The Fun Home Color Palette

        

            Many times through various different art works the color palette of a project is meant to convey or

psychological impact the emotions perceived and felt. Movies in the Batman franchise feature dark, moody color

schemes likely due to Bruce Wayne’s isolation and deep depression he feels. Barbie, featuring Margot Robbie

showcased bright pinks and vibrant paired colors mimicking the fakeness and performance expected from women in

the world. Filmmakers can add in or remove saturation, take advantage of lighting in many situations, or even use

the color of clothing the actors wear and are surrounded by. 

In Fun Home by Alison Bechdel the entire story is color graded in a black and white color scheme with the exception of a faded or deep blue. In the beginning of the novel there is less black used, specifically in the background of the scenes. This could likely be due to the fact that these scenes were set in day time inside their museum of a house, but possible because of childhood lightness. As the book matures alongside Alison we see heavier topics introduced in fuller depth including her father's death which was potentially by suicide as well as her coming to accept/recognize her own sexual identity proudly. I think this darkness drawn in is no mistake and Bechdel did so to ensure a mental connection with the heavier parts of her life and memory of her father. 

Diving even more specific into this color grading on one of the final pages, page 221, where Alison sits in her father’s car and is waiting for each moment that she strikes up a conversation with her father about the book he gave her and how she had felt a difference in her identity since a youth. His reaction didn’t seem to satisfy quite what she wanted to hear from him. Bruce told his portion of his story, identifying two men he was implying he once had relations with. Then, after he expressed his past desires to dress as a girl Alison chimed in by stating how she once wanted to dress as a boy, but after that Bruce gave no response. No support was given to Alison’s experience, no reassurance, no apology, and no continued thought from Bruce that he appeared to give. In a natural response she could feel hurt, or once again alone, giving the dark color palette even more reason to take place. It is just as possible the light was dark due to the scene taking place at night, but even so, the last scene she had with Bruce was one under deep mood and colors included.

Comments

  1. Katie RasmussenMarch 18, 2026 at 3:07 PM

    Hi Annika! I think it was really cool that you chose this as a topic. One thing that always stood out to me was the relative lack of movement in that scene in the car. The small panels that all look nearly identical make it seem extremely confining to me, when most other pages in the book use a variety of panel sizes.
    Your description of the increasing darkness of the novel makes me think of peeling layers off an onion, or going deeper into a cave.

    Bechdel also used a monochromatic color palette (this time in red) for "Are You My Mother?", but her later autobiographical book "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" has these beautiful watercolors done by her wife Holly Rae Taylor. This is probably because she wanted the exercise book to be lighter in tone.

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  2. SaifMarch 23, 2026 at 8:25 AM

    Hey Annika! I liked the focus on how the blue-gray palette in Fun Home shapes the mood of the memoir, especially the connection you made between the darker visual tone and Alison’s final conversation with Bruce. I also thought your comparison to movies like Batman and Barbie gave your post an engaging hook, even though Fun Home uses color in a quieter way. I do wonder though if you think the darker palette reflects Alison’s emotions more, or rather her dad’s presence in her memory. Overall, interesting blog!

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