Richie Sorensen is a young man on the verge of coming out as gay. Attending a gay youth group, seeking direction and advice, he has not yet told his friends or family — and his opportunity to bring it up is derailed by a sudden freak accident which results in him having the ability to glow.
Enter Agent Casper, a government representative who handles “breakouts”– people who manifest super abilities. Casper brings Richie to The Facility, a training area for super-powered people– where he sees a familiar face.
Writer: Michael McAdam Artist: Jeremy Thew 28 pp, full colour
Calgary Artist G. Gerald Garcia did some sketches of my hero, THUNDER, yesterday and reminded me that it was high time to talk about what’s been happening with the book here at Two Gargoyles Comics.
It’s always fascinating to me how life can imitate art. Thunder, my half-Norse God, half-Canadian, Super Polite hero, is the star of a comic about a young man seeking identity in a tale reflecting the Hero’s Journey of mythology: seeking realization of potential via the journey to maturity.
So, too, does the process of creating the comic mimic that journey. Thunder has more issues published than any other Twogargs comic: Four to date, with a fifth one more than half completed as of this writing! And yet, after the fourth issue there came a pause, a crossroads in the creative process.
The artist left the project, creating the need for change in the book going forward (and I’m excited about the direction in which it’s going, which I will share in another post!) but also leaving me with a decision to make looking backward: I always said after the fourth issue of Thunder I was going to collect those first four comics into one graphic novel, as a one-stop jumping-on point for those readers who wanted to have one big story arc all at once. Unfortunately, with the departure of the original artist came certain changes that needed to be made. So the decision was this: Pick apart the story or completely refresh it? I chose the latter: Why not have something fresh for existing Thunder fans to enjoy, as well as new readers?
Thus I began to search for new artists to deliver the Graphic Novel’s art even as the new artist began work on the newest issue of the comic.
But, like the Hero journeying through the Forest, I encountered obstacles. I found an artist who began to draw the first book with fresh eyes, and then suddenly his job and work-life balance changed, which meant he could no longer devote any time to the book. After finally realizing that (because I think we Indie comics people bend over backwards in the vain hope that maybe things are still possible even when we know darn well they aren’t) it wasn’t going to work out, I went with another artist.
This artist had life troubles from the get-go– not his fault, of course! Life Happens! But one can only say “it’s nobody’s fault” for so long before one realizes that isn’t the issue; the issue is there’s been no work done on one’s project for a number of weeks. And so, it came time to say goodbye to that relationship as well.
As of this writing, I have found another partner with the help of a Facebook group connecting writers and artists, and it seems as if Thunder can finally move forward into realizing that fresh, new Graphic Novel!
There’ll be refreshed art, new characters, slight changes to the story; it will still be the Thunder you’re used to but with a spiffy new shine to him.
I’ve been silent on this topic for so long, it is a great relief to finally share with my readers that YES, that Canadian super-hero you were getting to know is coming back in a BIG way. Watch this space as I continue this Hero’s Journey with all of you.
The site has been refreshed, retooled and updated! Now you can see the latest pages of posted comics, including a snazzy thumbnail of the page; navigate instantly to any page of any uploaded comic series! Just use the drop-down menu on the right side of the page under “Comics,” and select the series you want; then on the following page, select “Jump To” to go to any part of the comic!
The menubar has been updated with the all-new, all-important SHOP option– now Two Gargoyles merchandise is just one “gimme dat!” button away– and with Christmas coming, fun comic booky stuff is available just in time for the special someone in your life– even if it’s you!
All of this is made possible by the talents of Mike Rieger of mikerieger.ca! Major thanks for going “under the hood” and making things work! Mike also made the sexy, snazzy new slider graphics at the top of the home page that talk about our comics!
ON SCHEDULE
You may have noticed that there’s now an update schedule at Twogargs! Every Monday there will be a new page of Gloaming, every Wednesday there will be a new page of Twilight Detective Agency, and every Saturday there will be a new page of Diaperman! This will allow our fans to stay current and have their memories refreshed for our stories, as well as inviting new readers to get to know our comics and characters. Please, do spread the word and invite your friends to come to twogargs.com for FREE comics!
Occasionally we will have a “Sunday FUNday” comic, our own Twogargs-related webseries “In The Wings,” a series of behind-the-scenes gags about our characters’ lives when they’re not actually “in character” in their own comics. The newest one is up today!
I hope you’re all having a great weekend– and happy American Thanksgiving to our friends south of the 49th parallel!
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
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. 🙂 )
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
NEW Thunder 01, Page 10
About Us
“Twogargs” is an independent publisher of comic titles, including the genres of superheroes, comedy, horror, and urban fantasy… with more to come.
You can read all about each title and individual issue on this site using the main menu above. You can purchase digital copies of these comics right here on the site, and print copies at Indyplanet, or at DriveThruComics.
Two Gargoyles Comics is based in Alberta, Canada, and appears live at conventions in Western Canada and wherever else the winds take us!
“Twogargs” is an independent publisher of comic titles, including the genres of superheroes, comedy, horror, and urban fantasy… with more to come.
You can read all about each title and individual issue on this site using the main menu above. You can purchase digital copies of these comics right here on the site, and print copies at Indyplanet, or at DriveThruComics.
Two Gargoyles Comics is based in Alberta, Canada, and appears live at conventions in Western Canada and wherever else the winds take us!
