New webcomic project FAQ

1. General and Demographics

What is it?

Radical Flannel (not the final name — it will have a permanent name eventually) started as Fighter’s Adventure and later Radical Sneakerhead Trio. It is also not an NFT project as I don’t do NFTs. If you see any NFTs of my art, it’s copyright infringement. I’m a real human and don’t use AI-generation algorithms to create my art. I do not condone the unauthorized usage of copyrighted art to train AI datasets, nor the use of AI machine learning to generate content emulating any artists’ style.

Any NFTs found in my art are fake and are not created by me, do not buy any NFTs, ever. If you see any NFTs, someone offering you NFTs of your art, or using AI machine learning of my artwork or any other people’s artwork, please report them or notify the people in charge of creative communities. Mashable has helpful information about how to report NFTs as stolen art. Support human artists instead of AI artists!

Is this a fan comic?

No. The webcomic series (including the characters) are original designs with inspiration.

Which will it be on? Tapas, Webtoon Canvas, or GlobalComix?

It will be on Tapas and possibly its own dedicated website, but not on Webtoon Canvas or GlobalComix.

Webtoon Canvas (a South Korean company run by a conservative government) has a lot of disadvantages, such as the site’s censorship guidelines and portraying sensitive themes, as violence and nudity are absolute no-nos on Webtoon Canvas. If your episode(s) is/are removed due to containing an excessive amount of violence or nudity, the Webtoon team will ask you to edit the episode(s) immediately or strategically censor inappropriate content, otherwise, they will remove your series from the platform. You cannot censor nudity or profanity using black boxes, blurred, or mosaic censorship on the platform.

Sex is taboo in South Korea because that country’s society is very conservative. I have seen users get their webcomics removed from Webtoon Canvas (http://webtoons.com/en/challenge/[webcomic name goes here]…) with the text reading “We do not allow content that contains nudity or is intended to be sexually gratifying. This includes, but is not limited to, full and partial nudity, as well as graphic depictions of sexual acts,” and forcing the creator to either edit their panels or change the titles.

What about the series’ demographic? Does it contain anything that may offend anyone?

The series’ demographic is made to be teens and up, which unfortunately may not be suitable for anyone under 14 because of the following:

• Mild language (which includes “damn,” “crap,” “hell,” and “ass”)
• Violence (minimal to no blood, as the main and the major supporting protagonists fight against a powerful evil organization)
• Fanservice (such as male characters being shirtless and female characters wearing a sports bra all the time)

Does not include the following (as the story progresses):

• Physical and/or emotional abuse, including domestic abuse
• Mental health topics
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Other things (such as sexual content, sexual violence, and sexual abuse) that may earn a mature rating as Medium may not allow these shindigs due to its rules

This webcomic will also be free to read with no paywalls (but will not be in print).

Will the series provide LGBT representation?

No, the series will not provide LGBT representation, for real! Please read on to learn more.

The main cast consists of three brave teenage Kyokushin karateka as people want “martial arts manga with the main character with a chubby best friend and a female best friend.” Daisuke Ninomiya, the main protagonist, has a Japanese mother, an African-American father, and an uncle (I’m the uncle to three nieces, one step-nephew, and the first cousin to four second Canadian cousins myself). Like imagine if you were looking for something with the vibes of Street Fighter, Streets of Rage, Dragon Ball, Fairy Tail, and Jet Set Radio Future; it’s a lot easier to find something like these in the Action Fantasy genre.

Around 50–60% of the webcomics (not just Tapas, Webtoon, GlobalComix, and self-hosted webcomics that are either a part of Hiveworks or not, including web novels) have LGBT characters, and its creators and readers are part of the LGBT community, not just yaoi (BL) or yuri (GL) genres. I’m extremely liberal in terms of what the LGBT community and the LGBT creators should be able to express themselves, and it’s important to remember that diversity and inclusivity are valued by many. LGBT representation plays a significant role in promoting acceptance and understanding. But the fundamentalist and conservative Christians — the English-speaking countries, not just the US and Canada — are against LGBT rights as they want to focus on morality and also have children live in a moral society.

I have nothing against the LGBT community (I’m a heterosexual ally creator and an atheist, but I hate to be a single pringle). The SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) and CAHN (Canadian Anti-Hate Network) have since been protecting everyone from joining fundamentalist and conservative Christian organizations that promote family values (including Christian values) and the Christian right. We simply can’t force every creator to provide LGBT representation in their works (webcomics, video games, shows, etc.) and come out as LGBT individuals.

You are warmly encouraged to diss the fundamentalist and conservative Christian organizations such as the American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and the Family Research Council, of course. Following Pat Robertson’s death (which happened in 2023), you are warmly encouraged to diss his son Gordon Robertson, as well as The CBN and The 700 Club, of course.

What about romance?

The only couples allowed consist of minor characters. None of the main (and major supporting) characters are in relationships, as I can’t write boy-girl romance. Instead, the series should focus on friendship, including adventure and martial arts, not romance.

The relationship between Daisuke and Hikari was made to be more platonic. The relationship between the two is “best friends like an older brother and a younger sister, but are not lovers.” It is the same thing with Daisuke and Yohan, too, as they are heterosexual life partners since they are not homosexuals.

What is the plot of the story?

Kazuya and Ken Kurosawa, collectively known as the Kurosawa Brothers, are identical twin brothers, criminal masterminds, and the leaders of the powerful Wild Mondo crime syndicate with an army of their command who predicted that the world will end in the year 2030. After New Year’s Eve 2029, the Kurosawa Brothers believed that there was an error preventing the apocalypse, so they decided to correct it by destroying the world themselves. The Interpol is unable to shut down the crime syndicate themselves, so they contacted the three brave teenage Kyokushin karateka via email: Daisuke Ninomiya, the leader of the trio who has pyrokinetic powers, along with his two best friends, Hikari Kitayama, a red-haired girl who has electric powers, and Kenji “Yohan” Matsumoto, a chubby teenager who is the heir to his father’s Kyokushin karate dojo and has wind powers. The three brave teenage Kyokushin karateka have stood up to stop the Kurosawa Brothers and shut down the Wild Mondo crime syndicate.

The first half of the story takes place in Tokyo, and the second half in New York City.

What’s it going to be in?

The series will be in scroll format. However, almost all my content comes from my computer rather than smartphones or tablets while I work. This includes everyone else’s content coming from their computers, too. We’re also going right-to-left (manga style). Scroll-format webcomics can still be read on your computer, though!

The webcomic will also be self-published, with just one human, no AI. The series will not join Hiveworks, Spiderforest, or any other webcomic collective (note that Seven Seas Entertainment is known to translate the manga very poorly).

2. Tools and Programs

What fonts do you use for the upcoming series?

You can find a list of my favorite fonts here. Although I have exclusively switched to commercial fonts, I still visit free font sites, but not so much anymore.

What tools do you use?

I use Clip Studio Paint 3.0 and XP-PEN Artist 24 Pro. For the manga scripts, I use Pages (macOS only). I use OBS and DaVinci Resolve for recording/streaming and editing videos.

3. The characters

Why do you often leave most characters’ sneakers loose/untied? Don’t they trip and fall?

No, the characters won’t trip on their laces when they walk or run unless they wear them loose like this (except for sandals and Vans checkerboard slip-on shoes)! You’ve seen sneakerheads wearing their sneakers with loose/untied laces (and recently, Vans Knu Skool sneakers). Having the characters’ sneakers loose/untied allows them to remove their sneakers or sandals with ease while entering homes, temples, or other places where they cannot wear sneakers or sandals.

The characters’ sneakers are based on real-life sneakers, but popular sneaker brands are never mentioned.

Do the characters ever age (including the main antagonists)?

No, the characters don’t age at all! Why would I age them when I picked the characters' ages? Sonic the Hedgehog characters don’t age. What about the Pokémon anime/manga and video game characters? They don’t age. The main and major supporting characters are teenagers (between 14 and 19 years old). Also, none of the main characters attend school (except for Daisuke and Yohan, who attend ASIJ until they graduate at the ages of 10 and 11 respectively).

Is Hikari… uh… Daisuke’s younger sister?

No. Why would I think of that? Daisuke took her in and raised her as if she were his younger sister after her parents were killed in a car accident when she was young. Though Hikari was never officially adopted by his family, his parents considered her their surrogate daughter (in the case of Daisuke’s uncle, his surrogate niece) as she has been living with her best friend’s family since Daisuke first found her.

4. Other Shindig

Do you have a DeviantArt account?

I don’t have a DeviantArt account anymore. Many artists no longer consider DeviantArt a relevant site as it’s no longer worth using as the site is known for removing or relocating submissions (“deviations”) from the site for copyright infringement or other violations, the site’s staff and volunteers are rude and unprofessional, and the site’s forums aren’t helpful anymore.

Art theft on the site has become rampant, and the site’s staff and volunteers are unfriendly. They can also suspend or permanently ban users if they violate the site’s policies. We’re still waiting for the FBI and the ICPO, who are to shut down DeviantArt and Wix and arrest the sites’ staff and volunteers for the corruption of its users.

What about Newgrounds?

No plans for that, sorry!

What’s the difference between the online forums and Discord?

The concept of interacting with people online (fellow artists, content creators, webcomic artists…) remains the same. However, there are indeed some major differences.

1. Technically speaking, online forums started before there was Discord (vBulletin and phpBB are the early examples). No prior software download was required (except for the forum administrators and moderators, as they require software to run or moderate the forums). All that was needed was the usual web browser, a proper internet connection, and the Flash Player installed. Now, there is Discord for browsers, desktops, smartphones, and tablets.
2. One of the main differences resides in how you interact with fellow users in the community (art, gaming, webcomic, etc.). The traditional online forums require that you type the topic’s subject, select the specific category(ies) of the topic, and start the topic. Then the other forum-goers would later join in the conversation. The conversation had to be part of the topic. With Discord, the conversation CAN be part of the topic, but it doesn’t have to be since the servers have channels #like-this-for-example.

Anyone can have their own Discord server, choose any trusted people (friends, best friends, etc.) who have a Discord account, and then help moderate or boost the server, including the built-in forums. Internet giants and their Trust and Safety team officials won’t allow online trolls or online harassers, so the internet is no longer a place for online trolls or online harassers. On the other hand, you can include Discord bots and mark any channels that can be age-restricted, not just the whole server.