Hey, do you Gargs know what a Chick Tract is? They’re little paper pamphlets made (in)famous by Jack T. Chick, an evangelical, fundamentalist Christian publisher, writer, and comic book artist. They are “equal parts hate literature and fire-and-brimstone sermonizing,” according to Robert Ito.
Which means they are AWESOME.
Chick Tracts are so infamously bad– so one-sided and crazy in their dialogue, and so unabashedly simple in their artwork– “good” people are handsome and well-kept, “evil” or “misled” people are ugly and disheveled, for instance– that one can’t help but enjoy them as utter, unabashed propaganda pieces.
Naturally, as an Indie Comics guy, it’s only natural that I would want to subvert this format for the joy and pleasure of promoting independent comics! Namely, the Two Gargoyles line!
Thanks to Mike Rieger’s art and technical expertise, Two Gargoyles has now produced its very own “Garg Tract”– A Litany of Vice. I’m preparing to mass-produce them for promotional purposes. Want one? Watch this space, and I’ll tell you how to get one of your very own!
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!
Warm wishes,
Michael
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!
Hey, do you Gargs know what a Chick Tract is? They’re little paper pamphlets made (in)famous by Jack T. Chick, an evangelical, fundamentalist Christian publisher, writer, and comic book artist. They are “equal parts hate literature and fire-and-brimstone sermonizing,” according to Robert Ito.
“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!
