Category: comics

  • Tessa Picked Some Tiny September-y Zines for You!

    Hey there friend! Welcome to September! This is one of my favorite months and not just because I’m a Virgo. We’re clinging to the last days of summer, and looking forward to all the gifts of fall – including spooky season! This week I’ve picked some tiny zines for you (I love tiny zines)! We have summer vibes, spooky vibes, and some that I just think you should check out!

    Summer Days by Lucy Rose Till-Campbell

    Lucy Rose Till-Campbell is the queen of whimsy, crafting colorful and precious worlds on paper! In Summer Days, you’ll meet three friends, Cranberry, Milkweed, and Chicory. Feast your eyes on detailed motifs that illustrate each personality and the world they share together and then float down the river with your new friends in the shady woods on a sunny summer day. No words, just vibes and the vibes are perfect, cozy summer. 

     

    Haunt by Tori Holder

    Both spooky and beautiful, Haunt is “a collection of spectral comix poems” that feel like a crisp autumn breeze on an overcast day of great portent. Reflect on the ephemerality of seasons, connections, and feelings with a backdrop of jack-o-lanterns, black cats, falling leaves, and full moons. 

     

    Night Out and When do you Stop Growing and Start Aging?  by Madi Baker

    Madi Baker’s micro comics are some of my favorites! Each one I’ve seen has a different approach to visual storytelling and the illustrations are whimsical and elegantly simple. 

    Night Out shows us the progression of a pair of friends going out and not exactly having the best time. Even with no words, a limited color palette, and fairly simple illustrations, Baker gives us relatable characters and a vivid picture of friendship through hard times. 

    When Do You Stop Growing and Start Aging? is a catalog of things that illustrate the evolution from youth to aging. My personal favorite is the comparison between youthful tennis ball (learning tennis), in-your-prime tennis ball (showing off your juggling skills), and elderly tennis ball (on the legs of your walker). This zine is both a little silly and thought provoking. Can you think of some other things that evolve with you as you grow or age?

    We have so many more tiny zine treasures in store! And more by all these authors! You’ve gotta come by and go treasure hunting in our micro-comics section soon! There’s always new things to love!

    See ya soon!

    -Tessa <3

  • This is a Gina Wynbrandt Appreciation Post!

    On August 23rd we celebrated the release of PEEPEE POOPOO #1 by Caroline Cash here at Quimby’s! The event was a kick off for CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) weekend and a bunch of comic artists joined us for the packed event. Reading with Caroline Cash was Gina Wynbrandt and Bonnie Guerra, two artists I was not familiar with. Gina Wynbrandt read first and had the entire room laughing about getting into credit card debt and baseball superstitions (which you can read about in Bubbles #15 ). Next was Bonnie Guerra who read pages from her comic diary, slideshow style. Her comics were gay, sexXxy, and had us LOLing. Last but not least was Caroline Cash reading from the much anticipated PEEPEE POOPOO #1!!!! Caroline did an excellent job and signed many issues of PEEPEE POOPOO for all her adoring fans. I love attending events at Quimby’s because I get turned onto incredibly talented artists, end up meeting new people, and leave feeling inspired.

    The next day I came to Quimby’s and found several restocks of Gina’s comics lying in our reshelving basket, I was so excited to find more of her work at the shop! I bought Mini Kus #112: You’re the Center of Attention and read it shortly after purchasing. You can read my review and buy the comic on our website here. Spoiler: Gina is freaking hilarious, and anyone who has read her comics or has seen her read in person will agree with me! I recommend Someone Please Have Sex With Me, also hilarious. If you like to laugh, are sex-positive, love pop-culture references, and don’t mind your comics on the weird side, don’t sleep on these titles by Gina Wynbrandt!!!

    *xo~Angel~xo*

    @angel.xoxoxoxox

  • Olivier Schrauwen and Dash Shaw in Conversation with Conor Stechschulte

    Internationally acclaimed graphic novelist Olivier Schrauwen returns with a masterfully funny — and profound — day in the life narrative. Sunday follows, over the course of one day, the stream of consciousness of a fictionalized version of the author’s cousin, Thibault. On the day of his girlfriend’s return from an extended trip, Thibault wakes up, does nothing, gets James Brown stuck in his head, drinks and smokes, grows paranoid about his relationship, struggles to compose text messages, watches The DaVinci Code, all the while avoiding anyone and everyone, descending deeper into his own thoughts and fears. Meanwhile, a former crush and another cousin of Thibault’s plan a surprise birthday for him, sending the external and internal on a collision course.

    Schrauwen’s brilliant comic timing and formal mastery transcends the quotidian nature of the plot. Through use of color and flashback and the dissonance between text and image and the ways in which Schrauwen layers a depiction of human consciousness as lines on paper — infused heavily with slapstick and white-knuckle tension —makes for an exhilarating read and breathtaking use of the comics medium.

    From Dash Shaw, cartoonist of one of the New York Times Best Comics of 2021, comes a new graphic novel, Blurry.

    A man can’t decide between two dress shirts for a wedding.
    A woman questions the style of her new glasses.
    A teacher considers quitting teaching.
    A figure-drawing model considers quitting modeling.
    A man drives into a fog bank and is unsure how to get home.

    In Blurry, Shaw renders doubts around everyday decisions as startling cliffhangers, presenting us with the kinds of choices that can make a life expand or contract in equal measure. Drawn in clear lines and washes, Shaw captures the humor and anxiety of life in a one-of-a-kind structure that bends back to a thrilling, lyrical finish. Blurry is more evidence that Shaw is one of our greatest contemporary cartoonists.

    Schrauwen and Shaw will be in conversation with local cartoonist Conor Stechschulte, author of Ultrasound.

    In Ultrasound, which has been adapted into a feature film starring Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Glen and Cyndi become unwitting test subjects in a mind-control experiment after a strange sexual encounter. They search for answers as their own memories become tools for manipulation. Driving home from a wedding late one night during a heavy storm, out of cell range, Glen blows out his tires. He knocks on the door of the only house he sees and is greeted by an uncomfortably friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his attractive younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by odd confessions and an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Where Ultrasound zigs and zags from there is into a dizzying plot involving mind control, government secrets, gaslighting, and political intrigue that is always one step ahead of the reader. Stechschulte’s brilliant use of color and mastery of comics storytelling yields a breathtaking puzzlebox of a sci fi thriller — the moment you finish, you will want to go back and reread Ultrasound from the start.

    The Facebook event post is here.

  • PeePee PooPoo #1 Release Party, Aug 23rd

    PeePee PooPoo #1 Release Party
    with Caroline Cash, Gina Wynbrandt, & Bonnie Guerra
    Sat, Aug 23rd, 7:30pm at Quimby’s Bookstore
    1854 W. North Ave, Chicago

    Congrats to Caroline Cash! Her comic PeePee PooPoo won an Eisner for Best Limited Series! As a Quimby’s alum, we’re awfully proud of her. She’ll come back to Quimby’s this month to celebrate the release of PeePee PooPoo #1!

    Four issues into the series and we finally get PeePee PooPoo #1! Was it time travel, or a marketing move? The world may never know! In this issue: Caroline discovers a fresh start is surprisingly hard to make in “Ah, Philly.” Romance blossoms in “First Date,” a classic Alison Bechdel comic gets an update in “Femme and Butch,” and a night out turns complicated in “Stoned Again.” Caroline Cash’s gay, modern take on the ‘60s underground comic continues to make readers say “hell yeah.”

    Join us in store at Quimby’s on Fri, August 23rd at 7:30pm with readings by Caroline Cash, Gina Wynbrandt, and Bonnie Guerra!

    Caroline Cash (above) is an Eisner-winning cartoonist who used to live in Chicago. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, VICE, The Nib, The Chicago Reader, and various other publications. She is currently working on her award winning series PeePeePooPoo. She is a Capricorn. @cash_browns

    Gina Wynbrandt is an artist living in Chicago. Her work has been featured in The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, printed in The Best American Comics, nominated for two Ignatz awards, and translated into Danish, Norwegian, and Spanish. Find her at ginawynbrandt.com.

    Bonnie Guerra is a lesbian cartoonist living in Chicago IL, who draws cute furries and humans having gay sex. With her humor, wits, charm, and DD cups, she is going to change the comics industry as we know it. Find her at @Hotchickheaven @Bxxxnie

    Want the Facebook event invite cuz yr just the kind of person? It’s here.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Quimbys Bookstore (@quimbysbookstore)

  • CAKE Chicago, Aug 24th + 25th

    Quimby’s is a proud co-sponsor of CAKE 2024, Chicago Alternative Comics Expo.

    CAKE 2024 will be held:

    August 24 (11am-6pm) – August 25 (11pm-5pm), 2024

    WHERE:
    Zhou B. Art Center

    1029 W 35th St.

    Chicago, IL 60609

    Free and open to the public!

    Special guests include!:

    More info at cakechicago.com.

    2024 Poster is by the talented Jasjyot Singh Hans.

  • Signed Book Raffle Purchase Opportunity For My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book 2

    Everybody and their moms asked us to get signed copies of My Favorite Things Is Monsters Book 2 by Emil Ferris since we were the bookseller at her event at the library on Wednesday. (Missed the event? Wanna watch it? It ruled. You can watch it here,) Guess what? We were only able to get 7 signed copies because the line of fans to get their books signed with Emil was immense.
    So here’s what we’re doing — we are raffling off opportunities to buy a signed copy. If you win the raffle, we’ll hold the book for you for one week. You come in and buy it. Read: we are NOT raffling off a free copy of the book. We are raffling off us holding a signed copy of the book that you have to come in and buy.
    These are the terms so read them:
    -We will do the raffle on the New Stuff Saturdays Livestream 11:30am CT on Instagram (on Saturdays, duh), until all the signed books are sold, starting Saturday, June 15th.
    -You get to enter once. Give someone else a chance, friends.
    -This raffle is for in-store stuff only. You must buy the book in the store. Not mail order. You must come in to the store to pick it up. We’re not going to send this book in the mail. You cannot enter on the phone or via email. Make this easy for us, please.
    -You have to come into the store and buy something to enter in the raffle where you will fill out a raffle form legibly.
    -We are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so don’t come then. We’ve been closed on those days for 4 years and it’s listed everywhere. Get over it!
    -We will not answer questions about this on social media or phone calls. Do not DM us. Do not contact store employees directly through their personal social media or DMs or phone calls. BOUNDARIES, PEOPLE!
    -If your week elapses before you buy it, that’s on you. That opportunity to buy that book gets put back into the raffle.
    As Miko’s Italian Ice would say, “No crybabies.”
    TL;DR
    *IN-STORE only.
    *Buy Something.
    *Fill out a raffle form.
    *Watch the Saturday Livestream.
    *If your ticket gets called you get a week to buy the book.

  • Quimby's Offsite: Emil Ferris Discusses My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two at Harold Washington Library Center, June 5th

    Emil Ferris at the Harold Washington Library Center 
    400 S. State Street, Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Lower Level
    Wednesday, June 5
    6pm–7pm

    Not at Quimby’s.

    The Chicago Public Library and Quimby’s welcome Emil Ferris to the Harold Washington Library Center to discuss her highly anticipated new book, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two. Emil Ferris will be in conversation with painter Kurt Devine.

    Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two is the eagerly awaited conclusion to the most acclaimed graphic novels of the past decade. Presented as the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes as she tries to solve the murder of her beloved and enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold.

    In Book Two, dark mysteries past and present continue to abound in the tumultuous and violent Chicago summer of 1968. Young Karen attends the Yippie-organized Festival of Life in Grant Park and finds herself swept up in a police stomping. Privately, she continues to investigate Anka’s recent death and discovers one last cassette tape that sheds light upon Anka’s heroic activities in Nazi Germany. She wrestles with her own sexual identity, the death of her mother, and the secrets she suspects her brother Deez of hiding. Ferris’s exhilarating cast of characters experience revelations and epiphanies that both resolve and deepen the mysteries visited upon them eariler. Visually, the story is told in Ferris’ inimitable style that breathtakingly and seamlessly combines panel-to-panel storytelling and cartoon montages, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster mag iconography.

    My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two is part of the My Favorite Thing is Monsters series.

    Emil Ferris grew up in Chicago during the turbulent 1960s, where she still lives, and is consequently a devotee of all things monstrous and horrific. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Find her at on Patreon here – on IG @emilferris on Twitter @Emilferrisdraws

    How to Attend – In Person: Doors to the Auditorium open at 5:30 p.m., and seating is first come, first served (350 capacity). Quimby’s will be selling Emil’s book, and she’ll be available to autograph books at the conclusion of the program.

    How to Attend – Virtual: This event will also take place live on CPL’s YouTube channel and CPL’s Facebook page. You’ll be able to ask questions during the event as well! Can’t make it to the live stream? CPL will archive the video on YouTube to watch later.

    Accessibility: Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.

    More info at the CPL Event Listing here.

    Facebook event listing here.

    Note this event is NOT at Quimby’s!

  • Bianca Xunise Celebrates PUNK ROCK KARAOKE, In Conversation with Jessica Hopper, April 27th

    Quimby’s welcomes celebrates Independent Bookstore Day with Chicago-based artist Bianca Xunise on Saturday, April 27th at 3:30pm to celebrate the release of their book PUNK ROCK KARAOKE. Xunise will be joined in conversation by director, producer and author Jessica Hopper.

    PUNK ROCK KARAOKE is the explosive new YA graphic novel from Ignatz Award-winning and nationally syndicated cartoonist Bianca Xunise (Six Chix, Be Gay Do Comics), following three friends and their Garage Punk band on their quest to make it big in Southside Chicago’s underground music scene. Drawn from Xunise’s passion for their city and extensive Punk knowledge, PUNK ROCK KARAOKE explores questions about authenticity, the importance of community, and what it means to succeed on your own terms. Complete with a zine-style guide to the real-life Punk icons referenced throughout the story, the book is sure to be a hit with listeners of The Linda Lindas and viewers of Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

    Asked about their inspirations for the project, Xunise said, “PUNK ROCK KARAOKE is a love letter to the diverse and rambunctious underground scene of the DIY music community. I hope that readers fall in love with the same community that allowed me to march to the beat of my own drum and are inspired to create spaces for each other in their own backyards.”

    In PUNK ROCK KARAOKE, School is out for summer and Ariel Grace Jones is determined to make it one for the books! Together with their bestie bandmates, Michele and Gael, Ariel believes they’re destined to break into the music industry by singing lead in their garage punk band, Baby Hares. But before they can officially get into the groove, the realities of post grad life start to weigh on this crew of misfits. Ari begins to worry that it’s time to pull the plug on their dreams of making it big.

    Just when all hope feels lost, a fellow punk and local icon takes an interest in their talent. It seems like he might be the only one Ariel can rely on as frustrations between bandmates reach at an all-time high, but is he really all he seems? And will Ariel and Michele’s friendship survive the journey?

    “Incredibly grounded in its neighborhood and scene, this is a great ride from start to finish.” -Booklist

    “A vibrant, inclusive, feminist, punk-rock homage, guide, and coming-of-age story” -Kirkus

    “Stole my heart from the first page to the last. Endlessly funny and sincere.” -Tillie Walden, Eisner & Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist

     

    Bianca Xunise is a cartoonist based out of Chicago, Illinois. Their work primarily focuses on the plight, joy, and daily struggles of misfits within the black community. In 2017 Xunise earned an Ignatz for Promising New Talent for their comic Say Her Name, an autobiographical story of police brutality and social justice. In 2020 Xunise earned their second Ignatz for their contribution to Be Gay, Do Comics published by IDW. Xunise has collaborated with Vogue, The Washington Post, The Nib, and Believer Magazine. They are also a contributor to the book How We Fight Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance along with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tarana Burk, and Harry Belafonte. Bianca became the first nationally syndicated non-binary cartoonist when they joined the comic strip Six Chix in 2020 as their first black creator. Bianca is also the April Quimby’s artist-in-residence! CHECK OUT THE AMAZING BANNERS THEY DESIGNED IN OUR WINDOW!  More info at https://linktr.ee/biancaxunise

    Jessica Hopper is a director, producer and author based in Chicago. Most recently, Hopper directed and executive produced the upcoming four-part docuseries Women Who Rock, releasing summer of 2022 on Epix and Sky. She has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, the Chicago Reader, Punk Planet and more. She ins the author of The Girls Guide To Rocking, The First Collection of Criticism By A Living Female Rock Critic, Night Moves. She is series editor of The American Music Series at the University of Texas Press. More info at jessicahopper.org.

    As always, Quimby’s events are free. Want the Facebook invite for this event? Click here.

    This event is also on Independent Bookstore Day 2024! Quimby’s is a stop on the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl. Get info about that here. Stay posted for more #IBD24 surprises!

    Flyer at the tippy top for event by Caroline Cash.

  • Beth Hetland Celebrates Tender, In Conversation With Kyle O'Connell, March 30th

    Quimby’s welcomes Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland, in conversation with Kyle O’Connell for what’s sure to be an enlightening discussion on Saturday, March 30th at 3pm.

    Tender is a psychological thriller about a woman obsessed with her vision for a picture-perfect, curated life. Carolanne wanted a perfect wedding, a perfect husband, a perfect family. She carefully performs her own roles (gal pal, bestie, girlfriend, wife, and expectant mother) and in trying to enact agency over her life, sacrifices it completely. Her desire to control the uncontrollable ultimately becomes her undoing. When things don’t go her way, she exerts dominance over the one thing she does have total control over: her body; until that “betrays” her. After suffering a horrible loss, Carolanne spirals into a literal, all-consuming delusion that will engross comics readers and horror aficionados alike. Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre — body horror — so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.

    “Hetland gets under the skin in her nimble and unsettling graphic novel debut. … [Her] ability to maintain a sinister atmosphere in scenes both mundane and monstrous will keep horror fans turning the pages.” — Publishers Weekly

    “A strong debut with powerful visual storytelling, Tender digs into the existential dread of getting everything that you thought you wanted and still not being satisfied.” — Diabolique Magazine

    “A brutal critique of gender roles, social media, cultural pressures & expectations, Tender is a triumph.” — Rob Clough – High Low Comics

    “An incredibly paced horror story that’s equal parts sardonic, gruesome, and tender. A Jeanne Dielman for the Instagram generation.” — Katie Skelly

    Beth Hetland is a Professor, Adj. at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she teaches several comics and comics adjacent courses. She holds an MFA (2011) from The Center for Cartoon Studies and BFA (2009) from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Find her on IG here: @bethhetland and at all sort of other links here. Kyle O’Connell can be found at kyle-oconnell.com.

    As always, this event at Quimby’s is free.
    Want a link to the Facebook event invite for this event? Here ya go.

  • Zine Club Chicago: Zine Valentines Hangout, Jan. 20th!

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of several vintage valentines and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Zine Valentines Hangout; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.; www.quimbys.com; 3 p.m. Saturday, January 20, 2024”

    Zine Club Chicago: Zine Valentines Hangout!
    3 p.m. Saturday, January 20, 2024
    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.
    Free!

    Zine Club Chicago is kicking off the season of love in all its incarnations with a heart-shaped invitation: Come make zine valentines with us about your self-publishing passions!

    We want you to pour your admiration for your favorite zinemakers, most beloved art supplies (who doesn’t love a long-arm stapler?), or whatever else you adore about DIY culture into the pages of a mini zine. We’ll also have postcard supplies on hand so you can send a sweet note to our out-of-town zine pals.*

    Please join us at Zine Club Chicago: Zine Valentines Hangout at 3 p.m. Saturday, January 20 here at our shop. Free!

    We’ll provide zinemaking supplies, blank postcards, and snacks. Zine Club Chicago is a mask-supportive environment; we’ll have masks available if you’d like to wear one.

    *Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago would love to pair you up with a zine pen pal! Fill out this Google form by 10 p.m. CT Tuesday, Jan. 16 if you’d like to receive a postcard from our in-person event: tiny.cc/ZCCZineValentines2024

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago. This free monthly event series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.

    Facebook event link here. More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago

    Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of several vintage valentines and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Zine Valentines Hangout; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.; www.quimbys.com; 3 p.m. Saturday, January 20, 2024”