December 7th, party of the century. Stay tuned for details.

We are very excited to welcome Olivier Schrauwen to SHQ for the release of his new book, Parallel Lives! Come by for drinks and get your copy signed! Easier than having to fly to Europe to get it done.

About the new book:
From one of the world’s most celebrated cartoonists comes this unique collection of six wildly inventive short stories, each a surrealist tour de force that might collectively be dubbed “speculative memoir.” Schrauwen’s deadpan depictions of his and his progeny’s futures are presented with such brio and conviction that even the most jaded reader will ask himself: was the author really abducted by extraterrestrials? Is he actually able to dialogue with agents from the future? Does he truly receive coded messages in envelopes at breakfast? In spite of all rational perception, and in spite of the author’s obvious predilection for cartoon surrealism, Parallel Lives resonates as something more than simply the overheated imagination of an artist creating freely — it glows and hums and pulsates like a portal to another reality, and is the latest masterpiece in one of comics’ most distinctive bodies of work.

About Mr. Schrauwen:
Olivier Schrauwen (b. 1977, Belgium) studied animation at the Academy of Art in Gent and comics at the Saint Luc in Brussels. Schrauwen got his start in comics drawing for the Franco-Belgian magazine Spirou. Seeking more artistic freedom, he soon left the magazine and published his work in a variety of alternative small-press zines. He came out with his first graphic novel, My Boy, in 2006, and has since published three others: The Man Who Grew His Beard, Mowgli’s Mirror, and Arsène Schrauwen. Schrauwen’s work has also appeared in numerous comic anthologies including Fantagraphics Books’ Mome. He currently lives in Berlin.

Get into the Halloween spirit at our all ages release party for Molly Knox Ostertag‘s The Hidden Witch, the follow up to the wonderful book The Witch Boy. Join Molly and the SHQ crew for spooky drawing, candy, and costumes! Come dressed up in your Halloween best for a special treat.

Aster and his family are adjusting to his unconventional talent for witchery; unlike the other boys in his family, he isn’t a shapeshifter. He’s taking classes with his grandmother and helping to keep an eye on his great-uncle whose corrupted magic wreaked havoc on the family. Meanwhile, Aster’s friend from the non-magical part of town, Charlie, is having problems of her own – a curse has tried to attach itself to her. She runs to Aster and escapes it, but now the friends must find the source of the curse before more people – normal and magical alike – get hurt.

We are very happy to be hosting the writers of two of our favorite new Image Comics books: Pornsak Pichetshote (Infidel) and Joe Henderson (Skyward). Come chat with the fellas, have a drink, and get your copies of these awesome comics signed. Double comics, double happiness!