Entry 293: ECCC 2017 Commissions

Last time I had a table at a convention was in 2013. At that time I decided that I wasn't going to do another convention until I had a book of my own to promote. And with my creator owned series, PAKLIS, coming out this May, I finally have reason to get back on the comic convention train. So this year I went up to my favorite con, Emerald City ComicCon in Seattle, and of course I did some commissions. There's one just up above, and here are some more.

Entry 290: Venom Rider & Teenage Mutant Ninja BATMAN?

Dustin's Blog: Stardate 123456789 10 11 12...13       14

I've been watching a lot of Star Trek Next Generation lately. I'm having a great time. It's a great show! 

Okay bye.

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Dustin's Blog Supplemental:

I’ve spent most of the past year working on my upcoming creator-owned comic series, Paklis, which has been great. It's so creatively fulfilling, but I'm making no money. I won’t be making any money off Paklis until it’s published. To stay focused, I’ve been turning down all work-for-hire. So, I’ve basically just been living off savings, which is okay I guess. I did save it for this purpose. But it is stressful to watch funds dwindle as I work on a project that a big part of me fears people wont even like.

Anyway, immediately following the election, I guess the future just seem too uncertain and I had a moment of weakness and I excepted 2 paying cover jobs. So here those covers are!

Entry 285: Blast from the Past Part- 22

Hi. How's it going?

I'm doing fine. I'm settling into working at home. We've almost got everything done on Bebop and Rocksteady Destroy Everything, which is weird. To be done with a 5 issue series before anyone has read any of it is a new experience. It's nice actually. And, as always, there is the ever present possibility that I could, at any moment, tell you that S.H.I.E.L.D. is coming... (sorry to say that I can't say that yet)

Oh, man! I just realized that by the time I write an entry about the last issues of Shield, it'll have to be considered a "Blast From The Past" entry. It's been well over a year since I wrapped up the final issue and years since I drew the second to last issue... They'll come out... It'll happen.

There are some other exciting developments on the horizon, but I'm not here today to talk about the future. Today, once again, I dig into my box of past works and old sketchbooks to share with you yet another chapter of my creative development.

In 2004 I made a sketchbook to give to people at the San Diego Comic Con. I didn't have a table and I had no intention of selling copies of the sketchbook. I made them just to give to other professionals. I think. It's hard to remember why I did it. I guess I'm telling you what I ended up doing.

What you see above was the cover to that sketchbook. And here are some pieces that were in it.

Entry 182: Comic Con' France

That is a picture of me eating snails, which could only mean one thing. I'm going to tell you all about Comic Con' France!

It's actually been a few weeks now since my trip to Paris and I'm sure everyone on the entire Internet has been waiting with bated breath to know how my trip went? Well un-bate your breathes because it's time for my full Comic Con' France report, complete with photos and my commissions! Plus I have an extra bit of something as a bonus. So strap on your strap-on's and lets get this party started.

Entry 155: Blast From The Past- Part 12

My fellow dudes and dudetts,

I bring you another Blast From The Past.

Last time I did one of these entries I talked about my first comic book series, "Assassins Guild," which I did back in 2001-02. I also talk about how during that time I got an internship at Wildstorm studios. That internship started in early 2003, but before I get into talking about my time at Wildstorm, I've got a bunch of random drawings I want to show you, all done bettween 2000 to 2002.

Entry 144: ECCC 2012 Commissions

Oh, my brothers. Oh, My sisters. I drew till my fingers got blisters.

Not really. I just said that because it rhymed. My fingers don't have blisters. Calluses are what my fingers have, but that wouldn't have rhymed.

Anyway. So I'm back from the Emerald City Comic Con, and I've got commissions to show you!

Here's the first of the bunch.

Entry 132: NYCC Report

ALRIGHT!
D-WE here, and this is my New York Comic Con report.

Entry 110: ECCC commissions

Emerald City is now over. I survived. It was rough, but I made it through. And it's back to real work now.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hi. I signed a lot of Shield books and a lot of people had some really great things to say about the book. I really appreciated all the kind words.

I'm sorry to anyone who came up and wanted a sketch or a commission that couldn't get one because I was booked up. That's the first time that's happened to me. This was the first show where I actually had to make a real commission list. In fact, I over booked myself and I now have to get a few of those commissions done at home. I'm really sorry to you guys who have to wait a little longer.

Anyway, enough jibber jabber, to the art.

Entry 103: BATMAN-DIABOLIK

 

Here's a page from the ol' sketch book that I decided to through some quick colors on. I think it would be cool to do a crossover between Batman and the Italian comic character Diabolik and set it in the 60's. I've never read a Diabolik comic so my idea of him is completely based off the movie Danger Diabolik. He seems to me to be a lot like Batman, but he's a bad guy, and his sidekick is his hot girlfriend, Eva. I would want Batman to be a "cool version" of the Adam West Batman. Think the Adam West kind of look with a animated series kind of attitude.

Another DC comic, European comic crossover that will never happen, but that I think would be really cool: Superman-Metabaron

And here's Lauren's Poetry Corner!

Entry 75: Blast From The Past-Part 6

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts. This is part 6 in my "blast from the past" posts. I know, real original and creative name. It's a stupid name. It doesn't even make sense. It has the implication that you might remember this stuff. Like, "hey, everybody, remember this one? It's a real blast from the past. I'm having a blast just looking at it. Aren't you?"

Anyway, whatever.

If you're interested, here are links to the past entries. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.

The idea is that I'm chronicling my journey from first deciding that I wanted to draw comics to actually becoming a comic book artist and then all the way up to the beginning of this live journal. Each post represents a time period and whatever step I was taking at that time to get closer to my dream. It's a lot of material to get through. So here we go, another post.

In 1998 I was sending samples out to every company I could think of. I was sending Hiro pages, and Morph-man pages (see Blast from the past Part 5) This is when I decided to draw something that might appeal to both Marvel and DC and combine my 2 favorite super heroes, Batman and Wolverine.

The sample was 4 pages long. It began with Wolverine waking from a Weapon X dream. (Don't you hate those, Weapon X dreams I mean) Anyway, He and Jubilee are in Gotham for some reason and Batman has been following them, investigating whatever it is they're doing. Then they have a confrontation.

From these sample pages, the Hiro pages, and the Morph-man pages I got a lot of form-letters of rejection. I didn't mind. I knew that it was part of the proses. In fact I remember the day that I got my first rejection letter. I was actually excited about it. The only letter I ever remember getting where someone had taken the time to respond to what I had sent came from Marvel. I can't remember who wrote it. All that I remember about it was that the guy pointed out to me a few places where my storytelling wasn't very clear. He was right, and so I went back to the drawing board.

These pages I believe where done in late 98 to 99. So I was 20 years old. I had reached a point where I felt that I really needed to work from a script. I searched the internet for sample scripts and found one I liked. It was from this nothing little independent comic company's web sight. The script was 8 pages, and by the time that I finished it the company I got it from no longer existed. But the reason I liked the script was because it was generic. I could send it to any companies I wanted.

Again, I sent these sample pages out to everybody I could think of, and, again, the only one to give me a proper response was Marvel.
I'll talk more about that in my next "Blast From the Past" entry. 

One little note about these pages: I actually left the last page in the copy machine at Kinko's. I went back for it but it was gone and the employ hadn't seen it. Maybe it's out there somewhere. Who knows. Ever sense then I check and recheck every copy machine or scanner I use to make sure I'm not leaving anything behind.

Entry 23: A New Year

Hello! It's been a while. It's a new year! Hope you had a Happy Christmas and New Years. I had a very happy holidays. My girl friend and I visited my family in Michigan for a week where we spent Christmas with my mom, my brother, and my sister, which hasn't happened in a long time. Then we went and spent another week in Connecticut and New York visiting her family where we spent New Years eve on top of a building in Manhattan with an amazing view of the city. It was a great trip.
 Now I'm back, and I've got a lot of news, some of which I can't talk about yet... so I guess it doesn't count. I'll tell you what I can tell you.
 First: For the first time in my career I've been invited to be a guest at a convention. It's pretty cool to me. It's the Emerald City Con. I went last year just to check it out, but this year I'll be there with a table. The coolest part to me is that I'm listed on their sight as a guest. Here's the link Emerald City Con Guests. I'm almost all the way at the bottom as my name starts with a W.
 Second: Over my Christmas vacation I worked. I did 203 Lord Of the Rings Masterpiece 2 sketch cards. It was a lot of fun and a lot more work than I thought it would be. I'll be posting some of those cards for you to see soon.
 Third: I've finished the cover of Knights of the Old Republic #28. Issue 28 is part 4 of the highly anticipated first Star Wars comic crossover, Vector, and the cover will be the most telling yet about just what the crossover is about. So Stay tuned. Also, it hasn't been finalized but it looks like I'll be doing the covers for Kotor 29 and 30 as well. I've read the outline for those issues and I think fans of the series will be very pleased.
 My fourth bit of news is the bit that I really can't talk about. It's a new project that I'm really excited about. That's all I'll say.

 And last, I thought I'd leave you with 2 pieces I did as Christmas presents for my Nephews. I haven't done a lot of pieces as gifts, but I really wanted to do these for them. I don't get to see my sister and her family much, so it was important for me to do something special of her and her boys, Will and Cole. These pieces were done with gray markers then colored in photoshop. I printed them at 11x15, wrote "Merry Christmas Cole and Will From Uncle Dustin" on them with paint, and framed them.