We recently connected with David Doub and have shared our conversation below.

David, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When I went to High School (1992-1996) I was very much the nerd, the outsider. I was smart, I played Magic the Gathering, I liked roleplaying games and comics. Being in a small Texas town and with strong stereotypes like sports (and especially Football) being king, it made for a very horrible situation where I was bullied basically daily. I felt so afraid and angry every day, that the trauma follows to me to this day where I have issues with anger and anxiety that I’ve had to have therapy and medication to help deal with it.

A few years after I got out of high school the tragic Columbine Shooting happened. As I watched the news and heard all these old out of touch leaders and public figures try to figure out why it happened I remembered back to my time in High School and all the crap I had to deal with. I don’t claim I understood why those two kids did what they did but I felt I had a better grasp than the “Elders” saying it was things like loud music and video games.

So I started making a story, or least the skeleton of one, but I let it sit for over 20 years because there was a lot for me to process, a lot of feelings I needed to figure out to verbalize.

But finally it all started to come together. I added supernatural elements to it to give some distance from the pain but still be able to openly talk about it. I used elements from gaming to make it familiar. I also drew inspiration from the old Jack Chick Tracts, his little comics about the supposed evils in the world. I wrote my comic someone like it was a Chick Tract, that roleplaying and other gaming were actually evil as I was told as a kid. I took all those elements and the skills I developed as a writer over the years and I made the comic Demons in the Darkness

David, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up with comics. I honestly don’t remember how the few comics got into my house, but I remember reading them over and over until the covers became quite tattered and worn. I fell in love with the vivid over the top storytelling that only comics could seem to provide.

I remember going to the corner 7-11 Store and getting comics from the spinner racks. I also went to Waldenbooks and got comics from their spinner racks too.

Then I remember I was reading a story line and I somehow missed an issue on the racks and I didn’t know how to get the comic. My Dad, who wasn’t a comic nerd, knew that there were these stores that back issues. So he took me to this mostly abandoned strip mall with an old run down Showbiz Pizza. Hidden in there was a comic book store and I was in heaven.

Ever since then Comics has had been a constant companion for me. During good times and bad, there were always comics to help me escape in their stores to find some quiet respite. I soon devoured all forms of comics. With the help of Heavy Metal magazine I found out about the comics of Europe. With the help of manga imported by local publishers I discovered the world of Japanese comics.

I’ve always wanted to make comics, even as a kid with my simply drawn adventures of Metal Man and his sidekick Metal Dog.

So I slowly made my way into making comics. I realized I wasn’t nearly good at art as I was at writing so I focused on writing.

I journeyed from working with publishers, self publishing, being a full publisher myself to where I am now happily with Shonuff Studios making comics!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love being able to share my stories and seeing people responding to it. I put a part of myself in each and every story so it’s a way of me opening up to people and sharing a part of myself in a safe and comfortable way. It a very rewarding experience to make something new out of myself, my experiences, my feelings, and my creativity.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Originally I thought it was cool, that there was a way for artists and creators could own their art online and sell it if they desired.

Sadly that is not what seems NFTs have been used for. People just seem to want the code like it’s just another crypto currency and the art doesn’t really matter in the equation.

Also the amount of computer power to make an NFT causes the same issue that crypto currency causes where it impacts the environment.

It’s just become another way for some people with money to make more money and doesn’t really help the artistic or creator communities.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shonuffstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShonuffStudio/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shonuffart
• Other: https://www.twitch.tv/shonuffstudio https://www.facebook.com/DuskComics https://www.instagram.com/duskcomics/

Image Credits
Art By Halo Parr Terry Parr Pat Binder Dominic C. Racho Miguel Ángel Hernández Cedillo Dianita Ceron