“MEET DUNCAN” IS A COMIC THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO READ (EXCLUSIVE ARTIST INTERVIEW!)
THE NEW COMIC HAS AN AESTHETIC OF IT'S OWN
You may have seen it on your IG feed. An animated visual of a dreadlocked young man staring back at us in a smoke filled frame was our introduction into the world of "Meet Duncan" and immediately, we wanted to know more. As the title suggests, the story focuses on Duncan, a struggling writer and big time stoner from South Central LA. Where writer and creator Jarale Phillips gets it right though, is his insistence on adding humanity, and avoiding cliches with his story. In Meet Duncan, the characters are just as likely to hotbox a car as they are to discuss and debate the plot of Godfather 2. That beautiful juxtaposition, along with some cinematic imagery by Blyss Studios is why this new comic is a hit.
With an audience in place and some serious momentum, Phillips has now created an app specifically for Meet Duncan where audience members can have access to all of the content to come, for just $1.99 a month. On the day that his app was approved by the Apple App Store, we got to chat with Jarale Phillips about how he got started with his brand. He hinted about plans for the future, spoke on inspirations, collaborators and more below.
1. LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING. WHERE DID THE IDEA START FOR MEET DUNCAN? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE STEPS YOU TOOK TO MAKE THAT VISION A REALITY?
I always loved the feeling I got from those old Biggie albums, or the skits from The Chronic 2001. They were these little pockets of story that were so bold and colorful that they ended up feeling a lot bigger than they really were. You could laugh, worry, connect and reflect all in a few short minutes.That’s the energy I wanted when I sat down to write Meet Duncan. So if anyone came across my Instagram and read the scripts, they’d walk away with that same vibe I used to get. Like “Okay this is special, and I want more.”As far as the steps it’s crazy because from where I started to where we are now has been a really organic process. A lot of instinct and good luck. The help of some talented people, of course. Right now I have a really clear vision for the brand, but I didn’t even think about illustrating the stories until episode six. And I didn’t know how far it could go until I met Tony. His drawings are so cinematic and real, which was perfect to me because my background is in film.
2. HOW HAS THE RECEPTION BEEN THUS FAR FOR YOUR STORIES? YOU GUYS HAVE REACHED A LOT OF PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WERE YOU EXPECTING THIS KIND OF REACH SO QUICKLY?
Not at all, no. Back when I was just posting the scripts to my page people would dm me to talk about it. That’s when I started thinking it might be worth while to illustrate. The day we announced our second episode we got 300 new ig followers and nearly two thousand website visits that month. It was also the same weekend you guys featured us in your artists to watch article, which was our first official stamp that let us know we were doing something right.
“If anyone came across my Instagram and read the scripts, they’d walk away with that same vibe I used to get. Like “Okay this is special, and I want more.”
Telling this story about a young black guy in South Central LA — getting stoned, talking slick, having a good time — as a writer you worry that people can miss the humanity of it. The best thing about the response to Duncan is it lets me know that other people see what I see. Not only is it okay for characters like this to exist, but there’s a demand for it. And the nuance and subtext isn’t lost on the audience, but strongly embraced.
"At its core Meet Duncan is a vibe. There’s a sense of freedom and adventure we want to give people in every episode."
3. YOU’RE WORKING ON AN APP WE HEAR. CAN YOU LET US KNOW THE CONCEPT BEHIND THIS APP? WAS THIS ALWAYS PART OF THE VISION FROM THE BEGINNING OR DID THINGS PROGRESS AS YOU WENT ALONG?
At its core Meet Duncan is a vibe. There’s a sense of freedom and adventure we want to give people in every episode. The app is a place we can continue to give that raw authentic storytelling without a gatekeeper. It wasn’t always the plan but now that we’re here the possibilities are endless, and the goal is to keep growing organically with our audience.Episode 6 and beyond will be available exclusively on the app with a $1.99/month subscription. No ad sharing, no Kickstarter. We keep making content and our audience gets all the access with no middle man. The 1st 7 days are free to new subscribers. We still feature the scripts, plus I’ve added a new story thread called “Classic Duncan” that will bring a whole new layer of depth and backstory to the Meet Duncan characters.
4. WHAT’S THE DIRECTION LIKE FOR YOU AND YOUR BRAND OVERALL? WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE MEET DUNCAN? TV? MOVIES? WE’D LOVE TO KNOW
My ultimate goal right now is to do an animated series. I want full thirty-minute episodes, eight to thirteen episodes per season all on the Meet Duncan app. I already have a draft of the pilot episode written, and if you remember we had some animated frames at the end of episode three. I’m looking to scale that up as the series progresses.
"My ultimate goal right now is to do an animated series. I want full thirty-minute episodes, eight to thirteen episodes per season all on the Meet Duncan app."
In the meantime we’re adding story arcs for Duncan, Doughnut, Lucas, and Kelly in season two, which starts at episode 11. We also plan to add some more dynamic features to the app over the coming months, but I can’t announce what they are just yet.