Posts tagged: Brainiac

Creating a Cover: Young Justice #25

It’s time for another installment of my Creating a Cover series. As was often the case, this cover was being designed before I had seen the script for the issue in question, so I had to rely on a suggestion from series writer Greg Weisman for an idea of what would be appropriate subject matter for a cover. Greg suggestion was basically “Everybody versus Brainiac.” I hadn’t seen a script for our Brainiac (aka “The Collector of Worlds”) in action yet so I wasn’t sure what kind of offensive capabilities he was going to display. I figured I’d just have him in a “ready for action” pose and make it obvious that combat was imminent. The “everybody” he was going to be fighting included all the Young Justice Team members, plus members of the Justice League – everybody who had been seen up to this point on Brainiac’s ship or the ship belonging to our other villain Kylstar.

I asked if there was any one character who was the focus of the final showdown with Brainiac and I was told that there wasn’t. Because of that and the fact that this was going to be the final issue of our series, I didn’t want to emphasize one of the heroes over the others for the sake of a more dynamic layout, so the the challenge became how to include more than a dozen heroes fighting a single opponent, without giving any one of them the lion’s share of the focus.

As is often the case when trying to include this many characters on a cover, the way to organize them into a layout is a process of almost mathematical deduction. I knew what I wanted to do, but I felt the need to offer multiple options and present my reasoning.

YJ #25 cover sketch a

Sketch A

YJ #25 cover sketch b

Sketch B

YJ #25 cover sketch c

Sketch C


I presented three sketches to indicate the three basic approaches I saw as our options:

Sketch A places Brainiac at the center background with everyone else rushing him. The disadvantage of this approach was that while it makes for a compelling image, it puts most of the heroes in a position with their backs to the viewer – something I especially wanted to avoid on the cover for our swansong issue.

Sketch B takes more of the lateral view – viewing the gang-rush of heroes more in profile, with Brainiac down in the corner to allow the heroes to be more spread out and coming at him from both ground-level and from the air!

I felt the strongest option was the one presented in Sketch C – with Brainiac in the foreground, cheated “towards the camera” so we get a better look at him, but his attention clearly on all the heroes converging on him from the background. This option has the heroes coming at us front on, and gives us lots of open space to spread them across the cover, still leaving room for the logo at the top.

YJ #25 cover pencils prev

Pencils

YJ #25 inks cover prev

Inks


Happily for me, Sketch C was chosen so I proceeded to pencils and inks. This ended up being the only time I got to draw Lagoon Boy in his “puffed up” combat mode. This is also a great look at our version of Brainiac, who I was so happy to have gotten to design for Young Justice.

YJ_25_Cover

Final Cover

And finally, here’s the final version with color by Zac Atkinson complete with all the final logos and other trade dress.

I really enjoyed getting to draw so many of the covers for my run on Young Justice. I enjoy drawing covers overall, and I really enjoyed getting to contribute more fully to the total look and feel of the Young Justice issues I did, as opposed to The Batman Strikes were most of the covers were by other artists.

You can find my previous Creating a Cover installments here.

Young Justice Invasion: Volume 1 coming in December

Young Justice #20

Young Justice #20

Young Justice: Invasion – Volume One TP
Writers: Greg Weisman
Artists: Christopher Jones
Collects: Young Justice #20-25
$12.99 US, 160 pg

With Volumes 1-3 the collected tie-in comic for the Young Justice animated TV series in print, I had been hoping for some news on a Young Justice: Volume 4, but it seems instead that the last 6 issues will be collected as Young Justice Invasion: Volume 2.  It’s funny that they went that way – when we were talking about the comic making the jump to the timeframe from Season 2 of the show, there was talk of rebranding the comic as Young Justice: Invasion and getting a new #1 issue. But that didn’t happen – they just continued on with the existing title and numbering, just designating the “Invasion” storyline with a subtitle and numbering it as 1-6 of 6. I guess someone decided that Young Justice: Invasion Volume 1 was more marketable than Young Justice: Volume 4. Fair enough.

Young Justice #23

Young Justice #23

Young Justice #24

Young Justice #24

Young Justice #25

Young Justice #25


This was a fun run of issues to work on. Catching up with Season 2 of the show meant Dick Grayson as Nightwing and an influx of new characters such as Batgirl, Blue Beetle, Wonder Girl, and Lagoon Boy. Plus, our big Invasion storyline featured a trio of villains I got to design for Young Justice continuity – Brainiac, Kylstar and Deadshot. Plus the mutation of Match into our version of Bizarro. This was easily the most epic storyline we ever tackled in the comic, and I’m so excited to finally have it collected into a squarebound edition!

The book won’t be out until December. I’m not sure why there’s such a delay, but better late than never! Young Justice recently aired its final episode earlier this month on Cartoon Network. The series is set to remain in reruns for at least a couple more weeks before being shuffled out of the DC Nation programming block. A lot of people are looking for ways to show their support for the Young Justice series right now, and pre-ordering this would definitely be one way to do so! Or, you could just pick it up when it comes out because it’ll be a good read!

Until then, Volumes 1-3 of the COLLECTED Young Justice are available NOW!
Look for them at your local comic shop or bookstore, or order a copy online!

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VOLUME 1
Collecting #0-06! $12.99

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VOL. 2 – Training Day
Collecting #07-13! $12.99

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VOL. 3 – Creature Features
Collecting #14-19! $12.99

OUT NOW – Young Justice #24: INVASION 5 of 6

Young Justice #24

Young Justice #24

Young Justice #24, the latest issue of the DC Comics title based on the current Cartoon Network animated series of the same name, arrives in comic book and hobby stores today. Young Justice #24 continues its initial arc featuring the characters and setting from the Young Justice: Invasion second-season story-arc. Official details and preview pages are available below.

 

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YOUNG JUSTICE #24: INVASION 5 of 6
Written by Greg Weisman
Drawn by Christopher Jones
Color by Zac Atkinson
Cover by: Christopher Jones

• Deadshot attempts assassination!
• Batgirl fights alone against Match!
• Kylstar decimates Superboy and the Justice League!
• Nightwing’s team fails against Brainiac!

The cover price is $2.99US.
Be sure to pick the issue up at your local comics shop or in digital form!

 

And don’t miss the COLLECTED Young Justice!

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME ONE
Features issues #0-6. Cover Price: $12.99

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME TWO – TRAINING DAY
Features issues #7-13. Cover Price: $12.99

and coming NEXT MONTH:

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME THREE – CREATURE FEATURES
Features issues #14-19! Cover Price: $12.99
Release Date: February 13th, 2013

Mine, all MIne! (Until February)

Mine, all MIne! (Until February)

OUT NOW – Young Justice #23: INVASION 4 of 6

Young Justice #23

Young Justice #23

Young Justice #23, the latest issue of the DC Comics title based on the current Cartoon Network animated series of the same name, arrives in comic book and hobby stores today. Young Justice #23 continues its initial arc featuring the characters and setting from the Young Justice: Invasion second-season story-arc. Official details and preview pages are available below.

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YOUNG JUSTICE #23: INVASION 4 of 6
Written by Greg Weisman
Drawn by Christopher Jones
Color by Zac Atkinson
Cover by: Christopher Jones

Kylstar has imprisoned Superboy and four of the most powerful members of the Justice League on the moon! After he refuses to let them go, our heroes have no choice but to fight Kylstar for their freedom. Will they be strong enough to defeat him? Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter, The Flash and The Atom travel to Brainiac’s spaceship to convince him to release Metropolis from his force field. Can they change his mind or are the city and the heroes trapped within it doomed?

The cover price is $2.99US.
Be sure to pick the issue up at your local comics shop or in digital form!

Young Justice: Invasion returns to Cartoon Network with new episodes on January 5.

 

And don’t miss the COLLECTED Young Justice!

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME ONE
Features issues #0-6. Cover Price: $12.99

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME TWO – TRAINING DAY
Features issues #7-13.  Cover Price: $12.99

and coming in 2013:

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME THREE – CREATURE FEATURES
Features issues #14-19! Cover Price: $12.99
Release Date: February 13th, 2013

Out TODAY – Young Justice #22: Invasion 3 of 6

Young Justice #22 Cover

Young Justice #22 Cover

Young Justice #21, the latest issue of the DC Comics title based on the current Cartoon Network animated series of the same name, arrives in comic book and hobby stores TODAY.

In case you missed it, YOUNG JUSTICE has jumped five years ahead to mirror the hit Cartoon Network animated series, Young Justice: Invasion. The team’s new adventures continue in YOUNG JUSTICE #22.

Brainiac has trapped Metropolis within a force field and only the Young Justice team and the Justice League can save them! Little do they know, Lex Luthor’s secret weapon has just escaped and is ready to wreak havoc on the city. Can the teams save their friends and the citizens of Metropolis in time? Meanwhile, Superboy and four very powerful members of the League discover who has imprisoned them on the moon. Can they escape to help their friends on earth before it’s too late? Or will they be trapped in space forever?

YOUNG JUSTICE #22, in stores tomorrow, is written by Greg Weisman and illustrated by Christopher Jones.

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Preview Page 5

Preview Page 5


Young Justice: Invasion, and the entire DC Nation programming block, is currently on hiatus until January 2013. In the meantime you can get your fix with the Young Justice comic, so be sure to pick the issue up at your local comics shop or in digital form!

And don’t forget to grab your copy of the COLLECTED Young Justice! If you know a Young Justice fan, they make great gifts!

In stores NOW:

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME ONE
Features issues #0-6. Cover Price: $12.99

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME TWO – TRAINING DAY
Features issues #7-13. Cover Price: $12.99

and coming in 2013:

YOUNG JUSTICE: VOLUME THREE – CREATURE FEATURES
Features issues #14-19!
Release Date:
February 13th, 2013 Cover Price: $12.99