January 2024

In 2023, I was honored to attend a comics residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. I met artists and authors ranging from dedicated amateur to seasoned, award-winning professional. For all of us, the magic is achieved in the same way: The Seat of the Pants to the Seat of the Chair.

This year, I start work on a graphic novel about my own experience living with a chronic health condition in a country that doesn’t understand what it means to take care of people. The story is pretty painful at times, and I know it’s going to be rough work to get through it. It’s also an absurd story, occasionally even hilarious. I can’t think of a better way to tell it than through comics.

Comics are a visceral art form. They are writing and art fused into another medium. Sometimes, they are the best way to communicate.

Gretchen Hasse
Interdisciplinary Artist and Agitator Co-founder
Editor, Agitator Comics! 

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All work copyright © of the artist(s)
Cover Art by Ash H.G.
Edited by Gretchen Hasse
Book Design and Production by Alex Wilson
Agitator Comics! Volume 4, January 2024

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Bloodtrucker by Lauren Ramsey

These pages are part of a much longer narrative. The idea was born from a casual argument among coworkers; what job would a vampire have in the modern world? Thus, Bloodtrucker was born. Every panel is hand-painted in ink, following Bubba and his preteen nemesis.

Lauren is an animator, illustrator, and cartoonist from Chicago. Her work often includes themes of horror, camp, folk lore, and the American south. You can  find her work on instagram @laubotomy.

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You Can Teach an Old Ghost New Tricks by Allyson Gonzalez

This comic is very meaningful to me because it captures the liberation I feel as a cyclist. Moving out of the city meant I could finally get a second chance at biking, I was only able to enjoy it for a few days before I flipped off my bike in traffic at Kingbury and North Ave, a week after learning how to ride a bike at 23 yrs old. Most of my friends in the city are cyclists, I always felt like I was missing out on this super satisfying, fun and enriching part of life - a chance to defiantly divest from fossil fuel plus get some exercise and endorphins pumping at the same time. While I wholeheartedly enjoy being a pedestrian and walking everywhere, investing in a trike really opened up my options for traveling around town, both for leisure and to run errands. Being on my trike feels spiritual, cruising down the open road - the world feels limitless. Playing music only enhances that feeling, like the soundtrack of a movie I'm riding around in. That's what I wanted to capture in this comic, the feelings of living a secret life out in the wild.

Allyson Gonzalez: a queer Chicana interdisciplinary artist currently living on the coast of SW Michigan, a recent transplant from Chicago. Founder of Thankyoutine's Day. Plays synths as House of Egregious. A lifelong writer and entertainer who has picked up puppetry, directing, drawing hot dog comics and zines along the way.

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Fun with Auditory Processing Mishaps by Erin Rusmi

I have auditory processing disorder and am used to hearing very strange things and sorting out what people actually said in my head. But sometimes I hear people correctly and the things they say just sound weird to me because I am not familiar with what they’re talking about. It can be annoying but I try to find ways to laugh about it.

I’ve always loved drawing, I was situationally mute from ages 4-12 and pretty much only talked to my family and close friends during those years, so drawing stuff for people was an important way that I communicated. I stopped doing as much art in high school, because of capitalism. This is my first time sending anything into an art gallery for publication/exhibition, but even if I act like I want to crawl into a hole and die I promise I’m really happy about it too. Feeling a lot of feelings all at once is one of the things I do best.

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Representation by Noelle Palmer

This is part of a series I've done on my own experiences as a trans woman. This piece particularly is something I'd wanted to create for a while, both as a way of expressing the importance of representation in my life and as a thesis statement of sorts for my own work. It's hard to grow up seeing nobody like you, and when you find anything that fits, it feels like a secret part of the world has finally been carved out for you. It's something that I try to create with all the art I make!

I'm a transgender Latina woman, Northwestern graduate, and artist whose main focuses are on works with LGBTQ+ themes! I’m proud of the works that I’ve created and the messages I’ve sent, especially since I had to work around nerve damage that made it impossible for me to do physical art.

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Shark by Andrew Rose Vickers

This piece both explores both the fear and beauty of nature. I also like to do panels based on wildlife and what goes on that seems to go unnoticed in wildlife to the human eye.

Andrew is a Chicago based artist who makes art based off  wildlife, and uses whatever mediums are available.

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Into the Station of Life by Ash H.G.

This comic is apart of larger strip that explores themes of self identification and enlightenment.

Ash H.G. is a cartoonist/sequential artist and illustrator living and working in Chicago, IL. His recent book, Golden Thread, is a collection of drawings, doodles, and comics. His debut graphic novel East District is scheduled to be released in 2024.

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Dr. Acula by Angus Latham

Office Dog by Angus Latham

Space Plumber by Angus Latham

Space Plumber: Mike the plumber travels the galaxy to fix toilets, sinks and encounter dangerous threats.
Office Dog: Barney the Dog does his best at his day job.
Dr. Acula: Vampire Doctor: Dr. Acula, the friendly local doctor, is secretly a vampire!

Angus is a professional human who draws things.

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Japanese Chiffon Cheesecake by Ash Barton

This was intended to be part of a series of cooking diary comics but I got distracted by bug photography and hunting for used acoustic guitars on facebook marketplace.

Ash is a local caterpillar who draws cartoons and is just happy.

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A Few Bikes I’ve Built by Alex Wilson

A Few Bikes I've Built are stylized photos of bikes that I have built put into a comic book page layout. The bikes are single speed mountain bikes that are used in West Town Bikes' programs to take youth on rides throughout Chicago. Each bike has been built from the frame up, using recycled parts to build a fleet of bikes that have matching componentry that is durable, servicable and meets a certain level of performance. Kids can be tough on bikes and these bikes are built to take the abuse and be repaired easily, on the road if needed. The bikes are built the same, but all have their own individual personality, kind of like many of the young people served by West Town Bikes.

Alex Wilson is a Chicago artist/designer/producer and member of Agitator Artists' Collective. He studied painting and printmaking with a focus on artists' books at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is the Founder and Executive Director of West Town Bikes, a non-profit community bike shop that offers youth programs, adult classes and community events.

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My Fake Fan by George John “Lardo” Larson

One day I got a message on Instagram asking if I did commissions?, I said,”Sure, what u need?” They then sent me a picture of a lady, and a picture of a puppy. With a message of, “I want you to draw me this in your style. How much?”

I don’t have drawings on my Instagram. I mostly post pictures of pieces that I have spray painted on the street. So my question was: What do they consider my style? This did not all make sense. I brought this up to the person and they put it as I was an artist and should be able to draw. So, ok. I did a drawing and sent a JPEG of it to them. Telling them if they put $40.00 in my PayPal account I would send them the drawing. They replied that they are in love with my work, and want to give me $300.00 to support my art work. I said thanks, put it in my PayPal and give me an address to send it to. They sent me a screenshot of a payment of $300.00 going to my PayPal.

I got an email that said the limit on my PayPal needs to be expanded. The person putting the money in needs to put in at least $500.00 in and then I have to refund them $200.00 back. I called PayPal and determined that it was all a scam. I decided to document this all and make it a cartoon. The scammer spent a week communicating to try and get $200.00 dollars from me, but got nothing. I got a piece of art out of it.

It seems like a tragicomedy to me. Quite absurd and farcical. The scammer has the ability to take over someone’s

George John “LARDO” Larson is a Chicago based Visual artist. Born in Chicago and still residing in the Chicago area. His work is trying to capture the subliminal ironies and absurdities of events, words, and things. Real or imagined. To try and understand their basic, real, and invariable nature.

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Felix the Cat by Juan Medina

Underdog by Juan Medina

Sweet Polly Purebred by Juan Medina

These three cartoons have been very important to me in my life! Felix the cat, Underdog, Sweet Polly Purebred. Felix was my first cartoon that I ever saw and I have very fond memories and I have always acted like him. Under Dog was a character that was my hero and I gave that nickname to my father and consequently I named my mother Sweet Polly Purebred all my life. That's why I took the time to paint these images that are so dear to me.                       

My name is Juan Medina López, Mexican, I have always been very attached to art, I tried to study art in Mexico City, Bellas Artes , I couldn't due to economic reasons so I decided to study something very similar to being an artist, dental technician, I have two titles one in Mexico and one here USA my title CDT I have been manufacturing dental prostheses for more than 35 years, and today thanks to Agitator I am going to present something about myself in a gallery.

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Artist Dilemma: Hello Kitty by Jen Lau

Artist Dilemma: Violin Practice by Jen Lau

Artist Dilemma: Freeze Wrapper by Jen Lau

I've been a lifelong collector. It started with weekly letters and postcards from my dad who lives overseas, then birthday cards and notes passed in class, and at its pinnacle included Bazooka Joe wrappers and joke popsicle sticks. As I've collected into adulthood I've realized that I collect to remember a moment in time. In an effort to clear literal and emotional space I decided to embark on this journey back in July 2020 to record these mementos before I finally throw them away. A personal time capsule that I can revisit again and again.

Jen Lau is a Chinese - American artist based in Chicago. Her work explores the interplay between time and memory. Over the years she has investigated this theme through several lenses such as city life and the human figure. Most recently she has begun to incorporate family histories and the immigrant experience into her work. Joining Agitator Co-operative Gallery in 2019 ignited her passion for uplifting under-represented voices. She strives to create community and understanding through art in Chicago and beyond. Jen has shown in and curated multiple shows and murals through Agitator Gallery, Fulton Street Collective, Underground Art Collective, Rostrum312, A Dope Arts Show, Gallery Studio Oh!, Upstream Gallery, and more and was awarded a DCASE Individual Artist Grant in 2023.

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This Body by Gretchen Hasse

I have lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease, since I was fifteen years old. This Body is my first attempt at working with this emotionally fraught subject matter. I am developing my 35 year health saga into a graphic novel.

Gretchen is a storyteller working in comics, video, writing, and installation. She co-founded Agitator Artists’ Collective in 2017, and since then curation has also been a crucial part of her practice.

Gretchen received her MFA in Film, Video and New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has attended residencies at Buinho Fab Lab in Messejana, Portugal, Sundress Academy for the Arts in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. She received a 2021 Make A Wave grant from 3Arts in Chicago; a 2022 VIDA: Women in Literary Arts Fellowship; and a 2022 Esteemed Artist Grant from the City of Chicago. She teaches drawing and writing at Chicago’s Saint Xavier University.

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The Curious Life of the Mucket by Lilli Kayes

The Curious Life of the Mucket is an informational comic that explores a hidden member of the Mississippi River ecosystem and its history as a strange resource. I first discovered the mucket at my local fishing hole, I pulled one as large as my hand out of the water and was astonished to see such a thing. After doing some research I discovered there was a whole population of large freshwater mussels right in my backyard. The rest is history, my interest was peeked, and I have loved them ever since.

Lilli Kayes is an artist and educator from St. Louis, Missouri. Her work is a fusion of her love of the natural world and her passion for education. Ecological issues and histories of the natural world drive the focus of her work.

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Honkey Harold by John Taylor

Hopeless character I created... a goose named Harold (Honkey Harold) and his misadventures with love, friendship, and just making it out in the wetlands.

John "Hoss" Taylor is an artist. He lives in Hebron, Maryland with his wife, daughter, and son.

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RAW POWER by Selena Figel

A Lengthy Saga about Super Hero Teens spanning over the past 4 and a half years.

Selena is a 17 year old Pathways in Education student dedicated to completing any story she starts telling.

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Minotaur by Alonso Galue

This comic is an adaptation of a poem by Jonuel Brigue, a Venezuelan philosopher, and my professor. The general idea is an internal conversation about looking in the insides for your self.

Alonso Galue (Venezuelan, b. 1994, Chicago Based) BFA at University of Los Andes, is a multidisciplinary artist whose experimental use of traditional painting and sculpture articulates speeches on labor, existential crisis, and totalitarianism. Galue’s work has been exhibited in several museums across Venezuela and artist-run spaces in the US, including the Museum of Contemporary Art of Zulia, Museum of Modern Art Merida, Museum of Miniature Merida, Espacio Proyecto Libertad, University of Los Andes, Void Projects, Agitator Gallery, Elastic Arts, Belong Gallery and Happy Gallery. He was Awarded Valencia’s Painting Prize in 2017, and the Iberoamerican Art Fair Caracas 2020.

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Time to Go by Michael Abcede

Time To Go is the third installment in a series of short form comics dealing with extraterrestrials. The story hints at issues of belonging to a community and what it means to be rejected or ostracized. This comic also continues my experimentation with incorporating color into my work.

I am a visual artist aiming to depict the mysteries of human living with a playful and satirical eye. My focus has lately been on single panel cartoons under the title Lug Age but I’m slowly branching into various forms of sequential art. I also have a body of painted works including abstract works and portraiture. I was born in the Philippines and have lived in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Toronto, Boston and now Chicago. I have worked in Information Technology, hand drawn 2D animation and 3D computer visualization.