FWACATA

The State of FWACATA: Why the Podcast Went Quiet (and Why It’s Coming Back Louder)

So… what happened to the podcast?

A couple of you slid into my DMs asking if everything was good. First off — thank you. That actually means a lot. The simple answer? I’ve been busy. The real answer? I’ve been building.

Comics. Paintings. Finishing FWACATA #3. Wrapping up FWACATA #4 for Kickstarter in March. Launching FUGGLY. Writing short stories for Dragonbreath. Experimenting with new painting techniques (acrylic + ballpoint pen has been doing wild things lately). Delivering books. Planning shows. Living life. Celebrating my wife’s birthday. Raising a hyper-intelligent, zero-stand-still puppy named Luna who has the energy of a lab-greyhound rocket strapped to caffeine.

It’s been good chaos.

But here’s the thing — I missed the podcast.

Especially the Monday Motivations.

One of you told me you plays them every Monday morning. Ten minutes. Just to hear someone say: You can do this. That’s what they were for. Not some polished guru routine. Just a reminder that even when the world feels like it’s duct-taped together and held over a volcano, you can still move forward.

So here’s the plan.

Monday Motivations are coming back.Wednesdays will be more topical — midweek resets, hump-day recalibrations, whatever we need in that moment.Comic reviews? Yes.Short fiction updates? Absolutely.Behind-the-scenes chaos reports? Always.

I’ve been testing new gear, recording in a soundproof room at school (which, by the way, feels like a dream if you grew up loving art buildings and music halls). I’m experimenting with OBS, livestream setups, cross-platform broadcasting — trying to build something that actually works instead of duct-taping it together at midnight.

And that brings me to the bigger shift.

Substack is becoming a home base.

Not just for the podcast RSS feed. Not just for blog posts. But potentially for everything — comics, webcomics, archives, video integration, community. I’m seriously considering consolidating it all there. One ecosystem. One HQ. A place where, if you want FWACATA, you know exactly where to go.

If you sign up for free, you’re in. You’ll get updates, stories, and podcast drops.

If you upgrade, that support directly buys time. And time is the only currency that lets me create more of the stuff you actually want. A handful of supporters can literally free up a workday that becomes a new comic, a new short story, a new episode.

That’s the math.

This episode is a state-of-the-union for the creative chaos. No drama. No complaints. Just reality. Life is full. The work is stacking. The ambition is still there. Maybe stronger than ever.

March is going to be a big month.

More consistency. More structure. More fire.

As always — I’m listening. Tell me what’s working. Tell me what sucks. Tell me what you want more of. I may still do the thing I want to do… but I’m listening.

We’re building this in real time.

Palante. Always forward.

And yeah —

Be good.

Sometimes you pick up a manga because the title sounds like a joke.

And sometimes that “joke” punches you in the mouth in the best possible way.

TANK CHAIR is one of those books.

Created by Manabu Yashiro, this series takes a premise that could have easily stayed a one-note gimmick — a combatant in a weaponized wheelchair — and turns it into one of the coolest high-concept action manga running right now.

Let’s be clear: this is not metaphor-first, theme-heavy literary manga. This is a momentum manga.

The premise is deceptively simple. A near-unstoppable fighter operates through an armored, modular, heavily weaponized chair platform. And when I say weaponized, I don’t mean “upgraded with spikes.” I mean full battlefield deployment. Swappable builds. Escalating configurations. Iterations that feel closer to Iron Man armor variants than a mobility device.

Except this isn’t some billionaire hovering over a skyline.

This machine scrapes pavement. It grinds. It tears through concrete at street level.

That difference matters.

Cool as a Narrative Strategy

What makes TANK CHAIR work isn’t the absurdity — it’s the commitment to it.

It lives comfortably in the same tonal ecosystem as Chainsaw Man and One-Punch Man.

Like Chainsaw Man, it embraces brutality and escalation without apology. Things get bigger. Louder. Harder. And the book doesn’t blink.

Like One-Punch Man, it understands that sometimes the cleanest storytelling decision is to chase impact over exposition. Wild character designs. Over-the-top confrontations. Action sequences that feel like they’re trying to break the panel borders.

This is a manga that understands spectacle as a craft.

The Weight of the Panels

Yashiro’s linework carries a mechanical heaviness. The panels feel engineered.

You feel torque in the wheels.You feel hydraulic pressure in the pivots.When the chair deploys a new configuration, it’s not just drawn — it feels assembled.

Impacts land with intention. There’s a physical logic to the choreography. Even in the wildest sequences, the machinery has structure. That’s what gives the action its weight.

But beneath the chaos, there’s something sharper happening.

TANK CHAIR quietly plays with perception and power. Society underestimates. The world misreads vulnerability. And the story flips that expectation with artillery.

The chair isn’t weakness.

It’s dominance.It’s adaptation weaponized.It’s design turned into defiance.

That’s what elevates it beyond simple grindhouse spectacle.

And Here’s the Part That Matters

I picked this up at my local public library.

And I want to pause on that.

Libraries right now are carrying deep manga catalogs. Not just classics. Not just safe picks. New releases. Niche titles. Wild concepts you might hesitate to drop $15–$20 on just to experiment.

Libraries are one of the last algorithm-free discovery zones.

No trending tab.No sponsored push.Just shelves.

If you’re curious about manga — or comics in general — your library is a gateway. It’s how you try something insane like TANK CHAIR without risk. It’s how you expand your taste without shrinking your wallet.

And honestly? That’s punk rock.

If the title sounds ridiculous to you?

Good.

Go see if your library has it.

Because sometimes the best comics are the ones that sound like a dare — and then deliver like a freight train.

FWACATA Rating:Four and a half armored wheel deployments out of five. 🔥

🔥 **DAWN – Timelapse Illustration | FWACATA** 🔥

This timelapse features an illustration of **Dawn**, created as a commission reward for a backer of the **FWACATA Issue #2 Kickstarter**. From loose sketch to finished piece, this video captures the full process—lines, inks, mood, and all the little decisions that bring the character to life.**About Dawn:**Created by Joseph Michael Linsner, *Dawn* debuted in the 1990s and quickly became an icon of creator-owned comics. She’s a blend of myth, fantasy, sensuality, and rebellion—part goddess, part warrior, part symbol of independence during the boom of indie comics. Over the years, Dawn has stood as a reminder of what happens when artists take full control of their vision.📖 Read *FWACATA* Issue #1 for FREE📚 More digital comics (including FWACATA):https://globalcomix.com/a/fwacata-2https://www.drivethrucomics.com/en/publisher/18928/juan-navarro🛒 Want a custom piece like this or physical copies of my indie comics?Hit up my shop🌐 Everything FWACATA

Like, subscribe, and follow for more comics, art timelapses, sketchcards, and behind-the-scenes process.**FWACATA!** 💥

#dawn #indiecomics #illustration #drawing #timelapse MUSIC from LESINFOCUS

I was digging through the archives and came across this great conversation from way back in 2021, when I was still running Goblins Heist—and it absolutely holds up.

The talk features Rodney Barnes, a veteran, award-winning screenwriter and producer whose work continues to shape modern genre storytelling across comics, television, and film. Barnes dives into what he was working on at the time (and what was coming next), while breaking down craft, survival, and voice in horror, fantasy, and drama with the confidence of someone who’s been in the trenches and earned it.

If you know his work on The Boondocks, Killadelphia, Marvel’s Runaways, American Gods, or Wu-Tang: An American Saga, you already know Barnes brings intelligence, bite, and real cultural weight to everything he touches.

This panel was part of AARLCC-CON, an event dedicated to providing African-American comic creators and sci-fi writers with a platform to share their work, trade knowledge, and connect with industry professionals. Back then—and still now—it felt less like a convention and more like infrastructure being built in real time.

If you’re into comics, genre storytelling, or hearing from creators who actually do the work, this is a solid watch—even years later.

I would love to catch up with him again and just get his take on everything that is going on. Find more of his stuff here

https://rodneybarnes.com/

Don’t break the CHAIN!

This post/video is the real thing: me building a page of FUGLY from the ground up—panel by panel, mistake by mistake. No polish. No highlight reel. Just rough layouts, ugly sketches, rewrites, second-guessing, fixes, and all the tiny decisions that quietly decide whether a page works or dies on the table.

(time-lapse version)

I’m sharing this here because this is where comics actually live—in the process. Patreon isn’t just for finished art; it’s for the thinking, the false starts, and the problem-solving that happens long before a page looks “clean.” This page is still becoming itself, and honestly, that’s the whole point.

FUGLY follows a man with the worst job in the superhuman world: he collects money from heroes and villains alike. Not souls. Not secrets. Damage.Cities wrecked. Blocks leveled. Cars melted by laser eyes. Somebody foots the bill—and that somebody is him.

“Bad or good.Hero or villain.Laser eyes or super science.If you owe, you pay.”

That idea drives everything—how the pages flow, how the jokes land, where the tension lives. Watching this page come together feels like turning the key on the entire series.

Thanks for being here at this stage. Supporting the making—not just the finished thing—is how projects like this survive.

More pages, more sketches, and more behind-the-scenes chaos coming soon as FUGLY ramps up toward its March launch.

🖤 — JuanFWACATA

Just wrapped this Batman Metal sketch card for the newly released Upper Deck Batman Metal set—and yeah, this one was a blast.

This card features Poison Ivy, and I leaned hard into what I love about her: not the pin-up cliché, but the green goddess of crime energy. Ivy isn’t fragile. She’s powerful, sensual, dangerous, and very much rooted in the idea that nature doesn’t ask permission. I’ve always preferred drawing women with weight, presence, and power—less “skinny-skinny,” more mythic force of nature.

For this piece I used marker, watercolor, colored pencil, and gel pen—letting the materials fight each other a bit until Ivy emerged the way she wanted to. I haven’t seen this card in the wild yet, so if you pull it, tag me—I wanna see where it lands.

Thanks for reading FWACATA’s Newsletter! This post is public so feel free to share it.

A quick nerd moment: Pamela Isley has come a long way since her early villain days. In more recent DC storylines, she’s evolved into something more complex—sometimes antihero, sometimes eco-terrorist, sometimes outright savior of the planet depending on who’s writing her. Whether it’s her solo arcs, her time ruling the Green, or her redefinition alongside Harley Quinn, Ivy has become less “Batman rogue” and more force of ideology. That evolution is a big reason I love painting her—she’s no longer just a character, she’s a statement.

And that brings me to FWACATA on Substack.

This space is no longer just about comics—it’s about art in motion. Painting. Sketchcards. Zines. Mixed media experiments. Livestreams. Process. Mess. The stuff before it’s polished, and the stuff that never needs to be. You’ll see works-in-progress, finished pieces, abandoned ideas, sketchbooks, Batman cards like this, and whatever else crawls out of the studio.

Subscribing means:

* Livestream announcements

* Art drops and process posts

* Zines, paintings, comics, and experiments

* A front-row seat to how the work actually gets made

No algorithms. No noise. Just art, straight to your inbox.

FWACATA isn’t just a newsletter—it’s a studio window and a growing community of people who care about making things, not just consuming them.

So now I’ll throw it back to you:

What’s a good day for livestreaming art for you all?

There’s a question I think everyone should ask themselves from time to time:

Am I the asshole?

If you’ve never asked that question — not once, not even a whisper of it — then odds are, yeah… you probably are.

We’ve all met assholes. You’ve probably encountered one today. Hell, in the last 48 hours, you’ve likely seen someone cut in line, ghost a friend, act superior at work, or just let a door slam in your face. And if you can’t think of anyone? Congratulations, it’s you.

But here’s the thing: being an asshole isn’t always evil. It’s often a side effect of honesty, frustration, or just being human.

The Razor’s Edge of Truth

My father had a saying — “Con la verdad no se juega.”You don’t play around with the truth.

It sounds simple, but it’s one of those phrases that sticks with you your whole life — like a pebble in your shoe, reminding you to walk carefully.

Because the truth is tricky.The truth doesn’t always make you popular.Sometimes it makes you the asshole in the room.

You tell someone, “It’s not the pants that make your ass look big — it’s your ass,” and suddenly you’re the bad guy.

But if we’re supposed to be chasing truth, shouldn’t we welcome it?Nah. Most people want comfort, not clarity. They want a version of truth that flatters them.

My dad’s point wasn’t about being cruel — it was about being responsible with honesty. The truth isn’t a weapon. It’s a tool.You don’t swing it to hurt people. You use it to build something better.

The Door at JV’s Pizza

A few days ago, I went to pick up some pizzas from a local joint — JV’s. Great food, not fancy, but solid. I’ve got my hands full, trying to get out the door, and there’s a guy right in front of me. Makes full eye contact — like predator-level eye contact — then lets the door close right in my face.

Okay. Fine. I back up, nudge it open with my shoulder, whatever.

Then his wife (or girlfriend) comes out behind me.So, me being me, I hold the door open for her.She smiles and says, “Thank you.”

And this dude — the same one who let it slam on me — turns around and glares at me like I just insulted his ancestors.

Now, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to. I knew in that tiny, perfect moment that he’d spend the rest of the car ride home wondering what the hell I meant by that “thank you.”That’s the good kind of assholeness — the surgical strike.

Because yeah, sometimes you have to be an asshole to make a point. But do it with purpose, not pettiness.

The Asshole Spectrum

There are levels to this.At one end, you’ve got the cruel assholes — the bullies, the trolls, the people who sprinkle shit on everyone’s ice cream just to feel tall.At the other end, you’ve got the honest assholes — the ones who tell you the truth, even when it hurts, because it needs to be said.

The goal is to live somewhere in between — the Zen of Assholeness.Right on that razor’s edge between brutal honesty and empathy.Because someone’s gotta say it, but someone’s also gotta care how it lands.

The Lesson

The truth is messy.Sometimes you’re right but still come off like a jerk.Sometimes you’re wrong and look like a saint.But if you can pause — just for a second — and ask yourself, “Am I the asshole right now?”That’s when you start leveling up.

That’s when you stop reacting and start reflecting.

We live in a world where everyone’s ready to pile on, to shout, to dunk, to “gotcha.”Being thoughtful, self-aware, and honest without being cruel — that’s rebellion now.

So, be brave enough to tell the truth.Be kind enough to own it when it hurts someone.And if you have to be an asshole, at least be one with purpose.

Because the truth matters — and as my father said, con la verdad no se juega.You don’t play around with it.

And if you hold onto that, even just a little — you might actually make the world one asshole lighter.

🧩 TL;DR

You can’t escape being an asshole sometimes. But you can choose why and how you do it.Be the honest one, not the cruel one.And as always — be good.

It’s Monday. You know what that means.It’s Monday Motivation fing time.*

I’m on the road right now — my wife’s singing at an event, there’s no parking, and I’m sitting in the car like a responsible adult who’s pretending to be productive. And you know what? The hustle is real.

So today’s theme comes from my dad, who had this one saying that’s been burned into my DNA:“¡VETE A VER!” — Go and see!

See, when I was a kid, my dad would get so tired of me wondering about stuff. You know the kind of wondering — “I wonder if that bakery makes any money?” or “I wonder if I could open a tire shop?” or “What if I painted a mural somewhere?”

And every single time, he’d snap:“¡VETE A VER!”Go see! Go ask! Go find out! Stop wondering and start doing.

And as a kid, it drove me nuts. Like, “Come on, Dad, can I just daydream for a second?” But he didn’t let up. And over time, I realized what he was teaching me — don’t sit there stewing in what-ifs. Go test it. Go live it. Go do it.

That’s the difference between talkers and doers.

This week, I found myself living that lesson. While my wife was performing, instead of sitting around, I hit up a few spots — stopped by Asylum Comics here in El Paso (awesome shop, go visit them!), ran a couple errands, checked in on a property we manage, killed some wasps, trimmed weeds, and then went to a local art space that’s kind of like the Bakehouse in Miami.

And while I was walking around, I thought — man, I need a studio again. A space to build and show. And by actually going, asking questions, talking to people — I learned way more than I ever would’ve just thinking about it.

That’s the magic of “VETE A VER.”

If you’re sitting on an idea — whether it’s starting a comic, opening a small business, painting a mural, or selling cakes shaped like… well, whatever — stop just wondering. Go find out. Ask questions. Visit the place. Email the person. See what the rent is, what the materials cost, what it would actually take.

You’ll either find out it’s doable… or that it’s not. Either way, you’re further than where you were.

Because the only thing worse than failure is wondering “what if” for the rest of your life.

So that’s my challenge this week:Pick something you’ve been thinking about — a goal, a project, a side hustle — and go see. Don’t overthink it, don’t plan it to death. Just take one step.

The next time you catch yourself saying, “I wonder if I could…”Remember my dad:¡VETE A VER! GO AND SEE.

Stay loud. Stay curious.FWACATA! 💥

🎧 Listen to the full episode: FWACATA Podcast on Spotify | Watch on YouTube

Hey, what’s going on, everybody?

It’s Monday, the 27th (I think? My calendar’s buried somewhere under art supplies), and I’m feeling that post-Kickstarter glow. FWACATA #3 wrapped up strong — fully funded, stretch goals flying — and I’m buzzing. There’s no better way to start a Monday than on a high note.

Because here’s the truth, man: life is highs and lows. That’s it. That’s the whole game. One day you’re up, the next you’re face-first in a puddle of ink, wondering if your printer hates you. But those dips? They’re part of the rhythm.

Your heart pumps, your lungs breathe, and your brain—well, your brain just wants you to survive. It’s built to focus on the bad. That’s not your fault. That’s evolution being an overprotective mom. But the thing is, you can feed your brain. You choose what it focuses on. If you fill it with history, stories, good people, and perspective—you start seeing the patterns. Highs and lows. You start seeing that it’s all part of something bigger.

I’ve been making comics for thirty years now. (Yeah, I said it. Thirty.) Started in 1992 as a kid, mailing submissions out in the ‘90s, chasing that dream through art school, conventions, jobs, heartbreaks, and late nights. It’s been a roller coaster. But the secret? The doing is the reward. Making comics is the dream. Nobody gives you a license. There’s no “Comic Creator Police.” You’re a comic book artist when you make comics. Boom. You’re in.

And I’m on a high right now, because it feels damn good to see readers come back for Issue #3. To see new people jump in. To see names I recognize from Issue #1 and #2 still showing up, still supporting, still believing. That’s real. That’s fuel.

I’ve got FWACATA #4 halfway done, plus new Zombie Years pages in progress. I’m aiming for a February release, maybe a digital annual before that. The plan? Keep it quarterly, keep it sustainable, keep the hustle alive.

And man, I’ve found a groove. My printer, Comics Wellspring, is killing it—top-notch work every time. I’ve got a formula that’s finally clicking. So the goal now is just to keep going, refine, and level up.

There’s a new career move on the horizon in January that might change how I balance things, but that’s okay. Change is part of the process. I’m not scared of lows—they just mean another high is coming.

So if you’re reading this, and you’re in one of those valleys? Keep moving. Feed your brain. Jump off the cliff and build the parachute on the way down. That’s the only way you ever fly.

Thanks to everyone who backed the Kickstarter, supported on Patreon, shared the posts, or even just believed in this madness. You guys are the wind beneath my… wings? Winds beneath my wings? Eh, you know what I mean. You keep me going.

Here’s to the highs, the lows, and everything in between.Stay loud. Stay weird. Be Good. FWACATA! 💥

(NOTE: SORRY FOR THE LATENESS, BUT IT WAS A PAIN IN THE ASS EARLIER THIS WEEK TO POST THIS! SO POSTING TODAY!)

You don’t “find” balance — you learn to dance between deadlines and dinner dishes.

Comics take time — a lot of it. And time is the one thing life never seems to have enough of.

We chase this mythical balance: perfect productivity, creative satisfaction, and a stable existence. But the truth? Balance is a rhythm, not a ratio.

Some weeks you create like a machine; others, you barely doodle between day jobs and real life. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re human.

Art and life aren’t enemies. They’re collaborators. Life gives you the stories — art gives you the language to tell them.

So take the pressure off.Draw small. Think big. Live fully.

And remember: you’re not behind — you’re just between beats.