Entry 300!: 7-11 Nachos

One time I was abducted by Scientologists.

I was nineteen and I was alone on a small stretch of sidewalk somewhere in the vast expanse of the spiritual wasteland known as Orange County, California. A car pulled up beside me. Inside was a man and a woman. They seemed okay and they asked me if I wanted to see a movie. That Thanksgiving I had walked to the nearby 7-11 and purchased nachos. They were just a cheep bag of circular chips that you opened and pumped disgusting cheese and chilly onto yourself. I took those nachos home and I ate them. For Thanksgiving. Alone. Dying inside with each bite. So yeah, I got in the car. They could have been serial killers, but if they were going to torture me, at least I'd feel alive. The worst that could happen, I figured, is that I'd actually have to watch a movie. Turns out they weren't serial killers. They were Scientologists.

Entry 277: Enifinity Gauntlet #5

The end is here. The final issue of Infinity Gauntlet is out and the story is over.

Since this last issue came out the question I've gotten the most is: "Will these characters continue on in the regular Marvel Universe?" And there are some responses to the series that act as though, if these characters are not continuing then the content of this story, even if they enjoyed it, doesn't matter. I will point out that it would seem that most people are perfectly happy with a self contained stand alone story. So that's cool, but to address the question--

Entry 275: The Covers of Infinity Gauntlet.

The cover for Infinity Gauntlet #1 was never intended to be a cover. It was early on in the conceptual stages of the story when my editor at Marvel told me that they needed an image for promotional purposes. I had drawn some concept drawings but the story was still just an idea and hadn't been worked out. For instance, I knew Star Lord would be in it but I wasn't sure what role he would play. I also hadn't thought of including the dog. I didn't even know that this story would be set in Battle World or even what Battle World was. This is evident in my use of stars and planets on the cover. I had originally conceived the story as a space adventure.

Entry 274: Infinity Gauntlet Process

Here's a little peek at my process with creating Infinity Gauntlet.

I started by writing an outline for all 5 issues.

In a sketchbook I drew storyboards while writing a temporary first draft of the dialogue. Often the drawings would be on the right facing page and the dialogue was on the left in blue.

Entry 271: Infinity Gauntlet Covers 3,4,&5

That there is my cover for Infinity Gauntlet #3. That issue should be coming out some time soon, I think.

But that's not all! Here is my cover for Infinity Gauntlet #4.

Entry 270: Infinity Gauntlet #1

So, it's been a couple weeks now since Infinity Gauntlet #1 came out and I'm only just now getting around to posting about it. I hope you all picked it up.

Entry 267: Preview The Infinity Gauntlet #1

What you see here are the first three pages of The Infinity Gauntlet #1

I'll just leave it at that.

Actually, I do want to point out that the young girl, whose name is Keeley, is wearing a Beelze Bee t-shirt drawn by Ben Bates. What and who is Beelze Bee you ask. Beelze Bee is a comic concept Ben Bates and I have been developing. It will be a totally unique kind of comic. The actual name of Beelze Bee was created by our buddy Ben Dewey, who threw out the name as a joke, but Ben Bates heard it and thought, "no, I got an idea for that."

For more about Beelze Bee check out this stuff from Ben Bates' benbatesart.blogspot.com/2015/02/beelze-bee

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Entry 266: More Infinity Gauntlet NEWS

Hellllllllo, my friends.

I have been hard at work on The Infinity Gauntlet, and let me tell you, I'm putting a lot of work into it... Too much work. I should just be hacking this thing out and getting on with my personal projects, but I can't do it. I guess it's because I care too much... Plus, I've sort of turned this into a kind of personal project.

So, what you see above is the cover for issue #2.

Here is a look at my sketch for this cover.

Entry 265: Infinity Gauntlet NEWS

I first showed you this image back in November when this project was announced and now, finally, I can show you some more and talk a little bit about what this series will be.

First of all, on the image above, check out the new version of the old "Infinity Gauntlet" logo. It doesn't look bad. I actually wish this series was being called just "Infinity Gauntlet" as apposed to "The Infinity Gauntlet" because it's not THE Infinity Gauntlet. THE Infinity Gauntlet was the series that Jim Starlin created. This? well this is something different. Quite different. It doesn't seem right to give it the exact same title.

So just what is this story, you ask. Well I recently participated in a couple interviews on the subject and Marvel has shown some of my concept art.

Here's a look along with some of my answers in those interviews.

Q: While this story shares a name with a classic Marvel tale, where do the similarities end?

A: This is a very different story. We're certainly working with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet and all that that entails, but our focus is on an original cast of characters. This is a story about a family, growing up, being a parent, and about the uncertainty of the future.

Q: What kind of inspiration did you take from Jim Starlin’s original series?

A: When I was offered this job, I hadn't read any of Jim Starlin's original Infinity Gauntlet. Before I officially accepted the job I started reading the original and I was happy to find that there is really good stuff there. I could see why people like it. I knew that this would have to be different. There's no point in retelling that story. So, in a way, the original showed me things that this story shouldn't be. But the fun and creativity in the original is inspiring and I want to honor that by trying to create something new with that same spark.

Q: Were there other points of inspiration or other influences that had an impact on the direction of the book?

A: Oh yeah. I would say, in general, the work of Hayao Miyazaki is a big influence on me, but with this story in particular I've drawn inspiration specifically from Nausicaa and My Neighbor Totoro. The depiction of the family in Totoro and the action and dense page layouts in the Nausicaa comic were big reference points for me. I'm also setting out to make an action adventure sci-fi. So I've also found myself thinking a lot about filmmakers like Spielberg and James Cameron.

Q: The protagonists of this story are very different, with the family dynamic at play big time; where did this impetus come from and how do you find it’s adding to the work?

A: The idea to have a family at the center of this story came from editor Nick Lowe. I can't really speak to what inspired the idea for him, but I can say that I was fully on board with it. I think, since becoming a father, I've thought a lot about parenting and family. It's given me a new perspective on my own experience of growing up and on the future. I'm calling on all of this in thinking about the family in this story. The idea of family is rich ground to create a story from.

Q: Thanos appears on the cover of No. 1. What can you say about his role here? And how did you approach writing/drawing him?

A: Ah, Thanos... This is a more grizzled version of the character; he caries the weight of his experiences. He's colder, more mysterious, and impenetrable. But you can be certain, some things about Thanos will never change.

Q: Visually what are you going for here and how are you setting up your own art in the scripting process?

A: I'm doing this similarly to how I do my personal projects. I'm crafting a rough draft of the script simultaneously with the images. A big difference is that I'm kind of story boarding without much regard for layout and then going back to determine the page layouts... I don't really know how interesting this process stuff is. Suffice it to say that I'm aiming for a focus on exciting storytelling without relying to heavily on being "design-y" with the layouts. I will say that I think that this is easily my best work. I'm feeling really good about it.

Q: Were you given any particular mandates by Marvel for this new Infinity Gauntlet series? How much room is there for invention in the storytelling?

A: Yeah. Being inventive in the storytelling was actually the mandate. Sure, there are going to be certain parameters for a job of this nature, but those don't need to be obstacles for creativity. On the contrary, often parameters are what force you to be more creative.

Really, my feeling has been that what Marvel wants from me is to create in the way that I create. They've hired me to do what I do, and they push me to do it the best I can.

Q: Could you describe Anwen Bakian and the characters that will take readers through the adventure?

A: This is a story about a family. It's about being a parent as much as it's about growing up. Anwen is the older of two sisters. She is smart and courageous. She's in a difficult place of needing salvation and realizing that it might have to come from within, which I think is growing up.

Q: What familiar Marvel characters and artifacts will we see here? How does it tee up potential future cosmic stories?

A: I think the cover for Issue 1 kind of says it all. I'm not sure I want to say more than that. As for the potential for future stories, you're assuming there is a future. The future is an illusion. We merely endure the ceaseless cycle of beginning-and-end until finally oblivion, living forever in a world with no tomorrow... But, for one, this will not be so. For one there will be no oblivion, there will be Infinity.

Q: How would you characterize the overall tone of this series?

A: My hope is that it will be fun and adventurous with heart and intelligence.

You can see the articles these questions came from at 

Hero Complex.LA Times.com/ Comics/ Infinity Gauntlet No.1 Preview

Marvel.com/ News/ Comics/ Secret Wars Correspondence Infinity Gauntlet

Thanks for reading. I hope to have a new update on S.H.I.E.L.D. pretty soon and I'll be keeping you informed about Infinity Gauntlet as it goes.

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Entry 253: Infinity Gauntlet Teaser + Sag A* Concept Art + Dr. Who & Over the Garden Wall Fan-art

Hey! It's me!

Oh man, it's nice to be doing a blog entry. I've got a bunch of things I've been meaning to post about. So here goes. I'll get a handful of things done here in this entry.

First of all, the image I've posted above. What can I tell you about that?  This is a teaser image for my next Marvel job. It's loosely tied into the big Secret Wars event this next summer (2015). It will be kind of like my Edge of Spider-Verse issue in that it's a tie-in but also it's a self contained story where I'll have a lot of creative freedom. It's called Infinity Gauntlet, and though it has that tittle and marketing has teased it with the old "Infinity Gauntlet" logo, it will not be a re-telling of the old story or anything like that. It will be it's own thing and it will have a lot of me in it. Right now, we're still developing this. The teaser can be thought of as concept art.

Anyway, look for this next summer!

By the way, I colored that piece myself.

In other Marvel news: After I completed S.H.I.E.L.D. I proposed adding an extra 2 page sequence to it. It's like I just couldn't be done with it. I had to make it a little longer. Anyway, they let me do it. So, I finished the last issue of Shield-- AGAIN!

Also, I've got a few Avengers related covers coming up.

This is concept art for Sagittarius A*. 

I'm thinking I might be putting Sag A* on the back burner a bit so that I can focus all my personal work time to Amnia Cycle. I've been working towards getting Amnia ready for a print release. I'm not sure when it will happen but I want to have a lot done before I start putting it out. Maybe aiming for next summer would be good. I could have it released around the same time as Infinity Gauntlet... Is that a good idea? We'll see.

If you aren't familiar-- Sagittarius A* and Amnia Cycle are online comics I've been putting out. You can find them here:

Amnia Cycle

Sagittarius A*

The nice thing about Sag A* is that it's all written. I can return to it at any time. Amnia on the other hand is being written as I go. So letting it linger for too long means I can loose the thread.

What's this? Dr. Who fan-art? Why yes it is. 

Over the last several years now I've been enjoying the modern Dr. Who show and it's prompted me to go back and check out the classic Who. Until recently all I had done was go back and sample episodes from past Doctors. I quickly determined that Tom Baker was the guy I wanted to watch more of. I'd occasionally throw it on while I was working. Eventually I had watched all the Tom Baker episodes available on Netflix, and honestly it was only just starting to click with me. It took me a while to get into what it had to offer. So, not long ago I acquired the entire Tom Baker Dr. Who run and started watching it from the beginning and as you can guess I've become quite a fan of it. I've liked all the actors who have portrayed the Dr. in the modern version, and I've only scene bits of the other classic Dr.s, but I am of the mind that Tom Baker is the ultimate Dr. Who. He's perfect. I could go on, but suffice it to say that Tom Baker Who is my hero.

More fan-art!

I recently watched the animated mini-series-- Over the Garden Wall. I watched it with Lauren and Lucy and it was quite enjoyable. We all had a nice time with it. 

I often get caught up in this feeling that all entertainment is garbage. Most comics, movies, tv shows, books are all garbage. And, really, that isn't wrong. Most entertainment is junk food. That is how it is and has always been. It's a matter of fact. There is no reason that I should get so cynical about it. Getting cynical can keep me from appreciating the few good things there are to appreciate. 

So when I enjoyed this show and I recognized some things in it that I thought were of quality, it was one of those little reminders that I don't have to be cynical. 

The last thing I'll mention, and it's related to my cynicism, is that I joined Twitter!

That's right, I swore I would never do it, but I have. For me it's kind of an experiment. I'm checking it out, seeing if it's for me. It's been a few weeks now and I gotta say... I still don't know what to think of it. At this moment it feels like it's not a thing that I like. I think the spike in my cynicism is directly linked to joining twitter. But I also know that I felt this way about tumblr when I joined that and now... well now I'm just kind of numb to it...

Anyway! haha Follow me on Twitter! 

@DustinWeaver12

I'll hopefully be posting some more Amnia soon. Also I'm still going to do a post with a bunch of info on my Edge of Spider-Verse issue.

Till then.

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