Above: Agitator Comics! Exhibition / Jan 2024—Sale table sporting Agitator Comics.

The Agitator Comics! Group meets regularly (the last Sunday of each month) for local artists and DIY publishers to get/give feedback on works in progress, share resources, and generally support each other in drawing, publishing and exhibiting comics, zines & graphic novels.

Agitator Comics! began as a pandemic project. Agitator Gallery left its previous space in September of 2020; and for two years we focused on pop ups, virtual exhibitions, and printed publications. There was so much interest in the first call for entries, we printed two volumes of comics in 2021.

Agitator Comics! Journal was conceived to be an open-call, open theme publication. This approach recalls the independent compilations of the 90s, where you could see a wild range of artists presenting stories on just about anything. As with all Agitator Artist Collective events, the comics group puts experienced artists alongside newcomers, and everyone elevates each other. 

Since 2022, Agitator’s larger gallery space is allowing us to expand our vision of exhibitions, programming, publications, and more. We have exhibited the original artworks of the Comics Group on the walls of the gallery and are selling the Comics! Journals in our gallery store and at off site expos and festivals like The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE).

We’re excited to bring this ongoing publication series to the world of Book Arts & Chicago’s lively Comics community. Stop by our table, meet our members and enjoy the wide range of publications from both our comics group and also member’s independent comic projects too.

Table Staffing at CAKE 2024

These featured Agitator Comics! Artists will be at the table:

Ash H.G., whose debut graphic novel East District is scheduled to be released in 2024

Lauren Ramsey, artist/creator/writer of the BloodTrucker comic book series.

Chris Wellems, artist/creator/animator is currently completing a digital animation thesis project.

Gretchen Hasse, artist/creator/author of Freak’s Progress & This Body, comic books and non-fiction narrative stories.

Jason Greenberg, artist/designer/publisher of Fullerton Avenue: Horizon Line, a DIY photographic elegy ‘zine and the Art Works Design: Artists Books series.