IL – Relish Signing

Cartoonist Lucy Knisley is coming to Challengers on Wednesday April 10th at 7:00 pm for a party! She’ll be signing copies of her terrific new book Relish: My Life In The Kitchen, hosting a slideshow, and hanging out with fans in a gallery decked out with her artwork. Beer and wine will be served, as well as Lucy’s recipes from Relish prepared by local fans. It’s going to be fun (potentially) on a bun!

RSVP on Facebook!

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

IL – Archer LIVE!

H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Lucky Yates, Amber Nash, and Casey Willis appear on Friday April 5th at 8:00 pm at The Chicago Theatre. Get tickets at the link!

About the show:
Archer Live!, featuring the all-star cast and producers of FX’s hit original animated comedy series, is coming to The Chicago Theatre on Friday April 5. Archer Live! is a must-see for every fan of Archer which premiered its fourth season in January on FX.

Archer Live! features a moderated discussion, a live reading of classic scenes from the Emmy® Award-nominated series, and an audience Q&A with the all-star cast where fans will have a chance to get the inside scoop on their favorite show. Talent appearances include H. Jon Benjamin as Agent Sterling Archer, Aisha Tyler as Agent Lana Kane, Amber Nash as Pam Poovey, and Lucky Yates as Krieger. Schedule and talent participation is subject to change on a market-by-market basis.

Archer is an animated, half-hour comedy that revolves around the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillance is daunting and dangerous, every covert operation and global crisis is actually just another excuse for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gain.

The Chicago Theatre
175 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60601

IL – Hack/Slash Wrap Party

Tim Seeley and Challengers Comics celebrate the conclusion of Hack/Slash’s 80-issue run and Challenger’s fifth anniversary on Saturday, March 30, 2013 from 7:00 until 10:00 pm!

RSVP on Facebook!

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

IL – Helheim Signing

Artist Joëlle Jones signs at Challengers Comics on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 6:00 pm!

RSVP on Facebook!

Press Release:

HELHEIM artist Joëlle Jones (Troublemaker, Spell Checkers, Fables) comes to Challengers for a signing and one-night-only art show! Joëlle will be signing copies of Helheim #1, along with an exclusive Helheim print, from 6pm to 7pm, and mingling with fans at a Helheim art show from 7pm to 10pm. Beer and wine will be served.

A NEW SERIES FROM SIXTH GUN WRITER CULLEN BUNN AND FAN FAVORITE ARTIST JOËLLE JONES! “Once the threshold of Helheim is crossed, not even gods can escape.” During the age of the Vikings, savage wild men and dark creatures beset a small settlement. A brave war party stands as guardians of the helpless villagers, but they are no match for the horrors rising up around them. One of the warriors, a young hero named Rikard, will pay the ultimate price in battle… but his fight is far from over. A gothic horror story of witchcraft, night creatures, and the undead.

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie Tour

Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie Tour Kicks off on April 20, 2013

Jay and Silent Bob are back! Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are hitting the road with their new animated film, JAY & SILENT BOB’S SUPER GROOVY CARTOON MOVIE – which blazes across America in a series of one-night-only shows starting April 20, 2013 in Atlanta at the Center Stage Theater. The legendary best buds from Jersey are back to dispense weed and wisdom in cartoon form and audiences will have the opportunity to watch the new movie and stick around for a rip-roaring Q&A afterwards. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 1, 2013.

Produced by Mewes and directed by first-time filmmaker Steve Stark, JAY & SILENT BOB’S SUPER GROOVY CARTOON MOVIE features the voice talents of Eliza Dushku, Tara Strong, Ralph Garman, Neil Gaiman, Ben Gleib, Jon Lovitz, and the podcast stars of Smith’s SModcast Network! When they can no longer stomach the ever-growing weed of suburban crime, Jay & Silent Bob take on the mantles of costumed avengers Bluntman & Chronic, smashing super-villains they accidentally create! Can the Doobage Duo save their beloved Jersey ‘burbs from their new arch enemies, the League of Shitters? While clearly not the comic book movie the world wants, GROOVY MOVIE is the comic book movie the world needs!

“This is what can happen when you put the plug in the jug, kids!” said screenwriter and SModCo head honcho Kevin Smith of Producer (and friend of Bill W.) Jason Mewes. “I’m crazy proud of Jay for turning the soul-crushing bummer that is sobriety into productivity, making something as funny and fun as GROOVY MOVIE in the process!”

“As an actor, it was awesome to play Jay again,” said producer and voice talent Jason Mewes. “But as a producer, I sweated every nickel because I wanted to keep the budget low… And dirty.”

The budget for GROOVY MOVIE: $69,000!

“That budget figure not only makes us proud, it makes us giggle,” Smith went on to say . “We live in an age of wonder where you can make a whole cartoon movie for well under a hundred grand! And the super hero who made miracles happen for next to nothing in cost was our genius director, Canadian animator Steve Stark!”

“A few years back, Steve was a Jay & Silent Bob fan who Tweeted us a YouTube cartoon he made from an episode of SModcast,” Mewes explains. “Now the guy’s directed an entire Jay & Silent Bob cartoon movie! And since we’re using Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube to sell tour tickets, it’s like the whole cartoon’s made possible by the power of social media! SNOOTCH!”

Forgoing a standard theatrical release, SModcast Pictures (a division of SModCo) will repeat the city-by-city, one-night-only structure of their groundbreaking RED STATE USA Tour and cap each Groovy Movie screening with a performance of their Jay and Silent Bob Get Old podcast – the wildly popular live show which has sold out tours across the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. All 103 live shows recorded to date are available for download at SModcast.com and iTunes. Mewes has also produced home video versions of the show entitled, Jay and Silent Bob Get Old: Teabagging in the UK, Jay and Silent Bob Get Irish: The Swearing o’the Green, and Jay and Silent Bob Go Down Under.

Complete ticket and tour information is available at the website and the trailer can be seen here. “Like” Jay and Silent Bob on Facebook.

About Jason Mewes (Jay)

Jason Mewes (@JayMewes) is the Creative Producer at SModCo Internet Radio (SIR), which launched in May 2011, as well as the Creative Producer at SModCo Internet TV (SIT), which launched in May 2012 and lives online as a YouTube channel. SModco produces Mewes’ weekly video blog called, Mewes News, which was also the first SIT video to air. Best known as the vocal half of the on-screen comedic duo, Jay and Silent Bob, Mewes has reprised his role as the celebrated character, “Jay,” in a number of films. With cult-fans following his controversial antics, Mewes has captured audiences with rebellious banter against his unspoken other half and longtime friend, Kevin Smith (Silent Bob). Since the beginning of the duo’s offbeat work together, Mewes and Smith have continued to build on their beloved character driven roles from the Jay and Silent Bob series. Most recently, Mewes wrapped Spoilers, alongside Smith, an original online series for Hulu and in 2011, he co-hosted the TV series, Cinema Enema, which reviews film in an off-kilter way. As an actor, Mewes can be seen in a starring role in the Wunderkind Pictures feature, Noobz, as well as The Last Godfather, Money Shot, K-11, and Rock Jocks. Mewes’ most noted film credits include: Smith’s award-winning Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Clerks II, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. This string of cult hits all celebrated and continued Mewes’ infamous role as “Jay,” a bawdy, fast talking, and over sexed but very likable guy. For his successful and brow-raising portrayal, MTV honored him with 2007′s Dirtiest Mouth Award.

About Kevin Smith (Silent Bob)

Kevin Smith (@ThatKevinSmith) is the fat guy who got thrown off the plane. He also made CLERKS once.

JAY & SILENT BOB’S SUPER GROOVY CARTOON MOVIE TOUR DATES

 

April 20	Atlanta, GA	Center Stage Theater
April 21	Washington, DC	Warner Theater
April 22	Tarrytown, NY	Tarrytown Music Hall
April 23	New York, NY	Best Buy Theater
April 24	Boston, MA	House of Blues
April 25	Philadelphia, PA	Keswick Theater
April 29	Santa Barbara, CA	Lobero Theater
April 30	Sacramento, CA	Crest Theater
May 2	San Francisco, CA	Warfield Theater
May 5	Los Angeles, CA	The Wiltern
May 9	Portland, OR	Bagdad Theater
May 15	Seattle, WA	Moore Theater
May 17	Kansas City, MO	Midland Theater
May 18	St. Louis, MO	The Pageant
May 19	Chicago, IL	The Vic Theater
May 20	Indianapolis, IN	Clowes Memorial Hall
May 21	Royal Oak, MI	Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 22	Milwaukee, WI	Pabst Theater

 

Dates for New Jersey, Texas and Canada will be added in late March.

IL – Our Ever Improving Living Room Signing

Kevin Budnik comes to Challengers to celebrate the release of his graphic novel OUR EVER IMPROVING LIVING ROOM from Yeti Press! Kevin will be signing copies of his book and meeting fans from 5 pm to 8 pm on Saturday, March 9th. Wine and beer will be served, copies of Our Ever Improving Living Room will be available for purchase. RSVP on Facebook!

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Anime Midwest Presents Steam Powered Giraffe in 2013

Press Release:

Anime Midwest Presents Steam Powered Giraffe in 2013

Chicago, Illinois – January 29, 2013 – The most exciting 3-day geek convention to hit Chicago has fans fired up about today’s announcement that robot steampunk band Steam Powered Giraffe will be performing at the convention in 2013. Over three thousand people are expected to converge on the Hyatt Regency O’Hare to celebrate Anime Midwest’s Chicago anime convention, and almost a thousand of them are expected to enjoy Steam Powered Giraffe’s live performance on the convention’s grand stage.

The robots of Steam Powered Giraffe are like nothing you’ve ever seen. The malfunctioning joke-spewing metal men play a collection of original Vaudeville inspired tunes fused with modern flare and executed in a super-sleek, one-of-a-kind performance. More than just a band, Steam Powered Giraffe is an experience that must be seen and heard by the entire family.

The artists behind the SPG robots started street busking as these quirky characters back in January 2008 at Balboa Park, California, instantly drawing the attention of Southern California. They have since performed at such venues as The San Diego Fair, The San Diego Zoo, The Wild Animal Park, Legoland, Ontario Mills, and numerous Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Steampunk Conventions.

Their act combines the visual of robot pantomime with sketches, pop culture references, improvised comedic dialogue, and of course, original music. From their heartwarming nostalgic melodies to their funky cabaret rock, Steam Powered Giraffe’s songs are memorable, infectious, and as unique as the robots themselves.

This announcement is just one of the elements of a Chicago Steampunk convention blended into Anime Midwest, as Anime Midwest also includes the adventures of a Steampunk airship crew and numerous Steampunk panels and events.

Thousands of fans raved about Anime Midwest 2012, which drew well over a thousand attendees to Lisle, receiving praise for exceptionally friendly staff and a ConSweet that included unlimited access to free ramen and soda. Anime Midwest this year will include a ConSweet that features plenty of Mt. Dew and cup ramen noodles, as just one of the many unique parts of the convention. Events at Anime Midwest include Karaoke, Cosplay Contests, Dealers & Artist Rooms, Panels, Workshops, Guest Autographs, and a whole bunch of other things that are listed at http://animemidwest.com/events

Rooms at Anime Midwest’s hotel cost $99 per night, and can be booked online from http://animemidwest.com/location

Registration for the convention costs $30 online in advance, or up to $40 at the door for the weekend. Registration information is available at http://animemidwest.com/register

Anime Midwest will be held July 5-7, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. More details about the entire event can be found athttp://animemidwest.com/

IL – ReincarNATE Signing

Press Release:

Join writer MICHAEL MORECI at Challengers on Saturday March 2, 2013 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm to celebrate the release of his creator-owned graphic novel ReincarNATE. It’s a party at Challengers, so you know what that means, right? Beer. Oh, and good people and great comics. But yeah, beer.

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

IL – Black City Signing

Author CHRISTINA HENRY appears on Friday March 1, 2013 at 7:00 pm for a Q&A and signing for her latest novel BLACK CITY, the 5th volume in the popular Black Wings series, set right here in Chicago!

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

IL – Justice League Dark Signing

J. Anthony Kosar signs and sketches at Graham Crackers Comics on Wednesday February 6th from noon till 2:00 pm and then again from 4:00 – 7:00 pm!

J. Anthony Kosar, contestant on the SYFY television reality  fantasy based MAKE-UP contest show FACE OFF, has won the second challenge, to design a DC Comics Super Hero.  His design for the Infernal CORE won and the character is featured in this week’s issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #16.

Graham Crackers Comics
1550 Ogden Ave, Downers Grove, IL
(630) 852-1810

 

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