"I generally don't jump into a conversation that's gone this long with it going one direction. To be clear, I'm just here to provide a little info on how things are done on the restoration side of things and not to change anyone's mind (the color aesthetics used in restoration don't match the color choices that I prefer to use for my own coloring work either).
So here goes. I have, and still do restoration work on the Marvel Masterworks line of books. While these example pages aren't ones that I've done, the ones I've worked on have a similar look.
Color options. We work within the 64 color palette for interior pages that were originally used (as far as I know) The percentages of each color are combinations of 25%, 50% and 100% without using gradients. Covers get gradients as well 70% colors.
How we pick the colors. We get high resolution original scans of printed comics as reference and choose colors based on how the printed dots look. Small dots are 25%, bigger dots (or diagonal lines, depending on the era) are 50% , and solid colors are 100%. The interpretation isn't based on me looking as them as an artist, but rather as me looking at them as a someone doing production work following rigid guidelines that have been established for consistency. We essentially color separate digitally.
Why it looks janky. Probably a hodge-podge of reasons. Different paper and printing techniques for sure. The dots would bleed and overlap and create a better transitions while the current printing comes to an abrupt stop. The paper would absorb the ink and mute the colors nicer. The list goes on and on.
So, that's mostly it in case anyone was curious. Despite what the comments I've read may indicate, we're not just hacking things out and picking randoms colors based on our mood. We do the best we can with the system that's in place. It's not a perfect one for sure, but it establishes clearer rules to follow across the product line. We're not paid to be colorists on these, and our rates are reflective of that. However, that doesn't mean we don't care about the end product.
And again, to reiterate, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind at all. This is more to provide some information to people who are asking "How the hell could this happen?!" in a non-rhetorical way."
as posted by someone who currently does Masterworks for Marvel, the color choices aren't in their control. The editors want them to be art robots, matching the color codes to the original comics with no real artistic interpretation used. Jose wouldn't want to work under those conditions, especially for the pay.
I didn't work on the Conan books, but I know the person who worked on them. We both also work for the same editor. Our goals are always technical accuracy in terms of color choices, however the mood doesn't always very over due to the change in printing methods. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up for debate. As far as I know, this is the method preferred by the fanbase that buys the marvel masterworks line due to the technical accuracy, but I know for sure not everyone likes the look of it. Many artists I know aren't fans of it due to how oversaturated everything can look. I also personally prefer a more mutated look myself.