Tagged: indie

Blog / Comics / Conventions

PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE!

November 18, 2015

Hey Gargeteers!

PAST:

Had a fantastic weekend in Lethbridge, Alberta with Kyle Burles at the Lethbridge Expo!

It was a great time with a fantastic venue– the Enmax Centre is an entire arena, with a great layout and lots of room to expand.  It was very cool to have the artist alley on the upper level overlooking the convention floor; it gave me the sense of knowing where everything was and being able to see the entire Expo all at once.  Too, being right near the entrance doors is a huge bonus for traffic!

I’d like to see this convention grow.  If you’re in Alberta, it’s totally within driving distance– and that works for BC, Saskatchewan, Montana, Idaho and Washington, as well!  Check out www.lethexpo.com and come give it a try next year!

Lethbridge Expo at the Enmax Centre

Lethbridge Expo at the Enmax Centre

PRESENT:

You may already have seen pages from current comics updating on the site now– that’s right.  Two Gargoyles now updates THREE TIMES A WEEK — a new page of our horror comic Gloaming on Mondays, Twilight Detective Agency on Wednesdays, and Diaperman on Fridays.  It’s important to me that those of you who read this blog get to know the comics I write and get a chance to read ’em!  The hope, of course, is that you enjoy them so much you support them by purchasing what you like!

As a special treat, I’m uploading the VERY FIRST Twilight Detective Agency story, what we call “TDA #0,” which is the very first case our loveable gargoyles, Riverdale and Hawkstone, solve together.  Back when we first created TDA, it was a webcomic– the format is different and the character designs are very early concepts of the duo; art by Mike Rieger (who very much wishes you to understand that this is very old art and to not judge him for it. 🙂 )

TDAZerowebcomiccover

FUTURE:

Look for the site to have an update to its look and feel soon; thanks to the tender loving webcare of Mike Rieger, Two Gargoyles will have greater functionality, navigation and exciting new opportunities to get cool stuff!

What’s happening with Thunder?  Short answer: Fantastic things.  Thunder issue #5 is over half done, with the talented Myk Emmshin at the helm; amazing colouring by Levy Ramirez are giving the book a very polished, amazing feel.

But wait, there’s more– Thunder issues 1-4 are going to be gathered up into the very first THUNDER GRAPHIC NOVEL— with ALL NEW ART.  Yes, that’s right.  All 96 pages of art are going to be refreshed and made new!  In 2016 Two Gargoyles will be looking into Kickstarter or Patreon crowdfunding options to make that dream a reality, so if you’re a Twogargs fan, spread the word, bring people to the site and let them get to know our work!

In the meantime, please enjoy our new update schedule and look forward to the new things coming to you from Two Gargoyles Comics!

Previous Thunder 01, page 10

Previous Thunder 01, page 10

NEW Thunder 01, Page 10

NEW Thunder 01, Page 10
Blog / Holidays

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

October 30, 2015

Halloween is our favourite time here at Two Gargoyles (and with mascots like ours, who could blame us?) and so Hawkstone and Riverdale teamed up with Thunder and Code Monkey to bring you a very special Halloween message!

Stay safe while collecting candy, be kind to black cats and Happy New Year to all the Witches out there!

HappyHalloween2015

Blog / Merch

MIDDLE OF THE WEEK!

October 7, 2015
Diaperman by Derek Mah

Diaperman by Derek Mah

Hi Folks– it’s the middle of the week here at Two Gargoyles, and some housekeeping is in order!

Firstly, although I’ve set the Diaperman Graphic Novel to post one page a day on the Comics Archive page, glitches happen– and I realized it had skipped a couple of days (maybe it was tired?).  Thus, today there are THREE new pages posted of your favourite diapered superhero (And really, if you know of any other diapered superhero currently in existence, I would be very surprised).  However, if you’re tired of waiting and want to see the entire graphic novel in its entirety (including artwork and covers not included in the daily posts) it’s available (digitally and in print) via the good folks at Indyplanet!

Secondly, I’ve ordered some new items from our Redbubble store— apparently the Superboobs and Supergroins continue to be popular.  Due to demand, I’ve started experimenting with Superboob T-shirts– notably, Wonder Woman (see and follow our Instagram for photo).  Man or woman, puff out your chest proudly with super-pride!  Now, the t-shirts are currently only available through Vistaprint and are special-order items.  I’m looking into finding a good quality vendor online where you can order your own, but until I do you’ll have to email me for an order (use the Contact Us page).

Garg Magnets, Set 1

Garg Magnets, Set 1

Thirdly, if you’ve seen the Two Gargoyles table at conventions, you’ll know that we do Gargoyles Magnets— if you haven’t seen them, they’re available on our Etsy Store, there are two series of magnets available!

Finally, you may have noticed an absence of THUNDER on Two Gargoyles lately, and at conventions.  Expect news about our half-Norse, half-Canadian, Super-Polite superhero later this week!

Blog / Conventions

Calgary Red & White Club Show!

September 14, 2015

michaelbaymaxAlthough it was a small, one-day show, the Calgary Red and White Expo was great for Twogargs’ sales!  Although larger shows may offer more traffic for Artist’s Alley, smaller, more intimate shows give one a much greater chance of connecting with one’s audience!  Sales were good, and having time and space to chat with fans and peers alike made this show a “must-do” for the future.  Already looking into next September’s show!

Highlights were:  sharing a table with Kyle Burles — he has such good energy and as the artist on Gloaming, adds an extra bit of oomph to sales (and fan discussions of ) our comic at the table.

There’s a definite community “feel” to the show; our group of friends have been attending it for years now– this was our first time exhibiting at it.  Familiar faces, veterans of the comic and toy collecting communties, and family events like a kid’s costume show (but seriously, guys, TURN DOWN YOUR MICROPHONE)!  It was a good feeling and a great way for kids to get a little break from the hubbub of “Back to School.”

My personal highlight?  I MET BAYMAX.  So there.

BIG WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT!

You may already be aware that twogargs.com is updating, going through some changes.  Part of the reason is that, starting today, Twogargs will be making its comics AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ONLINE.  Yup, you read that correctly– there is now a “Comics Archive” link at the top of the home page that will take you to our comics page where you can read what you’ve been missing or re-visit old favourites!  I’ve started with Diaperman, the comic that started it all– I’m posting pages from the Complete Series Graphic Novel– including the writer/artist commentary written by me, Michael McAdam, and original artist Mike Rieger.

I’ll be posting a new page every day so you can follow along.  Also, there’s a series category for “Behind the Scenes” — in which one-shots like “Two Gargoyles Texting” will pop up every so often!  If you like randomness, you’ll like Behind the Scenes.

Onward and upward!

–Michael

 

Comics / Conventions

FAN EXPO: GINORMOUS

September 10, 2015

Howdy Gargeteers!

Back from FanExpo in Toronto!  Very well organized, well-run con considering its size (huge!) and its location (smack dab in the middle of downtown Toronto!).  I (Michael) had a lovely table setup in Artist’s Alley.

fanexpotable

Sales were slow for me, but what I lacked in selling I made up for in learning and inspiration.  Mike and Lisa Rieger, both experts in design and detail, gave my table a once-over and talked to me about “maximizing” my display to attract better attention.  Which worked– after they used their Fairy Sales Magic to move things around, sales picked up.  Cleverness!

Also, got introduced to Lar deSouza by my old friend Heather Bruton.  Every morning, Heather and I would gab about the Business of Art and Creativity and refresh each other’s inspiration; when Lar joined us on the third morning it was electric.  The exchange of ideas has me singing with energy to produce more, better and with more clarity, than ever before!

Did you know I live-reported each day of the con on social media?  That’s right– on Twitter (@Twogargs), Tumblr (twogargs.tumblr.com) and Facebook (facebook.com/twogargs/).  But I’ve also JUST started an Instagram account specifically for Twogargs– if you were following livemike317 before the convention lease follow Twogargs (https://instagram.com/twogargs/) now.

One of the results of my con-fueled inspiration is that I’ve started a Kickstarter account! (https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/twogargs) Feel free to follow me to see what I’m up to, and WATCH THIS SPACE because Kickstarter is going to figure prominently in the Two Gargoyles’ future!

Another is that Kyle Burles and I have submitted our comic, Gloaming, to Shadowline comics for consideration as part of their line.  Wish us luck– it could mean stepping up to the big(ger) leagues!

Also, with Mike Rieger’s help, I’m going to be updating the twogargs.com site to better reflect the expanded direction I want to take the site in, and we’ll also be including new offerings such as webcomics for you to enjoy and keep visiting the site!  It’s all very squee-worthy, at least in my book!

redandwhitelogoAll this and the Red & White Expo in Calgary this weekend!  Kyle and I will be there!  Will you?  Sunday, SUNDAY SUNDAY! (the 13th of September)!

Remember, as our Two Gargoyles say, “Keep Looking UP!”

Merch

FLASH! Ah-ahhhhh!

July 20, 2015

Flash's GroinOur newest SuperGroin, The Flash, is now up on Redbubble.com and available for purchase!  Whether you want a flashy throw pillow, coffee mug, or art print, your favourite “red streak” can be at your house IN A FLASH!  And today,(July 20, 2015) coincidentally, Redbubble is having a sale– 20% off sitewide if you enter the code “REDTOWN.”  How’s that for synchronicity?  Woo!

Check out our other great Super Groin collections and our Super Boobs, too!  Alphabetical from A to Z!  Can you name them all?

Conventions

Come see us at CALGARY HORROR CON!

June 11, 2015

horrorconlogoMichael McAdam and Kyle Burles, respectively author and artist of Gloaming, will have a table at the Calgary Horror Con, June 20 & 21, in Calgary, Alberta at the Clarion Hotel on 2120 16th Ave NE.

Copies of GLOAMING #1 will be on sale, with your chance to get it signed by both author and artist, as well as TWILIGHT DETECTIVE AGENCY #1, written by Michael!

Kyle has some great new products available that are geared towards horror fans! Look for new prints starring some of the fabulous Horror-Con guests (like Jeffrey Combs), and a secret reveal– hint: the man is a Saint…

All this and much more will be available on the table– so come on down and see us!  Tickets only $25 for the whole weekend!

Check out more details at the Calgary Horror Con website!

horrorcon2015floorplan

Conventions

WASN’T THAT A PARTY!

April 21, 2015
Michael at the table

Michael at the table

What an amazing, fantastic, wonderful weekend #CalgaryExpo was!  Synopsis in one line:  “Best.  Show.  EVER.”  I exceeded previous sales records and that makes everything wonderful and worth it.

But that’s not all!  Meeting up with new and old friends, hearing complimentary feedback on my books, just makes everything peachy-keen-jelly-bean.

Major kudos to the Calgary Expo team; not only do they improve every year, they handle any obstacles with dignity, rapidity, and professionalism.  This show, you guys, THIS SHOW.  I heartily endorse EVERYONE to come experience it– and hey, Americans?  It’s in Canada. YOUR DOLLAR IS WORTH MORE (currently)!  Come on and spend them Yankee bucks!

The most major hit was the “ABC’s of SUPERHEROES” line of art prints:  Namely, famous superhero groins and boobs, from A-Z.  One can never predict whether one’s humorous gimmick will sell, and these didn’t sell at #EmeraldCityComicCon at all, but in Calgary they were BOOM.  GONE.  And that offset table costs perfectly.  Major thanks to all who enjoyed a giggle at our parody of comic book sexuality (drawn by the amazingly talented Jeremy Thew.)

Looking forward, the scripts for SPECTRUM #1 and GLOAMING #2 are in the hands of the artists (Jeremy Thew and Kyle Burles, individually), I’m working on adding more to the twogargs.com website, and updating our merchandise to reflect the popularity of our latest prints.  So many thanks to Jeremy for flying out to Calgary and working so hard at the table, to Kyle, Mike Rieger and Lisa Redfern for helpful feedback and tips; and to all the great folks in Artist’s Alley for being an inspiration.  You’re all part of the community; I feel proud to be part of your world.

–Michael

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