Meet Nicholas Doan | Writer, Creator and Publisher – Broken Oar Comics

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Doan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I think stories and fiction have a profound impact on people. The goal of every story that I tell or publish is to give people an emotional experience of some kind. Even if it is just a laugh or a smile. Whatever it is that people experience from a story, they learn from it or change or evolve in some way. It might be small or it might be huge, but the goal is always to tell a story that changes the reader in some way. And hopefully, make the world a better place in the process.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I had a long path to becoming a publisher. When I was in school, I thought I was going to be an actor. Theatre was my life. I soon realized that if I wrote the plays myself, I got to play every character in my mind and create them from the ground up. It wasn’t long before my love of comic books seduced me into that crazy business. My first published story was PRAY FOR DEATH, a webcomic about a serial killer with a grudge against God. It was published by DC Comics’ webcomic imprint, Zuda. After that, I thought I would find my way into mainstream comics and write for publishers, but I soon realized that I loved creating my own characters too much and wanted to work in a creator-owned capacity. My experiences with many of the small publishers in the industry left me sour about the process. I saw a lot of shady contracts sent my way and eventually made a deal to publish MONSTER ELEMENTARY with Space Goat Productions. Space Goat was eye-opening because I had to deal with a narcissistic business owner and in the end, I made less money than doing it on my own. There are still lots of editors and publishers that I would love to work with, but the lesson I learned was that I should take control of my own destiny. So Broken Oar Comics was born! My own publishing company where I can tell the all-ages stories that bring me joy and the gruesome serial killer stories that spark my fascination with humanity’s worst people. It may seem a little bi-polar, but I find it refreshing to return to all-ages stories after writing something dark. It’s like a cleanse.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Whenever I visit a new town, I’m most interested in record stores and comic shops. So a trip to Amoeba records in Hollywood is a must. Pulp Fiction Comics in Culver City is my favorite shop in town. A walk around the Hollywood Reservoir and up to Hollywood Lake Park is a great way to build up an appetite and some of the best places to resolve that appetite are Beachwood Cafe, Superba and Hugo’s! We’ve also got to make time to go up to Griffith Park where we’ll eat at the Trails Cafe and visit the observatory. I’m also a big fan of live music and there is always some great concerts in LA. Historic spots like the Whisky a-go-go or the Troubadour are sure to offer an exciting evening.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I couldn’t be doing what I am doing right now without the immense support of my wife, Sara Silver. Apart from being a brilliant storyteller and co-creator of MISFIT ISLAND, she is the most supportive and inspiring person that has ever come into my life.

Website: https://broken-oar-comics.square.site/s/shop

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brokenoarcomics/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brokenoarproductions/

Other: Kickstarter -https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nicholasdoan/daisy-cassidy-issues-1-2-and-3/

Image Credits
Daisy Cassidy by Eryn Tompsett
Broken Oar Comics/Misfit Island by Bobby Timony
The Kid and The Ripper by David Palumbo
Pray For Death by Daniele Serra