July marks three and a half years since the founding of Northside Comic Artists on Meetup.com. In that time, the group composed of artists from all over the Chicago area has gotten together to create, celebrate, and publish in the medium that they love the most.
Started by Ed Witt as a way to meet and socialize with other creators, the group has grown to include an accountability group, tabling at small local conventions, a partnership with a local brewery, and workshops led by creators working in the industry. With that growth has come five anthology comics that are now being collected into one edition through Kickstarter.
Each anthology is assigned a theme, given to the writers and artists, which inspires their stories. The anthology includes 68 stories with genres ranging from fantasy to slice of life and everything between. Each of the five anthologies follows a singular theme, including “Memories,” “In the Middle of the Night,” “The Other Side,” and more.
Witt hopes that the creation of the new, full volume, trade paperback will help the group hit the shelves of local bookstores, as well as break onto the scene at local conventions. With the income generated by these sales, he hopes to support members of the group in creating and marketing their own comics as well.
You can find a rundown of each anthology’s theme, along with art below:
Memories
The newest anthology never before printed in any form! Each story deals with the fickle and faulty faculty that we all grapple with.
Misadventure
Northside Comic Artists fourth anthology, printed in the fall of 2017. The stories deal with the trials and tribulations of poor souls ranging from samurai to teenagers to snipers.
The Other Side
A collection of stories, originally printed in February of 2017, about that mysterious place we always ponder. The place we can’t quite see, but we can sense is there. Love, Sadness, and yes, chickens, abound.
The Middle of the Night
A collection of diverse stories from June 2016 about alien abductions, scary stories, boogie men, and at least one owl.
Identity
Identity is Northside Comic Artist’s first anthology printed in October of 2015. It includes a collection of stories ranging from poignant drama to surreal sci-fi and characters including humans, half-humans, lizard men, carrot people, and a ghost!
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