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For the month of August, we'll be exhibiting the art of Franki Chan, creator of Check Yo' Ponytail and IHEARTCOMIX. Join us on Friday, August 3rd for opening night and have a drink on us. DJ Franki will be playing some tunes and it will be an excellent time.
Keep your eyes glued to our Twitter and Facebook during the week, where we'll be announcing special guest artists who will be contributing pieces to the show!
See you on Friday,
<3
-SHQ-
FRIDAY, JULY 6th
STARTING AT 7pm
Join us on Friday, July 6th to celebrate the release of Fallen Superheroes! Photographer Eric Curtis and writers Scott Allen Perry and Adam Mock will be here to sign copies, say hello, and share a beer.
"Fallen Superheroes is a caricatured look at extraordinary everyday people through the visionary lens of celebrity photographer Eric Curtis. Using superheroes as the allegory, Curtis explores the not-so-glamorous and sometimes dark realities of those who strive to live their dreams against all odds. Curtis once again pairs his trademark imagery with the witty prose of Scott Allen Perry and Adam Mock (Mime Very Own Book), making Fallen Superheroes an eye-popping, gut-busting, esoteric commentary on the unique individuals who color our lives."
See you on Friday!
WAR & PENIS BOOK RELEASE @ SHQ
FRIDAY, JUNE 22nd
STARTING AT 7pm
Your wait for disgusting and hilarious new Johnny Ryan comics is over! Join Johnny and the SHQ crew this Friday, June 22nd to celebrate the release of his new book, War & Penis.
The story behind it all:
“A few months ago, illustrators / comic book makers / funny people Johnny Ryan (creator of Prison Pit, Blecky Yuckerella, Angry Youth Comix) and Frédéric Fleury (founder of Frederic Magazine) started insulting each other by posting obscene, crude, hilarious drawings of the other on their Facebook walls. As they are both proud young men and also profoundly disturbed in their brains, they kept this going for, like, six months or something. Finally, here is the book that collects all those drawings, including an introduction by ZEN MAFIA’s Nate Walton, explaining how the whole sorry mess began.”
RSVP on Facebook here.
THE YEAR OF THE BEASTS
BOOK RELEASE & ART SHOW @ SHQ
FRIDAY, JUNE 8th
We are very excited to host the book release for The Year of the Beasts, the new graphic novel written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Nate Powell.
There will be original art from the book on display, and Cecil herself will be here to say hi and sign books.
Description of The Year of the Beasts from :01 First Second:
"Every summer the trucks roll in, bringing the carnival and its infinite possibilities to town. This year Tessa and her younger sister Lulu are un-chaperoned and want to be first in line to experience the rides, the food... and the boys. Except this summer, jealousy will invade their relationship for the first time, setting in motion a course of events that can only end in tragedy, putting everyone's love and friendship to the test."
HENRY & GLENN FOREVER & EVER
BOOK RELEASE & ART SHOW @ SHQ
FRIDAY, JUNE 1st
STARTING AT 7pm
Join us in celebrating the release of the new comic book mini-series:
Igloo Tornado's Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever!
Come check out original art from the new 'zine and meet Tom Neely, Ed Luce, Coop,
Keenan Keller, Eric Yahnker, Scot Nobles, Gin Stevens, and Levon Jihanian.
Comics, drinks, metal.
Be there.
Brought to you by SHQ and, I Will Destroy You, and Cantankerous Titles.
JAY HOWELL @ SHQ
FRIDAY, MAY 5th
STARTING @ 7pm
We are very excited to welcome Jay Howell (Pages, Dark Wave, Punks Git Cut) to Secret Headquarters! This Friday, starting at 7pm, Jay will be here with a brand new 'zine. There will only be 200 copies, and they will be available exclusively at SHQ. There will also be 21 new framed book pages available at the opening. We've seen 'em, and trust me you'll want to get your hands on one.
Come have a drink and say hi! It'll be a party.
We are excited to announce that we will be working with the Skirball Cultural Center for their upcoming Craig Thompson reading.
On Thursday, May 10th at 8pm, Craig will be at the Skirball discussing his latest work, the gorgeous Habibi. After the discussion, there will be a Q&A and a book signing.
You can go here for more details. The event is FREE (really!), but advance reservations are recommended.
We at Secret Headquarters are big fans of Mr. Thompson. We're very excited, and we hope to see you there!
Here's a little primer on Craig Thompson, so you're "in the know" before the event:
Born: 1975 in Traverse City, Michigan
Died: 2071 in the Inevitable Robot Uprising
Level: 24, Elven Ranger
Graphic Novels:Blankets, Good-Bye Chunky Rice, Carnet de Voyage, Habibi
Familiar: Wesley the River Otter
Awards: Harvey Award (x4), Eisner Award (x2), Ignatz Award (x2), Prix de la Critique at Angoulême International Comics Festival
Favorite Food: Letters A - M in alphabet soup
Favorite Song: Rhythm Is Gonna Get You by Gloria Estefan
Number of Years He Worked On Habibi: Six
Hidden Talent: Power to grant wishes if you know speak his true name (which has not been uttered for centuries)
BILL SIENKIEWICZ
@ SECRET HEADQUARTERS
FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd
FROM 7PM - 9PM
That's right! The one and only Bill Sienkiewicz will be here TONIGHT from 7pm to 9pm! We have copies of the beautiful new Elektra Assassin hardcover, so come by, say "hi" to Bill, and get your book signed. Fingers crossed, there may even be some art for you to buy...
See you soon!
Please join us on Friday, February 17th at 7pm to celebrate the release of Li'l Depressed Boy volume two!
LDB artist Sina Grace will be here signing books. Both Sina and his sister Salomeh will both be unveiling new artwork for the event, both of Li'l Depressed Boy and based off themes explored in the series. Sina's brother-in-law Benoit will be DJing the event with tunes that may sound a bit familiar, if you’re reading the book closely enough. There will be prints for sale and free adult beverages for those that are so inclined.
See you there!
RSVP for the event on Facebook here.
LA Zine Fest is less than two weeks away, and we have a new addition to our little zine family!
We are tickled to announce that we are putting out a mini comic with the one and only Michael DeForge, and it will be available at our zine fest table along with our Michael Hsiung & Nick Thorburn zines (and a few other great books.)
Hooray!
-SHQjulie-
We've been working on putting out a few mini comics with some very talented folks. We're very excited about the whole thing, so excited that we just can't keep it to ourselves anymore! Here's a sneak peek of some lil' books that we will have for sale at our LA Zine Fest table on February 19th!
Booze, Dudes, & Bears by Michael Hsiung wins the award for most accurately descriptive title of the year. Look at these little guys, having the best ol' time!
There are many more shenanigans in what is shaping up to be one of my favorite sketchbooks.
Then there's What A Gas by Nick Thorburn. You may know Nick as a rock and roller from bands like Islands and The Unicorns (and many others), but you may not have known that he is also a funny comic gentleman as well.
What A Gas collects two stories and a few gag strips; it's a hefty little zine.
We've got our fingers in some other pies as well (mmm... pies), so be on the lookout for more fun SHQ zine projects in the future. See you at Zine Fest!
-SHQjulie-
Here's your opportunity to snag the perfect holiday gift! We have 10 pieces of original art for sale by the wonderful and insanely talented Geof Darrow (Hard Boiled, Shaolin Cowboy, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.) The gorgeous detail in these drawings really must be seen in person to be believed. For this show, you can take your new art home as soon as you buy it. Artwork will remain on display as long as they are available for purchase.
Shaolin Cowboy and Totoro
14" x 18 3/4"
SOLD
Shaolin Cowboy and Fish
13 3/4" x 8"
SOLD
Shaolin Cowboy vs Nazi Baby
17" x 14 1/2"
SOLD
Shaolin Cowboy Riding Robot
11 3/4" x 22 1/4"
SOLD
Nixon from Hard Boiled
13 1/4" x 17"
SOLD
Hard Boiled Fight
18" x 11 3/4"
SOLD
The Spirit - drawn on velum paper and used in Frank Miller's "The Spirit" movie.
8 1/4" x 17"
SOLD
Rusty
4 1/4" x 14 3/4"
SOLD
Big Guy and Rusty vs Ultraman
11 1/4 x 18"
SOLD
Rusty Flying
6 3/4" x 12 1/2"
SOLD
*Please note that all dimensions are approximate; most of Geof's paper has irregular edges. All prices listed include frame.
NURSERY RHYME COMICS
BOOK RELEASE AND ART SHOW
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, October 21st beginning at 7pm
Come on down to SHQ and help us celebrate the release of :01 First Second’s “Nursery Rhyme Comics”!
The anthology features 50 classic nursery rhymes drawn by 50 cartoonists, such as Vanessa Davis, Mike Mignola, Kate Beaton, Craig Thompson, and many more (including the fabulous artists that will be attending the show.)
The following artists will be on hand to sign copies of the book, as well as having their art on display!
Jamie Hernandez, Jordan Crane, Jen Wang, Tony Millionaire, Stan Sakai, and Tao Nyeu.
We are beyond excited to have so many talented artists at the release party. Join us, won't you?
For more info on this wonderful new book, check out http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/.
EYE OF THE MAJESTIC CREATURE
BOOK SIGNING WITH L. STEIN
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, September 23rd beginning at 7pm
We are super excited to announce our "Eye of the Majestic Creature" book signing, happening this Friday! Join artist Leslie "Larrybear" Stein and the SHQ bunch for some boozy beverages and check out one of our favorite books of the year.
Praise for "Eye of the Majestic Creature":
“Visual inventiveness combined with a high level of wit.” - Michael Kupperman
"You’d be hard-pressed to find a more downright affable character than blithely blitzed Larrybear, the young female focus of Leslie Stein’s ongoing semi autobiographical comic, whose first four issues are collected here.... Stein gives us the slackerly, star-eyed alternative to a cadre of 'misanthropic, self-pitying comics about unappreciated cartoonists,' as Tom De Haven characterized it... ...[T]his book [is] such a pleasure..." – Richard Gehr, The Comics Journal
"Stein's cartooning is broad and trippy, and if she occasionally becomes intoxicated with her own gimlet-eyed sensibility, she's never afraid to turn that dark wit on herself. Eye of the Majestic Creature... is ultimately the tale of a young woman rejecting the things that shaped her and attempting to figure out what comes next for her. Thanks to Stein's loose, amiable approach, you'll want to know that, too." – Glen Weldon, NPR
You can find out more about the book and read at excerpt over at Fantagraphics.
"SUPERS" BY TIMOTHY GARRETT
AN ART SHOW
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, September 9th beginning at 7pm
The Secret Headquarters presents "SUPERS", a typographic exploration into the world of the comic. Graphic illustrator Timothy Garrett has re-imagined and reinvented classic comic book logos in his own colorful and innovative style. There will be art for sale, as well as incredibly cool shirts with matching canvas bags.
Come join Tim and the SHQ gang for a drink to celebrate the opening!
Check out more of Tim's artwork at http://www.timothygarrett.com/.
FORMING VOL 1 BY JESSE MOYNIHAN
BOOK RELEASE PARTY
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, August 5th beginning at 7pm
Come join Jesse Moynihan and the SHQ crew to celebrate the release of the beautiful new graphic novel "Forming". There will be booze, fun, and reflective conversation about life, the universe, and everything (if you'd like.)
A quick synopsis of Jesse's new book:
"Since the dawn of human history, we as a species have sought to understand our existence through creationist fables of omnipotent deities, mythical creatures, and speculation of what—or who—may lie beyond the stars. In Forming Vol. 1, Jesse Moynihan takes these 50,000 years of socio-religious postulation and throws them in the blender to create one epic—and irreverent—battle royal between alien gods, Ancient Greek Titans, interplanetary assassin droids, and humanity itself.An eon-spanning comedy, Forming details the spawning of worlds, and the trajectory of consciousness on Earth. The first in a trilogy of books, Nobrow is proud to collect the first volume of Jesse Moynihan’s acclaimed webcomic in a specially-designed graphic novel format truly worthy of its contents."
For more info, visit http://jessemoynihan.com/ or http://www.nobrow.net.
ZOMBIFICATION PROCESS
THE ART OF JEFFREY BROWN
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, July 29th from 7- 9pm
We are very excited to announce our next art show with the one and only Jeffrey Brown! Jeff will be here at SHQ with some awesome zombified Beatles art for sale. We'll also have packs filled with sketches, notes, storyboards, and other bits and pieces of Jeff's art process.
The show will be up until the end of August, but make sure to join us Friday, July 29th for our opening night. There will be much drinking and rabble-rousing (and drinking.) See you there!
TOM NEELY'S "THE WOLF"
SIGNING & RELEASE PARTY
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, July 8th from 8pm - 10pm
Join us this Friday to celebrate the release of Tom Neely's beautiful new painted novel, "The Wolf"!
A synopsis of the book:
The Wolf is a new graphic novel by Los Angeles-based painter-cartoonist Tom Neely. The book tells a simple love story, but one woven with surrealist horror, werewolf lore and its own brand of nightmare logic. With The Wolf, Neely progresses from the traditional cartooning style he showed off in his previous books, The Blot and Brilliantly Ham-Fisted, to a form that blends comics-style storytelling with a fine arts approach to imagery. The ultimate effect is equal parts touching and chilling.
Check out a preview for Part One of the book here!
GENE YANG & THIEN PHAM
"LEVEL UP" SIGNING
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, June 17th from 7pm - 9pm
Join us in celebrating the release of "American Born Chinese" writer Gene Yang and artist Thien Pham's new graphic novel, "Level Up". Stop by this Friday to have a drink and get your book signed!
A rundown of the new book:
"Smackdown! Video Games vs. Medical School!
Which will win the battle for our hero’s attention in Gene Luen Yang’s new graphic novel?
Dennis Ouyang lives in the shadow of his parents’ high expectations. They want him to go to med school and become a doctor. Dennis just wants to play video games—and he might actually be good enough to do it professionally. But four adorable, bossy, and occasionally terrifying angels arrive just in time to lead Dennis back onto the straight and narrow: the path to gastroenterology. It’s all part of the plan, they tell him. But is it?This powerful piece of magical realism brings into sharp relief the conflict many teens face between pursuing their dreams and living their parents’. Partnered with the deceptively simple, cute art of newcomer Thien Pham, Gene Yang has returned to the subject he revolutionized with American Born Chinese. Whimsical and serious by turns, Level Up is a new look at the tale that Yang has made his own: coming of age as an Asian American."
Read an excerpt of the new book here. See you on Friday!
LIFE WITH MR DANGEROUS
PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER SIGNING
@ Secret Headquarters
Friday, June 10th from 7pm - 9pm
Come celebrate the release of Paul Hornschemeier's new book, "Life with Mr. Dangerous"! Join Paul and the SHQ gang for drinks, book signing, and good times. It'll be Paul's only Southern California stop until Comic-con, so don't miss it!
An early review of the book:
"Empathy and creativity inform this unsentimentalized account of a young woman’s loneliness.
On the eve of her 26th birthday, Amy Breis finds herself suffering an anxiety attack on the bus, amid the prospects of an empty life, a dead-end job and a free-flowing imagination. Though a variety of men plainly find her attractive, her major companions are the cat she confides in, her mother who worries about her (yet whose own dead-end job provides little inspiration for her daughter) and her television tuned to an animated series featuring Mr. Dangerous, mostly reruns but with one new episode every week. She also has a long-distance telephone relationship with a boyfriend who lives halfway across the country in San Francisco, and whose communication with her provides solace that makes her miss him all the more. Her encounters with men occasionally find her falling into bed, but she resists their efforts to get to know her better and extend their connection past one night. Her female friends at work are mainly concerned about potential boyfriends for Amy as well as ones who have already proven themselves jerks. Amid this fairly straightforward, matter-of-fact narrative, graphic novelist Hornschemeier (The Three Paradoxes, 2006, etc.) intersperses sequences that might be dreams, fantasies or flashbacks, along with episodes in which Mr. Dangerous seems to be providing commentary on (or at least counterpoint
to) Amy’s life. The artist displays an affinity for dialogue balloons that float beyond the panel, while plenty of other powerful passages are simply wordless." - Kirkus Reviews
Check out the trailer for the new book here!