Tag Archive for 'Anya Davidson'

Jaime Hernandez Book Launch for Is This How You See Me? in conversation with Anya Davidson

Mar ’19
11
7:00 pm

In Is This How You See Me?, Maggie and Hopey get the band back together — literally. Now middle-aged, they leave their significant others at home and take a weekend road trip to reluctantly attend a punk rock reunion in their old neighborhood. The present is masterfully threaded with a flashback set in 1979, during the very formative stages in Maggie and Hopey’s lifelong friendship, as the perceived invincibility of youth is expertly juxtaposed against all of the love, heartbreak, and self-awareness that comes with lives actually lived. The result is no sentimental victory lap, however — this is one of the great writers of literary fiction at the peak of his powers, continuing to scale new heights as an artist.

One of the most talented artists our polyglot culture has produced.” — The New York Times Book Review

Hernandez’s acclaimed ongoing comics series Love and Rockets has entertained readers for over 35 years, and his beloved characters — Maggie, Hopey, Ray, Doyle, Daffy, Mike Tran, and so many others — have become fully realized literary creations. Is This How You See Me? collects Hernandez’s latest interconnected vignettes, serialized over the past four years in Love and Rockets, into a long-form masterpiece for the first time.

Jaime will be in conversation with Chicago-based artist Anya Davidson, author of Band For Life, School Spirits & more.

For more info:

Fantagraphics.com

anyadavidson.com

@xaimeh

Cohen(at)fantagraphics(dot)com

Here’s the invite for this event on Facebook.

Monday, March 11th, 7pm – Free Event

Anya Davidson Celebrates Band for Life 10/6

Oct ’16
6
7:00 pm

bandforlife

Band for Life collects the beloved series that follows a misfit band of Chicago punks trying to be self-sustaining with their finances and friendships as they navigate the often confounding art world. It’s the story, told in comic strip form, of a noise rock band and their community of friends and acquaintances based in an alternate reality version of Chicago. Though beset with disaster at every turn and frequently reduced to squabbling, they stick together because the band is the fulcrum of their otherwise confounding lives, and together they help each other find their way.

Fusing elements of the classic British sitcom The Young Ones, as well as classic kids comic strips like Charles Schulz’s Peanuts and John Stanley’s Melvin Monster, Band for Life is a work of dark humor, but also infused with genuine affection for its cast; in many ways it is a love letter to creative people compelled to create, with no hope of financial reward.

“I was raised on old school adult comics from the ’60s to ’80s, the artwork of Pedro Bell, Overton Loyd and Ronald Stozo of the Parliament-Funkadelic Universe, Ralph Bakshi movies, and the like. When I came across Band For Life, I was immediately drawn in. The art reminded me of Funkadelic album covers, but with its own original swagger. The storylines spoke to my personal experience as a lifelong musician and band leader/member, in the same way that This Is Spinal Tap made me cry once I realized my life was as absurd as the movie. Anya Davidson is tapped into the very human experience that makes life in a band the story of family.” — Norwood Fisher (Fishbone)

“Anya Davidson gets that being in a band is generally about 5% playing music and 95% anything but. In true punk form, Band For Life kicks into high gear with page number one and never lets up.” — Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt)
“Anya’s comics look like Dick Sprang and Boody Rogers got locked in a Pez factory and were told they would not be released until they produced hundreds of pages of a gutter punk Herculoids meets Josie and the Pussycats soap opera dripping soul and neglect.” — Gary Panter (Jimbo)
Band for Life is a warped and hilarious portrayal of the banality and adventure of bandhood from someone who lived it, but  embellished gloriously by Anya’s imagination. Fucked up, feminist and funny. If you have ever ground away late nights in a basement trying to desperately remember the bad songs you just wrote, you will recognize your strife here with ‘the Wildest Band on Earth’.” -Jessica Hopper, author & Editorial Director, MTV News

Anya Davidson was born in Sarasota, Florida in 1983. She graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004. She is a cartoonist, musician, teaching artist and printmaker whose work appeared in many zines and anthologies, including Kramers Ergot and Best American Comics. Her debut graphic novel, School Spirits, was published by Picturebox Inc. The Ignatz award-winning series, “Band for Life” is her first book with Fantagraphics.

More info:
Facebook invite for this event. Tell your friends!
for press inquiries: Anna Pederson (event manager) pederson(at)fantagraphics(dot)com

Chicago Alternative Comics Expo presents Kramers Ergot 9 Signing 6/10

Jun ’16
10
7:00 pm

KramersPoster_new

CAKE is excited to present a signing event for Kramers Ergot 9, with CAKE Special Guest Sammy Harkham. Joining the signing will be contributors Andy Burkholder, Anya Davidson, Kevin Huizenga, Patrick Kyle, John Pham, and Lale Westvind.

  “I think this is the best issue yet and I couldn’t be happier doing it with any other publisher. Fantagraphics is the place where the best of the low brow and the literary strands of comics are equally represented and cherished on their own terms, and that’s something I have always strived for with Kramers, as well. So it’s a great fit.” – Sammy Harkam

Since Kramers Ergot ‘s inception in 2000, it has introduced new talents and solidified aesthetics; each volume is an of-the-moment, state-of-the-medium manifesto. This anthology has always been a reflection of creator/editor Sammy Harkham’s comics passions, both past and future. Kramers Ergot 9 gathers many of the best and brightest together in one giant, oversized collection.

Quimby’s is proud to co-sponsor The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo [CAKE], a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists– past, present and future. 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. The Fifth Annual CAKE will take place on Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 2016, at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted Ave. in Chicago. For more info about CAKE: cakechicago.com & Max Morris cakeexpo(at)gmail(dot)com.

This event is sponsored by Revolution Brewery, and will have refreshments provided while supplies last.

Friday, June 10th, 7pm – Free Event

Click here to see the Facebook event to invite your friends!

kramers9bggr

revolutionbrewing

Bill Kartalopoulos joins Gina Wynbrandt and Anya Davidson to discuss THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2015 on 10/16

Oct ’15
16
7:00 pm

BAC 2015 Cvr Bggr

Now in its tenth year, THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2015 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), guest edited by Jonathan Lethem with series editor Bill Kartalopoulos, showcases the work of both established and up-and-coming contributors, and pulls from graphic novels, pamphlet comics, newspapers, magazines, minicomics, and the Web to create a unique and stunning collection. This year’s edition is a stirring journey into the world of comics, featuring pieces by Chicago contributors Gina Wynbrandt and Anya Davidson. Yes, you can preorder Best American Comics 2015 from Quimazon!

BILL KARTALOPOULOS is a Brooklyn-based comics critic, educator, curator, and editor. He teaches comics history at the School of Visual Arts. More information may be found at on-panel.com.

GINA WYNBRANDT was born in Chicago in 1990. She writes comics about personal humiliations, sexual disappointment, and popular culture. Her favorite food is ice cream. www.ginawynbrandt.com

ANYA DAVIDSON was born in Sarasota, Florida, in 1983. She graduated with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004. She is a cartoonist, musician, teaching artist, and printmaker whose work appeared in many ‘zines and anthologies, including Kramers Ergot, before her debut graphic novel, School Spirits, was published by PictureBox Inc. Her current project, the Ignatz Award-nominated comic Band for Life, will be available in print from Fantagraphics Books in the not-too-distant future. She lives and shreds in Chicago. www.anyadavidson.com

“As I know well from my own field, true vitality consists of stuff that’s further off the radar of general acclaim. The influx of raw arrivals. The deep cuts.” —Jonathan Lethem, from the Introduction

This years Best American Comics features: Gabrielle Bell, Mat Brinkman, Roz Chast, Anya Davidson, Eleanor Davis, Jules Feiffer, Blaise Larmee, Raymond Pettibon, Ed Piskor, Joe Sacco, Esther Pearl Watson, and others.

For more info:

The website of Bill Kartalopoulos.

The website of Gina Wynbrandt.

The website of Anya Davidson

Best American Comics Series.

Facebook invite for this event to tell the world you’re coming and invite people.

Preordering this book from Quimazon.

This event is on Friday, October 16th, 7pm at Quimby’s!

Anya Davidson Reads and Signs School Spirits 11/12

Nov ’13
12
7:00 pm

schoolspiritsSchool Spirits is Anya Davidson‘s idiosyncratic and captivating debut full-length graphic novel. It is the story of Oola, a high school student with an unusual connection to the supernatural. Comprised of four chapters, each deploying a different narrative technique, School Spirits is at once funny, sexy, mystical and, above all, utterly readable. Davidson’s crisp cartooning style makes even the strangest occurrences somehow seem plausible. This publication is sure to appeal to Davidson’s existing extensive underground following, as well as to fans of the farther reaches of contemporary graphic fiction.

Anya Davidson is a cartoonist and musician based in Chicago. She is the author of numerous zines and was a member of the acclaimed band Coughs. More info at anyadavidson.blogspot.com.

School Spirits
Hardcover, 152 pages PictureBox, $19.95
For more info: dan(at)pictureboxinc(dot)com

Quimby’s gift to you, in honor of our own holiday, Quimbas at this event: Take a nibble of a free Krampus Candy Cane.  But don’t gobble too quickly, little fellow. There’s a special Krampus mystery missive wrapped on that sweet treat.