Category: Conventions

RED & WHITE SHOW THIS WEEKEND!

Posted on September 7, 2016 by twogargs

calgaryredandwhiteSo you remember how I was saying I have two shows back-to-back in September?  Well, now there’s THREE.

I will be exhibiting at the Calgary Red & White Expo this weekend on Sunday, September 11th.  Details are on the website at http://www.comicandtoy.ca/shows-list/2016/9/11/fall-comic-toy-expo !

It’s a one-day-only show, smaller and more intimate than the other Expo-type shows I exhibit at, but the great thing is that gives me more time to connect with fans and the fans, more time to browse without feeling hurried or rushed or intimidated by crowds.  It’s a real feel-good atmosphere for everyone and I always love being at this show!

I’m launching some new items this month, including copies of Gloaming #2, and a special convention edition of Spectrum #1!

Other new merchandise at the con will include:  Krampuspresso buttons, and a new corporate-logo button:  GARBUCKS.  That’s right, Gargoyles have taken over your local Starbucks and re-branded it.  If you like green apron coffee and supernatural creatures, you’ve simply got to stop by the Two Gargoyles table at the Expo.

And hey, remember your ABC’s– you know my Superhero Groins and Superheroine Boobs posters?  Well now, I’ve made a deck of playing cards– that’s right, playing cards– all 52 guy and gal parts now adorn a deck you can play with!

Also, don’t forget there will be scads of poster prints available as well as stickers and magnets!  Come on down and see– doors open at 10 a.m. and the show runs til 5!

Two Shows in September!

Posted on August 22, 2016 by twogargs

Hey, Gargeteers!

Are you ready for September?  Back to School, a flurry of activity–and no less so for Two Gargoyles, as we will be at TWO shows, back-to-back, in September!

Saskatoon Expo logo

Firstly, on September 17-18, Kyle Burles and I will both be at Saskatoon Expo for the very first time!  It’s always exciting to try a new show, meet new people, and exhibit our work for a new audience!  Looking forward to seeing what Saskatoon has to offer!  Look for Two Gargoyles at Table 1215 in Artist’s Alley!

Edmonton Expo logo

Then, the very next weekend, Jeremy Thew joins me at my table for Edmonton Expo!  Our friends Kyle, Lisa, Mike and Sara are all heading up to Artist’s Alley — Two Gargoyles will be at table F10!  Our friends are all a bit spread out this year, but that means you get to have more fun exploring the Alley to find them all!

September promises to be a very exciting month with these two shows so close to one another; it may be tiring but it definitely promises to be exciting as well!  And with two fabulous opportunities such as these, I sure hope to see you in September!

–Michael

PRIDE-CON CANCELLED!

Posted on July 21, 2016 by twogargs

PrideconH-RGB-300x101

Imagine my surprise, dear readers, as I went through my checklist of preparations for Pride-Con next week, went to their website to confirm some details, and found this letter detailing their sudden, last-minute cancellation.

On the one hand, I’m crushed.  Pride-Con looked like it might be a worthy successor to Bent-Con, another LGBT+ comics convention in the Southern California area, and after losing Bent-Con I was more than happy to sign up for a con that might replace it.

Too, it was encouraging and promising that the convention was using IndieGoGo to finance itself– it seemed marvelous that it had received all the funding it needed.

But it didn’t.

I was under the impression that it had, and that’s why there was a Pride-Con at all, but it turns out the reason it was cancelled was because it didn’t reach its IndieGoGo funding goal ONE WEEK BEFORE THE SHOW. Which brings me to the other hand– where, instead of feeling crushed, I feel pissed off.

It’s incredible to me that the show’s organizers, H8 M3 NOT Enterprises, did not schedule the go/no-go cutoff for funding two or three months before the show.  To hold out til the last minute is not only unprofessional, but downright disrespectful to con-goers and exhibitors alike.

Hotel reservations.  Plane tickets.  Time off work.  Child care.  All of these are factors and expenses that go into getting ready for a convention and some of them are non-refundable, or have non-refundable deposits.

And then, of course, H8 M3 NOT apologizes that it ‘cannot offer refunds.’  Well, I paid for my table and membership thru PayPal, so you better believe I’ve opened a dispute.

It is frustrating that a convention such as this one, with such an important theme of diversity, should be so mismanaged.  As frustrated as I am, my heart goes out to all those who were looking forward to sharing a weekend of inclusivity and fun, enjoying what artists had to offer as well as meeting social media celebrities who increase, with their online presence, knowledge and visibility for us all.

Needless to say, you won’t be seeing Two Gargoyles Comics in Anaheim on the 29th.

Regretfully,
Michael

JULY UPDATE!

Posted on July 12, 2016 by twogargs

lilthunderconstructExciting news from the office of Two Gargoyles!

Thanks to your support, I’m working on a new webcomic series to debut soon here on the twogargs.com website.  The working title is “Lil’ Wings Playschool,” and it’s meant to be an all-ages accessible comic for the whole family.

One of the things I enjoy most about being a writer is the ability to dip into different genres; to be able to write horror, parody, superheroes, slice-of-life as well as family fare.  I guess you could say I adore versatility, and am always striving to challenge myself to ensure I can maintain that!

Two Gargoyles will be attending Pride-Con in Anaheim on the weekend of July 29th; I’ll be debuting Spectrum #1, our LGBT superhero comic there.  I’m very excited about it!  It will also be the convention debut of Gloaming #2, thanks to some last-minute printing miracles by the good folks at Ka-Blam.

PrideconH-RGB-300x101As I said, I love writing many and varied genres of story; but in order to make them into comics, I need to hire artists and that takes funding– which is where you, my generous fans, come in.

Thanks to Patreon, I’m able to offer you the opportunity to subsidize independent creativity in comics by helping me get my creations out to you, the readers.  $1.00 a month is enough to get you “behind the curtain” to see all the upcoming events before they’re published on the site, and larger donations earn you rewards!  But the biggest reward of all is knowing that you’re directly feeding the independent creative market– helping the little guy.

The Two Gargoyles Patreon is available at https://www.patreon.com/twogargs . Please take a moment to donate, and share the news with friends.  Even friends that don’t normally read comics might enjoy reading something non-mainstream, something that concerns itself with storytelling more than, say, toy sales.

And don’t forget– there are new comic pages every week on Twogargs.com — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday!

In gratitude,

Michael

ANNUAL CALGARY HORROR-CON SUCCESS!

Posted on June 14, 2016 by twogargs

PunchcolorI shared a table with Kyle Burles at the Annual Calgary Horror-Con this past weekend! Although it’s a niche convention, I found the attendance and traffic very pleasing as a vendor, despite competition with the Red Deer Expo on the same weekend. On Saturday, Kyle and I were doing sales– he, VERY much so– before we’d even finished fully setting up our table. It was amazing! The first two hours were like a buying frenzy. Sunday was a slog, being almost dead for the first three hours with sporadic, intermittent sales. Things didn’t really pick up for me until about three in the afternoon.

I like this con because the audience is so targeted, but even within that there is diversity and variations on theme that allow someone like me– whose inventory includes but is not geared towards horror– to enjoy sales as well as those more devoted to the genre. For example, one of my top sellers was a shirtless picture of my Mage character, Mr. Punch– beefcake sells anywhere, I guess! My next best product was the “Krampuspresso” stickers and mugs– People enjoy parody, and feeling subversive, I think.

While I wouldn’t get my own table at this con, sharing one with Kyle makes it fun, attracts “sideshow” sales from his more genre-specific stuff and allows me to defray costs enough to create a decent profit. It is a smaller con than anything with “expo” in its name, but the audience is loyal, and strong.

4421_89862bThis weekend, a family bought Twilight Detective Agency to read. And their seven year old boy DEVOURED it. I was told he was entranced, that he and his Dad read the comic together (and he read some to his Dad, and vice-versa) and he took the comic and put it in his special spot for his treasures afterwards. Man, you cannot buy a feeling like that. A seven-year-old just gave me the highest praise you can pretty much get from a kid who reads. Many thanks to Deanna Chalack Jones for this amazing story.

Keep an eye out this week for a smashing reveal of new comics!