Comic Book Candy

Graham Crackers Comics Ladies' Night is a monthly meeting of female comic book fans at the Chicago loop comic book store. The next event taking place tomorrow, August 1st, will be a charity benefit. In addition to the usual comic book related discussion, artist Jenny Frison will be on hand to create sketches and sign comics with all of the proceeds going towards the Hero Initiative , a charity that helps support creators in their times of need. All are welcome to join us, men and women alike, though the discussion will be the usual group of ladies only. The event begins at 6, but feel free to come early as we are expecting a large turnout.

This year Chicago has added one more convention to the mix, and this one is a little different (and no, we're not talking about Cake). Vert Con, a small venture organized and crowd funded by local high schooler and former Comic Vault employee Everett "Vert" Watford took place this weekend in the basement of the All-Saints Church in the Ravenswood neighborhood. With only one local comic shop in attendance as a vendor ( First Aid Comics ), the majority of tables were dedicated to local creators touting their creator-owned works. Guests of honor included Mike Norton , creator of Battlepug , and Tim Seeley , creator of Hack / Slash. Also in attendance were Batman, Inc. artist Chris Burnham and Atomika creator Sal Abbinanti . Seeing such big names in attendance at such a small gathering made the absence of other well-known local creators more noticeable. Considering the long established Heroes Con in North Carolina also took place this past weekend, it's likely that tho...

It's been two weeks since Chicago's third C2E2 convention ended, which has given me enough time to decompress, edit photos, and reflect on the show as a whole. Though results may vary, it is safe to say the show was a success. With the official number of 41,000 being thrown around, attendance was up from last year, great news for vendors and organizer Reed Pop. I missed the first year of the show where it was held in a far-too-large space at McCormick, and each year since it has been in a different hall. This  year it had the goldilocks room (not too big, not too small) which allowed the layout a little more breathing room. Aisles were much wider, and though there were still bottlenecks of traffic, it was normal convention congestion and not "they underestimated the crowd" congestion. The organizers provided generous space for celebrity signing lines, and though this made sense for a day like Saturday, it made small lines look extra sad during the rest of the show....

The last day of C2E2 was packed, especially with lots of families. Unlike last year, children aged 12 and under received free entry only on Sunday as opposed to the entire weekend. Lines for sketches from Art Baltazar, Franco, and Katie Cook were wrapped around the corner and filled with young fans for most of the day. Like the rest of the con weekend, I could not do one thing without missing something else of equal appeal. Attending the Chicks Dig Comics panel meant missing the children's costume contest. Considering this panel was probably the highest concentration of talented female creators in one location all weekend (or all con season), it was worth missing the cutest costume contest (but do pass on a link if you find one - I can't find any coverage of this important event from the weekend).  The Chicks Dig Comics panel For those that have yet heard of the recently released anthology, Chicks Dig Comics is a collection of essays from comic book creators and jou...

Saturdays are always the biggest day for conventions, and yet it never fails to surprise me just how crazy this day gets. The ability to shop / walk / and talk at your own pace was replaced by the frantic non-stop atmosphere that is Saturday. Attendance wasn't the only thing that was bigger; late comers to artist alley filled several empty tables, more celebrities made appearances, and with the longest hours, there were more panels than any other day. Like Friday, I could not make it to every panel I wanted, and the sacrifice on Saturday was the Womanthology panel early on. I did make it to  the announcement heavy Marvel: Cup of Joe panel. After making a few (overly long) plugs and announcements, the majority of the time was spent on Q&A, and the people giving answers included Editor in Chief Axel Alonso, writers Jason Aaron, Rick Remender, and Jeph Loeb. To quickly go over the big announcements: Matt Fraction and David Aja will be the creative team behind a new Hawkeye ong...

You've got your ticket purchased, your flight and hotel booked, and your costume (nearly) made. Comic con season is officially upon us. Whether you're coming from the greater Midwest or the North side of Chicago, there is more to planning a trip to C2E2 than travel logistics. What will you buy? Who will you see? What panels will you attend? Where will you eat? This will be my second year attending C2E2, and my first with an official press pass. Even with three whole days to experience all that this relatively new convention has to offer, it is important to prioritize  in order to get the most out of your weekend. This guide is unique to my own interests and limitations (budget and energy wise), so please take a thorough look at the C2E2 website to make sure you aren't missing out on that special guest or panel made just for you. Make A List Without a doubt, any plans you have before going to a convention will be forgotten upon entering the floor. Sensory overload will be ...

  This past Wednesday evening Graham Crackers Comics located in the Chicago Loop looked a little different. As one keenly observant male customer opined a little too loudly, "You guys are swimming in estrogen today!" After manager Matt Streets pointed out that the store's first Ladies Night event was about to begin, he sheepishly took his books up to the register and went on his way. Considering the large turn out, it's safe to say this will be the first of a regular monthly event at the local comic shop. As an employee of Graham Crackers Chicago Lakeview location, I served as a store liaison for the event and also helped to moderate the conversation. Comic book creator and recent transplant to Chicago, Hannah Chapman spearheaded the event and organized it along with store manager Matt Streets. Ladies Night served a few purposes; first and foremost, it was a chance to meet and talk comics with other local female fans. Participants were encouraged to bring books they...

Over at my photography site I've posted pictures from the Rogues Gallery's most recent opening for artist Eduardo Risso . The exhibit will remain on display through this week into next, then it will come down shortly before September 9th when Challengers welcomes Wizard of Oz artist Skottie Young . Stop in and see Risso's work for yourself while you can! Among others, there are pages from 100 Bullets as well as Flashpoint mini Batman: Knight of Vengeance , Risso's most recent collaboration with Brian Azzarello . Did I mention these pages are always on sale for prospective art collectors? If you have yet to visit the Rogues Gallery for an opening, these images may entice you to stop by in the near future; fun, free events where you get to view comic book art and meet top creators in the industry. What more could you want? Above, cover artist Dave Johnson curiously looks at the camera. ( See more over at my photography site! )

Retailer exclusive variants are nothing new to collectors, but for fans with love for their local comic shop, Amazing Spider-Man 666 will a be a must-have issue for their collection. Spidey is shown on the cover holding the Daily Bugle with a headline touting the rescue of your LCS by everyone's favorite webslinger. Because these variants required a large minimum order, not every store was able or willing to participate. But here in Chicago, four stores decided to order the incentive covers, and I was lucky enough to have my photography grace the covers of two. Considering only about 200 stores worldwide will have this incentive cover (see Marvel's master list ), I feel honored to have my work on these covers. A special thanks is necessary to both Challengers and Graham Crackers for entrusting me with the task of representing their unique stores. They could have taken their own photo, hired a different photographer, or just used a store logo, but they thought of me first and I...

Only a few short months after the opening of their downtown location in Block 37, both Chicago Comic Vault locations will be closing. The first to close will be the downtown store, then the uptown location. Effective this week, both have stopped ordering new merchandise. Until closing, everything in both stores is 35% off, with some items (like toys) at 50% off. My time with Comic Vault as an employee and customer has been short-lived. Owner Matt Sardo has stated personal reasons for the closing of the stores, and though I may be privy to more details than the average customer, I won’t go into details as those are irrelevant to the discussion at hand. Owning and maintaining a comic book store, or any small business, is a very time consuming stressful endeavor, and I don't think less of anyone who decides it is not for them. At the end of the day, business is not an altruistic endeavor; you can't be in it for anyone but yourself. But I do hope for the comic book community...

Only a week after C2E2, there are already several comic book related social events here in Chicagoland. Whether you missed the recent convention or you went and were left wanting more, we locals here in Chicago are lucky enough to seemingly always have opportunities to indulge our love for comic books. Here are a few noteworthy events happening this very weekend (March 25th-27th): Becky Cloonan Signing and Gallery Opening Where: Challengers Comics + Conversation in Bucktown When: Friday 7pm - 10pm Website: Challengers "Demo" Gallery Event with Becky Cloonan If you have yet to attend one of Challenger's Rogue Gallery openings, this is your chance to finally see what all of the hub-bub is about. Art collectors get the chance to see pages in person before they purchase pieces for their collections, and fans get the chance to meet and greet with the artist herself, all the while everyone enjoying snacks and refreshments: just like a real art opening! Pick up the n...

Can you find Where's Waldo? No really, he's there. As fans take inventory of their convention purchases, cos-players put away their weekend attire, and vendors and artists pack up what little is left of their merchandise, we all begin to process the long and exciting weekend that was C2E2. This being my first time at the new-to-Chicago con, I opted to go only one day (Saturday), and I have plenty of reasons to get a weekend pass next year. I spoke with many con-goers that were at the show last year, from artist Erik Rose to retailer Pat Brower , and across the board everyone has said that this year the show had much larger crowds (early estimates for attendance have confirmed this ). Though I can't compare, it certainly felt crowded, especially when one tried to browse the merchandise. From personal experience, cons don't usually look  over-picked until Sunday afternoon. Logic dictates that the majority of good deals at conventions are going to be on merchandise tha...

The Comic Vault is an inviting spot along a quiet stretch of Montrose near Clark. (This post is part of an ongoing series where I attempt to visit every single comic book store within Chicago city limits. You can read more about the project here! ) Location: 1530 W Montrose in Ravenswood Public Transit: Nearest buses are the Clark (22) and Montrose (78), nearest train is the Montrose brown line. Hours: Mon - Fri: 11:00AM – 8:00PM Sat: 11:00AM – 6:00PM Sun: 11:00AM – 4:00PM Website: http://www.chicagoc omicvault.com The Comic Vault is another North side store (there are a lot) and it is rather unimposing in appearance, but don't make the mistake of overlooking this shop. The Comic Vault may be slight in scale, but the substance of the store is more than meets the eye. Things must be going well, too since they will soon be opening a second store in the Block 37 shopping center downtown on April 1st. For a business entering their fifth year, ambitious might be an under...