Entry 292: Image Tributes

Long ago,

and, oh, so far away
I fell in love with you 

before the second show

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 284: Fan-Art

Hahaha I just started writing this blog entry and it went way off the rails. I wanted to simply talk about fan-art and I went down a path where I started philosophizing about art and shit. And I looked up, saw that I'm posting a picture of a Ninja Turtle, and thought, "what am I doing?"

So anyway, I deleted all that.

Hey look. I drawded a Ninja Turtle!!

Working on "Rocksteady and Bebop Destroy Everything" gave me the urge to draw a turtle. In fact, in B&R DE! I am drawing the turtles a little. So that puts this piece in almost a work/warm-up category rather than fan-art... but whatever. The last time I drew a Ninja Turtle for fun was probably in 2003. I think I would really like to do just one issue of the Turtles-- if I could write it, draw it and color it. I think that would be a blast.

Speaking of "Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything!" Ben Bates and I did a short interview about it you can find here:

Dynamic Forces Interview: Bebop & Rocksteady

 How bout some more fan-art?

Entry 278: Back to the Future, Ogun, Wolverine, Alabaster, & More

Back in Entry 268 I talked about the mostly frivolous activity of thinking about what I would do if I were to take on an existing property. The Challenge goes something like this: "You have to create a comic book series based on (blank). You can do it however you want. You have total freedom. What is it? What do you do?" I don't go to far with it, just get a rough direction.

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 268: Gremlins & Blood Wulf

So I share a studio space with my pall, Ben Bates. Ben is a comic creator. He was my collaborator on Bebop & Rocksteady and he's done a bunch of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, My Little Pony, and Ninja Turtle comics. I spend a lot of time with him. Both of us just sitting in a little room drawing away. While we draw we often talk. Mostly we talk about things we've watched and read, but sometimes we challenge ourselves to conceptualizing and break a story. This is a lot of fun and often we come out of it with a lot of ideas. Sometimes those ideas are things that we can save for some future project. Sometimes we're actually talking about real work stuff. But sometimes we just have some fun thinking of how we would tackle an existing property.

Not long ago we got on a kick of brainstorming how we might handle a whole bunch of different properties. We came up with a lot of sketchy ideas for Predator and Aliens and Predator vs. Aliens. I actually started developing an idea that I think could be a pretty cool Alien on-going series.

None of this stuff will ever happen mind you. I'm never going to do an Alien comic. It's just too much work to pour into someone else's property. But it's fun to think about none the less. Plus a lot of these ideas can easily be transformed into an original concept.

Anyway, I asked Ben what he would do with Gremlins. "If you could do a Gremlins comic, you have complete control, no editorial meddling, what do you do?" I think because there has never been a Gremlins comic, this one got us a little more pumped than a lot of other. We ended up hashing out almost a whole Gremlins story.

I was enjoying the idea so much that I drew these Gremlins sketches you see above.

On the subject of creating your own take on an existing property, I was recently thinking about Brandon Graham's take on Prophet and Joe Keating &Sophie Campbell's Glory. Both of those are, of course, Rob Liefeld properties. I never read the original Prophet series, but it's clear that Brandon and company have really done their own thing with it. I find myself asking if it's even really the same thing at all.

The one Liefeld character that I think I could really sink my teeth into is Blood Wulf. I only ever read his first appearance in Darker Image, but I remember liking it. I like those old Lobo comics that inspired the creation of Blood Wulf and I think I know how that kind of character should work. Thinking a bout this inspired me to draw this Blood Wulf drawing. I wouldn't want to change what a Bood Wulf comic should be. My instinct when thinking about working on an existing property isn't to reimagine it, making one thing into something else, but rather to lean into it. Figure out what that thing was supposed to be, what it really wants to be, and then try to make it the best version of that thing. I think you can see this philosophy in Bebop and Rocksteady.

I'll end by saying that I can't imagine circumstances where I would be making an Alien comic, or a Gremlin comic, or a Blood Wulf comic... Who knows though. Never say never, right?

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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 260: Edge of Spider-Verse #3 COMMENTARY

Hello, my friends-

In this blog entry I'll be doing a kind of commentary on my Edge of Spider-Verse issue. I promise to not make it too long. After this you'll know everything there is to know about this issue. 

So, grab your copy of the issue to read along and I'll get right to it, starting with the cover.

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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Entry 242: Fan-art for JODELLE

I did this fan-art for Guy Peelaert's The Adventures of Jodelle a while back.
Fantagraphics's recent reprint of this is a really cool book with a lot of bonus material. I highly recommend it.

Check out a bunch of fan-art by me right here Fan-Art

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Entry 225: AMNIA CYCLE pages 50,51,&52

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

We've passed the 50 page mark! 

Let's see, what else do I have to say this week? 

Braeburn is a species of alien I made up in high school. I had a young super hero girl character of the same species. It's fun pulling from past creations. Also, Braeburn's name was inspired by the apple... Zigzag's name is inspired by a dog I met...

None of this is that interesting.

Till next week, friends!

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Entry 224: AMNIA CYCLE pages 48-49

Check out

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

It's Monday and you know what that means-- a new episode of The Bachelor! 

Are you guys excited about tonights episode of The Bachelor? I know I am.

Anyway, Monday also means more pages of AMNIA CYCLE! (not as exciting as The Bachelor, but I'm only one man here. I can't compete with that magical match making dumb-athon)

I feel bad cutting this scene in mid conversation, but I have to pace this stuff out. Next week I think I'll do a three pager. 

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Entry 222: AMNIA CYCLE pages 46-47

Aaand We're back!

Here we go, Amnia Cycle Chapter 3 has begun. Tara has landed. She'll get to stretch her legs after being in that cockpit for a chapter and a half. And I've got some fun ideas about this planet that I'm looking forward to revealing.

I've been thinking about how long AC will end up being and I'm thinking it will be ether 8 or 10 chapters. So that's roughly 176-220 pages. I'm aiming for the 8 rather than 10 chapters.

Come back next week for the next installment.

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Entry 217: AMNIA CYCLE Chapter 2 Cover

I'm leaving in just a few hours to go visit my family for about a week. But before I go I wanted to show you guys this.

AMNIA CYCLE 
Chapter 2 Cover

I'll be starting Chapter 3 here pretty soon. So keep checking in for that.

And you can read all of Chapter 1 and 2 right here:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

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Entry 214: AMNIA CYCLE pages 42,43,44,&45

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

The End of Chapter 2

YAY! I did it. Two chapters done. Forty five pages. I've drawn more pages for this than any other personal work. It's very exciting for me.

So yeah, another four pages this week, which means that I'll be taking next week off. Also, since this is the end of a chapter, I'll be taking an additional couple weeks off before starting the next chapter, so it will be a while before I start getting chapter 4 pages up, but, in the meantime I will have a sweet Chapter 2 cover to show you guys and a Chapters 1&2 Recap thing that I think is pretty cool. So, if you are wanting more Amnia, I'll be getting you little fixes to tied to over.

Anyway, so did you see this ending to Chapter 2 coming? Did you know that Byzner was going to fall into a giant strange energy ball? I certainly didn't. When I started this issue, I didn't know. But, I was happy when I realized what was going to happen and I'm very excited about where all this is going.

So there you go. Thanks

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Entry 213: AMNIA CYCLE pages 40-41

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

We're just a few pages from the end of Chapter 2. Hear that rumbling? That's the exciting chapter finale coming at you. 

It's kind of funny. I was meaning to look up some real info on caves and underground rivers before I finalized this and put it up. As it is, I'm just making stuff up. Whatever I guess. 

Next week I'll put up another 4 page entry. So see you back here then. It's going to be fun!

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Entry 211: AMNIA CYCLE pages 38-39

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

I'm back this week with some more Amnia Cycle. 

With this scene we return to the planet Trixae where Amnia went missing and where Tara discovered that the Nureal had dug up Amnia's ship, the Plinius. You'll remember back on page 25 (I think) that Captain Zoltan tells Byzner to go investigate this place. 

By the way, I have put together a recap of the story so far, that I will be putting up after chapter 2 concludes. It should help if you are getting lost with the places and names.

Next week, find out what Byzner and his crew discover deep below the planet's surface, in a cavern where a space ship was buried.

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Entry 207: AMNIA CYCLE pages 34,35,36,&37

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

 
That's right, four pages this week. Exciting huh?

Also, my first splash page for this series. Followed immediately with the second splash page.

So the idea of planets connected by an ocean is an idea that I had in high school. In a creative writing class I wrote a sci-fi story where two planets were connected by an ocean. The plot of that story had something to do with a voyage through the ocean and a sea monster.

The idea doesn't work at all in the real world, but I always liked the visual of it in my imagination. I'm glad to give that idea a home here in Amnia Cycle.

Next week-- No Amnia Cycle. Sorry, but hey, double post this week... Actually, next week I'll be starting my other webcomic, SAGITTARIUS A* It's another sci-fi  about a space fighter piolot, but other than that, it's a very different story told in a very different way.

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Entry 206: AMNIA CYCLE pages 32-33

Amnia Cycle

Read Chapter 1

Read Chapter 2

now

Gosh. Trying to get these posts up every week has really cut into my posting about other things. I mean, there have been a few comic issues with work by me to come out and I haven't even mentioned them here.

I'm going to have to catch up.

Anyway. I'm excited for next weeks Amnia Cycle. It will have the first splash page of the series so far.

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Entry 205: AMNIA CYCLE pages 30-31

Amnia Cycle

Read Chapter 1

Read Chapter 2

now

 That's right! 

Tara has followed the Nerial to a mysterious planet in the Shadow Zone! Will she be able to find Amnia and her ship, The Plinius? Will her engines explode and send her crashing? 

Tune in next time when NONE of those questions will be answered!

Oh and really soon I'll be starting my other webcomic Sagittarius A*-- I'll keep you posted.

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