Andy Mangels

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Andy Mangels
middle-aged Caucasian male in formal wear, with short hair and styled mustache and beard
Mangels in 2016
Born (1966-12-02) December 2, 1966 (age 57)
United States
Genrescience fiction, superheroes, non-fiction
Notable worksGay Comix
Notable awardsInkpot Award

Andy Mangels (born December 2, 1966) is an American

Comic Con International since it was begun in 1988.[3] He is the founder of an annual "Women of Wonder Day" event,[4] which raised over $136,000 in funds for domestic violence shelters and related programs during its seven-year run.[5][6] As of 2011 he has had three books on the USA Today "best-selling books" list.[7]

Books

Mangels has written a number of references for popular science fiction and pop culture media. These include Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters (published by

TwoMorrows, 2012). He contributed to The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes (Visible Ink Press, 2004), and The SuperVillain Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic Book and Hollywood Masterminds, Megalomaniacs, and Menaces, (Visible Ink Press, 2006).[1]

Much of Mangels' prose fiction has been related to media franchises begun in television. In collaboration with Michael A. Martin, he wrote a number of Star Trek novels, two of which appeared on the USA Today "best-selling books" list. One of them,

Tales of Zorro, edited by Richard Dean Starr and published by Moonstone Books in 2008.[1]

Comic books

Since the 1990s Mangels has written comic book stories and text pieces for several major publishers. His work for

Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday. He scripted Platinum Studio' graphic novel Super Larry, World's Toughest Man. For Microsoft he wrote the world's first interactive online comic series, RE-Man.[1][10]

Mangels served as editor of the anthology Gay Comix from 1991 to 1998, for issues #14–25 (plus one "special"). He also contributed stories, including creating an early openly gay superhero named Pride.[11] Under his editorship, the series changed its name to "Gay Comics" (symbolically becoming a part of the mainstream instead of underground comix scene), published multiple issues per year, raised page and cover payment rates and instituted a reprint fee, enforced a gender-parity of 50% male and 50% female creators rule, and even occasionally brought in popular heterosexual creators to bump sales, such as George Pérez and Sam Kieth.[12] A story that Mangels' commissioned for Gay Comics #19 from Alison Bechdel would later be expanded upon for Bechdel's Fun Home graphic novel, for which Bechdel thanked him during her keynote speech at the 2016 "Queers and Comics" symposium at City University of New York.[13]

Mangels has written non-fiction articles and reviews – often about the intersection of comics and Hollywood – for magazines such as

TwoMorrows' magazine Back Issue!.[1]

In 2012, Mangels was awarded the

Comic-Con International. Mangels has presented panels at Comic-Con International since 1988.[14]

In July 2016,

intercompany crossover mini-series for the company, in conjunction with DC Comics: Wonder Woman '77 Meets The Bionic Woman, bringing together the Lynda Carter television character with Lindsay Wagner's fellow 1970s television super-heroine. The series was set to start in Fall 2016.[15]

DVD features

His DVD Special Features production work has primarily been collecting and restoring earlier children's television programs, and serving as host for the representations.[16][17][18][19]

Mangels scripted and directed 16 half-hour documentaries for the various

When BCI Eclipse closed in 2008, Mangels worked for two other companies, scripting and directing documentaries, and providing commentary tracks and production work. For

Archie's Funhouse. For Time Life, he produced a boxed set for The Real Ghostbusters.[20]

Mangels' work as a DVD producer won him significant critical acclaim. In addition to being a guest at DVD panels at San Diego's

Comic-Con International,[19] his work on The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe won a "Best 1980s Series" from Home Media Retailing at their 2005 TVDVD Awards.[20] The Digital Bits website noted in their 2006 Bitsy Awards that with "the hiring of DVD producer Andy Mangels to create extras, things turned around big time in 2006. BCI/Eclipse is now leading the pack with their top-notch releases of nostalgic Saturday morning TV favorites from the 70s and 80s, each one stuffed to the max with fantastic bonuses".[21]

In addition to the above, Mangels has contributed liner notes and materials to multiple Anchor Bay DVDs – including

Can't Stop The Music – and has aided Paramount and Warner Bros. with various DVD sets.[20]

Performance

Mangels performed onstage in Kalispell, Montana theatres, including roles in such shows as Brigadoon, A Christmas Carol, Once Upon a Mattress and Ira Levine's psycho-thriller Veronica's Room. He has also performed in Portland, Oregon with Stumptown Stages in The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical, JANE Theatre in Hullabaloo: The Little Frankenstein, Coho Theatre in Mrs California and Steel Magnolias, and on the Lakewood Theatre stage in The Secret Garden. Additionally, he has performed in fundraising events since the early 1990s in Portland.[22]

In mid-2011, Mangels and fellow Portland performer Mark Brown founded the Broadway Bears singing group, as a way to address the inequality bearded and larger actors faced when being cast for roles. Advertising themselves as "Portland's Furriest Singers," the group of gay performers represented the bear subculture in cabaret concert performances, singing live songs from throughout the musical realm of stage and screen, representing male and female songs that ranged from comedy to pathos, and performing solos, duets, trios, and group numbers. The Broadway Bears has performed six long-form multi-night concert sets through summer 2016, as well as performing at local events, including the famous Peacock in the Park events.[23]

As a screen actor, Mangels has had bit parts or extra roles in television series such as Leverage, The Librarians, and Grimm. He has appeared multiple times on Grimm, most recently in a two-episode arc in 2015 as a featured member of the "Wesenrein" group.[1] He has also been in several films and telefilms, including Untraceable, Comic Book: The Movie, A Change of Heart, and Total Reality.[24]

As a pop culture expert, he has been featured in numerous documentaries, including shows for PBS, E!, Warner Bros. and others. These include

All-New Super Friends Hour, Wonder Woman (2009 film), DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures, Batman: Gotham Knight, and Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy.[1][25]

Activism

Mangels is active in the gay community, particularly in the leather and bear subcultures.[1] He previously held the title of Mr. Oregon State Leather 2004.[26] He has won multiple national Pantheon of Leather awards, specifically the "Northwest Regional Award" in 1995, 2005, and 2011.[27]

He created, moderated, and ran the "Gays In Comics" panel at San Diego's

Comic-Con International for 25 years, from 1988 to 2012. He is a founding member of the non-profit GLBTQI organization PRISM Comics, serving gay comic fans and professionals, and is a member of the group's Advisory Board.[28]

As an ordained minister with the

Denver Comic Con in June 2016. The wedding featured ten couples – straight, gay, lesbian, and transgender – married in front of a large crowd.[29]

In 2019, Mangels was the subject of state-wide and national attention when he and his husband were forced to find a new home following a 113% increase in their rent.[30] The publicity surrounding this led to the passage of rent-control legislation in the state of Oregon, and Mangels was invited to attend the bill signing by Gov. Kate Brown.[31]

Private life

Mangels works as a home care worker for the

State of Oregon, for elderly and disabled clients. He resides in Portland, Oregon, with his longtime partner and now husband, Donald Hood, and their dog Lucy.[1]

Bibliography

Solo books

  • Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters (November 1995) Non-fiction. A USA Today best-seller[7]
  • Beyond Mulder and Scully: The Mysterious Characters of The X-Files (February 1998). Actor interviews.
  • From Scream To Dawson's Creek: The Phenomenal Career of Kevin Williamson (February 2000). Biography of Kevin Williamson.
  • Animation on DVD: The Ultimate Guide (March 2003). 600-page guidebook to animated DVDs.
  • The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes (November 2004). Encyclopedia with 50 entries by Mangels.
  • The SuperVillain Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic Book and Hollywood Masterminds, Megalomaniacs, and Menaces (August 2006). Encyclopedia with entries by Mangels.
  • Iron Man: Beneath The Armor (April 2008). Non-fiction.
  • Lou Scheimer: Creating The Filmation Generation (October 2012). Autobiography, written with Lou Scheimer.
  • The X-Files: Secret Agendas (September 2016). Mangels wrote a short story for this prose anthology. Based on The X-Files television series.

Star Trek novels and stories co-written with Michael A. Martin

Other book work co-written with Michael A. Martin

  • Roswell: Skeletons in the Closet (November 2002). Based on the
    Roswell
    television series.
  • Roswell: Pursuit (September 2003). Based on the
    Roswell
    television series.
  • Roswell: Turnabout (November 2003). The conclusion of the
    Roswell
    television series.
  • Tales of Zorro (September 2008). Mangels and Martin co-wrote a short story for this prose anthology.

References

  1. ^
    WP:BLP
  2. ^ "Six Gay Geeks who've improved the pop culture landscape", Lyle Masaki, AfterElton, March 27, 2008 Archived October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Prois, Jessica (2011-07-25). "Comic-Con 2011: LGBT Writers, Artists Win Big (SLIDESHOW)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  4. ^ Women of Wonder Day site Archived September 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Hey, That's My Cape! Wonder Woman Day 2010". Newsarama. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  6. ^ "CBR.com – The World's Top Destination For Comic, Movie & TV news". CBR. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  7. ^ a b c d "Book Reviews and Best Selling Lists - USATODAY.com". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  8. ^ "Lightsabre". lightsabre.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  9. ^ "Comic-Con weekend musts: "Gays in Comics" and "Glee" panels", San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, July 24th, 2010
  10. ^ Andy Mangels at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
  11. ^ "GCD :: Story Search Results". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  12. ^ "LifeSize UVC Video Center – History of Queer Comics Conference". videostreaming.gc.cuny.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  13. ^ The Graduate Center, CUNY (2015-06-23), Queers & Comics Keynote: Alison Bechdel, archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2016-07-16
  14. ^ "Prism Comics » News » Queer Nerd Wrap-Up of SD Comic-Con 2012! Andy Gets Inkpot! Prism Presents Northstar Panel! And More!". old.prismcomics.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  15. ^ Gustines, George Gene (17 July 2016). "Dynamite Entertainment Taps '70s TV to Expand Lineup of Comics". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  16. ^ "Filmation's Flash in BCI's Pan". 2006-04-26. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  17. ^ "Jason of Star Command, Voltron on Disc". 2007-05-08. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  18. ^ "She-Ra's Second Due in Sept". 2007-07-06. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  19. ^ a b "The Digital Bits presents... By the Power of Mangels!!". mail.thedigitalbits.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  20. ^ a b c d "DVD and TV & Movies". www.andymangels.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  21. ^ "Welcome to The 8th Annual Bitsy Awards!". www.thedigitalbits.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  22. ^ "Broadway Bears – Cast Bios". www.broadwaybears.org. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  23. ^ "Broadway Bears – About Us". www.broadwaybears.org. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  24. ^ "Andy Mangels". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  25. ^ "Find – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  26. ^ "Mr. Oregon State Leather |". blackoutleather.org. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  27. ^ Rhodes, Dave. "Pantheon of Leather Awards All Time Recipients – The Leather Journal". Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  28. ^ "Activism & Awards". www.andymangels.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  29. ^ "5th Annual Denver Comic Con And Pride Fest Take Over Downtown Denver". Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  30. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  31. ^ "Oregon OKs 1st statewide US mandatory rent control law". thenewstribune. Archived from the original on 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2019-03-01.

External links