Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mack Duncan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Mack, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
Would I have liked to have done this with my whole life? Maybe.
Was I ready for this in my 20s? No. I had to live my life for awhile and gain some maturity in order to tell the stories I want to tell now.
Mack, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have been an active performing artist in Phoenix, AZ since 1999, and has been a professional educator since 2001.
I was a coproducer for the Phoenix Improv Festival as well as a cofounder of The Torch Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.
Throughout my adult life, I’ve been an improvisor, a puppeteer and a film maker. I transitioned into writing comics around 2018.
I am the founder and sole proprietor of CareFree Write Enterprises, which currently includes CareFree Write Productions and CareFree Write Publishing.
Have you ever had to pivot?
My series was originally called “Among Us.” I started using the title in 2007 when I wrote a play intended for my theater students.
When I started adapting the play into a comic in 2018, I planned to keep the title, with each story arc including the words “Among Us” in its title (“They Are Among Us” ; “Friends Among Us” ; “Enemies Among Us” ; “Gods Among Us” ; “Monsters Among Us” etc.).
The first two issues came out in February of 2020, without incident. By August of 2020, everyone was talking about “Among Us.” Unfortunately, it was a popular online game and not my comic book. By September when I released Issue 3, I got a lot of pushback from the gamer fans essentially saying (in their view) I had no right to use that title.
The books now fly under the banner of AU. When I get beyond Issue 9, I plan on releasing future stories under different titles with AU acting as my imprint (along the lines of DC, formerly known as Detective Comics).
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
So much of our society is driven by money and what sells.
It takes a lot to find an audience with something unknown. I’m still working on that, and I have no idea how to break it.
Most comic book retailers sell recognizable titles from the big publishers. If someone has made it into a movie, then a new reader will look for it. There isn’t always space for indie titles. We have to cultivate our audience from the handful of people who look for the stuff no on has heard of.
One the one hand, an artists doesn’t want to be just like everyone else, because that’s not really art. On the other hand, an artist working in an existing medium can’t help but be influenced by established work, so it’s near impossible to be 100% unique.
Contact Info:
- Website: aucomics.com
- Instagram: @aucomicbooks; @themackduncan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AUComicsGraphicNovel
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mack-duncan-6651649/
- Twitter: @aucomicbooks; @mackduncan
- Youtube: MackDuncan
- Other: TikTok @themackduncan
Image Credits
Pencil and Ink – Ben Worrell Color – Fabio Bandres