Tagged: indie comics

FLAME CON – The Review!

Jeremy Thew and Michael McAdam at Flame Con 2017!

Flame Con was held at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott in Brooklyn, NY on Aug 19 & 20, 2017.

WHAT.  A.  BLAST.

Being an LGBT-focussed comic con, Flame Con greeted me at the door with an immediate feeling of inclusivity, celebration and joy.  The staff were all “superheroes”– they all had capes tied at the neck with velcro– meaning the capes could be shared with volunteers, making anyone associated with the con immediately visible and identifiable.  Clever, fun and reassuring!

Steven, one of the people who directed us to the registration line had a rainbow beard.  “Now I know I’m in the right place,” I said.

Billing itself as the “Largest LGBT Pop Culture Convention in New York”, it’s easy to believe– last year’s attendance boasted over 3, 400 people and this year was apparently larger, though no numbers were available at the time of this writing.

The greatest thing about this convention is also the most fundamental and basic: I never once had to explain myself, my comics, or the art prints at my table. Not once did someone flinch as they saw muscular men in speedos, or an A to Z of superhero groins. No one turned up their noses at Cyclops embracing Iceman, nor did they look uncertain as I described my LGBT superhero, Spectrum, or for that matter my tongue-in-cheek comic, Diaperman, where all the heroes and villains are fetishists. Heck, I didn’t even have to define “fetishist” to anyone.

In short: Everyone at Flame Con “got it.”  All-inclusive.  We Are Family.  In The Club.  That sort of thing.  And the feeling– it’s amazing. It’s knowing you belong, knowing you’re doing something that appeals to people, hearing feedback on your work that’s very positive.

Speaking of which, I met gay comic icon Paul Charles, the Gay Comic Geek (Warning: Link NSFW) who read Spectrum and gave this amazing review!

I would describe my convention experience as a success: I sold out of Spectrum, and my now-famous Superhero A to Z groin posters.  Other popular prints were Hogwarts Swim Team, and Jeremy’s female Gambit. Our comic Twilight Detective Agency also sold well!

Too, there was a Saturday Night shindig at a local bbq joint/bar where Exhibitors got in free after 9:30; It was called Camp Fire and there was a themed comic-and-pop-culture drag show which was fabulous (but when they did the Bette Midler number from Hocus Pocus– “I Put A Spell On You”— I was having none of it! I have secretly choreographed that number in my own living room for years, and I was not gonna let someone else do it (so I quietly did it in the corner of the bar for an audience of one, as Jeremy found my antics amusing).

I got to meet Greg Fox of Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast, a fantastic series of excellent graphic novels about a gay B&B; he was our table neighbour.  We traded graphic novels and I read his stuff on the plane ride home (review to follow at another time).

Challenges for this show were:  Travel, primarily.  Schlepping the con gear and merchandise across the US Border is ALWAYS tiresome, troublesome, and downright inconsistent. On this particular trip I was told I wasn’t allowed to transport merchandise by air, though by ground was fine. They let me through anyway, but it’s just another inconsistency in the grand world of US Customs.

The second was cost:  New York City is a spendy, spendy place. The hotel convention rate was $300 US a night, which was just not in the budget for Jeremy and I.  We ended up staying further away, still in Brooklyn but at a nice little pseudo-B&B slash hostel called “J-Stel.”  Three floors, each floor had a shared bathroom; air conditioned rooms (thank God). I didn’t mind it; I’d stay there again.

Warning:  DO NOT TAKE A CITY CAB FROM THE AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN. I used Uber (which is always wonderful, I love Uber) and paid $40– Jeremy took a cab and paid $197.00.  Almost two hundred dollars!  DO.  NOT.  USE.  CITY. CABS.  Period.

The con was extremely well-run, and well-organized; check-in took us maybe five minutes and they had time slots prepared for those folks that needed to use the loading dock so as to avoid congestion.  It was wonderful.  Also, the staff were always checking on the vendors, seeing if we needed anything, being around and being visible.

And the music– god yes, the music. They played fun, light, pop music from the 70’s and 80’s in the dealer’s room with various famous gay anthems and fun songs, which really brightened the room– and had me dancing and singing all weekend. What a way to improve the mood and interest of the crowd and potential buyers! Anytime I can groove to the Go-Go’s is a happy time indeed.

I want to support this convention and return next year, as it attracted an excellent calibre of creators and fans; it will take some consideration though, as the travel and costs are prohibitive. Definitely will require consideration. However, if you can get to New York, you owe it to yourself to experience this joy!

Life’s a rainbow,

Michael

GLOAMING ISSUE 2 LAUNCH!

Gloaming02Cover“Hello, and welcome to Gloaming.  A nice place to visit…”

Those were the words prefacing the very first issue of Gloaming, written by myself in tandem with Kyle Burles, with art by Kyle.  We are both very pleased to announce that Gloaming #2 has been sent off to the printers, but will debut first on twogargs.com, and update one page per week.  Once issue #2 is available for sale on indyplanet.com, I will make an announcement so you don’t have to wait to read the story!

Gloaming is a foray into the horror of a small town; although there may be supernatural goings-on, it’s always been my opinion that there’s never anything more complicated, devious, or frightening than people.

If you enjoyed Gloaming #1, buckle up– the ride’s about to get bumpy.

Michael

TWOGARGS PATREON LAUNCH!!

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That’s right– Twogargs now has a Patreon!

Hi Folks! My name is Michael McAdam, and I’m a writer.  I love comics, and I have been writing them and publishing them on my site, Two Gargoyles Comics, (https://twogargs.com) for years.

I believe in the diversity and creativity of the independent creator:  I have created comics like Thunder, a half-Norse, half-Canadian superhero; Gloaming, a horror series about a small town with too many secrets; Twilight Detective Agency, a stone-faced gothicomedy about two gargoyles trying to be detectives without being discovered as being inhuman; and Diaperman, a zany comedic parody of the superhero genre itself.

All of these titles are fun to write, but aren’t sustainable without your help!  By becoming my patron, you will be the one to help these projects continue; fund and shape new content, and contribute to the indie art scene in a very real, tangible way.

Supporters will get first-view opportunities of upcoming projects, access to private content, and more!

With your support, I can continue generating content using artists across genres, increasing the talent pool of independent, self-employed artists, introducing new talents to the community and creating fresh, creative content.  With your support, independent talent can have a stronger voice, creatively.

This Patreon will fund the generation of new content every month on the Two Gargoyles Comics site, free of charge for viewing, and when there is enough for a comic-sized book, it will be gathered all together and made available for print or digital download sales.

So please– support our community, support independent comics, support what you want to see by becoming a Patron!

In Gratitude,
Michael McAdam

NEW PRINTS at RED & WHITE EXPO!

Whip ItGetting all packed up for tomorrow’s one-day Red & White Expo at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.  And I’m pleased to announce Two Gargoyles will be launching seven new prints, from a new project yet to be announced– new convention season means new products, I’m happy to say!

Allow me to introduce you to The Black Whip, from the pages of Diaperman!  You don’t want to be a problem for her, because when a problem comes along…!

Come on down to the Red & White Expo tomorrow to see what other prints I’ll be unveiling!

Also, there’ll be issues of Twilight Detective Agency and Gloaming for sale, as well as the Diaperman Graphic Novel, and only at a convention can you get your comics signed by one of the creators!  (Hey– they’ll be worth something SOME day…)

You will also be able to purchase our fantastic “Garg Tract”, A Litany of Vice!  We encourage you to buy in bulk so you can leave a copy everywhere. 🙂

Post-convention, I will make a print gallery on the site so you can see what we’ve got available!

2016 is going to be very exciting, especially with your help!  Two Gargoyles is looking forward to creating more this year, getting to more shows, having a stronger presence, and getting the comics done and out there!  So I’ll be launching a Patreon very soon, and it sure would help if you could tell all your friends about it so that when it launches, it launches BIG.

Onwards and upwards!
Michael

 

New “CAST” Feature!

Hey, Gargeteers!  I’m really excited to tell you guys about our new CAST feature here at Two Gargoyles!

Up on the top nav bar (see image example below), you should see a new link that reads “CAST.”

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If you click on it, it will take you directly to our CAST page where every one of our characters is described for you, complete with headshot and mini-bio!

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BUT THERE’S MORE!  Any time you’re reading any of our comics online, right underneath the graphic are the headshots of that comic page’s characters– simply mouse over any one of them to have their mini-bio pop-up!  Never forget the names of the characters again, MOM.  (Those of you who have moms know damn well what I’m talking about.  You feel me.)

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Huge thanks to Mike Rieger, the “under the hood” webjockey here at Two Gargoyles.  He set up all the back end and cropped countless headshots. All biography dialogue was written by yours truly.

Enjoy– and please, invite your friends to subscribe to twogargs.com by clicking the RSS link on the bottom right of the twogargs.com page! (or the one I just gave you.  That one will do nicely, too.)

THUNDER THURSDAY, Part 2!

It’s that time again– with the launch of Issue 5 planned for the Calgary Expo, it’s time to open the doors even wider to a new audience for our half Norse God, half Canadian, Super Polite hero, THUNDER!

As a treat, Two Gargoyles is uploading the ENTIRE second issue of Thunder all at once, so readers old and new can discover his adventures or refresh their memories!

Spreading the word is the best, biggest help to an Indie comics creator– share this with your friends, introduce them to a Canadian super hero, we’ve got battles, laughs, deep thoughts, and face-punching!

https://twogargs.com/thunderpage/ is the link!  Share early, share often!

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