Jan 31, 2020

Storyboard artist for the film “Infinity Train” explains his work in comic form.

Sam Spina may have a dream job, but that doesn't mean every day is fun. The storyboard artist drew a 12-page comic that reveals the ups and downs, freedoms and insecurities of his career.

Spina got his break on Cartoon Network's “Regular Show” and HBO's “Close Enough” series. There he met fellow storyboarder Owen Dennis, who later invited him to join the show he created, Infinity Train; after the second season aired on Cartoon Network in January, Spina announced the comic on Twitter.

In it, he outlines the five-week storyboarding cycle on the show, from script reading through design, drawing, and pitching to cleanup. He speaks candidly about the pressure he is often under and his own concerns and shortcomings (impostor syndrome, tendency to procrastinate, etc.).

Along the way, Spina touches on his profession in detail, explaining the number of panels drawn per episode and the difference between script-driven and storyboard-driven shows. He is not the first to take us behind the scenes of the show; in December, Dennis released a flowchart explaining how the crew creates each episode.

The combination of candor, insight, and humor make Spina's comics a joy to read. He has previously drawn something similar about “Regular Show,” but the pipeline was slightly different then. Storyboards are an important stage of production and serve as a template for the direction of each shot, but the process is rarely discussed in public. These comics are the perfect entry point for anyone interested in learning more.

With Spina's permission, we reprint his comic “Infinity Train” in its entirety. For more of his work, visit him on Instagram or Twitter.