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Category: comics
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Postponing Event Until a Undeclared later date: Let’s Keep Selling Nostalgia!(!!) Pop Culture Historian Mathew Klickstein at Quimby’s
Mathew Klickstein has spent the past two decades chronicling and (for good or ill?) helping to kick-start the 80s/90s Nostalgia Industry via his prolific spate of books, documentaries, articles, podcasts, and live events across the country. SLIMED! An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age (Penguin Random House) presented the first exhaustive history of the “First Kids Network,” has become the ultimate resource for those following in Klickstein’s footsteps, and was re-released as an updated “Fifth Anniversary Edition” for Nick’s recent 40th anniversary. Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons (w/ series writer Mike Reiss; Harper Collins) remains the only long-form “insider” story of the most beloved (and beforehand guarded) cartoon series of all time. Selling Nostalgia: A Neurotic Novel (Simon & Schuster) is an absurdist Fear & Loathing-esque coda to the now-waning “Nerd/Geek Culture” to which Klickstein has been a primary contributor. And the 80s sci-fi/horror inspired comic book series You Are Obsolete (AfterShock Comics) will be released in OGN/paperback edition April 21, exploring our current generational shift in a frightening, hopefully not too prescient way that left critics and fans alike glued to their pages and e-readers during the series’ initial five-issue Sept 2019-Jan 2020 run.
“Mathew Klickstein might be the geek guru of the 21st century.”
– Mark Mothersbaugh
The work of Mathew Klickstein has appeared in such outlets as: Wired, NY Daily News, Vulture, The New Yorker and countless regional and online publications worldwide. His two decades-plus of multi-platform storytelling has also led to: an impressive glut of non-fiction and fiction books authored for both major and independent publishers, podcasting (including his own series running for the past five years), guest lectures at various universities and arts/culture centers, as well as television and film work in partnership with such high-profile entities as: Sony Pictures, Food Network, National Lampoon, and Alamo Drafthouse.
For more info: www.MathewKlickstein.com
Saturday, April 25th, 7pm – Free Event
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Postponed: CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) 2020
Quimby’s is proud to be a sponsor of the 2020 Chicago Alternative Comics Expo [CAKE], a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists– past, present and future. CAKE features comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and more, CAKE is dedicated to fostering community and dialogue amongst independent artists, small presses, publishers and readers. More info at cakechicago.com.CAKE 2020 will be held 6/13-6/14 11am-6pm at Broadway Armory (5917 N Broadway) in Edgewater.More info TBA.Follow CAKE:
IG: @CAKEChicago
Twitter: @CAKEChicago
Art by David Alvarado. @tuffasaurus
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Kevin Huizenga The River at Night – Release Event, Oct 4th
A MAN HAS TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP AND REFLECTS ON HIS LIFE, MARRIAGE, AND TIME ITSELF
In The River at Night, Kevin Huizenga delves deep into consciousness. What begins as a simple, distracted conversation between husband and wife, Glenn and Wendy Ganges—him reading a library book and her working on her computer—becomes an exploration of being and the passage of time. As they head to bed, Wendy exhausted by a fussy editor and Glenn energized by his reading and no small amount of caffeine, the story begins to fracture.
The River at Night flashes back, first to satirize the dot-com boom of the late 1990s and then to examine the camaraderie of playing first-person shooter video games with work colleagues. Huizenga shifts focus to suggest ways to fall asleep as Glenn ponders what the passage of time feels like to geologists or productivity gurus. The story explores the simple pleasures of a marriage, like lying awake in bed next to a slumbering lover, along with the less cherished moments of disappointment or inadvertent betrayal of trust. Huizenga uses the cartoon medium like a symphony, establishing rhythms and introducing themes that he returns to, adding and subtracting events and thoughts, stretching and compressing time. A walk to the library becomes a meditation on how we understand time, as Huizenga shows the breadth of the comics medium in surprising ways. The River at Night is a modern formalist masterpiece as empathetic, inventive, and funny as anything ever written.
Praise for The River at Night
Glenn Ganges in: The River at Night is perilously philosophical, goofily logical, lovingly wild. In Huizenga’s hands, an ordinary day reveals its acme holes of infinite regress and counterfactual calamity. A wonderful book, to read and read again.
Rivka Galchen, author of Atmospheric Disturbances and Little LaboursUnexpectedly poignant and occasionally magical… While Huizenga’s architectural, fine-line style is clearly influenced by Chris Ware… the vast spaciousness of this surreal night flight is all his own. Glenn’s reveries will pull readers into multiple deserved rereadings.
Publishers WeeklyA mix of John McPhee and Richard McGuire’s “Here,” The River at Night is about making the best of life when you know that the world’s been around for billions of years and will go on long after you, too, are gone. How wonderful to spend time with these sweet, gentle characters as they stare straight into the unfeeling universe and decide to make the best of it. A truly beautiful book.
Paul Ford, National Magazine Award-winning Technology CriticWow! I was not prepared for this: The River at Night is a surprising, beautifully rendered, mind-expanding, heartwarming exploration of what it means to be human, to have thoughts, to lie in bed all night after guzzling too much coffee, to follow your thoughts on a journey that maps the universe and makes light of the electrical activity of a brilliant mind. Kevin Huizenga is a kind of dreamer who gets us to think, to love what’s in our heads, to love what’s in his. Everybody will dig this book!
Matthew Klam, author of Who is Rich?
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Chris Ware Rusty Brown Event, In Conversation with Marnie Galloway, Sept 27th
A major graphic novel event more than 16 years in progress: part one of the masterwork from the brilliant and beloved author of Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth and Building Stories.
Rusty Brown is a fully interactive, full-color articulation of the time-space interrelationships of a couple people in the first half of a single midwestern American day and the tiny piece of human grit about which they involuntarily orbit. A sprawling, special snowflake accumulation of the biggest themes and the smallest moments of life, Rusty Brown aims at nothing less than the coalescence of one half of all of existence into a single museum-quality picture story, expertly arranged to present the most convincingly ineffable and empathetic illusion of experience for both life-curious readers and traditional fans of standard reality. From childhood to old age, no frozen plotline is left unthawed in the entangled stories of a child who awakens without superpowers, a teen who matures into a paternal despot, a father who stores his emotional regrets on the surface of Mars and a late-middle-aged woman who seeks the love of only one other person on planet Earth.CHRIS WARE is widely acknowledged to be the most gifted and beloved cartoonist of his generation by both his mother and fourteen-year-old daughter. His Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth won the Guardian First Book Award and was listed as one of the 100 Best Books of the Decade by The Times (London) in 2009. Building Stories was named a Top Ten Fiction Book of the Year in 2012 by both The New York Times and Time magazine. Ware is an irregular contributor to The New Yorker, and his original drawings have been exhibited at the Whitney Biennial, in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and in piles behind his worktable in Oak Park, Illinois. In 2016 he was featured in the PBS documentary series Art 21: Art in the 21st Century, and in 2017 an eponymous monograph of his work was published by Rizzoli.
Chris Ware will be in conversation with Marnie Galloway.
Marnie Galloway is a Chicago cartoonist who makes literary & poetic comics that experiment with book form and narrative structure. She is best known for her Xeric Award winning wordless comic, “In the Sounds and Seas,” which made the Notable Comics list in Best American Comics, and was highlighted in the Best Comics of 2016 by the AV Club. Other comics of note include Particle/Wave, published by So What Press; Burrow, self published with support from the Pulitzer Arts Foundation; and Slightly Plural, a short collection of poetry comics. She served as an organizer for CAKE, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, for four years, and has had comics published by the New York Times, Cricket Magazine, Saveur Magazine, Cambridge University Press, and Ask Magazine, where she currently works as the staff cartoonist. marniegalloway.com
Advance praise for RUSTY BROWN by Chris Ware
09.24.29 | Pantheon | ISBN: 9780375424328
“Remarkable . . . Masterfully illustrated, brilliantly designed, and bursting with compassion . . . This is without a doubt one of the most exciting releases of the year.”—Library Journal [starred Editor’s Pick]
Previously circulated:
“Ware delivers an astounding graphic novel about nothing less than the nature of life and time as it charts the intersecting lives of characters that revolve around an Omaha, Neb., parochial school in the 1970s . . . Ware again displays his virtuosic ability to locate the extraordinary within the ordinary, elevating seemingly normal lives into something profound, unforgettable, and true.”
—Publishers Weekly [starred]
“Ware fans rejoice . . . Curious and compelling . . . As with Ware’s other works of graphic art, the narrative arc wobbles into backstory and tangent: Each page is a bustle of small and large frames, sometimes telling several stories at once in the way that things buzz around us all the time, demanding notice . . . a beguiling masterwork of visual storytelling from the George Herriman of his time.”
—Kirkus Reviews [starred]
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CAKE FRIDAY EDITION of Drink n' Draw at Quimby's
Quimby’s is proud to help co-sponsor CAKE — The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (June 1st & 2nd at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted), a weekend fest featuring comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and more. The night before the fest join comics artists for a special edition of Drink n’ Draw where comics artists and educators, Aaron Renier (author of Spiral-Bound, Walker Bean, and Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon) and Alex Nall (author of Teaching Comics, Let Some Word That Is Heard Be Yours, Lawns) will lead a series of drawing games and activities! Come out for a fun time featuring refreshments, socializing and secret prizes!More info:Drink n’ Draw at Quimby’s CAKE FRIDAY EDITIONFri, May 31st, 7pm
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Al Burian Brings Anarchy and Apocalypse to Quimby's June 20th
Writer, musician, comic artist zine-maker (and former Quimby’s employee) Al Burian (best known for his Orwellian-themed band Milemarker and darkly humorous personal zine Burn Collector) reads from new work and presents his newest book, NO APOCALYPSE: PUNK, POLITICS AND THE GREAT AMERICAN WEIRDNESS, a collection of columns and miscellany from turn-of-the-millennium publications such as PUNK PLANET and THE SKELETON. Seen through our contemporary lens, The 00’s reveal themselves to have been a time of splendidly naive optimism: remember when we all thought George W. Bush was the worst US president there could possibly be? Remember when the neighborhood seemed too crappy to ever get gentrified? Return to those carefree days, when the Y2K computer virus had just failed to happen and environmental collapse was still near-future science fiction.
The evening also sees the first US appearance of DEAN STREET, an epic comic book series (we dare not say “serialized graphic novel”) by Al Burian and Berlin comic artist Oska Wald. The action in DEAN STREET takes place in a mythical version of Chicago, and features a zany cast of characters, some unnerving supernatural occurrences, and the best rock show ever drawn.
Plus a brief music performance by ANARKUSS, the post-apocalyptic no-electricity song and story act. A glimpse into what punk bands will sound like when the power grid fails and we all revert to eating nuts and berries…
“Al Burian is the bastard love-child of Spalding Gray and Henry Rollins” -Ex Berliner
Thursday, June 20, 2019 7pm – Free Event
More info:
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Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) 2019, June 1st & 2nd
Quimby’s is proud to help co-sponsor CAKE — The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo is a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists– past, present and future. Featuring comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and more, CAKE is dedicated to fostering community and dialogue amongst independent artists, small presses, publishers and readers.
June 1 & 2, 2019
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Center on Halsted
3656 N Halsted St.
FreeDon’t miss a special CAKE opening night event here at Quimby’s
CAKE FRIDAY EDITION of the Saturday Night Drink n’ Draw at Quimby’s
Fri, May 31st, 7pmJoin comics artists for a special edition of Saturday Night Drink n’ Draw (yes, this one is on a Friday, May 31st) where comics artists and educators, Aaron Renier (author of Spiral-Bound, Walker Bean, and Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon) and Alex Nall (author of Teaching Comics, Let Some Word That Is Heard Be Yours, Lawns) will lead a series of drawing games and activities! Come out for a fun time featuring refreshments, socializing and secret prizes! More info about this event at the Quimby’s Event calendar here and on Facebook here.
More info at cakechicago.com
Poster Art by Marnie Galloway
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Jesse Duquette of “The Daily Don” Book Signing on Free Comic Book Day, May 4th
The first Saturday in May is always Free Comic Book Day (yes, we’ll have some free comics all day), and this year Quimby’s also celebrates by welcoming Jesse Duquette of “The Daily Don” — the popular Instagram which is now featured in a book.
“The Daily Don: All The News That Fits Into Tiny, Tiny Hands” (Skyhorse Publishing) collects the best of the first two years of artist Jesse Duquette’s Instagram art project “The Daily Don”, a gallery of cartoons centered around the Trump administration. As soon as the lies began on Day One of Trump’s presidency about crowd sizes at his Inauguration, Duquette decided the best weapon he could employ against the coming madness was his pack of colored pencils. Thus began his semi-monastic regimen of documenting each and every day of this administration’s actions, tweets, scandals, and bizarro cast of characters through satirical cartoons, a healthier outlet for an incredulous and outraged public than, say, depressed drinking or Proud Boy provoking. Duquette’s influences range from Shel Silverstein to Pat Oliphant to Moebius, but the effect is mostly slow motion pen-and-ink waterboarding.
“Anyone who doesn’t follow The Daily Don is missing the point of life in 2018 .” – Laurence Tribe, Author & Professor at Harvard Law School, real smart guy.
Jesse’s work has been featured in such places as: The Globe & Mail, TruthDig, MoveOn.org, and Viceland’s “The Hunt for the Trump Tapes with Tom Arnold”. He has also been featured on the “CraftSanity” podcast and was the subject of a Snopes article (verified “True”!). Jesse has no degrees or awards to his name but his mother loves him anyways.
Note: Free Comic Book Day goes on all day and we’ll have some, but only as long as supplies last. The Daily Don is not a free comic.
For more info:
dailydondrawings(at)gmail(dot)com
Saturday, May 4th, 7pm – Free Event
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Jaime Hernandez Book Launch for Is This How You See Me? in conversation with Anya Davidson
In Is This How You See Me?, Maggie and Hopey get the band back together — literally. Now middle-aged, they leave their significant others at home and take a weekend road trip to reluctantly attend a punk rock reunion in their old neighborhood. The present is masterfully threaded with a flashback set in 1979, during the very formative stages in Maggie and Hopey’s lifelong friendship, as the perceived invincibility of youth is expertly juxtaposed against all of the love, heartbreak, and self-awareness that comes with lives actually lived. The result is no sentimental victory lap, however — this is one of the great writers of literary fiction at the peak of his powers, continuing to scale new heights as an artist.
“One of the most talented artists our polyglot culture has produced.” — The New York Times Book Review
Hernandez’s acclaimed ongoing comics series Love and Rockets has entertained readers for over 35 years, and his beloved characters — Maggie, Hopey, Ray, Doyle, Daffy, Mike Tran, and so many others — have become fully realized literary creations. Is This How You See Me? collects Hernandez’s latest interconnected vignettes, serialized over the past four years in Love and Rockets, into a long-form masterpiece for the first time.
Jaime will be in conversation with Chicago-based artist Anya Davidson, author of Band For Life, School Spirits & more.
For more info:
Cohen(at)fantagraphics(dot)com
Here’s the invite for this event on Facebook.
Monday, March 11th, 7pm – Free Event
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Aaron Renier Discusses The Unsinkable Walker Bean & The Knights of the Waxing Moon 10/26
SHIPWRECKED! After their perilous encounter with the sea-witches, Walker and the pirate crew of the Jacklight find refuge on a deserted island. But it might not be as deserted as it seems?shadowy creatures have been spotted in the jungle, and strange animal tracks appear overnight. When Walker, Shiv, and Genoa discover a secret passage and mysterious ruins, the dark history of the archipelago begins to unravel. Legend tells of a mad king, a fallen civilization, and a powerful royal family in search of their lost sister. In this triumphant follow-up to the epic graphic novel The Unsinkable Walker Bean, Aaron Renier is back with more breathtaking art and high-sea adventure in Knights of the Waxing Moon.
Aaron Renier creates worlds that are so convincing and immersive that his readers are forever transformed. Walker Bean is a worthy heir to Tintin and deserves – and will not disappoint – a similarly wide audience.” –Dave Eggers
AARON RENIER is the author of three graphic novels for younger readers; Spiral-Bound, Walker Bean, and Walker Bean and the Knights of the Waxing Moon. He is the recipient of the Eisner award in 2006 for talent deserving of wider recognition, and was an inaugural resident for the Sendak Fellowship in 2010. He teaches at DePaul University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
For more info:
IG: @aaron.renier
Friday, October 26th, 7pm – Free Event