UPDATE: Switching Gears, Eating Fears
As the Sun plots our demise.
"The mood I fall into when I am truly possessed by my work is one which resembles the trances of the mystics. I shut out the outer world to concentrate on what I see and feel. There is no doubt that the act of creation is very similar to the act of dreaming."*
— *Anais Nin, *The Novel of the Future*
Greetings from El Chuco! The sun here seems to be waving the white flag, slowly giving up its relentless grip on this spinning ball of mud. Nights are cooling down beautifully, but we’re on the verge of that confusing time when you’re asked, “Why are you still wearing shorts?”—and honestly, I’m dreading it. Jeans season awaits, and I’m not ready!
On the bright side, I’ve been putting in the work, focusing on some concrete projects that I’m excited to share soon. Life, as unpredictable as it is, tends to throw curveballs—good ones, though! Since making the move to El Paso, I’ve been pushing myself to grow, not just for my own benefit, but to fuel the passion behind my art. It’s been tough, no doubt. The time it takes to bring things to life can be overwhelming, but I can feel that payoff approaching. Stay tuned—it’s about to get interesting!
**WHAT’S HAPPENING:**
1. **FWACATA #2 is COMPLETE.**
Yes, done. The finish line! Now, I’m wrestling with the idea of launching a Kickstarter. Two reasons I’m hesitating:
**A.** It’s a beast of a project. Running a Kickstarter is like picking up a part-time job, at best. At worst, it feels like... maybe taking up crack?
**B.** I’m still mailing out stuff from Issue 1! Yes, bad Juan, BAD JUAN! But shipping costs exploded, and logistics kicked me in the teeth. I'm hustling to wrap it up this month, and then I'll get moving on a Backerkit.
2. **Starting my NOVEL.**
I’m 10,000 words deep into the outline, and it’s a wild ride! My method is a bit chaotic: I pour everything out, then stitch it together during editing. It’s like how I write comics—a single sentence can spark an entire character arc that wasn’t even there at the start. I’m reserving time for this, and in about a year, there’ll be something solid to share.
3. **NEENJAZ Chapter One is almost done!**
Yesterday was a skip day (inks still pending), but we’re nearing the end of the first chapter. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, though it hasn’t found a huge following yet. I’ll definitely continue with the second arc, but this one’s becoming more of a side project... unless something changes.
4. **VIGIL is on hold** until I retrieve some lost files from storage. I’ve got one more hard drive to check before I dive into the depths of my storage space. All in good time.
5. **Zombie Years** is paused... for now. Issue 11 is in the works, and I’m looking at a more serialized approach. The entire series (Issues 1–10) will be up soon, and I’ll roll everything into the FWACATA anthology.
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That’s the latest! I’ve got some TOY and PAINTING projects in the pipeline too, but you know how it goes—life tends to interrupt with its own plans.
**LINKS:**
- Earlier this month, we celebrated Jack Kirby’s birthday. His work is like witnessing a legendary athlete in action—this guy was doing six pages a day! It’s awe-inspiring:
[Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby](https://www.comicsbeat.com/happy-birthday-jack-kirby-monsters/)
- Feeling nostalgic? Check out this deep dive into an amazing (and obsolete) time:
[Tape Deck Time Capsule](https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/08/tape-deck/)
- Beth Cavener’s work is jaw-droppingly gorgeous:
[Velvet Touch](https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/08/beth-cavener-trust/)
**OUTRO:**
Kids these days watch some WEIRD stuff on YouTube. It’s wild, and frankly, it should freak us out a bit. But that’s kind of the point, right? Every generation should push boundaries—just maybe not so far into the bizarre! But I guess that’s the world we live in, filled with distractions fighting for our attention.
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