Read it here and make sure you sign up to get it in your inbox at quimbys.com.
Have you ever lost your glasses? Or gazed at an impressionist painting? Or gotten lotion in your eye? Seen through a blurry lens, the world becomes indistinct; it’s harder to tell where one thing ends and another begins.
Dash Shaw’s newest book, Blurry, blends the individual stories of several different characters as they struggle to answer both commonplace and life-changing questions. They’re the kinds of conundrums that we are all inevitably faced with. What to create? Who to partner with? What to do with our time? Which ice cream flavor to choose? Such problems sprout like dandelions from the liminal cracks in our lives. And, as Shaw skillfully demonstrates, they’re the questions that spur us to grow as people.
Blurry beautifully portrays the complexity of our inner lives as it fluidly intertwines the protagonists’ narratives. I really loved following each character’s thought process as they sorted through their individual quandaries. Reading this book helped me feel less alienated in my own inner deliberations. It reminded me that, while I might get a bit lost in my own problems from time to time, so does everyone else I come into contact with every day. And even if we sometimes feel alone in our unique struggles, it’s nice to remember that our problems actually connect us to one another, because they are a quintessential part of the human experience.
Be sure to stop by for our event on Saturday, November 9th when Dash Shaw will be in conversation with acclaimed graphic novelist Olivier Schrauwen and brilliant cartoonist Conor Stechschulte! More info here!
Polish up those contact lenses and come on down to Quimby’s to pick up this lovely tome!
~ Echo
View this post on Instagram
Wicker Park Indie Bookstore League Sticker $3.99
Quimby’s Bookstore Black and White Book Spine Sticker by Casey Gartlan/Witchmxm $6
Jenn Woodall Postcard Box Set (Silver Sprocket) $19.99
Zines
The Papercuts Library #11 Baking Cookies on Every Type of Day by Joey Sellers $5.99
Auntie by Rita Sindelar $5
Zazazine issues #0 and #3 by April Ursula Fox $13 each
Fetish #2 Fall 24 by Tina Mead $3
Postcards From Irving #9 by Tyler $5
For the Love of Peter Hujar by Steven Reigns $12
Hey Look at That #4 by Aaron Brown $12
Qwerty Quarterly #6 Scenes From Qwerty Fest Fall 2024 $5
Malt Adult #30 $5
Alchemy, Memory and the Architecture of Initiation by Brian Cotnoir $10
Sketchbook Drawings 2024 by Drew Lerman $10
X Kool Kids #9 $5
Vizualis Kolteszet (Visual Poetry) An Introduction to the Work of Andras Rajnai by Robert Newsome $6
Silences Ohio by Maud Lavin $7
Human Issue #3 Unsettling Sight by Edwin Perry Manchester $5
Comics
Bloody Mary by Nick Winn (Silver Sprocket) $9.99
New Wave Comics presents Hero League #1 & #2 by Reginald Wayne Soileau $2 each
Devout by Frankie Lyne $12
Grendel’s Dog #1 by fscare $7
Unknown by Genevieve Kotz $5
50 Flip Experiment #33 by Dan Hill $5
So Buttons #14 Life and Death edited by Jonathan Baylis $10
Airbag #3 More Stories by Brian Canini $8
Death Spark by Thomas Campbell $20
Catboy Catalogue #2 Sum 198X by Fox Graham $8
Comics Blogger #10 $5
Occult Comix: An Eclectic Anthology by Village Archives $15
Graphic Novels
Acme Novelty Datebook vol 3 by Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly) $49.95 – Yes, we have signed copies, but ya gotta come in to the store to buy those. Want vol 1-3 in a slipcase? Geddit at $149.95. (Those are unsigned.)
Applewood Canyon: An American Suburban Satire by Brian Canini $16
Complete Poe Clan VOL 1 & 2 The 70s by Moto Hagio (Fantagraphics) $80
Art Books
I Fashioned and I Broke by Anna Gregoline $10
Outer Limits
Mysticism by Simon Critchley $18.95
Music Books
Marquee: The Story of the World’s Greatest Music Venue by Robert Sellers and Nick Pendleton (Trouser Press) $22.95
Hell on Wheels: Tour Stories Remembered, Remixed, Remastered by Greg Jacobs (U of Hell) $19.95
Dolly Parton’s White Limozeen (33 1/3 vol 186) by Steacy Easton $14.95
The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.: A Biography by Peter Ames Carlin $32
Fiction
Blue Sisters: A Novel by Coco Mellors $30
For the Young at Heart
Dinosaur Uproar by Michael Barron $24 and Dinosaur Uproar Coloring Book $12
Essay Books
Yokels in the Windy City and Other Ridiculous Reflections From “Magic Mike 6XL” by Michael D. Davis $5.99
Chap Books & Poetry
Dirt by April Ursula Fox $13
Prairie Roots by James Lowell Hall (Lake Claremont Press) $18.95
Sexxxy
by fscare: My Precious Doll by Fscare $6, Catfished $7
Boyfriend Material: A Trans Masc Smut Zine edited by Frances Andonopoulos and Blue Buzbee $12
With the full force of spooky season upon us, I’d like to share some of my favorite scary zines around the shop, each of which just happens to come from a series. So whether you want classic tales, fabulous comics, or a heavy dose of reality, we’ve got something for you with issues to spare.
DSP Classic Ghosties Book Five: The Shell of Sense by Olivia Howard Dunbar
The last of this spooky series is perhaps my favorite; a heart-breaking, inspiring tale of life after death and love after jealousy. I didn’t know who Olivia Howard Dunbar was before this perfectly pocket-sized zine fell into my hands, but now that I do I’m hungry for more. Presented by Displaced Snail Publications via Project Gutenberg, these public domain classic short stories are sure to sneak a little creep into your reading pile. @DisplacedSnail
Scorpio Venus Rising #2 by Corinne Halbert
Following Venus on her escape through celestial existence steeped in Tarot is gorgeously horrific. I especially enjoyed #2, because her strength is challenged as she literally unpacks her emotional baggage in a struggle of self-transformation. And if you can’t relate to that, then perhaps you should take a moment to contemplate your own existence or get yourself a reading to consider what Scorpio season has in store for you. Fans of Acid Nun will eat up the artwork by the one and only Corrine Halbert (full disclosure of her awesomeness: she used to work here!). @CorinneHalbert
So… You Wanna Unionize? #2
Let’s be serious for a second: there are few things in this world scarier than unchecked capitalism! Thank the heavens for unions and the workers who have fought and continue to fight against the evils of corporate greed. This series of political zines from the Starbucks Workers United gives voice to the working class struggle with a heavy dose of education and community. Because step one in worker solidarity is knowledge, these zines explain terms, quote laws & policies, and present infographics alongside comics and collages to clarify the importance of unions and the path to get them. All three are great, but I especially love the cover art of a decaying skeleton worker on issue #2. @SBWorkersUnited
Because they are abundant with Halloweenie content, I have shied away from the Outer Limits, the How To, and the Film & TV sections, though I highly recommend that you browse those in our store as well. Honorable mention goes to the mini-zine series of ‘Thirteen Facts’ which lists–you guessed it–thirteen facts about select horror movies, their characters, and actors such as the venerable Vincent Price.
Keep it spooky silly!
Toujours, elizabeth @GetBackToPrint
P.S. Yes, Rosie is my third costume so far this week! You’re welcome.
| Nov ’24 |
| 14 |
| 7:00 pm |
Zine Club Chicago on Marz: SNACKWAVE! Zinemaking Hangout
Life on Marz Community Club, 1950 N. Western Ave. in Logan Square/Bucktown
7 – 9 p.m. Thursday, November 14, 2024
Free!
This month, Zine Club Chicago is teaming up again with our friends at Life on Marz Community Club to host a free zinemaking hangout at the locally owned taproom and café space. We’re inviting folks to help create a group zine on a theme that’s close to our treat-loving hearts: SNACKWAVE!
Please join us for Zine Club Chicago on Marz: SNACKWAVE! Zinemaking Hangout, 7-9 p.m. Thursday, November 14 at Life on Marz Community Club, 1950 N. Western Ave. in Logan Square/Bucktown. Free!
Zine Club Chicago will provide all the zinemaking supplies! Just bring your creativity. Life on Marz Community Club offers awesome alcoholic, CBD, and non-alcoholic beverages from Marz Brewery and more, plus some very fun snacks, for purchase. The taproom also will be holding a DJ Night featuring Tender Lovin’ Cutz with Tommy Kladis after our event wraps up at 9 p.m., and we encourage y’all to stick around for some all-vinyl jams, too!
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.
Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago like here on IG and here on Twitter.
#zines #zinemaking #ZineClubChicago #DIY #LifeonMarz #Quimbys #QuimbysChicago
Image description
A flyer featuring a stack of Oreo cookies riding a surfboard inside a huge wave and this text: “Zine Club Chicago on Marz: SNACKWAVE!; 7-9 p.m. Thursday, November 14; Life on Marz Community Club, 1950 N. Western Ave; Free!; Info: quimbys.com”
