My Journey Short Comic By Ant Andujar Jr 2018

During the duration of 2018, I was going through some stuff, and whenever I had something i wanted to express, I illustrated it into my personal sketchbook. I knew that whenever I was illustrating a sketch in my sketchbook, It was something that felt like it belonged to an anthology of some kind because I kept drawing things that were cyberpunk esque. In between animating, scraping pages for other comics that I was working on with collaborators, and then joining the interpreting program at laguardia community college after obtaining my associates in Fine Arts, I felt ...lost. at times I felt lost, impatient, angry, frustrated, etc. But I always went back to that sketchbook. 

I remember hesitating to draw in this particular sketchbook for a couple of reasons that I won't] disclose. But my friend Stephanie.J. blessed with me with a sketchbook that became a great device to visual regurgitate ideas that inspired various concepts that I could turn stories out of. WIth that I realized that I could create anything that comes to mind, and that's when it lead to this short comic. Artists, most especially illustrators are magicians/ wizards/ sorcerers. Creating something out of thin air, creating something out of nothing, making a space where something on a two dimensional page will feel more three dimensional and more real than any conversation and voice that they hear on a daily basis. 

So I went with that, exploring the various worlds that inhabit the mind of an illustrator such as myself. While I was working on this personal projects Stan Lee passed away. I grew up on a lot of his stuff, reading his X-men,Fantastic Four and most definitely his stuff on Amazing Spider-man with Steve Ditko. I remember that pushed me to go to my sketch book, to take those personal pages and turn it into a comic. After I finished taking one of my finals for intro to field interpreting. I scanned the selected pages  and started  digitally coloring these pages... I Went for a Bill Sinkevich and David Mack approach when I was drawing this stuff loosely and then i would draw heavily detailed stuff to contrast with it all. 

There are various things I'd like to bring to life, but find difficult due to finding other illustrators that have the same enthusiasm, or being bogged down by the natural pace at which human beings draw hahaha. I don't know if this will help people through depression, It definitely won't cure cancer, and most likely won't change the situations that occurs in ones life. But I at least hope that It can inspire action. i hope it inspires my fellow artists to take action to create what they want to create regardless of what they are told. SO i hope this helps you in your journey as it is helping me as I enter 2019. Also, I'd like to wish a birthday shout out to the homie Johnathan Acosta, Happy Birthday man! Dope! You share the same B-Day as Stan lee. I Also want to thank @obey_thelaw /@unbothered_thoughts for being one of my reference models for the muse section of the short comic. Ya'll should check out her writing and poetry. Anywho, See ya soon folks!

Update: 1/10/19 There is a news article https://www.newsweek.com/brain-structure-hidden-architecture-multiverse-dimensions-how-brain-works-624300

that I forgot to add that this project was inspired by. I love work from Grant Morrison (especially his multiverse DC Comics stuff) and Warren Ellis (I'm a fan of Planetary). Read this article about how the human brain is able to see 11 dimensions and create multiverses. Artists and writers do it all the time. During a conversation with my Language in Use Professor (for the ASL interpreting program) Christine Monikowski there was a moment where we talked about the evolution of language, and it eventually lead to a brief conversation about Displacement in language. The concept of Displacement (being able to talk about what ifs, hypotheticals of things that have not, could, or will not ever happen in time) especially in language.  Especially when theorized is that its always possible that any one person can conjure up a sentence that has never been uttered before just makes this short for me all the more enjoyable to have made and will continue to make. Anywho, enjoy!

The Comics That I've Completed thus far

For the past few years I've been working on some comics that I've made on my own, or collaborated with fellow co-writers, contributing colors to, or still currently working on. It's been a joy to see my progress and how much i've improved in various areas. I'm still working on some content that I can't show just yet but I look forward to completing them and showing them to you without spoiling nor giving away the entirety of the plot and the details that it may contain.  But I figured to save you guys the trouble of trying go through the entirety of it all, I figured I'd save you the entirety of your search and put the comics that I've completed on here:

 My first comic from 2015: 

https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2018/12/memory-detective-2015-my-first-comic.html

I also have a short 3 page comic series that I created with Joanthony Jimenez and Carl Cook called 3 Page Action Hour. Its inspired by anthology comics like Heavy Metal, 2000 AD, saturday morning cartoons, Adult Swim, etc. The goal was to do an exquisite skeleton of a project  where each of us illustrators would come up with a story in three pages, and then pass it to the next artist to see what they would come up within 3 pages. Each of us would come up with our own characters and worlds. SO i figured that approaching this like a newspaper strip was the best idea to encourage some creative freedom and creative productivity whenever any of us wanted a break from the continuity heavy projects of our own. I've submitted some of the stuff to Hunted Hero Comics which is a student comic anthology magazine that's published by Hunter College. I figured that It was good to have something published no matter how minut and if its made in short bursts, it could compile into something that would develop in a good way. Anywho, I'll add a seperate post so you could read the latest chapters. But for now here is where you could read the first short.

Hunted Hero Comics Issue 16 (3 Page Action Hour)
https://issuu.com/huntedherocomics/docs/issue16online

Proto Saga (2016/2017):

https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2018/12/proto-saga-fan-made-comic-20152017.html

I Can't Remember (Amnesiac Mage) 2017:

https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2018/12/i-cant-remember-amnesiac-mage-2017.html

Stan Lee tribute collaboration with Jose Garcia:
http://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2018/12/stan-lee-avengers-infinity-war-end-game.html

Update: 12/29/18 I dropped my latest comic on Stan Le's 96 birthday! Here ya go! My Journey (short comic)

https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-journey-short-comic-by-ant-andujar.html

My OC for the #Spidersona challenge
https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/01/my-oc-character-knight-spider.html?m=1

 Spidersona comic Knight Spider:

http://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/02/knight-spider-short-comic-by-anthony.html

Valentines Day silent Spidey short comic:
http://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/02/spidey-in-rush-valentines-day-silent.html

Connected Short Comic: https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2020/04/connected-short-comic-out-now.html

Black and White Anthology Short Comics:

Galactically Guilty (Anthology short comic #1) 2019:  
http://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/03/february-13th-this-morning-i-decided.html

Man Made Weapon (Anthology short comic #2) 2019:

http://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/07/so-how-did-this-short-comic-develop.html

Life Is But A Nightmare (Anthology Short Comic #3)  2019:

https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/11/life-is-but-nightmare-anthology-short.html?m=1

Final Round (Anthology Short Comic #4) Dec 2019:
https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2019/12/antdujar94-comics-anthology-final-round.html?m=1


That time I got fan art published in Immortal Hulk issue 23:
http://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2020/01/that-time-i-got-my-fan-art-published-in.html

The Last Valentines Day on Earth (Anthology Short Comic #4)  2/14/2020:
https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2020/02/antdujar94-comics-anthology-5-last.html

Drive to Eden (Anthology Short Comic #5)  2/25/2020:
https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/antdujar94-comics-anthology-5-drive-to.html

K-20-AD (Anthology Short Comic #6) 3/29/2020:
https://aajcomicsnstuff.blogspot.com/2020/03/antdujar94-comics-anthology-6-k-20-ad.html


       These are only some of the projects that I've been working on in between completing my associates as a Fine Arts Major, Joining the ASL interpreting program, volunteering, working, animating animatics etc. The point is, I utilize as much as my free time as I can.

Here is what I've been up to as of late:

I'd like to show more but this is as good as it gets for now. I'm working on getting more of this graphic novel done over the winter break, along with the other comic that I'm working on with (Will and Jose.S) so hopefully you'll see it sooner than later! 

See ya !

Stan Lee Avengers: Infinity War/ End Game tribute

        My Asylum co writer Jose Garcia (@brainslug_art @koalatheviolator )illustrated up this amazing tribute short fan comic. A lot of people and myself loved the short. Immediately , I asked my co writer if I could digitally color it. He gave me his Blessing and within a day and some hours I colored this up on my phone using Autodesk. "Excelsior" a little comic of what I think Stan Lee's final cameo would/ should be. Based on comics that he wrote and a couple things he's said in interviews I would hope it is the most important cameo yet that would lead to the continuation of the mcu. Before this moment they finally defeat thanos at the cost of many lives and cap is left with a decision. Stan Lee (who has been at the question of who he could possibly be) outs himself as being Eternity and talks to Cap through the power channeled in the glove which he did not do or could not do with thanos because of the war going on at the moment he brought together the stones. They have a much longer convo than I wrote out, but it brings the idea to cap that he wants to restart/bring back everything in the universe but differently. More so to save those he believes should be alive as well as solve the valid issue thanos thrived to fix.      
      After the snap at the end of this scene, everything would be somewhat normal to how the universe is supposed to be with a few minor exceptions. They would very, but mostly allow the creators of the mcu to adjust the universe how they please with new characters and ending of actors contracts. The main changes how ever would be that cap is dead, either having been dead after ww2 or have given his life in exchange to all the ones who would have died and fix the universe. This would be a scene directly after the snap and maybe a tombstone somewhere behind caps to honor stan lee and jack Kirby. " -brainslug_art. You can read the rest of his synopsis at his page. Please share this, and tell us what you think.

 #brainslug_art #artwork #illustrator #illustration #comicbookartist #comicbooks #antdujar #antdujar94 #anthonyandujarjr #nyc #anime #manga #mangaka #art #avengers #stanlee #superhero #superheroes #infinitywar #wip #marvel

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Anthony-Andujar-JR-ART-161045157283284/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1912110802176702

I Can't Remember (Amnesiac Mage) 2017

I made this short comic in collaboration with my homie Sam. L. At the time we were talking with two other illustrator friends of ours about ideas of a shared universe that stems from countless different worlds etc. After a while, I was anxious to at least start on that project, so I consulted with my co-writer of this project, and he and I wrote up a short prologue chapter. Will we come back to this concept and series? Possibly. One day. But until then, Enjoy this one!-Ant Andujar. 

PROTO SAGA a Fan Made Comic (2015/2017)

This is a fan comic that I made with my co-writers Willinzy Jonri and Jose Sanchez. I was not fond of the idea of doing a fan comic, until I thought about it for portfolio purposes. Willinzy, Jose.S. and I first met in Dean Kostos Creative Writing class (2015/2016) at Laguardia Community College. Our professor was  assigning students who had a similar writing style and tone for a 1 act play. So, once that happened, my co-writers didn't know that I was an illustrator and when they found out about it, they kept asking me to do a comic with them. We had such a rapport that one way or another it was gonna happen. It took 4 months to illustrate what we storyboarded (two months prior), and then it took a week for me to digitally color on my phone and on my ipad using Autodesk.  Since then, we've been developing some content (which you'll see  sometime soon). This first chapter of the silent comic is based on the song "Hope Rides Alone" by the band The Protomen. So with that said, I hope you enjoy this piece of work. -Ant. A.