E. S. Mahony

20something writer and editor in Austin, TX. LGBTQ, history, public health, comics. My work. | Twitter. Need proofreading or editing? I can help.

[esmahony]

The second annual Gender Unbound Art Fest, featuring entirely trans and intersex creators, will take place on September 2, 2017 at Vuka North in Austin, TX!

You can support the festival by purchasing advance tickets, merch, and other items, or by sponsoring tickets for low-income trans and intersex people in central Texas here at Indiegogo!

Gender Unbound is a project of Gender Portraits, a sponsored project of Austin Creative Alliance.

Open call for artists, musicians, performers and organizations coming later in July.

See more about the festival: Website | Instagram | Twitter

[bisthebox]

Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, E.S. Mahony and I are sharing our comic from Dates: A Queer Historical Fiction Anthology! This is Not a Metaphor is about two 17th century alchemists in France pursuing androgyny and oneness with God. E. and I co-wrote it, and I illustrated it. Thank you, E., for being such an excellent co-writer as always!

We have some more comics featuring these two in the works, so stay tuned! If you enjoyed this comic and would like to support us financially, you can also go over to gumroad and buy a copy for $1+. If you want to see more comics by us, check out Enchanté(e), a comic about trans people in love. I also created The Keys and Doors Cycle, another comic about love with androgynous people in it.

Thanks for reading!

E.S. Mahony: Tumblr - Twitter - Instagram - Website Bis Thornton: Tumblr - Twitter - Instagram - Website

[esmahony]

I'm really proud of the work we did on this story. Please enjoy and do check out some of our other collaborations if you like this comic!

[esmahony]

Bis and I had such a great time tabling at HavenCon in Austin, TX! Wonderful people and great vibes 🌈 Thanks to all the attendees and exhibitors who stopped by. I'll post about all our purchases and trades tomorrow!

[doubledeluxxe]

my day has come… i get to draw a con map…

ill be at STAPLE 2016 this weekend at tables 25 & 26 with @smgoetter @bisthebox @esmahony & @redangusart !!!!

stuff i’ll have:

💛 ruby claire, a brand new comic!!! all ages fantasy, zero (0) dysfunctional families 💚 blood is thicker than whiskey and white knuckles in print for the first time!!! 💙 li’l tiny osomatsu sketch zine. hold on tight, will blow away in a stiff breeze 💜 sticker sheets!!!!!!!! the most exciting item on the list!!!!

yay!!!! hope to see you there!!!!

[esmahony]

Come see us at Staple! 2016 in Austin, TX!

[esmahony]

I thought the first episode of this documentary series by Ellen Page and Ian Daniel would be a "wacky Japan" puff piece. In fact, it's a thoughtful look at Japanese LGBT culture from a foreigner's perspective, including interviews with legislators, activists, business owners, religious leaders, and ordinary LGBT people. I think my favorite part is the tense segment in which the hosts accompany a young man to provide emotional support as he comes out to his mother. Really looking forward to future episodes of Gaycation.

[bisthebox]

Thanks for reading Enchanté(e)! I hope y’all enjoyed it! I illustrated it and co-wrote it with E. S. Mahony.

If you wanna read more comics about these characters, please check out my series The Keys and Doors Cycle along with the short comic XOXO! I do lots of comics about these characters living out their various lifetimes with each other in many fantastical worlds, and Enchanté(e) was a fun chance to draw them in a more mundane setting.

If you would like to download a copy of this comic as a PDF, you can do so over at my gumroad for $1+. I am trans myself and saving up for surgery, so anything you throw my way would be greatly appreciated!

[bisthebox]

The Keys and Doors Cycle is 124 pages of surreal horror and romance; it follows two characters through four different and strange lifetimes as they endlessly discover and remember their love for each other. Featuring: nonbinary characters, scary mermaids, astronauts, priests and ministers, old married couples, angels, big teeth, kisses, terrifying hellscapes, and lots of long hair and lovingly rendered frown-lines.

You can check out previews of the comics in The Keys and Doors Cycle: Keys & Doors, Doors & Keys, Keys to Doors, and Doors to Keys. There’s also a bonus short at the very end! (I’ve also done other comics about these characters that you can read for free, like Enchanté(e) and XOXO.)

You can get The Keys and Doors Cycle on gumroad for FREE for the rest of the day (Feb 1)! Then it will be just $5 through Saturday (Feb 6). I’ll also be printing books (OMG) to sell at STAPLE!, DINK, and HavenCon, so if you want to hold a copy of The Keys and Doors Cycle in your hands, come visit me in Austin or Denver! And if you can’t make it, have no fear–I’ll be selling whatever is leftover online.

Enjoy, y’all!

[bisthebox]

The Keys and Doors Cycle is finished!! Here is a preview of the fourth comic in the series, Doors to Keys, which is about a minister who has a strange dream about their spouse.

The Keys and Doors Cycle is 124 pages of surreal horror and romance; it follows two characters through four different and strange lifetimes as they endlessly discover and remember their love for each other. You can see previews for the first three comics, too: Keys & Doors, Doors & Keys, and Keys to Doors. There’s also a bonus short at the very end!

You can get The Keys and Doors Cycle on gumroad for FREE for the rest of the day (Feb 1)! Then it will be just $5 through Saturday (Feb 6). I’ll also be printing books (OMG) to sell at STAPLE!, DINK, and HavenCon, so if you want to hold a copy of The Keys and Doors Cycle in your hands, come visit me in Austin or Denver! And if you can’t make it, have no fear–I’ll be selling whatever is leftover online.

So anyway, grab a copy and enjoy! I’m so proud of the work I did on this comic and I hope y’all have fun reading it.

[esmahony]

Bis Thornton's longest work yet is gorgeous and complex. Check it out!

[bisthebox]

The Keys and Doors Cycle is finished!! Here is a preview of the fourth comic in the series, Doors to Keys, which is about a minister who has a strange dream about their spouse.

The Keys and Doors Cycle is 124 pages of surreal horror and romance; it follows two characters through four different and strange lifetimes as they endlessly discover and remember their love for each other. You can see previews for the first three comics, too: Keys & Doors, Doors & Keys, and Keys to Doors. There’s also a bonus short at the very end!

You can get The Keys and Doors Cycle on gumroad for FREE for the rest of the day (Feb 1)! Then it will be just $5 through Saturday (Feb 6). I’ll also be printing books (OMG) to sell at STAPLE!, DINK, and HavenCon, so if you want to hold a copy of The Keys and Doors Cycle in your hands, come visit me in Austin or Denver! And if you can’t make it, have no fear–I’ll be selling whatever is leftover online.

So anyway, grab a copy and enjoy! I’m so proud of the work I did on this comic and I hope y’all have fun reading it.

[esmahony]

Bis Thornton's longest work yet is gorgeous and complex. Check it out!

[sweatypalmszine]

Our wonderful contributors:

Aaron C Snow

Agawa Robinson

Aimee Laura

André Valente: Não Fui Eu, Fabio Zines, Revista Samba

Anna Sellheim: Dirty Diamonds Vol 6, 7 Days (Vermont’s Alternatively Weekly Newspaper)

B. Mure: Dirty Rotten Comix, Meat Popsicle: A Fifth Element Fan Book

Barbara Geoghegan

Bis Thorton: The Keys and Doors Cycle, Enchanté, This is Not a Metaphor (Published in Dates! A Queer Historical Fiction Anthology)

Brian Prince

Brian Traynor

Bryan Stone: Funny Aminals #1 and #2, Hush

Cara McGee: Over the Garden Wall, Zinetendo

Caroline Riley

Catherin Peterslund

Celia Favorite

Chris Brunner (COVER ARTIST): Loose Ends, Southern Bastards #12, Wolverine & the X-men #10

Christina Mattison Ebert: Love Circles the World, Can a Frog Fly?, Don’t Play With Your Food: Fufu’s Bistro

Christina Poag: Press Start

Claudia E. Berger

Constanza Yovaniniz

Emily Helen

Erick Trinidad

Erin Hunting: Grumpy Cat (cover), Welcome to Showside (cover), Splendidly Evil

Gillian Blekkenhorst: Friendship Edition Anthology, Moon Power: A Sailor Moon Fanzine, Creepy Coffee

Glip: Open to Change (Oh Joy Sex Toy guest comic) , Steven Universe #8 (Cover B), Steven Universe #41 (Cover B)

Hayden Myers

Jackie Lewis: Lion of Rora, Play Ball, Jam: Tales From the World of Roller Derby 

Jackie Roche: Fusion’s Graphic Culture section, The Cartoon Picayune, Irene

Jamel Jones

Jenn Woodall: 1001 Knights, Secret Loves of Geek Girls, Ladies Night Anthology Volume 3: How to Magic

Jimm Pegan

Joamette Gil: Contributing Cartoonist on EverydayFeminism.com, Dates: An Anthology of Queer Historical Fiction Comics, Womanthology: Heroic

Joseph Whitt

Justé Urbonaviciute: Stolen Volume 3, Still Without Name Zine #1 and #3, Citadelė Magazine #10, #11,and #12 

Justin Hubbell: Every Day Feminism - It’s Not a Race, UpWorthy - Which Men Are Gay?, LQTU - You Don’t Have to Show Pride to Have Pride

Kat Fajardo

Katy Farina

Kevin Budnik: Lumpen Magazine, What’s Your Sign, Girl? A Zodiac Anthology, Grow

Lauren Dawson

Liz Enright (Sweaty Palms editor): Zinetendo

Lottie Pencheon

Lucie Ebrey:  Muggyebes - A Comic Diary Collection by Lucie Ebrey, CBSP Fairytales for Bad Bitches, Thought Bubble 2016 Anthology

M Dlabick: Rick and Morty fanzine, Undertale fanzine

Maddi Gonzalez

Mary Verhoeven: Ladies Night Anthology: How to Magic Hexpresso, Other Side Anthology, Friendship Edition Vol 1 A Quiet Place To Toke

Max Currie

Mike Freiheit

Miranda Harmon: Chainmail Bikini, Comfort Food Zine, Glitch PokéZine

Olly Blake

Rachel Ordway: Art School Adventures, Chainmail Bikini, Space Case: Brave New Workplace

Sage Coffey (Sweaty Palms editor): Small but Present, Zinetendo, Dirty Daimonds

Sara Goetter

Sarah Halik

Sarah Simes: Bring Down the Sky: A BioWare Fanzine, Where Is Home? Comic and Illustrative Anthology Volume 2, Glitch PokeZine

Scott Stripling: Atomic Elbow, Synesthesia, Gigantic Sequins

Shawn Daughhetee: Comic Stars!, The Time I Was Treed by Cows, Seeds

Shivana Sookdeo

Sloane Kim

Sofie Louise Dam: Knivsæg, Hunger Of Horror

Stephanie Hovden: Wolf Years, Dirty Diamonds #6: Beauty, Out Into the Cold

Thomas Slattery: Felony Comics, Rider 0, SexyMF

Tony Wolf: Greenpoint of View Vol. 1, 1-800-Dead-Robin, Schmuck

Weston Notestine

[esmahony]

Bis will be featured in this excellent-looking anthology about anxiety! Check out all these awesome contributors!

[esmahony]

Spring 2016 conventions!

Bis and I are super excited to be tabling at several conventions this spring!

Staple! Independent Media Expo - Austin, TX - March 5 - 6

Denver Independent Comic & Art Expo - Denver, CO - March 25 - 26

HavenCon - Austin, TX - April 22 - 24

Come say hi and check out some comics, zines, and stickers!

[bisthebox]

this was fun to draw :D big thank you to E. S. Mahony for writing marien’s dialogue here

if you wanna see some more comics about these characters check out the keys and doors cycle, XOXO, enchanté(e), #278…and the rest of my tumblr really :D

[bisthebox]

E. S. Mahony and i are doing another comic together!

it’s called Cold Reading and it’s for Contraption, an all-ages robotics fan zine! Cold Reading is about a robot created to tell fortunes by reading a subject’s micro-reactions to tarot cards–but one woman who takes part in a demonstration finds that its predictions are so eerily accurate, she’s not sure what to believe…!

the comic isn’t finished yet, but here are some WIPs for you to enjoy :D

[austinzinefest]

Hi all, We’re writing tonight to say that we’ve decided to indefinitely postpone this year’s Austin Zine Fest in light of recent events and conversations. While we’re disappointed, we know that this is the right decision for all involved. We can’t express enough how sorry we are about this. But it’s the best decision for our participants, Austin Zine Fest as an organization, and the zine community at large. Everyone will be refunded their tabling fee. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you right now or moving forward. We’re confident that 2016 will be filled with many events, big and small, that bring together Texas’s zinesters for a celebration of print culture. As always, we welcome your feedback, ideas, and questions.

[esmahony]

I’m disappointed that the event has been canceled, because Bis Thornton and I were slated to table, but also for larger reasons.

For those who do not know, the events and conversations alluded to here are discussions that took place on the Austin Zine Fest Facebook page over the past several days.

AZF was scheduled to be held at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, which is nestled in the heart of the historically black neighborhood of east Austin. A local artist who is black questioned whether any of the artists tabling at the curated show were black, in light of the mission of the event space and the cultural and historical context of the neighborhood. The AZF runners did not answer this question, or the question of whether the show’s curation process took into account the importance of highlighting work that addresses themes of blackness, racism, gentrification, or other topics relevant to the history and purpose of the George Washington Carver Museum. The AZF runners re-opened applications for a limited number of additional tables, but did not explicitly solicit applications from black artists. Meanwhile, several black artists stated that they would be tabling independently of AZF near the George Washington Carver Museum on the day of the show, while other artists dropped out of the show in solidarity. This evening (November 10), the AZF runners canceled the event, which had been scheduled for this Saturday (November 14). Artists who had already committed to table were not consulted in this decision and were not made aware of the discussions taking place and the questions being raised unless they happened to be keeping tabs on the AZF Facebook event.

The AZF runners could have handled this situation more productively. What actions might have been more constructive? Perhaps some combination of the following:

Invite all black artists who planned to table outside of the event space to table within the event space.

Reach out to artists slated to table and ask whether any white artists would give up their assigned tables to create space for black artists.

Reach out to local organizations that promote diverse artists or that are run by and for black artists, like Diverse Arts or Pro Arts Collective, to explicitly solicit applications from black artists.

Reach out to artists tabling and ask whether artists would donate a portion of all profits to the George Washington Carver Museum, to a non-profit member of the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, or to another organization that promotes black artistry and/or nurtures members of the black community in Austin.

Actively solicit feedback from black artists on solutions to highlight and center work by and about black artists and writers for this year’s AZF and for future shows going forward.

I respect the ability of the AZF runners to cancel or indefinitely postpone this year’s show, but I don’t agree with it. Deciding to cancel the show at this late hour inconveniences artists who have already invested time, money, and energy into preparing for AZF. This vague and non-specific cancellation notice doesn’t acknowledge mistakes or look for solutions to create an intentionally more diverse space; it just shuts down the conversation until next year.

I’m sincerely disappointed not to see the work of all artists who were scheduled to table and of all artists who should have had a chance to table, and I hope to see diverse voices represented at future events in Austin.

[singularityzine]

Singularity is a robotics fan zine series. It’s all about artificial intelligence, technological singularity, augmentation, inorganic life forms, and robots! This is a pretty broad topic so singularity will be launching not one, but TWO zines.

One zine will be called Contraption. This will be an all ages anthology that anyone can read. Think of a movie PG rating.

For content that falls outside of “kid safe” there is Convergence. All of the content in Convergence will be 18+. For legal reasons, all contributors must 18 and up. All sales of this book will require ID.

COMPENSATION

Contributors will be paid $5 per page of content. In addition, all contributors will receive a printable pdf so that they may print their own copies of the zine. Production notes will be included.

FAQ

Q: Does my content have to be sci-fi?

A: Nope! It just need to have some sort of tie in to the theme of robots, artificial intelligence, or augmentation. You can follow that as closely or loosely as you wish.

Q: Can I use a character from an existing franchise?

A: No. All characters and content must be original. Absolutely no trademarked characters.

Q: What size can my submission be at?

A: All submissions must be at 5.5 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall. The must have a margin of .125 inches. Absolutely no full bleed content.

Q: Are there size limits to comics?

A: Yes. For comics there is a max page count of 8 pages. This zine is not very big and we want as many different stories and artists as we can get.

Q: Can my story be part of an ongoing series?

A: All plots must be self contained. So long as what you submit is original and can stand on it’s own, it will be allowed.

Q: If accepted, do I lose my rights?

A: You will retain all rights to your content. You are just allowing it to be printed in a Singularity fan zine.

Q: I have an idea, but I’m not sure which comic it will be better suited for.

A: If you aren’t sure feel free to ask by e-mailing [email protected]

Q: I am a writer, can I still submit?

A: Currently, only comics and illustrations are being accepted to the zine. You may collaborate with an artist though.

Q: Are there any plans for digital distribution?

A: Currently, there are no plans to digitally distribute the zine. It is DIY print only.

Q: I am an artist looking for a writer/ writer looking for an artist. Can you help me.

A: We’ll do the best we can. E-mail us at [email protected]

Q: I am collaborating with someone on a submission, how will we be paid?

A: The pay rate of $5 per page of content still stands. Collaborators will have to split the payment.

Q: 18 and up content? Does that means anything goes?

A: No, 18+ up content just means that the content is not suitable for people under the age of 18. This means that graphic and sexual content are acceptable. However, there are still rules, particularly surrounding sexual content.

All characters in Convergence are to be of consenting adult age (all human characters must appear to be over the age of 18).

If there is sexual content all parties must be consenting.

Q: When are submissions due?

A: Submissions are tentatively due on December 4th 2015.  This date may change and everyone will be notified.

SUBMIT

For Illustrations: Send a link to examples of your work and what you are planning on illustrating.

For Comics: In addition to sending a link to examples of your work, also provide an estimated page count, plot synopsis, etc.

E-mail [email protected] by September 4th 2015

[esmahony]

Did you know? A comic written and drawn by Bis Thornton and co-written by me will be appearing in Contraption, the PG-rated volume of this cool robot anthology zine! Coming soon!

[dates-anthology]

The Dates Kickstarter is live!

Dates is an anthology of queer historical fiction. Over 30 creators have come together to create almost 30 comics, illustrations, and short prose stories about queer people living life throughout time and across the world. From Joseon Dynasty Korea to 1950s Russia, Dates is 170+ pages of LGBTQ+ characters finding affirmation and acceptance. We’re launching this Kickstarter to raise money to pay our artists and print Dates as a beautiful perfect-bound paperback book, complete with color comic covers and illustrations.

Dates is edited by Zora Gilbert and Cat Parra. The book is full of the work of amazing artists and writers: Monster Anthology’s DarkTarou, Robyn Hood’s Pat Shand and Roberta Ingranata, Millionfish, Effie Lee, Erica Chan, and so many more!

We can’t wait to share Dates with the world, and we hope you’re just as excited! You can show your support by heading over to the Kickstarter and preordering a book. While you’re there, you can also check out our full list of collaborators and see some previews of the book! Even if you can’t donate, a reblog or share means the world to us. Thank you so much!

[dates-anthology]

Today is the last full day of the Dates Kickstarter campaign! We’re less than $1,000 away from our third stretch goal–help us get there and grab a copy of the anthology by backing today!

[dates-anthology]

Bis Thornton gets emotional about nonbinary characters, likes to read the Bible in Greek and Latin, draws cubes on everything, and is unstuck in time.

E. S. Mahony… Is a 20-something bisexual writer and editor with a passion for LGBTQ history and biography. Studied history and professional writing at the University of New Mexico. Lives in Austin, TX. This is E.’s first comic work.

Bis and E.S. Mahony came to Dates through the open artist call, and we were immediately drawn to the uniqueness of their submission. They are an awesome comic-making duo whose work centers around nonbinary characters and queer experiences. Bis’ characters have a huge range of body types and aesthetics, which you can see more of on their blog! E. S. Mahony’s writing is absolutely lovely to read, and she has an amazing eye for detail. See more of her work on her website.

Bis and E. S. Mahony’s comic, “This is Not a Metaphor,” is set in 17th century France, and is about a couple of nonbinary alchemists reconciling their identities with their craft. It’s poetic and gorgeous, and you can get ahold of it by supporting the Dates Kickstarter!

[esmahony]

Today Bis and I are featured contributors over at the project blog for Dates! (live on Kickstarter)! Thanks for your kind words, editors!