Tag: comics

  • Lane Milburn Talks About Twelve Gems 8/30

    TwelveGemsQuimbyPosterThe sci-fi epic Twelve Gems by Lane Milburn takes place somewhere in the outer cosmos, beyond reckoning or observation. The mysterious Dr. Z has enlisted three space heroes to search the galaxy for the fabled Twelve Gems of Power: the hulking alien-brawn Furz; the beautiful and deadly sabre-wielding Venus; and the soft-spoken canine technician, Dogstar. They meet many strange and storied characters on their journey, but none so strange or sinister as their dear benefactor himself. With a heavy dose of humor and wall-to-wall action, this is one of the most action-packed and funny books of the year.

    “It’s ’80s-indie black-and-white space-opera action as you like it!” – Robot 6

    Lane Milburn was born and raised in Lexington, KY. He graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2008 with a degree in Painting. While living in Baltimore, Milburn self published several minicomics with the underground art collective, Closed Caption Comics. The Xeric Foundation awarded him a grant in 2009 for his book Death Trap which he self published in 2010. Milburn currently lives and works in Chicago, IL where he is an active member of the alternative comics community.

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  • International Zine Month Day 4: Read a Zine From a Country Other Than Your Own

    Have you heard the good news? July is International Zine Month! Celebrate every day with a fun zine-centric activity.

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    gangbangbong_lgGang Bang Bong #1 by Ines Estradas and Ginette Lapalme, is a bilingual comic anthology.

  • off-site: CAKE FRAME 2: Live Art Auction and Brain Frame Comics Performance Event to Benefit CAKE 4/20

    cakeframeSun, April 20 at the Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S Morgan Street, Chicago IL 60608 (NOT at Quimby’s)

    Doors at 6pm, show at 7pm
    $5 – $20 sliding scale entry

    For the second year running, the performative comics reading series Brain Frame is teaming up with the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) to host the CAKE Frame fundraiser, an evening of comics readings and a live art auction. Cake Frame 2 is All proceeds go to benefit CAKE, the weekend-long celebration of independent comics 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.

    Brain Frame founder Lyra Hill will host the evening as master of ceremonies and auctioneer. Attendees can bid on original art from 30 talented Chicagoans including Chris Ware, Nicole Hollander, Ivan Brunetti, and Edie Fake. All bids for artworks will start at $30. The evening will also include a wide variety of comics performances by Brain Frame alums Kevin Budnik, Rachel Niffenegger, Pup House and Jen Rickert. There will be live drawing by Jenna Caravello and live music by El Is A Sound Of Joy. Doors open at 6pm and the event starts at 7pm, but we recommend attendees arrive early if they want to review the auction items before bidding.

    With only two months until CAKE on May 31/June 1 at the Center on Halstead, the CAKE organizers are kicked into full gear. Organizers Ben Bertin, Neil Brideau, Marnie Galloway, Max Morris, Grace Tran and Jeff Zwirek are committed to making this year’s show one that goes down in history, and the CAKE Frame 2 fundraiser will help them towards that goal.

    For more information on CAKE, please visit cakechicago.com
    For more information on Brain Frame, please visit brainframe.tumblr.com
    Contact: Max Morris, cakexpo(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Art Spiegelman's WORDLESS! with music by Phillip Johnston at the Logan Center, Performance Hall

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    Two performances only
    Sat, Jan 25, 2014 / 3 pm and 8 pm
    Logan Center, Performance Hall
    In his Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece, Maus—a moving father-son memoir about the Holocaust drawn with cats and mice—Art Spiegelman changed the definition of comics forever. In WORDLESS!—a new and stimulating hybrid of slides, talk and musical performance—he probes further into the nature and possibilities of his medium.
    A noted artist, historian and theorist of comics, Spiegelman collaborates with critically-acclaimed jazz composer Phillip Johnston, whose all-new scores performed by his sextet will accompany the cartoonist’s personal tour of early graphic novels and their influence on him: silent picture stories made by early 20th Century masters like Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward and Milt Gross. As Spiegelman explores “the battle between Words and Pictures,” he smashes at the hyphen between High and Low Art in a presentation featuring a new work drawn specifically for this project, “Shaping Thought.”
    The Logan Center is proud to host the Chicago premiere of Art Spiegelman and Phillip Johnston’s WORDLESS!, an innovative show combining slides, talk, film, and live musical performance.

  • Quimby’s Holiday Sketch Gift-ravaganza 12/15

    Find the perfect hand-drawn, gift at this year’s Quimby’s Holiday Sketch-ravaganza! On Sunday, December 15 from 12:30-6:30 p.m. we’ll be hosting six talented, local comic artists who will doodle away on the image of your choice. It’s all part of our seasonal celebration, 12 Weeks of Quimbas. That’s right. Christmas with a Quimb’.

    How about a Santa riding a mongoose? No problem. Perhaps a festive owl peering out from a bottle of scotch? Got you covered. Come in and one of our Quimbas comics elves will scrawl away on any image of your creation.

    Here is a list of participating artists so you can haggle with your favorite Chicago drawing star:

    12:30-1:30: Ben Bertin – Ben Bertin’s comics appear in anthologies, his own self-published work and as part of the Chicago-based jam comic collective, Trubble Club. Among his projects: the alien-centric “Oofo Komsk Booka Oon” and “Losing Sight”, a “minicomic about a caveman who is bitten by a snake.” benbertin.blogspot.com

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    1:30-2:30: Lyra Hill – Lyra Hill is the mastermind behind the pioneering performative comics series Brain Frame, now in its fifteenth iteration. She uses sequential art to examine everything from personal anecdotes to sci-fi alternate realities. Her work often juxtaposes live action elements within the static, illustrated panels of her comics. iamanartstudentwhatamidoing.blogspot.com/

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    2:30-3:30: Krystal Difronzio – Krystal Difronzo is a comic artist whose whimsical, humorous and sometimes dark depictions pepper the pages of her mini-comics. Her subject matter ranges from collections honoring Canadian singer Kate Bush to narrative coat tales. In addition to her illustrations, she is part of the puppetry collective Pup House. http://krystaldifronzo.com/

    Krystal Difronzio
    3:30-4:30: Grant Reynolds – Grant Reynolds’ work delves into the dark realms of horror all while exploring gender, feminist politics and the abstract world of mysticism and the unseen.  Reynolds, aside from being a nearly lifelong illustrator, also has recently begun exploring written narratives and has embarked on several musical projects. http://grantreynolds.com/

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    4:30-5:30 Kevin Budnik – Kevin Budnik is a lifelong Chicago area resident who “spends most of his time drawing noodle armed characters.” When not scrawling the pasta-limbed, he creates paintings, illustrations and comics that have been featured in the pages of Saveur, MAKE Magazine, Wild Honey and Sexfist, just to name a few.  http://kevinbudnik.com/

    Kevin Budnik
    5:30-6:30: Jenna Caravello – Jenna Caravello is an LA native, Chicago-based comics artist and videographer. When not creating animations and drawings, she directs music videos and is the videographer-in-residence for Brain Frame. She’s also illustrated awesome coloring place mats! http://www.jennacaravello.com

    Jenna Caravello

    Facebook event post here.

  • Laydeez Do Comics October Edition: Beth Hetland and Jaclyn Miller 10/31

    Laydeez bigger logo May

    Laydeez do Comics is a unique salon with a focus on graphic works based on life narrative, the drama of the domestic, and the everyday. Invited guest speakers have 10-20 minute slots to present works/ideas followed by a Q&A. Launched in London in July 2009, the group has now expanded to other cities, including Chicago. Quimby’s hosts the Chicago chapter and it is usually the last Thursday of every month.

    October’s edition features artists Beth Hetland (cartoonist, teacher, lover of sharks) & Jaclyn Miller (cartoonist, Chicago Zine Fest organizer).

    Beth Hetland was raised in the rolling hills of Wisconsin.  After earning her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009, where she started making comics, she packed up and moved to White River Junction, VT to attend a graduate program at The Center for Cartoon Studies.  She graduated with an MFA in 2011 and accepted a position teaching comics at her alma mater, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  She has been teaching there ever since, bringing comics and cheer to eager young minds.  She has been self-publishing since 2006 with over 50 titles to her name. She has been the recipient of the both the Best Small Press Stumptown Award and Nerdlinger. Her longest auto-bio work, “Fugue,” is a three part story that traces the generational repetitions and relationship of her family utilizing music as a metephor. She frequently collaborates with her best friend, Kyle O’Connell, on fiction work–the current ideration of which is the first volume of their new series titled “Half Asleep.”  For more about Beth and her work, visit her blog: beth-hetland.com.

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    Jaclyn Miller is a cartoonist living and working in Chicago. Her work deals primarily in autobiography, daydream, and memory. Her current project, “Rememberies,” is a minicomic series centered around childhood folly and reflection. When she’s not working her day job or surrounding herself with good people and good comics, she spends her time as an organizer for the Chicago Zine Fest. More info at fortfootcomix.tumblr.com.

    Jaclyn Miller image

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  • BRAIN FRAME Performative Comix Series Celebrates Second Anniversary at the Co-Prosperity Sphere 7/28

    BF13bradscanBRAIN FRAME is a series of performative comix readings. Every other month for two years, BRAIN FRAME has showcased an eclectic mix of sequential artists interpreting their work via projections, puppetry, music, costumes, props, lectures, and performance. In honor of its 2nd anniversary, BRAIN FRAME 13 will include a raffle, art exhibit, market, and four of the most ambitious performances yet.

    Brain Frame 13 includes gallery show, mini-market, and four extraordinary performances.

    “It’s made me cry tears of joy and laugh food into my nose and I look forward to it every month as if it were Halloween or something.” -The Comics Journal

    On Sunday, July 28th, 5p, at the Co-Prosperity Sphere (3221 S Morgan St) ($8), Lyra Hill’s BRAIN FRAME celebrates its second birthday.

    BRAIN FRAME 13 will feature the comics art collective Trubble Club; Jeremy Tinder; Sara Drake; and a collaboration by BRAIN FRAME accompanist Night Terror (Tyson Torstensen) and Lyra Hill. A limited edition poster co-designed by Hill and Ignatz-Award winning NYC cartoonist Lale Westvind will also be unveiled at the show. Previously, the show has featured high-profile artists like Anne Elizabeth Moore, Edie Fake, and Jim Trainor, as well as up-and-comers like Andy Burkholder, Halle Butler, and Kevin Budnik.

    Hill, a comics artist and experimental filmmaker recently featured on Community Cinema’s Wonderwomen panel at the Cultural Center, doesn’t just curate BRAIN FRAME — she hosts, does tech and promo, and co-designs each poster. At BRAIN FRAME 13, she’ll be performing on stilts in full costume, with a smoke machine and three analog projectors. “I encourage the readers to be as weird and ambitious as possible,” she says, “I try to lead by good example.”

    Trubble Club will debut a similarly zealous performance at BRAIN FRAME 13. The jam-comics collective will begin the show with an interactive presentation of The Infinite Corpse, a revolutionary open-submission online comic with no beginning and no end. Following the adventures of everyman skeleton Corpsey, the path of The Infinite Corpse will be dictated by the audience as Trubble Club members try to keep up.

    Guests at BRAIN FRAME 13 can look forward to a mini-market with comics, zines, and t-shirts from BRAIN FRAME artists; a gallery show; and raffle with prizes like a set of BRAIN FRAME posters, a deer pelt, a certificate to Bang Bang Pie Co., a portrait by Trubble Club, and more.

    BRAIN FRAME has grown steadily since the first show, in scope as well as audience. Saturday, July 27th at 11:30am, a day prior to BRAIN FRAME 13, the MCA will host BRAIN FRAME LIT, a writing-focused comix reading, as part of its Comics Day activities. BRAIN FRAME is “the world’s most exciting comic book reading series,” Edie Fake told The Comics Journal. This coming year, Chicago will export a native gem as Hill tours around the country, hosting one-off shows with local cartoonists.

    Contact: brainframecomix(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Laydeez Do Comics in June, CAKE-Inspired Edition: Mita Mahato & Zan Christensen 6/13

    Laydeez Do Comics is London’s monthly comics salon. Quimby’s is host to the Chicago edition. Come hear comics creators speak about their work, their process, their plans, and whatever else they want to share with us.

    The special June CAKE-inspired edition will feature Seattle visitors:

    Cartoonist and academic Mita Mahato is an associate professor of English at University of Puget Sound. Her academic work often incorporates graphic novels, specifically those around illness. She is currently working on her own graphic novel in collage about grief and the loss of her mother. View her work in progress on her blog, theseframesarehidingplaces.com

    Mita Mahato

    LGBT comics writer and activist Charles ‘Zan’ Christensen founded Seattle’s Northwest Press in 2010. It’s a book publisher dedicated to publishing the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender comics collections and graphic novels and celebrating the LGBT comics community. He travels the country promoting and supporting his award winning creators. northwestpress.com

    Peruse NW Press titles at http://northwestpress.com.

    NW Press logo

    For more info: laydeezdocomics.com and  comicnurse@mac.com

  • off-site but of interest: Long-Arm Stapler First Aid: OPENING RECEPTION at Spudnik Press Cooperative

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    Long-Arm Stapler First Aid: Self-Care In Zines and Mini Comics

    Curated by Liz Mason and Neil Brideau
    4/20/13 – 5/31/13
     
    Opening Reception: April 20, 2013 6:00 – 9:00pm
    The Annex @ Spudnik Press Cooperative,     1821 W Hubbard, Suite 303, Chicago, IL
    (NOT at Quimby’s)
    Whether we’re soothing, grooming or creating major life changes, we’re always involved in some sort of self-care, no matter how big or trivial. Drinking coffee, petting animals, getting stuff off our chests, confronting personal and societal demons, we are perpetually creating a space for our own personal world to exist healthfully in the bigger world. Indeed, the personal is social.
    Instead of relying on professional services, one can create change using a DIY mentality, often with the help of some sort of reference. At their core, the pieces in this group show suggest we must be our own proponents for health and well-being.
    The exhibit “Long-Arm Stapler First Aid” features pieces by a variety of zinesters and comics artists. The pieces discuss and/or illustrate self-care topics that both help themselves and inspire the reader to be their own advocate in self-improvement. In honor of self-publishing as a means to foster well-being, Spudnik Press is proud to host this exhibition featuring dozens of zine makers from across the country, including Edie Fake, Rinko Endo, Kathleen McIntyre, Ramsey Beyer, Liz Prince, Dina Kelberman, Sara McHenry, Maris Wicks, Beth Barnett, Nate Beaty, Raleigh Briggs, Danielle Chenette, Emilja Frances, Turtel Onli, Trubble Club, Caroline Paquita, Sarah McNeil, Milo Miller, Corinne Mucha, Kitari Sporrong, Missy Kulik, Cathy Leamy, Erick Lyle and more.
    Long Arm Stapler First Aid will also include a limited edition exhibition zine, compiled by Liz Mason, encompassing relevant self-care themes in zines and mini-comics such as: healing, grief, fitness, and medical issues. The exhibit will also feature a limited edition screenprint by Ramsey Beyer, published by Spudnik Press.
     
    This show brings together an assortment of zines and comics that address health-related issues ranging from mental to physical, personal to societal, and preventative to regenerative, including such specifics as grooming, food preparation, self-defense, coping strategies, defense mechanisms, mental or spiritual development and even soul enrichment. These largely self-published works address, at times, incredibly personal experiences, usually with a large dose of wit.
    Unlike a film or a painting, readers of zines and comics are able to engage with these works at their own pace, choosing when they are ready to confront the next page. Perhaps this is what allows authors to broach difficult, and often very personal, topics with great breadth of emotion, honesty, and clarity. Through the combination of words and images, artists are able to rely on multiple modes of communication to bring together the tangible and the cerebral.
    Why the long-arm stapler? It’s the symbol of home-stapled periodicals, the best kind of stapler to use for getting to the center of the page that a normal stapler can’t reach. And the very act of making a zine and mini comic (and reading) is considered a therapeutic caring action.
    Long live (and maintain, groom and sooth) the long-arm stapler!
    About the curators:
    Liz Masonis the manager of Quimby’s Bookstore, known for selling a variety of self-published works, as well as the editor and publisher for the zine Caboose.

    Neil Brideau is comics artist and comics sommelier at Quimby’s Bookstore, as well as an organizer of CAKE, Chicago’s Alternative Comics Expo.

    *Image Credit to Dina Kelbermann

  • Anne Elizabeth Moore Reads From Cambodian Grrrl With Sara Drake 9/29

    In Anne Elizabeth Moore’s new book Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh, the writer and independent publisher brings her experience in the American cultural underground to Cambodia, a country known mostly for the savage extermination of around 2 million of its own under the four-year reign of the Khmer Rouge.

    “1000000000000000% punk rock.” –The Jacksonville Public Library

    “The best travel book I’ve read this year.” -USA Today

    Moore is a columnist for Truthout, and has written for The Progressive, Bitch, Annalemma, Tin House, the Boston Phoenix, and The Onion. The former editor of Punk Planet and the Comics Journal, Moore received a Fulbright to continue her work in Cambodia in 2010, and recently held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Her book Unmarketable was said to offer “something distinctly more radical than merely protesting against consumerism: a total rejection of the competitive ethos that drives capitalist culture” by the LA Times; deemed “a work of honesty and, yes, integrity” by Kirkus and called “sharp and valuable muckraking” by Time Out New York. It was also named a Best Book of 2007 by Mother Jones. See more at: anneelizabethmoore.com

    Moore will be joined by Chicago cartoonist and writer Sara Drake, currently planning a comics project in Cambodia. Find out more here: http://iydcpc.wordpress.com

    Thurs, Sep 29th, 7pm