Geeks OUT Kickstarts Queer Comic Con

Geeks OUT, a New York-based group engaged in promoting LGBTQ issues with comic book enthusiasts, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund Flame Con, a convention devoted to this community of queer comic geeks in New York in the spring of 2015. One of the founders, Josh Siegel, agreed to join a Q & A session for Bam Smack Pow:

Bam Smack Pow: How and when did GeeksOUT start? Who has been involved from the beginning?
Siegel: Geeks OUT started at a diner where Joey Stern and I were getting dinner after NYCC 2010. We were disappointed by the lack of any substantial LGBTQ presence at the con, so we decided to found a group to create a safe, inclusive space where queer geeks could congregate at NYCC the following year.

Bam Smack Pow: What was your first big project as a group?
Siegel: Our first big event was an auction to raise the funds we needed for that first NYCC booth. We were given amazing artwork and swag from all over the map. Art from big creators like Alison Bechtel, Dan Parent and Nicola Scott. Signed editions from Steve Niles, Howard Cruse, Phil Jimenez, Terry Moore and other favorites. Fans were psyched and really pitched in. We definitely got the sense that there was a big community out there eager to support what we were trying to do, and it was really exciting.

Bam Smack Pow: What are some of the most noteworthy (or personally beloved) events you’ve done?
Siegel: My personal favorites have been the celebrity tribute fan art shows we’ve held to celebrate LGBT & allied geek icons. So far we have had shows honoring George Takei, Sigourney Weaver, and Ian McKellen. I’m still in awe of all the creativity artists brought to those shows.

Bam Smack Pow: When did the idea for Flame Con come to be? What inspired you?
Siegel: It’s been brewing for a while. We table at a number of cons, and truly enjoy them. We love connecting with fans, and seeing how excited and appreciative they are to find a queer space. It felt like a natural evolution – to start imagining an entire con that was explicitly queer and safe, that proudly celebrates and explores the queer aspects of fan culture.

Backers can donate $200 and have happy hour with creator Phil Jimenez.

Bam Smack Pow: What Cons have you been to? How would you describe the representation of the LGBT community in those panels/artists/attendees?
Siegel: Every con is a different scene. Geeks OUT tables at a con every couple months. We were just at NYCC, and we’ll be at C2E2 next. As an artist, (a.k.a. modHERO) I table at lots of cons, usually one or two a month. Bigger cons are still catching up to the need to provide queer content for their huge, and increasingly out/LGBT audiences. Small cons are starting to do what they can to be inclusive and represent LGBT tastes, even if it’s new territory. Still, con culture is extremely heteronormative and it’s not hard to feel like a queer outsider, even surrounded by people dressed as actual aliens.

Bam Smack Pow: How do you see Flame Con being different from, say, the gay panels or events at NYCC or Dragon Con?
Siegel: I sort of see the gathering of the queer geek community as a main event, as much as any highlight or panel. I think it will be a showcase of creativity unlike anything fans have seen before, and we hope to have discussions and attractions that other cons have not explored.

Bam Smack Pow: Looking at mainstream comics today, where would you direct a gay newcomer to find his or her representation?
Siegel: A mediocre comic with lots of queer representation won’t necessarily hook a new reader on comics. SAGA is basically a comic that’ll hook any newcomer as long as they’re willing to suspend some disbelief – and it’s full of queer representation. HAWKEYE is another favorite of mine, and though it only occasionally features queer themes, when it does, it’s very positive and respectful – hopefully making it clear to a new reader that mainstream comics are  increasingly inclusive and queer-positive.

Bam Smack Pow: LGBT representation has a reputation as being more likely for an indie- or webcomic, and your Kickstarter suggests that you have great connections within this community. What are some of your favorite LGBT indie comics?
Siegel: Well, at every con Geeks OUT does, we basically devote half our space to featuring LGBT & Allied creators. We’ve welcomed Chad Sell (Manta Man, Drag Race), Noelle Stevenson (Nimona, Lumberjanes), Jay Fuller (The Boy in Pink Earmuffs), Suzana Harcum & Owen White (Tripping Over You), C.Edwards (Abel Boddy) …. tons of great indie creators. Please don’t make me pick a favorite!

$200 will also get a donor and friends eggs benedict with the Flame Con mascot.

Bam Smack Pow: You’re about 2/3 of the way to your funding goal with three weeks left. What do you see as stretch goals for the campaign?
Siegel: We are mapping out a couple options, including an exclusive event for certain donors, and high-quality video coverage for those not able to be there in person. More news on that to come.

Bam Smack Pow: What inspired you to use Kickstarter as the platform for this campaign?
Siegel: We could have picked a platform that was less “all-or-nothing”, but we wanted to convey to potential supporters that we were serious about our big ideas, and that every drop of their support was important to make Flame Con happen.

The Kickstarter campaign to fund Flame Con will only be funded if $15,000 can be raised by December 4, 2014. At time of writing, backers have donated $11,888. People interested in supporting this project can follow this link. Geeks OUT also has a Facebook page for more information about the project and the organization.