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On Saturday, August 2, Ivan Velez, Jr. (Tales of the Closet, Ghost Rider) and Planet Bronx Productions hosted “Sticky Pages 3: Oso Oro”, a unique and innovative multimedia event, part social gathering, part performance and part art class at the GLBT Community Center in Manhattan. The free event, open to anyone 18 and over, was the biggest “Sticky Pages” event yet, offering a comfortable space for people of different cultures to get together, as an alternative to the bar scene.

According to organizer, Ivan Velez, “This is an experiment, an attempt to create a new format of social event that will bring together artists, cartoonists and pop culture enthusiasts to celebrate gay, bear, and global culture."

Why "Oso Oro", which focuses on getting bears together with the artists? "Well, bears are the most dynamic, accepting and natural part of the gay 'scene'," said Velez. "So many of them are nerds and collectors and artists… it just seemed like a natural thing. Also, I just wanted the bears that are not reflected on the regular flyers and parties and club events to know that they are here too. In the rest of the world, the bear scene is huge, and diversity is the name of the game. 'Bear' is more than hair!"

True to its premise, several platforms were set up on the dancefloor for models to pose—bears, musclebears and cubs while participants including acclaimed artist Jennifer Camper were encouraged to sketch using the abundant free art supplies provided. A nice vibe flowed through the crowded room with music, a bar, a pop marketplace selling books and other merchandise, and a slide show of comic book and bear manga images projected on the wall. The atmosphere was comfortable and inclusive, with people encouraged to participate whether they had previous art experience or not. The goal was to make people feel safe to express themselves freely.

Prism was one of the sponsors of the event, along with the Bronx Museum of the Arts which provided art supplies; Songkran Thai Restaurant which provided Thai beer and snacks; the Party Crew (one of the biggest event creators in New York) which provided food and drink; and the Hangar Bar on 115 Christopher Street which hosted an after-party honoring all the artists and models. “I can't believe the generosity I've received from these wonderful folk!” said Velez.

The first "Sticky Pages" event, in June 2007, showcased several gay cartoonists and offered a media presentation on Bear Manga, a very gay and very intense form of cartooning flourishing in other parts of the world. Velez tried to keep it fun and almost sweet by having the guests dress in superhero capes and answer goofily off-color questions pertaining to the "sticky" side of Gay cartooning. About 50 guests attended for the event, which was generously sponsored by the GLBT Center and Prism Comics.

"Sticky Pages 2: The Super-Queero Edition", grew out of Velez' concern that there was not going to be enough gay programming at the New York Comic Con earlier this year. He set up a Sunday panel which featured many high-profile East Cost gay and lesbian cartoonists, including several mainstream professionals who shared nuggets of industry knowledge with an involved and appreciative audience. The event featured a DVD presentation about gay characters and an appearance from safer-sex crusader Captain Condom.

Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).