Interviews 

Peace and Love With a Side of Guac: Adam Wallenta on “Punk Taco”

By | May 25th, 2020
Posted in Interviews | % Comments

Whenever you end up feeling down about yourself, always remember: tacos fall apart and we still love them.  So it may just make perfect sense that the hero of Adam Wallenta’s book, “Punk Taco” is one of America’s most popular street foods.  His kid-centric graphic novel written with his son Makana, a story we called “optimism for the eye, the heart, the mind, and the soul” when we reviewed it last year, has just the right message to lift you up in this dark climate.  Come for the space adventure, stay for the messages of kindness, empathy, and tolerance that any age can take to heart.

I chatted with Adam about the genesis for this series, a possible marketing collaboration with a restaurant in Michigan, and plans for more Punk Taco adventures. You can order the graphic novel, and pre-order the second volume, at punktaco.com.


Now we reviewed “Punk Taco” last year, but for those that may have missed that review, tell us more about the story.

Punk Taco

Adam Wallenta: “Punk Taco” is a graphic novel series about a lovable, sentient, space-taco and his band of misfits, who rock out across the universe, spreading peace and love through their music, and helping those in need along the way. It’s a story about friendship, compassion, empathy and doing the right thing no matter the odds. The actual book is printed as an oversized 8×12, hardcover and we are now on our 2nd printing after winning a Ringo Award for “Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel” and a Kids Comics Award for “Best Sci-Fi or Fantasy Book”.

You created this story with the help of your son Makana. How exactly did this idea come about?

AW: Makana and I were just hanging out one day, playing with action figures and Lego, and I told him about this name, Punk Taco, that had been rattling around in my head for years. He thought it was a hysterical name and started coming up with ideas for who the character was and what the story would be. Together, we started sketching and designing characters and before we knew it we had more ideas then we could fit into one book so we decided to make it a series.

What’s been the most satisfying about working with your son on this story?

AW: Creating comics is a very time-consuming process. Long days and nights and often, if you are doing it all on your own, it can be very lonely. As a parent, it’s awesome to actually create with my son and spend time with him working on something that we will bring to life together. In the case of “Punk Taco,” not only did I get to create a book with my son, but I travelled all over the country with him, going to conventions, libraries and schools to promote the series, and even got to win a couple of awesome awards. Sharing that time and those experiences is priceless. It’s actually been the best time in my life as a professional because of all the time I’ve been able to share with him and my family.

There’s so much feel-good food out there in the world – – pizza, chicken wings, mac and cheese. Why tacos?

AW: We created “Punk Taco” for all-ages but ultimately it is a book for kids, and it’s meant to be completely wacky and fun. Kids love tacos and the idea of a sentient space-taco seemed absolutely absurd. Plus, it was just a cool name that got stuck in my head for over ten years until Makana helped me bring it to life. Now Punk Taco is here to stay.

Fun fact: there is apparently a Punk Taco restaurant in Lansing, Michigan. (It came up in a Google search.) Have you heard from them at all about the shared name? Ever think about contacting them to sell the book?

AW: I do know of the restaurant, but I have never visited them nor contacted them. The Punk Taco comic was created before they opened, and we hold the trademark. When we were in Ann Arbor for the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival, we had a lot of people mention them to us and I hear the food is amazing. From the photos I’ve seen online it looks amazing and I hope the next time we are out that way we can visit.

Continued below

Who are some of your artistic inspirations?

AW: I have a lot. As an artist, I am constantly inspired by other artists and creative people. Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, John Byrne, Bill Mantlo, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Jerry Ordway, Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Norman Rockwell, Alex Ross, Lee Weeks, John Romita, Ross Andru, Rich Buckler, Chuck D, Bernie Wrightson….too many to name.

Now you’ve illustrated over 50 children’s books as well as album art for Public Enemy and KRS-One. Which do you enjoy more – – drawing for an audience of kids or drawing for adults?

AW: I do both because I love both. It’s really equal. I love illustrating books and comics and music is such a huge part of who I am as well, so being able to illustrate and design album art for artists I admire and respect is a dream come true. I feel very fortunate that I get to do both.

Because you have done work for both kids and adults, let’s find a fun way to combine the two with one of the more “adult” comic characters: Deadpool. Inspired by 1998’s “Baby’s First Deadpool Book,” pitch to me your idea of a Deadpool children’s book.

AW: I’ve never read that book but I just looked it up and it looks funny. I was never a huge Deadpool fan, I know that’s weird, but I think at the time when they started doing his solo series, I wasn’t collecting a lot of mainstream books, so I missed out on his evolution from his early appearances in New Mutants.

If I was to pitch a Deadpool children’s book it would probably have to do with him losing his memory and befriending a 8-year-old who has no idea who he is, and the two of them getting lost in a mall and ending up at Dave and Busters. Because I think that would be my Makana’s dream day. And for the record he has never watched or read Deadpool and only knows the films are not appropriate.

Is there one character in comics that you haven’t had the chance to work with yet that you’re dying to take a stab at drawing? Who’s that one character that you look at and you’re like “damn, I so want to draw him/her/them.” And what spin would you put on it?

AW: The fanboy in me would still love to draw Spider-Man or Captain America but honestly these days I haven’t thought about it much. I’m so consumed with Punk Taco that I’m not even really familiar with what is going on with the characters so I’d have to do a lot of research before I figured out what I could offer. I love working on my own independent characters and it’s pretty time consuming. That being said- I’d love to contribute to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because they are a huge inspiration for me as an indie creator and for Punk Taco.

What lesson do you hope readers of any age take from “Punk Taco?”

AW: Be kind to each other. Show compassion and empathy towards others. Try talking your problems out, but don’t let bullies push your around either, help those in need and do the right thing. It’s all very corny I suppose but that’s what I loved about characters like Spidey and Cap, they were idealistic and always tried to do what was right.

Any new projects that you can share with us at the moment?

AW: A new second printing of “Punk Taco” will be arriving at my doorstep and ready to ship this week. And if you don’t have a copy it would be awesome if everyone out there ordered one from us since we are 100% independent and have no distribution. I am currently inking and coloring Volume 2 of “Punk Taco.” It is completely penciled and it is currently 96 pages and we will also do a 10-page bonus story that Makana will draw. I also have 11 pages of Volume 3 already penciled. Beyond that I have a 200 page graphic novel I have penciled that was actually completed before “Punk Taco” #1, but I put it on hold to focus on “Punk Taco” and work with my son. I hope to get back to that early next year and finish inking and coloring it.

Continued below

We also recently did a “Punk Taco” read-along-video for all the kids at home now to enjoy and it can be seen on our YouTube channel “Little Kids Big Kids” where we also review toys and books. Check it out and subscribe.

Thank you for a great interview and for supporting “Punk Taco” and to all your readers for checking this out.


Find out more about the world of Punk Taco at punktaco.com, and more of Adam Wallenta’s art at adamwallenta.com.


Kate Kosturski

Kate Kosturski is your Multiversity social media manager, a librarian by day and a comics geek...well, by day too (and by night). Kate's writing has also been featured at PanelxPanel, Women Write About Comics, and Geeks OUT. She spends her free time spending too much money on Funko POP figures and LEGO, playing with yarn, and rooting for the hapless New York Mets. Follow her on Twitter at @librarian_kate.

EMAIL | ARTICLES