In Memory of Stephen Coffey aka Gar Cremona
On Wednesday, Sept., 19th, 2018 in the early afternoon my fellow Caper/Crusader Tracy informed us that our long time Comic Crusaders contributor, webcomic creator, indie comic creator Stephen Coffey aka Gar Cremona passed away due to liver cancer. He fought a good fight but in the end cancer won! CC will be very empty without him, he made his presence felt! His humor, love and support will ALWAYS be cherished!
Alexander “Al Mega” Perez: Gar had messaged me many years ago on Facebook before CC was what it is now, he reached out when it was in its infancy with a different vision/direction. He inquired about it, we chatted for a bit and he became an amazing supporter of CC from then on, even going so far as to send us his, Celtic Knights books to giveaway to our customers (CC was to be an internet comic shop). A few years passed and CC went in a different direction, he immediately asked how he can pitch in, he offered to do movie reviews. How can I say no, he was a gifted movie reviewer that was brutally honest and was a trusted reviewer. His contributions gave CC lots of other opportunities. Then he wanted to pitch in further and offered CC its own original webcomic, Fallout: The Moons of Kalandour and the right to share his other comic, The Society for the Remarkable Suicide. I was so humbled by the offer, this person I never met in person, wants to do so much for me and the brand. Aside from his contributions, over the years he was my friend, my brother from another mother, we dm’ed frequently, shared ideas, shared personal stories and joked around, he credits me with the worst movie he’s ever seen, lol, (shall remain nameless for now) I will forever remember Stephen for his support, motivation and humor. My condolences to his loved ones and to his bride, Tina, whom he always spoke of so highly, I felt as if I knew her too, was obvious he loved her very much. I miss you Gar, thank you for everything!
Here TeamCC members share a few words about our amazing friend/family member:
Tracy S.:Â How do you put into words when trying to talk about the person who changed your life? Gar or Stephen as I knew him, was not just a mentor, or a fellow comic geek, he was my friend. A friend who gave me my first chance in the comic industry. A friend who supported me and many other no matter what. A friend who introduced me to the Comic crusaders and the Irish film critics and to anyone else he thought may move my prospects forward. He was kind, funny and always stubborn. He would make jokes and make everyone in the room laugh. He would support you with everything he had and believed in you. He made me start writing as a way to battle my depression. He helped me more than he could have ever known. We understood each other, we both had chronic pain and disabilities but that never stopped him from doing anything and with him being so fierce he made me feel the same. Nothing ever stood in his way. He was proud and strong-willed. He lived his life like a warrior. He was loyal to the end. His love for his partner Tina was like no other. He loved her with every fibre of his being. She was his one and only. So here“s to you four legs, I hope you are up there giving orders and taking the piss out of everyone. Love always your friend Tripod.
Mike Kennedy:Â My working relationship and friendship with Stephen Coffey (aka Gar Cremona) was a very special one to say the least. I met Stephen one night on a Facebook page we both belonged to, he had posted a drawing of “Fallout from Celtic Knights”“ and in my slightly intoxicated bravado I thought “well I can draw this character”“ and did and sent it to him thinking nothing else of it. And shortly after IÂ received an email from him asking me to draw some of the other characters in the book. I agreed to draw them and once I did he sent me a script asking me if I was interested in drawing the book. I had just finished working with a writer and was looking for a new project. I read three pages of the script and I was hooked and our relationship began. We just clicked very well and were on the same page as far as where Stephen“s vision lay ahead for the path he had set for us.
We did “The Best of What“s Left”“ storyline and he just kept sending me more stories and I tried to keep up with him the best I could, and there are still stories he has written that have yet to be told. We have been working together for 6 years, it has been the longest comic project I have ever been involved in and it has been a great experience and I hope to keep his vision going. And I am excited that Tracy Sayers is going to be there with me to keep Stephen“s dream alive. There are many stories to tell and these are great characters that I have been involved with and this universe can only grow in the future.
I will miss him as much as if he were a brother, a best friend, and an amazing creative partner to have ever had. Tell Jack, Wally and the others all your stories and keep your stories as grand as ever.
Johnny “The Machine” Hughes: Gar’s life and impact, from my perspective, can be best described as looking at life and laughing at the ugliness and sheer unfairness of his situation. Through all the he endured, his humour was infectious. Regardless of what got me bent out of shape (and there were many things……. you should try reading some of the comics I see), his presence and ability to diffuse his circumstance always gave me pause; how dare I be mad at a book or a creator or a review, when there was a guy who was suffering so much who just went about his business. Looking at life through his lens, I know that I wouldn’t have shared the same grace, the same strength or the same humour as Gar. I miss all that Gar brought to CC, his work, his humour but most of all I miss his world view. My world, is definitely a lot darker with his light extinguished. I wish you could see how much you meant to us all.
13th Crusader:Â Gar was an incredibly talented individual with an unmatched passion for comic books and pop-culture. I“ve admired his work since the first day he became a part of the Comic Crusaders team, and was always impressed by his honesty. His sense of humor was certainly unique, to the point where he would make fun of you and you would then look forward to it. I am tremendously saddened by his passing, but I am also forever grateful that I had the opportunity to be his teammate on Comic Crusaders and his friend. Rest Peace Gar. You will always be missed.
Robert Anderegg:Â When I first joined Comic Crusaders, I was welcomed into the group by the many great content contributors for the site. Among all the “welcomes” and “hellos” was a joke. I don’t remember it exactly because this person told thousands of jokes, but it was something along the lines of not letting him scare me away. This, of course, was Gar Cremona. His humor and outgoing nature actually helped me feel more comfortable in the new nerdy family. For months, he would make off-color jokes and even pulled Tracy into the mix for some epic back-and-forth ribbing. It lit up my day more than once. If that weren’t enough, he was a damn good movie reviewer and comic creator. Whenever I’d consider seeing a new film, I’d always check his reviews because I trusted his opinion. Then, he was diagnosed with cancer and everything changed. He had to leave the team chat to focus on himself and the healing process, and there was an immediate dynamic shift. Conflict arose among our members, with arguments clogging the feed and negative voices infiltrating the space once occupied by Gar. We collectively did what we could to repair the damage, but Gar was a tent-pole to the group’s success and without him, we fell. When the news of his passing broke, many of us were stunned and saddened. Al was a mess and bless Tracy’s heart, she had it worst of all. I didn’t know him personally, but he touched me nonetheless. (And this is the part where he makes an inappropriate joke.) He will be missed by all of us and my sincere condolences to all who are feeling this loss.
Shane “Dodgy” Tydeman :Â Gar was truly respected by his peers, both in Comic Crusaders and Forbidden Planet. He was always busy whether it be writing movie reviews and writing comics. His legacy for me, was his sense of humour.. the banter between himself and Tracy was always a treat to wake up to. I miss Gar tremendously.
Shawn Anthony Warner:Â Although I didn’t get the chance to know Gar as I would have liked to, I feel that I did have a feel for who he was simply by reading his posts and tweets. He was passionate about all things related to these sequential art books we all love so much and that alone made him a brother. The fact that he chose Comic Crusaders to write for made him family. Gar was already established as a very important component of the site before I ever came along so I kind of learned by reading his reviews, not to copy his style but just to see how it should be done. Gar was a complete professional, his writing informed, entertained and inspired. I wish I could have known him much longer. He will be missed. I would like to leave this old Irish proverb: Death leaves a heartache no one can heal Love leaves a memory no one can steal. Cheers mate.
Thank you for Everything Stephen, You Will Never Be Forgotten, Rest in Peace.
October 3, 1975 -Â September 19, 2018
Author Profile
- I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!
