The Creative Cranium Substack
Eleven Questions with writer and creator David Doub
Welcome back, Comic Creators, Collectors, and other Cool Comrades!
Today I am excited to talk to one of my favorite people. Many of you know him as the hardest working man in independent comics- writer and comic creator David Doub. A tireless promoter of independent comics, David is known for supporting modern and diverse creative voices. He is also an experienced convention organizer and promoter with an extensive network. In fact, some of you around the country may have seen us on the road. Since we are both with Antarctic Press, we often team up; in a form of “buddy system” to help mitigate travel costs.
David is a super cool guy- let’s go!
Please welcome to the Creative Cranium Substack- Mr. David Doub!
11. Great to see you here David! Welcome. Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get your start in comics?
Thanks Timothy! My technical first time I tried to do comics was when I was a kid and I drew these comics about superheroes Publerizer and Mr Metal. One was a guy who could punch with superstrength but he had a field around him that prevented his punches from hurting organic matter too much. The other was basically an Iron Man clone. Years later as an adult, I was just writing scripts and ideas for Dusk and a publisher in England had a contest to have your comic made. I submitted my Dusk script and it was accepted and they made so many copies. The publisher shut down because they were focused on their comic shop and a new baby in their family. So I still had the 2nd issue drawn and went to another publisher until I did self publishing and full publishing for a bit.
10. What are the steps of your creative process?
I do a lot of the initial plotting and outlining in my head. As I write I solidify the story beats but this also gives me a some flexibility to adjust my outline as I put words to paper.
9. Who are your inspirations?
First there are early gothic writers like Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley. Then later writers from Edgar Allan Poe to HP Lovecraft. Then in comics, first in mainstream it’s Alan Moore, Chris Claremont, Steve Englehart. Then in indie comics it was David Quinn, Wendy Snow-Lang, and Mark Schultz. And that doesn’t even cover foreign creators from Moebius to Naoko Takeuchi. Basically, if It’s a comic I’ve have absorbed and processed it!
8. I can definitely see the cool gothic horror influences in your work. What were some of the early obstacles that you faced, and how did you overcome them?
Mainly it was costs and skills. Costs I just did out of my own pocket but I am a terrible business man, which slowed down productions a bit. Skills I was able to learn over time as I improved on my writing and continued to learn from others.
7. I know you write prose too, so why comics?
Why not Comics!?!? Seriously, it’s just the one that resonated with me the most with its infinite landscape of creativity, and it’s wealth of stories. Sure I love other things, like video games, movies, books and such, but it’s comics that just spoke to me in a way no other medium did.
6. I am a collector myself. What is in your comic collection?
I used to be a collector but now I like to consider myself a reader. I just want copies to read. I used to have a large collection of about 30K comics, mainly Marvel Bronze Age books. Now days it’s just a random grab bag of dollar books and discount trades I can get my hands on.
5. I agree there. There is no wrong way to collect comics. If you are enjoying the hobby, then you are doing it right. Let’s ask about promotion. What is your preferred method of promotion/ social media, and why?
I really do prefer cons. I grew up in cons and worked in cons and it’s so much fun. But as I have gotten older I find I don’t want to be away from my step-kids as much and costs get higher and higher I try to make Social Media work the best I can.
4. That makes sense. The road traveling portion of conventions is challenging, but I still prefer cons too. What are your thoughts on the current state of Kickstarter?
Luckily I think it’s settled down from it’s crazy days when people were crowdfunding one batch of Potato Salad for like 100K. That said like any other system, it can be gained. Lot of companies use it for pre-orders when it’s already produced (so squeezing out the smaller guy who needs money for production). Otherwise it’s a tool like any other and it’s not a fix all but is useful depending how you use it for your needs.
3. I remember the Potato Salad guy! That campaign was a whopper. How about you? How do you "measure success"?
If people read my book and enjoy it. The trick is to cut through all the noise so potential readers have a moment to notice my books and give them a shot.
2. How do you choose your teammates for your projects?
I have been at this long enough I have a good list of people I work with and I know of the work of a lot of fellow creators of who I would like to work with as well.
1. And most importantly- What advice would you offer to the new and occasionally struggling creators on the scene?
You have to love this. This isn’t a casual relationship. This is a long term love affair and there is gonna be ups and downs. Basically you have to be willing to be married to comics and work on that relationship so it will thrive. You can’t treat comics like a occasional hook up because you will be let down.
Well said. Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with our readers. I always appreciate the way you are supportive of so many creators (including me!), so a big hug for that too. We look forward to seeing you on the road!
And that’s a wrap Substackers! Stay tuned for more creator interviews coming soon.
Timothy B. Fling
Writer and Creator
“Ars Longa, Vita Brevis
Watch the Creative Cranium show on YouTube!