEm_EGz3gdyEOt_CeWfcyqyR2qhFA_Frx8NLwvU7VBJDyNh8AHa6ZMxtBfxEcLa6s3qWUp5qzNXkwAnl7ZTTaISyL6SJSBrfYUVkvaGYwQ/s400/fate2.jpg)
Tatjana Wood is the colourist for these pages, and I think she's one of the best. Her work on 'Swamp Thing' is incredible and she has a true mastery over mixing inks and knowing when to let them stand on their own for impact. Check this panel out:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_-xUchAFAvIgWDfTnZaLk4WsvhvgtcLg1LjcgVf76kE3qfAR-uy4cq85gfcqveu-2eezfAi-xwSWSbT83THpnlqrPVfjPMpkwhXYvQE-n3uybNcRYTK06b_UZfQVpSgbF-yCUG6bHp0/s400/fate1.jpg)
And just to bring it home, this incredible panel which, as above could almost be a spot-job.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqTJM_AsWKustf0siQUXct5iqNzihM-SCHwolcOsS6RLiQK-pjmkUiLHuEChevQ3d_uETyZCQZRMe3TCFh5pXs6AY9ez3Isezg9FjEtsip063u8LSDc8IAHAJa4UEj4Wb5GT67GZG__c/s400/fate3.jpg)
The four-colour process is essentially four spot inks screened together to give the illusion of colour, but I love in these examples how they are used as the colours they are unmixed, and either at 100% or screened back a little.
[Art by Keith Giffen and Larry Mahstedt, 1985]