Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Interviewee: Juan Rivera Jr
Welcome to the latest digital text episode of Artist Ant Interviews People Summer Series! My guest today is an individual that I’ve worked with during shifts at my day job. But he is more than just a mere coworker, but an up and coming comic book writer, and musician. A genuine Manga and Comic book fan, He is definitely a huge fan of obscure Marvel characters Namor the Sub Mariner and Black Bolt, so who is this individual that I’ve decided to interview? His name is Juan Rivera Jr, I figured I’d peak inside his mind and see what he thinks of the questions that I ask all of my fellow creatives on this very digital landscape. Here we go! .
Q0. Who are your inspirations?
JRJ: Man, there are a lot, but in the realm of comics/animation I'd have to say Stan Lee, the genius creative duo known as "Bryke", Corey Lewis, Takehiko Inoue, Jim Lee, Adi Granov, Alex Ross, Paolo Rivera, Araki, Haruichi Furudate, ONE, Murata, Oda, Tetsuya Saruwatari, my illustrator co-writer Musola Oniyide, and Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez. Musically I've been very influenced by RHCP, Tomo Fujita, Justin Timberlake, Lupe Fiasco, Darren King, Reggie Watts, Timbaland, Andre3000, Homeboy Sandman, Black Thought, the Roots, Victor Wooten, Willie Colon, and everyone who's ever been a part of the salsa supergroup the Fania All-stars, Vulfpeck, or Snarky Puppy. In terms of everything else, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Rickson Gracie, Jim Carrey, Dwayne Johnson, Robin Williams, Keanu Reeves, JKFilms, David So. That's all I've got just thinking about it really quickly! Oh and Glenn Murakami -- Teens Titans was sick.
Q1. How did you get into art?
JRJ: As a 90's kid, I was very influenced by DBZ, Yuyu Hakusho, Ruroni Kenshin, the 90's comic-book shows like Bruce Timm's Batman, the X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons, Static Shock (so important for a kid in East Harlem to see that) and American comics. On the musical front, my parents tell me I've been musical since childhood -- before my earliest memory, so I've been into that from da womb. I always felt my imagination separated me from my classmates in ways that I saw characters like the X-Men get shunned for (being different), and that Spidey made himself responsible for using well. It was a superpower that only in my later years did I understand it's depth and potential. Singing and writing have always been very restorative and therapeutic for me, and since they always came naturally, I never really "got into" it I guess? Its just a thing that's been a part of my life.
Q2. When did you take art seriously?
JRJ: I've always respected the different mediums for as long as I could remember, but I've unfortunately been a chronic procrastinator and that wasn't helped by my habits of investing in others and not enough in myself. I'd like to say about 2 years ago I realized I'm not getting any younger, all the money I needed to save to "make these moves" is just waiting to be used. So then it became a matter of time, and... I guess that time is now.
Q3. What drives you in your daily life?
JRJ: I just want to be better in any way today than I was yesterday, and have fun doing it. I don't care if things are difficult, I can deal with difficulty. But to me, if you can not bring yourself to find something positive or fun about your experience, then its a wasted experience. You've got to learn to smile and laugh at yourself, y'know? Think about the most difficult thing you could think to do physically. -- let's say pushups. I'm trash at pushups, but if I can bring myself to a mindset where I enjoy the challenge, get myself in a character, get motivated, whatever -- just have fun with it, then that makes me happy. You could say it's even more difficult to find a way to make a difficult thing fun, but if you could do that -- imagine what else you could do?
Q4. What made you the person that you are today?
JRJ: I think my parents and my family (which includes my best friends). I have always felt very blessed to have parents who have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams -- be it with music, with comics, comedy, or martial arts. They've never told me I couldn't do something, and I've taken that with me my whole life. When times get tough, I always had my sense of humor (my other "superpower"), and that in addition to music has helped me through more than I'll ever realize. Lastly, the constructive criticism and camaraderie of my circle is also a blessing and I can never repay them for all they've done for me. They have all taught me ways to be a better person in some aspect: more patient, more analytical, less overthinking, more practical, and perhaps most importantly when I shouldn't do any of that and just not give a shit. haha
Q5. If you could speak to any living creator or inspiration, who
would it be, why, and what would talk to them about?
JRJ: Takehiko Inoue, Oda, Arata, Murata, and One: I would love to know what their fave movies/comics/anime are, and if they've ever watched "Avatar the Last Airbender" and if they haven't then why the hell not!! I'd love to get guitar lessons from Tomo and Frusiciante, drum lessons from Darren King and Chad Smith, vocal lessons from JT, Beyonce, and Xavier Omar, and then ask them what their fave movies/comics/anime are and if they've ever watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and if they haven't then why the hell not!!
Q6. If there were any deceased creators , actors, singers, writers,
etc that you would want to speak to, who would it be, and why?
JRJ: Stan Lee, Robin Williams. I'd ask Stan what he did when things got rough in his life? I'd ask Robin what he thought the keys to comedy were, and what did he do when he was in an argument and wanted to make a joke? (Because you know some people will get more aggravated if you make a joke out of things.)
Q7. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
JRJ: Japan!! Challenge all those salarymen at the arcades after work to some games of Street Fighter, get bodied, then go eat authentic Ramen/sushi, and explore!
Q8. What is one thing that you fear?
JRJ: I fear that when I die, I won't have any of my creative endeavors left behind to be my legacy, and I wouldn't leave a positive influence on the world.
Q 10. If you had a superpower what would it be and why?
JRJ: My superpower would be something like Taskmaster's (photo reflexive memory), so I can learn everything I can about playing all instruments, producing tracks, and mastering a whole bunch of martial arts.
Q11. What catches your attention when you meet people?
JRJ: Their sincerity (or lack thereof), their humor, their intelligence, their eyes, and their humility (or lack thereof).
Q12. What is one word of advice that you would impart to your younger self?
JRJ: "Don't forget to invest in yourself!!" and "Do it now so you can relax later, not the other way around!!" Oh and "be kind to yourself, take a chance on yourself!"
Q13. What are three books that you always remember or return to, and
why? How did they shape you?
JRJ: The Tao of Jeet Kune Do: a collection of Bruce Lee's philosophies on his martial Way. There are so many things that translate into daily life too, it's beautiful.
The Book of Five Rings: a collection of Miyamoto Musashi's philosophies on his martial way that on the surface serve the same purpose of informing daily life through the practices and meditations on martial arts. So cool how things translate from the battlefield to the day-to-day.
Haikyuu: A manga about volleyball. The art gets more and more beautiful, the panel layouts are dynamic, and the way Furudate-san moves your eye on the page and uses negative space is ridiculous. It's also got a lot of dialogue that can be applied to day to day life, and a huge cast of characters with personalities that are so diverse you feel like you know someone in real life like each of them -- making those "dialogue-proverbs" even more relatable. It might be the most "realistically unrealistic" manga I'll ever read. Nothing ever seems far from reality, but the visual metaphors convey the imagination of the characters relating what they can't believe into what they can feel. Also, I like volleyball as a sport (it's a close second to MMA), so that's a big plus. The anime adaptation is also amazing!
Q14. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would
be your film of choice ?
JRJ: This is random but for whatever reason the 1st thing that came to mind are the 1st two Hulk movies in the MCU. I would recast the leads for both as Mark Ruffalo, and make them more "heartfelt" in the vein of "Man of Steel". haha Of all things! Oh, and "The Last Jedi" (Luke would've either bent sent off in a cooler way, or not at all), and Phantom Menace (just removing JarJar is enough for me).
Remake "Venom," keep Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock maybe? But make sure the character is done right by having it in the MCU, and have the symbiote's intro make more sense within the lore, etc. Have the VFX done by ILM and whatnot.
Q15. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an
album, what album or artist would you pick?
JRJ: RHCP's Californication, Logic's "The Incredible True Story", or Kendrick's "Good Kid MAAD City".
Q16. Who In this life, has motivated you to stay true to what makes you who are?
JRJ: My brother from another mother, illustrator and co-writer, Musola, and everyone else in my circle (they know who they are). And my parents. Keanu Reeves, Bruce Lee, Stan Lee, and Jackie Chan. Keanu gets a mention just because.
Q17. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
JRJ: A successful internet singer-musician (and comedian?) who also has a successful comic series, is a part time jiu jitsu instructor, and has a beautiful fiance/wife and kid(s). And maybe a cool doggo. And still a full head of hair (please God).
Q18. What are three albums or songs currently, that you listen to on
repeat? And why?
JRJ: I have a playlist that I listen to when writing for me and Musola's comic (@artofmoose_), but it's top secret so I can't tell you!
I have another playlist that I listen to as I practice singing and it's also a secret so I can't tell you that either, sorry!
Logic's "Homicide": This gets me hype to go train and do my best John Wick impersonation. Too hype. Too good. And it's funny at the end, too. (And yes, you guessed it, it's on another secret playlist.)
Q19. What color speaks to you the most and why?
JRJ: Orange. Idk. I wouldn't wear it, but I like it as an accent. As for why? I have no clue. Doesn't have anything to do with being a Mets fan, but it sure helps.
Q20.What's one thing that you're proud of?
JRJ: Being Nuyorican. My musical and comedic aptitudes, creative mind/eye/ear, my eyebrows, my hair, my mustache, and my friends. I know you asked for one, but they're all on the same level for me.
Q21. What is a mantra that you tell yourself?
JRJ: There's no one phrase, but it's probably something that's a mix of "no big deal", "slow is smooth and smooth is fast", and "keep it playful!"
Thanks so much for having me, this was fun!!
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