books

Lauren Barnett, Neil Fitzpatrick & Bernie McGovern event 8/18

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Quimby’s BookstoreCome see three bright stars from the Hic & Hoc roster – Lauren Barnett, Neil Fitzpatrick, and Bernie McGovern – signing their amazing books on Saturday, August 18, from 7-9pm.Lauren Barnett is very, very funny. This fact is easily verifiable as she has been posting dailoy comics on her blog melikesyou.blogspot.com since 2007. Her new book from Hic & Hoc, Me Likes You Very Much, collects the best of these five years of jokes, swear words, and awkward animals. Lauren is schlepping all the way out from New York for this so you really should come and say hi.Neil Fitzpatrick has been knocking out his superb Neil Jam brand of comes for over a decade now featuring his bug eyed characters milling about and self-reflecting. He’s gone the minicomic route with a self-published series, the anthology route in titles like Kramers Ergot, as well as the webcomic route (neiljam.com).

Chicago

DAVID REES Reads From HOW TO SHARPEN PENCILS at Quimby’s 8/15

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Quimby’s BookstoreIn David Rees’s new book How to Sharpen Pencils (Melville House), the creator of Get Your War On and founder of ArtisanalPencilSharpening.com shares the secrets of his craft, empowering the layman to discover the pleasures (and perils) of sharpening pencils. Over the course of 18 chapters, Rees explains the difference between sharpening techniques, including:Using a PocketknifeUsing a Single-Burr Handcrank SharpenerSharpening Pencils for Childrenand many more!“How to Sharpen Pencils is very funny—it’s the work, let’s not forget, of the guy responsible for Get Your War On—but it’s no April Fools’ joke, and it’s no bathroom book. It’s a literary oddity that, even as it gleefully pursues the comic possibilities of its premise, subtly gestures towards its own secluded seriousness. And, for what it’s worth, it also marks the standard to which all future pencil-sharpening textbooks must now aspire.” – Mark O’Connell, NewYorker.com“I trust my bespoke pencils only to David Rees.”- Liz Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love“You may think that sharpening a pencil is easy, but David Rees makes it look hard, and that makes all the difference.”- John Hodgman, Areas of My ExpertiseThe work of David Rees has been featured in such places as: Rolling Stone, GQ, Punk Planet, and The Nation. His work has also been in such anthologies as Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks from the Wild Web and The McSweeney’s Book of Politics & Musicals.

books

“Bad Zine, Everyone’s Fault” Zine Tour Kick Off Reading 7/20

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Quimby’s BookstoreA night of zine readings by four zinesters setting off on their East Coast tour. Readings by: Jen Twigg writes zines about playing music as a lady-identified punx, the dubious crossroads of football and feminism, and living in two places at once. She is writing a grad thesis about Star Trek and is an organizer of the Chicago Zine Fest. Heather C writes Dig Deep, a zine about public libraries, street harassment, & the rad ways she’s working to create a full life. She also runs Stranger Danger, a zine distro that specializes in feminist, queer, & trans zines.

Features

J. Scott Campbell Among Superstar Creators To Attend 2012 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

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Wizard WorldAn All-Star lineup of comic and toy creators, including notables Carlos Pacheco, George Pérez, Greg Capullo, J. Scott Campbell and many others from around the world will populate Artist Alley at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, August 9-12 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.  Among the special guests are five Eisner Award winners, including Hall of Famer Stan Lee, and eight nominees of the prestigious honor.In addition to Pacheco (“X-Men,” “Green Lantern”), Pérez (“Superman,” “JSA”), Capullo (“Batman,” “Spawn”) and Campbell (“Avengers vs. X-Men,” “Spider-Man”), the head of the roster includes Daniel Acuña (“Wolverine,” “Avengers”), Rodolfo Migliari (“Green Arrow,” “Green Lantern”), Brom (“Dungeons & Dragons,” “The Plucker”), “CAFU” (Carlos Alberto Fernandez Urbano) (“Superboy,” “X-Men”), Humberto Ramos (“Amazing Spider-Man,” Impulse”), Paul Jenkins (“Batman,” “Hulk”), Ken Kelly (“Star Wars,” “Star Trek), Pat Lee (“Iron Man,” “Wolverine”), Mahmud A. Asrar (“Supergirl,” “Adventure Comics”), Budd Root (“Cavewoman”), Shane Davis (“Superboy,” “Bruce Wayne – The Road Home”), Rob Lean (“Superboy,” “Lady Death”), R.B. Silva (“Superboy,” “Supergirl”), Barry Kitson (“Uncanny X-Force,” “Avengers”), Clay Mann (“Gambit,” “Dark Reign: Elektra”), Mike McKone (“Green Lantern,” “Spider-Man”), Yanick Paquette (“Wolverine: Weapon X,” “Wonder Woman), Michael Golden (“Daredevil,” “The Punisher”), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”), Doug Wheatley (“Aliens,” “Conan”), Greg Horn (“Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” “X-Force”), Chris Burnham (“Batman Incorporated,” “The Amory Wars”), Mark Texeira (“Wolverine,” “Black Panther”) and David Mack (“Kabuki,” “Daredevil”).Many top local Chicagoland artists such as Burnham and Eisner Award Winner Art Baltazar (“Superman Family Adventures,” “Tiny Titans”) will also be on hand.Eisner winners scheduled to attend the show are Lee, Baltazar, Pérez, Paul Jenkins (“Hulk,” “Origin”) and Dave Dorman (“G.I. Joe,” “Indiana Jones”).  Nominees include Pacheco, Ramos, Mack, Eliza Frye (“The Lady’s Murder,” “Lucky House”), Phil Hester (“Wonder Woman,” “Daredevil”), Rafael Nieves (“The Apocalypse Plan,” “Bob Howard: Plumber Of The Unknown”), Ben Templesmith (“Wasteland, “Buffy”) and Billy Tucci (“Birds of Prey,” “Sgt. Rock).As the impressive list of creators shows, Artist Alley at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con covers virtually every popular character ever seen in comics, movies and other media.In addition to the superstar creator lineup, the expanded, four-day event features more than 50 celebrities, including headliners like William Shatner, Scott Bakula, Tom Felton, Jon Bernthal, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and WWE® Superstars CM Punk™ and John Cena®, in what is shaping up as the biggest Wizard World show ever and the Midwest’s No. 1 Pop Culture Convention.Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK), will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. For more on the 2012 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html.

Chicago

Exhibition Opening: “I Define Myself: Undocumented and Unafraid”

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Jane Addams Hull-House Museum The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum at the University of Illinois at Chicago opens “I Define Myself: Unapologetic and Unafraid” a collaborative portrait project between the Museum and members of immigrant campaign “Coming Out of the Shadows.”“The portraits call into question complex notions of visibility and identity. The faces on display conjure images of the thousands of immigrants who passed through the doors of the Hull-House Settlement, illuminating the Museum’s rich tradition of supporting immigrant rights,” says Harish Patel, Program Coordinator at the Museum. The portrait collection plays with themes of legitimacy and authority in both the content and formal aspects within the installation.Wheatpasting, a popular and expedient method for displaying “unauthorized” images was employed as the primary technique in mounting the portraits to canvas around the Museum.The “I Define Myself” project was inspired by Inside Out, a global art initiative focused on the power of art and ideas to change perceptions, attitudes, lives and ultimately the world. Inside Out is a large-scale participatory art project created by the French street artist JR, who is the 2011 recipient of the TED prize. JR was awarded this honor for the massive photographic images he displayed on the sides of buildings, bridges, trains, buses, and rooftops in cities across the globe.

Features

Anime Midwest Announces Greg Ayres

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Anime MidwestAnime Midwest is extremely excited to announce that popular anime voice actor Greg Ayres will be attending Anime Midwest 2012 this summer in Chicago! Anime Midwest will be held July 6-8, 2012 at the Wyndham Executive Conference Center in Lisle, Illinois, approximately 25 minutes from the heart of Chicago.Greg Ayres can usually be found rockin’ out somewhere, whether animated or not. From the loud-mouthed Hideki in Nerima Daikon Brothers, to Koyuki, singing with the the band in Beck:Mongolian Chop Squad, he’s always glad to shake things up a bit. Uesugi Kenshin in Sengoku Basara, Seikechi Tayama in Oh Edo Rocket, and Abe in Big Windup are some of his most recent roles. He can also be head as Son Goku in Saiyuki, Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Kaoru Hitachiin in Ouran High School Host Club, Yuki in The Wallflower, Leo in Ghost Stories, Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel, Kaworu Nagisa in the Director’s Cut of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Negi Springfield in Negima, Heihachi in Samurai 7, Jr. in Xenosaga:The Animation, Tsujido in Speed Grapher, Roan in Ragnorok The Animation, Yamazaki in Welcome to the NHK, Nowy in Glass Fleet, Gau Ban in Shadow Skill, Pope Alessandro XVIII in Trinity Blood, and a bunch of other titles he’ll probably forget to mention.

Chicago

Woman In The Fifth! Natural Selection! Jurassic Park!

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Music Box TheatreWe have two great new films opening tomorrow. The first is South By Southwest Grand Jury Winner NATURAL SELECTION, about a devote Christian housewife attempting to reunite her dying husband with his illegitimate son. Paste Magazine says it’s “a violent, witty, heart-wrenching .”The second is THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH, starring Kristen Scott Thomas and Ethan Hawke. Roger Ebert gives this thriller 3 1/2 stars!Lastly, drink a Red Bull and come on out to JURASSIC PARK, this Friday and Saturday at Midnight. We’re told a Jeep matching this description just might make an appearance at the Music Box…See you at the movies!

Features

Kevin Sorbo to Appear at Wizard World Chicago

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Wizard WorldKevin Sorbo as HerculesKevin Sorbo, known across the globe for his portrayal of the title character in the popular “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” series, will appear as a special guest at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, August 9-12 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.  Sorbo, who has enjoyed continuous success on television for the past 20 years, will meet fans, sign autographs and pose for photos at Wizard World’s longest running and highest-attended show.The immense popularity of five initial two-hour “Hercules” telefilms in 1993 resulted in the launch of a weekly series by 1994 and helped launch Sorbo’s path to stardom. The series not only became a breakout hit by becoming the number one first-run program in syndication, it also passed “Baywatch” as the most watched TV show in the world.  The innovative action hour revitalized the entire action/adventure genre on television and fostered two spin-off series, “Xena, Warrior Princess”, and “Young Hercules”.  Sorbo also directed two episodes of the show, and co-wrote one installment.Following the success of “Hercules,” Sorbo went on to star in the lead role of “Captain Dylan Hunt” in “Gene Roddenberry’s, Andromeda.” The series, based upon writings from the late “Star Trek” creator’s archives, debuted as the number one hour show in first run syndication and held that spot throughout it’s five year run from 2000-2005.Sorbo will join other headliners like William Shatner, Stan Lee, Tom Felton, Scott Bakula, Jon Bernthal, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and WWE® Superstars CM Punk™ and John Cena®, notable artists Carlos Pacheco, George Pérez, Greg Capullo at the Midwest’s No. 1 Pop Culture Convention.Wizard World Chicago Comic Con (August 9-12), produced by Wizard World, Inc., will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. For more on the 2012 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html

Chicago

HEADHUNTERS! JAMES BOND! NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE!

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Music Box TheatreThere’s lots to discuss, so let’s dive right in. First up is the Jo Nesbo thriller HEADHUNTERS. It played briefly in Chicago, but we have a sneaking suspicion quite a few people missed it, so we’re bringing it back!Do you have plans for Father’s Day? You do now! Starting tomorrow, we’re showing four classic James Bond films including DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.Also, we’re bringing back two of our favorite National Theatre Live productions.