Queer as comics: meet a real-life Michael Novotny: Richard Neal, owner of Dallas's Zeus Comics and Collectibles.It wasn't long after Richard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal opened Zeus Comics and Collectibles in Dallas's gaycentric Oak Lawn area that Queer as Folk Queer as Folk may refer to:
adj. 1. Embarrassed, as by consciousness of a fault: a sheepish grin. 2. Meek or stupid. sheep admitting that he's never actually watched the show. "And I'm thinking, Who the hell is Michael?" But even though Neal and QAF's comic book impresario Michael Novotny (played by Hal Sparks) share the stone profession, the similarities end there. Neal certainly won't be mistaken for Sparks may time soon--"I'm pale, and I have red hair," notes Neal, "so I don't think I look like him." And Neal's spacious, well-organized shop--devoting as much of its 3,000 square feet to toys and collectibles as it does to comics--bears little resemblance to the claustrophobic closet that is Michael's Pittsburgh-based Red Cape Comics. But when it comes to following a dream, these guys are on the stone page. Michael is driven by his childhood passion for fictional superhero su·per·he·ro n. pl. su·per·he·roes A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime. Captain Astro. For Neal, it was the Justice League of America. "My parents bought my first comic book when I was 7--and I just fell in love with it," he says, "with the giant oversized o·ver·size n. 1. A size that is larger than usual. 2. An oversize article or object. adj. o·ver·size also o·ver·sized Larger in size than usual or necessary. superheroes Superheroes are fictional heroes who possess abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Superheroes may also refer to:
Toiling away in the information technology field--and rapidly approaching 30--Neal had an epiphany: "I said, 'I'm not doing what I want to do. This is not my passion. What do I really love?' And as childish as it was, toys and comic books were it." Tapping into four widely diverse nearby communities, Neal says his shop attracts a gay following of about 30%, and he even hosts a highly regarded mixer for gay and lesbian comic book fans every three or four months at near by restaurant Ciudad. "And thanks to Queer as Folk, They've made comic book collecting The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. chic, I suppose." Camp is the artistic director of Q Cinema, Fort Worth's Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. |
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