We’re looking forward to introducing you to Nicholas Doan. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Nicholas, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Yes! I am in the process of putting together the first ever print edition of a webcomic called PRAY FOR DEATH, that I published with DC Comics 18 years ago. So I’ve been working on assembling the files, creating pages for the front and back matter and reviewing print files repeatedly. This means that I have been looking closely at the work that I did when I was still really learning to do all of this. There are definitely some things that I would do differently if I did it now, but there are lots of things that I see that make me feel really proud. Having this as my first published work was pretty amazing.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Nicholas Doan. I am a writer/creator/ Publisher of comic books and graphic novels. I own a small publishing company called Broken Oar Comics and I have won two Independent Publisher Awards for all-ages graphic novel series, MONSTER ELEMENTARY. The stories that I write betray a sort of split personality in myself. I vacillate between all-ages comics and gritty, gruesome serial killer and horror stories. I love creating all-ages comics because I think young readers deserve quality stories with great art. I hate it when I see all-ages comics treated as “kid stuff” as if that means it has less value. But also like to let my dark side out.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I really think I had a very clear sense of myself when I was younger, but some of my life choices and hardships caused me to lose that man. I’m very fortunate to have gone through a reboot and begun what feels like a whole new life. My wife, Sara Silver was the person who truly saw me. She can often tell what’s going on inside me before I can. Her support and understanding helped me find myself again. Meeting her was the true beginning of my second chapter in life.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
My award winning series, MONSTER ELEMENTARY was originally going to be published by Image Comics. This was a dream come true! Image was the third largest publisher of comics and the number one publisher for creator owned comics. But my co-creator had some life problems and wouldn’t be able to meet our deadlines. So we were dropped. I was devastated. It felt like my career was really starting and just as quickly, it was gone. That’s why I learned to do it myself. I raised $20,000 on Kickstarter and published it myself. I won two independent Publisher Awards for the series, and I continue to make comics that I love and believe in.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I always stand up for creator rights and giving credit where credit is due. The comics industry has a history rich with abused creators. I will never betray my integrity when it comes to respecting creators and their rights as creators. I often think of the Dramatists Guild’s Playwright’s Bill of Rights. It might be the most creator forward policy in all of entertainment and deserves to be adopted in all media.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
YES! After I self published MONSTER ELEMENTARY through Kickstarter, I still wanted to find a publisher that would pick up the series and distribute it to comic shops all over the continent. Just such an opportunity came along and Space Goat Productions became my publisher. Working with Space Goat wound up costing me more money overall for promotion, creator copies of the books and so on. The quality of the printing was hideous, they set the retail price too high and they still owe me money. It was an important lesson that showed me I really should be doing it myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Brokenoarcomics.com
- Instagram: @brokenoarcomics
- Other: https://Thekidandtheripper.com
