diff --git a/wax-prosemirror-components/src/ui/buttons/Dropdown.js b/wax-prosemirror-components/src/ui/buttons/Dropdown.js
index ffd67ef3f421a15e6715631e87e3c77659e779eb..6ee345b520926e72e25990bf7a0b1f02d53d7e67 100644
--- a/wax-prosemirror-components/src/ui/buttons/Dropdown.js
+++ b/wax-prosemirror-components/src/ui/buttons/Dropdown.js
@@ -9,11 +9,13 @@ import { grid } from '@pubsweet/ui-toolkit';
 const Wrapper = styled.div`
   font-size: 0;
   position: relative;
+  z-index: 2;
 `;
 
 const DropWrapper = styled.div`
   margin-top: ${grid(1)};
   position: absolute;
+  background: white;
 `;
 
 const Dropdown = props => {
diff --git a/wax-prosemirror-layouts/src/layouts/EditorElements.js b/wax-prosemirror-layouts/src/layouts/EditorElements.js
index 922a2f997102719ee69f804158ff89fadfe7dafb..d840dca6eced35561c4912e18eeafe5606c46248 100644
--- a/wax-prosemirror-layouts/src/layouts/EditorElements.js
+++ b/wax-prosemirror-layouts/src/layouts/EditorElements.js
@@ -36,8 +36,11 @@ export default css`
   }
 
   .ProseMirror .wax-selection-marker {
-    background-color: ${th('colorPrimary')};
-    color: white;
+    background-color: ${th('colorSelection')};
+    + footnote {
+      border: 1px solid black;
+      color: black;
+    }
   }
 
   div[contenteditable='false'] {
@@ -252,7 +255,7 @@ export default css`
 
     .active-comment {
       background-color: gold;
-      color: black;
+      /* color: black; */
     }
   }
 `;
diff --git a/wax-prosemirror-themes/src/coko-theme/index.js b/wax-prosemirror-themes/src/coko-theme/index.js
index 75ab0f31c73841a42312ae71f8bb2e0ce1c5f78b..54c45d7069224b9529dd426c47eac26b8d263888 100644
--- a/wax-prosemirror-themes/src/coko-theme/index.js
+++ b/wax-prosemirror-themes/src/coko-theme/index.js
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ const cokoTheme = {
   colorTextPlaceholder: '#595959',
   colorWarning: '#ffc107',
   colorBackgroundToolBar: '#D9D9D9',
+  colorSelection: '#D3D3D3',
 
   /* Text variables */