Aaron Duran is a
writer and media producer in Portland, Oregon.
He is the host of Geek in the City Radio
(alongside co-host Scott Dally), webmaster of GeekInTheCity.com, and a regular
guest on the Cort and Fatboy Show and
Funemployment Radio show. He is also a
writer for newarama. Duran organized a failed effort in 2008 to
rename Portland's 42nd Avenue to Douglas Adams Boulevard after science fiction
author Douglas Adams.
Upset with the current state of comics, Aaron, began
working on his own comic in 2007. He
started the writing La Brujeria, and when he was joined by artist James Sinclair
the story solidified. La Brujeria's plot involves a
Mexican American woman named Althalia who has a temp job at a Pawn Shop. But, with Werewolves, Elementals, & Chupacabra as co-workers; she
was recruited by the Golden Bought Pawn Shop’s real goal of fighting the
monsters of the under the streets of Portland. At present the comic is
available at most comic stores in Portland
and you can or it online at Geek in the City. If you are going to be at Stumptown you can
pick up the latest issue 3 of La Brujeria.
He has started his radio show up again called Crimson Mist, co-created by Jayesunn Krump.
Doug Dorr: What
projects are you working on currently?
I am in the middle of a couple of projects at this time.
Currently, James Sinclair and Jenn Alvin are working on issue 3 of La Brujeria,
which will debut at the 2012 Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland. I am also
wrapping up a new script for an all-new Adventures of the Crimson Mist audio
play for Comic Book Month in April with the Incubator Lounge. And, as always, I
work on the weekly podcast, Geek in the City Radio.
DD: What is your
artistic Process?
Coffee. Lots of coffee. Okay, seriously. My process is a
lot like a sprinter. I try and write about 6 – 7 hours a day, but very little
of it is usable. Most of what I write is just dreck, something to keep me going
through the motions. However, when I dive into a project, I become incredibly
focused and very hard to distract. So while I say it takes me a week or so to
complete a draft on a script, in all honesty, I tend to burn through the first
draft in a constant 8 – 10 hour writing marathon. Then, it's all about the
re-writes.
DD: When are
writing, what is your process working with the artist?
It all depends on the artist. When I'm writing
descriptive scenes in a comic, my style is very flexible according to the needs
of the artist. As I have a background in film / video production, my writing
has a very cinematic style to it. As such, a lot of my scenes are broken down
like camera angles and shots. With James, the artist on La Brujeria, we've got
a pretty strong short-hand now. So, I can simply write “horrible beast dude”
and he knows exactly what I mean. But, were I to work with someone new, I'd be
far more descriptive.
DD: What Comic/
Trade would you recommend?
Right now? The Sixth Gun is still my favorite series on
the shelves. There might be single issues from other comics that hit me harder
once in a while. However, month in, month out, it's Sixth Gun that turns in the
win for me.
DD: What Comic/
Trade would you recommend to someone new to comics?
It all depends on the person. If they only know superhero
books from films, and want to read more capes and cowls, I'd recommend Joss
Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men, The Sinestro Corp War from Johns, or Bendis'
Ultimate Spider-Man. But, if they want something else, I've got a short list.
Stumptown from Oni Press, Chew from Image, Northlanders and Scalped from
Vertigo, and of course, The Sixth Gun.
DD: What skill
would you like to learn?
In comics? Pencilling. My art skills are some of the
worst you will ever see. I've taken courses, I've practiced for years, I've
even had highly talented friends and professionals give me tips. Nothing. These
fingers just can't make the pretty pictures. It's very frustrating, as I have
one or two highly personal stories I'd like to tell, stories that I want to be
100% from me. But I get so frustrated with my own lack of penciling skills, I
keep pushing them back.
DD: What's the
most important thing you've learned?
Be nice. No, really. You never know if the person you're
complaining to or about will someday be someone you have to work with. Or, even
worse, someone who could review your work one day. Years ago, I was all about
making as much noise as possible in order to be noticed. Making noise meant
yapping off about things I knew little or nothing about. It was all about what
I thought, and as the consumer, I just had to be right! Well, it's one thing to
have an opinion, it's another to be a total a-hole about it. I was that a-hole,
but I got really lucky. Lucky in that the people I rambled on about saw that I
was being just that, a young and hungry a-hole and let it slide when I grew
older and more mature. Not everyone is going to be that lucky. So, be nice.
Also, hit your deadline. If you can be nice and hit your deadlines, you'll go
far.
DD: Do you have a
collection? If so, what is one of the
items you're most proud of?
Oh, I have quite a few collections. What good geek
doesn't? I've got a fair amount of Batman action figures, I've recently started
collecting original comic book art, and I have all the Hallmark Star Trek Ships
ornament collection. However, when I think about the items I always unpack
first, the ones I always show people, regardless of their interest, it would
have to be my RPG book collection. Don't know why, but I'm obsessed with
collecting first editions of various Role Playing Games. Haven't even played
most of them, but I love to collect and read them.
DD: What is your
favorite genre of Comics?
Cliché as it sounds, I'm a child of superheroes and I
still love the genre to this day. Weird / supernatural mash-ups are a very
close second.
DD: What is your
favorite TV show/ movie?
Currently, it's A Game of Thrones. All time? Star Trek:
The Next Generation. I know it isn't the best, it isn't even the best Trek (that's
Deep Space Nine). But, it has a pretty hard hold upon my nostalgia string and
it just ain't gonna' let go.
DD: How does the
Portland comics culture shapes your work?
It doesn't really shape it. Well, that's not true. There
are so many great and talented creators in this town, it forces me to keep up
my game and skills. Not that I think I'd ever knowingly phone in a project,
being around so many talented people keeps me honest.
DD: What was your
first comic convention?
This dingy little “convention” in Reno, NV. A couple of
shops set-up this 10 – 12 table convention in the middle of Old Town Mall. It
was really just a flea market with some collectors selling their stuff, but to
my 10 year-old eyes, it was the most awesome event of all time.
DD: If you weren’t
doing comics what would you do?
I don't honestly know. Some form of writing. Some form of
narrative writing. I love to tell stories, so I'd find some way to tell my
stories. Or, I'd actually become a chef like my grandparents wanted.
DD: Do you have a
favorite restaurant that you would recommend?
Autentica in North Portland. They serve some of the
finest Mexican food in the city.
DD: How long have
you lived in Portland, what made you choose Portland?
I moved to Portland in September of 1998, so I've been
here for over 13 years. (Long enough for locals to call me an official
“Portland Native). I moved here to become a chef. I was enrolled in the Western
Culinary Institute, event went through orientation. Then, panic set in and I
canceled the whole dang thing.
DD: What is your
favorite part of Portland?
I love the weather here. Honestly. The clouds and the
rain, I love it. It also helps me appreciate our summers, even if I am one of
those people that starts to complain around August about the heat. And, I love
how every neighborhood in Portland it like a small town unto itself.
DD: Where in
Portland/ Oregon would you most like to visit?
I wander around the city a lot, so I don't miss much in
Portland. I'd like to spend more time in the northern coast, I love that
region. I'd also like to explore more of Eastern Oregon. I've only passed
through it a couple of times, so I'd love to explore some of the region.
DD: Would you like
to write/Illustrate for another media?
Or write a character from another media, for example, Dr. Who, James
Bond? What would you explore?
Well, I wouldn't want to stop writing comics. I don't see
comics as a stepping stone to other media, but I am also open to writing within
others. I love the idea of writing for video games. The potential for branching
and interactive stories is something I really dig and I think games are the
perfect format for that. As to other characters. Well, I wouldn't want to
suggest I'd do any better than people currently writing known characters,
because I highly doubt that. Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to add
my stories to Batman, as well as Star Wars and Star Trek. I know, it's
stunningly predictable, but these universes had such an influence on me, it'd
be a blast to add my own.
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