Tony Weaver Jr. Interview on Webtoon Uncommons Launch

In an exclusive conversation with CBR, Tony Weaver Jr. discusses The UnCommons, now on Webtoon.

Interview: Tony Weaver Jr. on Webtoon’s The UnCommons Launch

Webtoon Interview with Tony Weaver

The UnCommons by Tony Weaver Jr. and Weird Enough Productions is the platform’s latest Webtoon Original, about a group of powerfully uncommon teens. Weird Enough Productions celebrates diversity in this fantasy series.

The UnCommons’ distinctive storytelling and message were discussed by Webtoon creator and Weird Enough Production CEO Tony Weaver Jr. His inspiring humorous journey and charity initiatives in mental health and young literacy garnered him Forbes 30 Under 30, CNN Champion for Change, and AdColor Influencer of the Year awards. Tony Weaver Jr. previews The UnCommons’ Webtoon debut and Season 1.

The UnCommons is a Webtoon Original. What brought you to digital comics and how you got to Webtoon?

Tony Weaver Jr.: The UnCommons was a great learning experience for me since I read a lot of comics, manga, and anime as a kid, but I didn’t know how to make a work like that. However, when I looked at print publishing and the limits for creating an audience and delivering things in a precise, timely manner or cadence, I was driven to digital comics. Webtoon reminds me of the excitement I felt when my parents took me to the grocery store and there was a new Shonen Jump volume in the magazine department. That’s Webtoon. When your phone alerts you, “Oh boy, I got something new.” The platform’s regularity will foster audience loyalty, I think.

The UnCommons’ inspiration?

The UnCommons emphasises uniqueness. It’s about that thing about you that stands out from your surroundings, that thing you might feel ashamed of or nervous about. Our characters learn such strengths during this novel. Iris inspired The UnCommons for me. Iris is an awkward optimist who tries to see the good in the world despite her lack of social conventions, especially because she’s in a different nation at the start of the series. In the first chapter, she states, “My parents see the world in black and white, but I just can’t see things like that.”

That’s why I founded The UnCommons. Today’s society is full with negativity, kindness, and individuals giving up on their aspirations because they don’t see a way forward. Second Sight describes Iris’s vision. When they read the series and see her peering into the future and trying to change it, I hope they have a Second Sight for themselves. That objective is attainable. The story’s energy came from that.

Iris’s Webtoon Interview

You’re the CEO of Weird Enough Productions, a creator collective and ed tech firm, and the first comic creator to be named in Forbes’ “30 Under 30.” Tell me about your philanthropy and its significance.

The UnCommons excites me because stories saved my life. These people, storylines, lessons, and motifs helped me believe in myself when I couldn’t do it alone. I knew when I started writing The UnCommons that putting it on the page was only the beginning since I’ve seen firsthand how stories can change our perspectives on ourselves and the world.

Weird Enough creates stories like The UnCommons. We also partner the series with educational initiatives that support mental health and youth literacy so that the next generation of young people who are weird or uncommon can learn to love that and really embody it so they don’t have to deal with the darkness that previous generations did.

When we receive awards like Forbes 30 Under 30, CNN Champion for Change, and AdColor Influencer of the Year, I know I’m doing my job. As a storyteller, I don’t just come up with these concepts. Stories offer chances. It allows for dialogue. An opportunity to help. I think that’s what makes The UnCommons so ambitious.

UnCommons Interview

Can you explain how you created your own art style and story?

I believe Weird Enough’s collective style influences ours. Like the Dragon Balls, Weird Enough’s UnCommons squad is spread over the world. We have Americans. Our team members are in West Africa, the Philippines, and elsewhere. We enjoyed and were inspired by our style. We discussed our childhood influences. I’m a Mega Man Battle Network fan. Winx Club and W.I.T.C.H. influenced too. Our creators agreed.

We took inspiration from several things and added what was missing. I don’t see many people of colour discussing these technologically advanced things. That’s there. People talk about mythology and fantasy, yet most fantasy pantheons are Eurocentric. Pulling from various cultures’ pantheons, what does it look like? How does West African mythology influence? How can you combine Aztec and Guatemalan mythology into a story?

We see a lot of stuff talking about technology and its great things, but we want to explore what it’s like to grow up in that society and have characters who live in that world. What unforeseen repercussions are there? It’s pretty, but does it offer storytelling opportunities? That’s what brought the piece to life.

The UnCommons Season 1: What’s in store?

Season 1 of The UnCommons features likeable characters like Iris. Everyone supports Iris in The UnCommons. They say, “I don’t even know what we’re doing, but if you’re taking me, I’m following you.” That’s Iris’ goal. She’s designed to inspire others with her positive attitude. Other characters are also lovable. Before meeting, everyone in The UnCommons was on a different path. In Season 1, those journeys intersect. In ensemble casts, everyone doesn’t have equal sway. Tenten, a shamefully overlooked Konoha 11 character, is my favourite. In Season 1 of The UnCommons, we’ll give these characters, even beyond the main five, some backstory and learn why they’re the way they are.

Action is guaranteed. We thought about the surroundings, how abilities interact, and how it offers cool battle options when choreographing fight scenes. World-building will be abundant. Season 1’s biggest draw is that we’re building the groundwork for this broader story. In Chapter One, Issue One, Iris fulfils a pre-birth prophecy by arriving in Delta City. I think people will enjoy watching her follow in her footsteps and realise the bigger picture.

Webtoon has created a creator-to-community conduit that no one else has. I think about how we utilise stories to support young people’s social and emotional wellness. Webtoon’s pipeline lets us scale our work. I’m excited about the launch. Furthermore, I’m looking forward to the turnout. I’m looking forward to seeing what others notice and the Easter eggs. We’re developing an animated series, but we wanted to start on Webtoon to reach more readers.

What’s your hope for The UnCommons? Are there any final words?

I’d like to thank fans for their support and let them know that starting a new story is risky because you don’t know if you’ll like it. I’m asking for that chance. I hope you’ll be as flexible with us as you are with other creators when you read The UnCommons. A new One Piece chapter comes out, and 10 minutes later, someone posts on a forum, “In Chapter One on Page 3, Eiichiro Oda actually foreshadowed what we saw right now.” I’ll tell you. I do. The UnCommons is. On Season 2, Episode 15, you’ll think, “He told us he was going to do that.” It was foretold.”

If fans invest and pay attention, fandom can be powerful. A vested community produces incredible results. I advise readers of The UnCommons to join the fandom. You’ll benefit. That’s what our story rewards.

On Webtoon, read The UnCommons.

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