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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*
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Echo's Faves!
We’re swimming in zines over here at Quimby’s!
Did you know that we receive zines & comix by hand and by mail just about every day? As anyone who has stepped through our door can attest, we have a staggering number of zines on our shelves. Gazing upon them may make you wonder—where to begin?????????
Well, worry not dear reader, cause I, your friendly neighborhood zine slinger Echo the Human, am here to share a few of my current faves!
Here are just a few of the glittering standouts that are currently gracing our shelves (so get ‘em while we got ‘em!):
Shit Dates #5: Shit or Lit? by Mel Stringer
Mel Stringer’s endlessly entertaining Shit Dates series documents real people’s shitty date experiences in comic form. And issue #5 features a special twist! It contains a mix of shitty and wonderful dates, so you can have extra fun guessing how each one will turn out.
This is one of my current faves cause it’s both funny and touching, and cause I’m a big fan of Mel’s drawing style. A top-notch comic!
De las Casas by Dave Ortega
De las Casas is a beautifully illustrated zine by comic artist Dave Ortega. It contains “selections from ‘an account, much abbreviated, of the destruction of the Indies’ written from 1540 to 1542 by Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas.”
As horrifying as it is to read about the unimaginable atrocities that the Spanish inflicted upon the indigenous people of Ay-ti (what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and other Caribbean islands, this is a very important story to share. It’s so critical that we are able to see and preserve every aspect of history, not just the whitewashed points of view.
This is one of my current faves because I deeply appreciate the efforts that artists like Ortega are making towards educating the public about colonization. As a person of afro-indigenous Caribbean descent, this particular chapter of colonial history, one that is largely under-recognized, strikes a chord deeply within me.
Thank you for a beautiful and moving zine, Dave!
Caboose #10: the Searching Issue by Liz Mason
I recently read issue #10 of Caboose and found it to be delightful! In it, zinester extraordinaire Liz Mason provides us with a fascinating peek into the world of transcendental meditation. It’s so fun to follow Liz’s experience as she curiously and dubiously dips her toe into the strange realm of TM.
I love this zine because it’s a shining exemplar of Liz’s fun and excellent writing style. And it’s hilarious! This is a must-have for any serious zine collection!
Shine on, zine-stars!
<3 Echo
Live from the basement of Quimby’s! -
New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramZines
Slutcake #18 by Jolie Ruin $3
Darling Pet Monkey #2 $5
Sensitive Artist #1 by Vani $12
Happy Tapir #8 A Bouncer of Clubland by Johnny Masiulewicz $5
Floaters Digest #4 The Roar of the Hatrack by Dylan and Robby $8
Coming of Rage Ceremony by Sunny and Taylor $10
You Are Allowed to Quit Alcohol by Allison Vraniak $1
More coloring book zines from SmittenKittenTX $10 each
Stories About Life and Some Death #3 $5.00
How Massacres Become the Norm #1 $5
Vault of Slack #4 by Xenofact $8
Border Crossings #162 Photography $15
Bus of Doom by Arts of Life Self Advocates $3
Goopy Mag $24.99
How to Make a Homemade Canvas Board by Incarcerated Artists $1
Comics
Reapers #1 by Adam Rykal Michael Bink and Mhead $5
Futurelux Thrilling Sci-Fi Action Comix #3 by Scott Gerard Ruhl $10
Guts Honor Wrestling #1 by Odin Cabal $10
Graphic Novels
Cheryl by Jillian Fleck (Conundrum) $20
zines by Brian Van Gold, $5 each: Chalk It Up, Trust Me, Character Dinner
Politics & Revolution
Solidarity Is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing by Rebecca Vilkomerson and Alissa Wise (Haymarket) $22.95
Music Books
Band People: Life and Work in Popular Music by Franz Nicolay $29.95
Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe $19.95
Witchy Shit
Disabled Witchcraft: 90 Rituals for Limited-Spoon Practitioners by Kandi Zeller $19.95
The Practical Witch’s Almanac 2025: Rebel Wisdom by Friday Gladheart $17.95
Sex Culture
Sex Drive: On the Road to a Pleasure Revolution by Stephanie Theobald $18.95
Art Books
Prison of the Mind: Paintings by Alex Gross 2014 – 2023 by Alex Gross (Gingko Press) $39.95
Graffbook. The Graffiti Sketchbook (Carpet Bombing Culture) $21.95
Fiction
Flowers from the Void by Gianni Washington (Clash Books) $17.95
Bad Houses by John Elizabeth Stintzi $19.95
Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda (Feminist Press) $16.95
Classic Horror Stories, edited by David Stuart Davies $14.99
Poetry
TRANZ Poems by Spencer Williams $17.95
Poetry by Valerie Fox: Insomniatic $10, The Failed Love Factory Auction Catalog (with Arlene Ang) $13.99
Lit Journals
Places to Spit #2 $8
Calendars
Lets 2025 Calendar by Nikki McClure $24
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Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party, Sept 21st
Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party
3 p.m. Saturday, September 21, 2024
Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.
Free!
Zine enthusiasts, are you ready for the Cut-and-Paste Challenge? This month marks Zine Club Chicago’s 6th Quimbiversary! And our shop is turning 33! So of course we’ve celebrating with zinecentric hijinks.
Please join us for Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party, 3 p.m. Saturday, September 21 at Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park. Free!
Here’s how the Cut-and-Paste Challenge will work: Zine Club Chicago is going to set up six stations of fun zine-related activities throughout our shop. Complete all the challenges, and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win a bag full of zines, swag, snax (of course), and more!
One black cat we’ll let out of the bag is an activity we’re hoping you’ll help us with at this event. We want you to help us decorate a spine. Wait what? We swear that makes sense. If there’s 33 vertebrae in the human spine (See? We said it would make sense), and if Quimby’s is the supportive backbone of the zine scene in Chicago, and if zines have a spine (saddle stitched, glued or sewn), WHY NOT HELP US DECORATE A SPINE? It seems even more apropos as we march toward the hallow season.
But of course we’ll have other activities too, just you wait and see.
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 the monthly flyers, created the logo, and made the Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events: https://zineclubchicagoshoutouts.spread.name/
More info at Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago like here on IG and here on Twitter.
Facebook event invite is here.
Image descriptions
A red-and-blue infographic flyer featuring a photo of children at a birthday party, with text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party! We’re turning 6! Quimby’s is turning 33! In Person! Free!; 3 p.m. Saturday, September 21, 2024; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.; www.quimbys.com”
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Quimby's offsite: South Side Lit Fest 2024, Sept 14th
Quimby’s is proud to co-sponsor the first South Side Lit Fest!
Bridgeport’s First Literary Festival! Also sponsored by Adult Programs at Daley library and Eye 94.
Saturday, Sep 14th, 11am-4pm
At the Richard J. Daley Public Library
3400 S. Halsted, Bridgeport
Author signings! Discussion panels! Poetry! A zine writing workshop! And more.
For more info: instagram.com/southsidelitfest
View this profile on Instagram -
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.
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramNote! Some of this comes out later this week!!
Zine
Patent Observations: Sample Findings from the Patent Applications of Los Angeles Area Inventors issues #1-#3 by Public Collectors/Marc Fischer (Half Letter Press) $20 each
TV Grime #4 Twin Peaks by Luke Geddes $12
Riverside Challenger: Selections 1992-1994 $5
Seize Your Week by Marshall Waters $9.99
Free Palestine Ceasefire Now! Stop the Genocide in Gaza by the Coalition to March on the DNC $10
Light Witches Art Book #1 by Matt Wiley $8
Unfolding Connections various issues by Kristian Brevik, $4 each
Rate of Decay #7 Cuntroaches + #8 Demolisten, $2 each
Zisk #35 $4
Fog $15
Tons of new DIY zines by Karina Hagelin, various prices : Gossip as a Site of Resistance, Affirmations for Survivors #3 Radical Self-Love, All Cats Are Beautiful issues #1 & #2,
Digestif #2 by Brianna Dingedein $12
Comics
You Don’t Get There From Here #64 Diary Comics by Carrie McNinch $4
I Hope This Finds You #14 Diary Comics by Kevin Budnik $6
Daydream Paradise #70 by laszlo shaak (Wiggle Bird Mailing Club) $6
Horizon: New Wave Comics issues #1-#3 by David Soileau and Reginald Wayne Soileau $2 each
Lady Luck (Sphincter Publishing) $5
Graphic Novels
What We Mean by Yesterday vol 1 by Benjamin Marra (Fantagraphics) $29.99
Never Again Will I Visit Auschwitz: A Graphic Family Memoir of Trauma & Inheritance by Ari Richter (Fantagraphics) $34.99
Are You Willing to Die for the Cause? Revolution in 1960s Quebec by Chris Oliveros (Drawn and Quarterly) $22.95
Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn and Quarterly) $29.95
Politics & Revolution Books
The New Science of Social Change: A Modern Handbook for Activists by Lisa Mueller $27.95
Fiction
The Nightingale’s Castle: A Novel of Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess by Sonia Velton $18.99
Mayhem & Outer Limits
Way of the Witch: A Guide to Starting Your Magical Journey and Activating Your Inner Power by Danielle Luet & illustrated by Tamara Woods $29.99
Charms, Amulets, Talismans & Spells by Marian Green $8.95
Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death by Spencer Henry & Madison Reyes $28
Essay/Memoir
An Honest Woman: A Memoir of Love and Sex Work by Charlotte Shane $25.99
Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith by John Szwed $22
DIY
Magickal Cross-Stitch: 25 Witchy Projects to Enchant Your Home by Lindsay Swearingen $19.99
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramZines
by Scott Russell Morris & friends: Witch’s Cat – A Solo Journaling RPG $16, Tarot Zines ($15-$16) and more.
Don’t Stop Me Now: How to Resist Drag Bans and Create Total Gender Liberation by Christa Orth (Literary Kitchen Collective Press) $15
Zines by Larry Wolf $5 each: Fortune Tellers, Enfantes Terribles photo zine
Room Tone #4 by Kurt $3
Bicycling in Tokyo 35mm Photos by Shawn Granton $12
Zines by S. Duff $5 each: Perfect Specimens, Year of the Mirror, As Something Breaks, Woman at the Wheel
Bookshelf Voyeur #7 The Light and Dark sides of Yearbooks! by L J Williams $10
Fungivore by Heather Anacker $11.11
A Modern Guide to Communicating In the Real World by Ian Fugett $10
Comics
Pee Pee Poo Poo #1 by Caroline Cash (Silver Sprocket) $9.99
King Cat #83 by John Porcellino $7
Tongues 6.5 Supplement #1 by Anders Nilsen $18
Comics by Dave Hankins $4 each: Gorilla Movies, Elephant Buildings, Giraffes
Josh Horror Comics by Josh Bayer, Josh Cotter, Josh Simmons and Josh Stephens $20
2 issues of Shadow Banshee by Nadia, $3 each
Graphic Novels
Future by Tommi Musturi (Fantagraphics) $39.99
Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch by Guy Colwell (Fantagraphics) $29.99
Mothballs by Sola Otero (Fantagraphics) $29.99
Iris: A Novel for Viewers by Thé Tjong-Khing and Lo Hartog van Banda (Fantagraphics) $24.99
The Night Never Ends by Steve Thueson (Silver Sprocket) $19.99 – Sale date 8/28!
Legendary Spirits: The Collected Grace, Jerry, Jessica & Me by Derek Marks $20
Politics & Revolution Books
Loving Corrections by adrienne maree brown (AK Press) $18
Essays
The Snarling Girl and Other Essays by Elisa Albert $26.95
Bad Feminist TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION by Roxane Gay $18.99
Mayhem & Outer Limits
Magic at the Crossroads: The Devil in Modern Witchcraft by Kate Freuler $19.99
Travel (LOL)
Go to Hell: A Traveler’s Guide to Earth’s Most Otherworldly Destinations by Erika Engelhaupt $24.99
Music Books
CRASH BANG: Pictures from a Punk 1976-1982 by DB Burkeman $39.99
It Wasn’t a Phase!: The Ultimate Emo Activity Book by Yasmine Summan $15.99
Fiction
Layman’s Report by Eugene Marten $26
My Men: A Novel by Victoria Kielland $16
Politics & Revolution
Quit Everything: Interpreting Depression by Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi $18.95
The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America 1963-1973 by Clara Bingham $32.50
Self-Care
It’s Your Body: The Young Woman’s Guide to Empowered Sexual Health by Dena Moes $16.99
Chap Books & Lit Journals
Killing Time Is a Sacred Act by Ramsey Khaweja $10
Vitreous Wick #6 $10
Food Books
Food to Die For: Recipes and Stories from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places by Amy Bruni with Julie Tremaine $29.99
Drinkin’
The Turn of the Screwdriver: 50 Dark and Twisted Literary Cocktails by Iphigenia Jones $19.99
Biking Books
Urban Adventure League Cycle Touring Primer 3rd Ed: A Quick Guide to Help You Plan Your Multi Day Bicycle Adventure by Shawn Granton $12
Film
A Complicated Passion: The Life and Work of Agnès Varda by Carrie Rickey $29.99
Other Stuff
2025 Calendars/Planners $13.99-$14.99: Witches’ Datebook, Moon Sign Datebook, Daily Planetary Guide, Moon Sign Datebook, Daily Planetary Guide and more.
I Want to Believe (It’s Not Butter) Sticker by Heather Anacker $2
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramZines
A shipment of zines from Quimby’s and Quimby’s NYC founder Steven Symbersky! Star Trek ephemera zines $5 each, lost cat and dog poster zines $2.50 each, and more!
Titles from Sick Sad Trans Fags: Man Hating Bisexual Coming of Age Stories $15, Covid Stole My Slut Era $6, Autistic Shorthand for Crips: A Guide for Easier Communication Between Autists With Limited Energy $5 and more.
Dragon Year by Jilly Foo $5
Culpeper’s Guide to the Properties, Virtues, and Uses of zines by Nicholas Culpeper, 7.99 each: Herbs and Their Leaves – Barks, Roots, Woods, and Other Natural Medicines – Fruits, Seeds, Flowers, Juices, Stones and Other Natural Medicines
Cowboys and Lawyers (Queering Consent Series) by Robin S. Stafford (Microcosm Publishing) $7.99
Party Line #9 $4.95
Compilation Nation #2 The Only Fanzine Dedicated to Various Artists by Sydney Salk $5
Copy This Cassette! A Cassette Review Zine For Those That Love Cassettes by D. Blake Werts $2.95
Crafting Tools Make Us Human #1 by Tyler Reid and Aaron Moring-D’Angier $20
What Guinea Pigs Can Teach Us About Life: How Sleeping Piggies Show Rest as Resistance and Yawning as Care by Virginia Cafaro $7.99
& Ull Take Me Down lyrics by Yasha $5
Comics
Bubbles #20 $8
Tooth of the Troll: A Greta Smalltusk Tale by Quinn Thomson $5
Graphic Novels
Kommix by Charles Burns (Fantagraphics) $24.99
Blurry by Dash Shaw $34.95
The Atlas Comics Library No. 3 : In the Days of the Rockets! (Fantagraphics) $49.99
Politics & Revolution Books
Pinnacle: The Lost Paradise of Rasta by Bill Blade Howell with Helen Lee (Akashic) $26.95
Music Books
Chicago House Music: Culture and Community by Marguerite L. Harrold (Belt Publishing) $24
Fiction Books
Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning $30
The Wishing Pool and Other Stories by Tananarive Due $17.95
DIY Books
Make It Last: Prolonging and Preserving the Things We Love by Raleigh Briggs (Microcosm Publishing) $9.95
Magazines
Broken Pencil #103 $9.95
Tape Op #162 $5.99
Lit Journals
Overtime – Hour 68: Lucifers by Lauren O’Donoghue (Blue Cubicle Press) $2
Oyez Review #51 Novellas $14
From Long Day Press $14-$16:
Accomplished Muskrat Trapper: A Book on Trapping for Amateurs by Arno E. Schmidt
Desolation by frankie baby
In Between My Bodies: Essays by Emily Capers
Gainesville: A Novel by Colin Winnette
Saturn: Stories by Simon Jacobs
We Go Liquid a Novel by Christian TeBordoFrom 826CHI
Indomitable Forces: Writing From the Students of Wells High School $18
I Love the State You Are In: Writing From the Students of 826ChI’s After School Writing Lab $15
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Zine Club Chicago Online: Labor Edition, Aug 20th
Zine Club Chicago Online: Labor Edition
7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 20 on Zoom
Free!
What kind of work do you do? That question has inspired countless self-published tributes, rants, and calls to action. This month, Zine Club Chicago will be discussing zines about labor of all kinds — the work we love, the work we perform to pay the bills, the work we dread, and the work we do to build a better world.
Grab your favorite zines about labor to share, BYOS(nax) and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Labor Edition at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 20!
** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 5 p.m. CT Monday, August 19 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 20.
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: https://zineclubchicagoshoutouts.spread.name/
More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago
Want the Facebook event link? It’s here.
Image description
A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with an image of four people in work uniforms, that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Labor Edition; Online! Free!; Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 20, 2024”
