The Big News – Yes, I work on the show

I’ve joked that for the last several years that thing I most commonly say to fans at comic book conventions is “I didn’t work on the show, I just drew the Young Justice companion comics.” It’s largely true.

When I say that I’m not trying to diminish that work on any way in comparison to the show, I’m very, VERY proud of the work I did on those comics. But a lot of fans see my Young Justice artwork and assume I worked on the show, or worse yet, that the show is somehow based on my work. So I’m always quick to clarify my role and give full credit to the amazing people that produce the show, including lead character designer Phil Bourassa and his team for creating the visual landscape I have been privileged enough to play in. Which results in “I didn’t work on the show, just the comic.”

Well that line is going to have to change.

In December I’m going to be moving to Burbank, California and will be working as a Storyboard Revisionist on Season 4 of Young Justice.

This is a huge, life-changing development for me. First of all is just moving to California. Aside from several months spent at Art School in Chicago I’ve lived in Minnesota all my life. I’ve visited the Los Angeles area many times, and even the Warner Brothers Animation facility where Young Justice is produced, but never imagined I’d soon be living and working out there.

This change is largely coming as a result of a conversation I had with Young Justice co-producer (as well as my friend and collaborator on the YJ comic) Greg Weisman in March when we were both at Emerald City Comic Con. I was expressing frustration with the state of my comics career. As much as comic book art was my childhood dream job, I confessed that I’d often thought I could also have been happy working in the animation field, but it seemed a bit late to be making that change, as I’d be starting all over again in a new field. Greg told me he didn’t think it would be as impossible a transition as I was describing, and suggested that if I was serious I should talk to his Young Justice co-producer Brandon Vietti about it.

I ended up talking to Brandon by phone and he was equally encouraging, and thought I could start out doing work storyboarding or as a Storyboard Revisionist. So I updated my resume for the first time in 17 years (no one hiring comic book artists asks to see a resume) and gathered samples of storyboard work I’d done on a few projects over the last decade and submitted them to WB Animation. And now I start in December!

What does a Storyboard Revisionist do? My understanding is that I take the rough boards drawn by another artist based on the script, and revise them as needed to bring them more “on model” for the character designs and make other small changes as directed, before the boards are sent overseas for animation. I’ll have a much better understanding of the logistics of all that by the end of the year!

So now I need to find a place to rent in Burbank (any leads or assistance from my L.A. friends is very welcome!) and organize the move! The life-transforming scale of this change is a little terrifying, but I can’t imagine doing this under better circumstances. On the one hand it’s a leap into the unknown but it’s freaking YOUNG JUSTICE and the people in charge are friends. I knew this show was leaving a huge footprint in my life, but this is crazy! I’m WHELMED! I’m FEELING THE ASTER!

And while I’m here, a couple of other Young Justice related notes:

• I haven’t heard anything new as far as more Young Justice tie-in comics, even though I think they’d be a GREAT way to keep the fans engaged during the long wait between seasons 3 and 4, which will be more than a year. Greg and I would still love to do them, but even if the comic was a digital-only exclusive on the DC Universe streaming platform, it’s still up to DC Comics.
• No, I don’t think I’m done drawing comics forever, but any comics projects will have to be scheduled around my animation commitments for the foreseeable future.
• Yes, I’ll be doing more Young Justice prints, including prints based on Season 3 characters. I’ve just needed the time to work on them and have been waiting to see all of Season 3 to decide what prints to do! (If I’d started before the 2nd half of the season, I’d have had a totally different idea of what group of characters were identified as being the “Outsiders.” I hope to have a couple of new prints done in time for New York Comic Con.
• The previous Young Justice prints I’ve done (along with my other superhero and Doctor Who prints) are available from my Etsy store or you can get them from me directly at my convention appearances.
  https://etsy.com/shop/ChrisJonesArt

I’ll try to do a better job of updating this page throughout the process of this transition, and share as much of the experience of joining the Season 4 team as I can, but I’m under NDAs which means I’ll know more but can say even less about what’s coming. As Greg likes to say… NO SPOILERS!

SYMBIOSI!

Young Justice RETURNS – Young Justice Outsiders

I spent years at conventions talking to fans of Young Justice who were heartbroken the show had ended after Season 2. I’d tell them all hope wasn’t lost and that it was possible the show could return.

Once both seasons of the series were on Netflix and Greg Weisman spearheaded the campaign to encourage fans to watch the hell out of it on that platform to show the demand for the series, rumors started popping up everywhere that a deal had already been struck to revive the show. So then the messaging shifted to telling fans “No, there was not a deal in place YET, but YES it could still happen.”

In November 2016 it was announced that the show would return on the new DC Universe streaming platform under the title Young Justice Outsiders. But it would be a long wait for fans, as the show was being announced at the BEGINNING of it’s production cycle, rather than close to a premiere as is more typical with animated series announcements.

All this time I had people congratulating me on the show’s return or otherwise assuming I was involved with the production. I’d explain that I was *never* involved with the production of the show, I was the artist of the tie-in comic and wouldn’t be directly involved in any revival unless the comic was revived as well. So many explanations and so much waiting…

It’s 2019 and the wait is ending.

January 2 will see “Torch Songs,” the first new Young Justice story since 2013 as part 1 of a new comic story by Greg Weisman and myself launches as a digital-only exclusive on The DC Universe streaming platform, with part 2 following the next day. It features a story set between seasons 2 and 3 of Young Justice, featuring Miss Martian, Superboy, Batgirl and Beast Boy dealing with the villainous Psimon.

Part 1:
https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/book/young-justice-outsiders-dc-universe-exclusive-2018-1/5a1692d9-aeca-4b5e-83cf-573bfda67f54

Part 2:
https://www.dcuniverse.com/comics/book/young-justice-outsiders-dc-universe-exclusive-2018-2/abfc4dd1-8ad6-4e51-8a5e-a503d4371ece

The Young Justice tie-in comics are written by Greg Weisman and are considered part of the narrative canon of the animated TV series. The original run of tie-in comics (issues #1-25) are available on The DC Universe in addition to this new story, so if you missed them this is the perfect chance to catch up! If the comics are popular enough there, it increases the chances of us being able to do more, in much the same way that the popularity of Seasons 1 and 2 of Young Justice on Netflix led to Outsiders being produced.

January 4 will at long last see the launch of Young Justice Outsiders, with three episodes per week released on The DC Universe through the rest of the month. After the first 13 episodes, the show will take a break until returning for the second half of the season in June. Producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti return, along with character designer Phil Bourassa and many of the same voice actors, writers, directors and crew that made Seasons 1 & 2 so special. This is not a re-imaging or a reboot, it’s the Season 3 the original storytellers weren’t able to do back in the day, just produced a few years later and without the restrictions of working for a Network.

I was thrilled to get to revisit the characters with a new comic book story. Greg and I would both love to do more, but if that doesn’t happen, it’s been a joy. I look forward to enjoying a new 26-episode season of Young Justice with all of you.

So with reaction videos becoming a thing for popular TV shows in the last few years, are you going to get reaction videos for episodes of Young Justice Outsiders? I say we should! #YJReaction

Who knows what the future might bring? More comics? Season 4? We shall see.

Christopher Jones Young Justice Prints for sale
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChrisJonesArt

Original Young Justice comic pages for sale on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/sch/cajones2001/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

Photos from Young Justice convention meet-ups
New York Comic Con 2013 Photos (including Young Justice meet-up)
New York Comic Con 2014 Photos (including Young Justice meet-up)
New York Comic Con 2015 Photos (including Young Justice meet-up)
New York Comic Con 2016 Photos (including Young Justice meet-up)

SDCC 2013 Young Justice Meet-up Photos

By all accounts the Young Justice Meet-up at San Diego Comic Con 2013 was a grand success. These meet-ups are a great opportunity for the creative team behind Young Justice to meet and talk to fans in a setting more informal than a panel, plus there’s a greater opportunity for photos and autographs. I’m soooo sorry I couldn’t be at San Diego Comic Con to be a part of this meet-up, but it looks like things went just fine without me!

Young Justice producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti hosted the event, with other members of the YJ creative team in attendance including Stephanie Lemelin (voice of Artemis), Jason Spisak (voice of Wally West/Kid Flash), Vanessa Marshall (voice of Black Canary), and writer of the original Young Justice comic book, Peter David! My apologies to others in the photos who I don’t know by their face!

Here’s a Newsarama interview with Greg and Brandon, from just before the meet-up.

And now without further ado, photos (courtesy of Brandon Vietti unless otherwise noted)!

Stephanie Lemelin (Artemis), producer Greg Weisman, Vanessa Marshall (Black Canary), Jason Spisak (Wally West), producer Brandon Vietti with other artists from Young Justice. (Greg, Brandon – Give me names and I’ll add them!)

Young Justice Meet-up SDCC 2013

Young Justice Meet-up SDCC 2013

Brandon Vietti rocking his Demon T-shirt with a great Nightwing cosplayer at the SDCC 2013 YJ Meet-up.

Wonder Girl and Nightwing cosplayers at the SDCC 2013 YJ Meet-up.

Spitfire Reunion! Jason Spisak (Wally West) and Stephanie Lemelin (Artemis), with Brandon lurking in the background.

Young Justice Meet-up at SDCC 2013
Photo Courtesy of AJ Draven