Chicago, IL – Join Prism Comics, a nonprofit supporting LGBT comics, creators, and readers, at Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) this Friday, April 13 through Sunday, April 15. Meet your favorite creators at the Prism Booth #668, attend the queer panel “Rewriting The Rules on Queers in Comics” moderated by Charles “Zan” Christensen, and mingle with queer comics creators and fans on Friday night at Big Chicks Uptown Bar.

“Zan and I are thrilled to be bringing Prism to Chicago, second city to none,” said David Stanley, Prism’s PR Chair. “Come by the Prism booth and say hello, as we’re very happy to meet all the queer comics fans from the Chicago area. ”

BOOTH

Prism’s booth’s is #668, your place to get autographs from our featured LGBT comics creators, meet other fans, and get info about Prism. Featured creators at the Prism booth are:

Charles “Zan” Christensen co-created two comics series with artist Mark Brill: the supernatural vigilante series The Mark of Aeacus, and the anti-bullying comic The Power Within, which earned he and Brill a place in OUT Magazine’s annual “OUT 100”.

Tony Breed is the man behind the Ignatz-nominated web comic Finn and Charlie are Hitched. The slice-of-life comic tells the story of married gay couple and their friends, and over the years has addressed such topics as sausage smuggling, teenage romance, and indie rock beards. Tony lives in Chicago with his husband, and makes good pie.

Jay Fuller the creator of the webcomic Banapplenut and his latest project The Boy in Pink Earmuffs, a loosely autobiographical webseries about two boys who fall in love. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Eric Johnson is the writer and artist of Radioactive Panda, a weekly webcomic which ran from 2003-2006, about mad science and inexcusable nonsense. His current project is Stone Clouds, a webcomic about a deteriorating high-tech underground empire. He lives in Chicago with his husband.

PARTY

On Friday night at 8pm, attend the “QUEER COMICS MEETUP AT BIG CHICKS UPTOWN BAR”
What better place for a meetup of queer comics fans of all stripes than the Chicago bar famous for welcoming men & men and women & women and women & men? Share a beverage, strike up a conversation with old and new friends, and make plans for what to see at C2E2 this weekend! Book and t-shirt giveaways courtesy of Northwest Press. 21 and over only. BIG CHICKS, 5024 N SHERIDAN RD

PROGRAMMING

Friday, April 13 (floor open 1-7pm):

7:30-8:30PM THE GEEK GIRL AND THE ARTIST: WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES ON GEEK CULTURE, GENDER IDENTITY AND ART/MEDIA
This panel highlights the experiences of six diverse female Chicago-based artists and communicators, ranging from professionals to hobbyists, who share a love of all things geek. The panelists will discuss how geek culture and interests have influenced their development as artists and communicators, and shaped their understanding of gender identity. With Dawn Xiana Moon, Erin Tipton, Jen Lucas, Kriss Abigail, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Michi Trota, and Susheela Bhat. ROOM N427BC

5:30-6:45 CSC-2: CONSTRUCTIONS OF RACE, GENDER, AND CHILDHOOD
David John Mitchell (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) explores the arche¬type of the femme/butch duo in Love & Rockets, Strangers in Paradise, and Wapsi Square to break down what is appealing and compelling about the femme/butch archetype and why it consistently reappears in the rare female-led titles. Also, Mark Heimermann (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) on themes of childhood and Chris Deis (Depaul University) on race in period superhero stories. ROOM S401D

Saturday, April 14 (floor open 10am-7pm):

11AM-NOON THE LADIES OF WOMANTHOLOGY
The ladies of this groundbreaking anthology will talk about their experiences working on the book. With Candice Reilly, Jean Kang, Jessica Daniels, Lauren Burke, Raven Moore, and Stephanie Hans. ROOM N427BC

11:30AM-12:30PM JOHN BARROWMAN Q&A
Captain Jack Harkness himself, John Barrowman, The star of Doctor Who and Torchwood will be entertaining fans in a very special Q&A! Bring your sonic screwdriver! IGN THEATER

4-5PM REWRITING THE RULES ON QUEERS IN COMICS
Depictions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters in comics seem to be breaking away from the purely positive “role model” portrayals that were common in comics over the past decade. Some creators aren’t shying away from sex, stereotypes and bad behavior in their pursuit of intriguing and well-rounded characters. As comics readers clamor for more explicit, more outrageous, and more extreme comics—and hail them as victories over timidity and political correctness—is it time to rewrite the rule book on queer characters? Join Stevie D and Joe Faust from the Comic Book Queers podcast, Robert Rodi (Codename: Knockout, Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers), Tony Breed (Finn and Charlie are Hitched) and moderator Charles “Zan” Christensen (The Mark of Aeacus, The Power Within) for a lively, irreverent discussion about the wild frontier of queers in comics). ROOM N427BC (it is in this room–the printed schedule shows “Occupy Comics” which is in not up-to-date)

7-8PM JANE ESPENSON AND BRAD BELL – BEYOND BUFFY AND BATTLESTAR
Jane Espenson, who has written for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ellen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Game of Thrones, Torchwood: Miracle Day, and ABC’s Once Upon a Time discusses her 20-year television career and her recent foray into the world of web content with her groundbreaking series gay marriage comedy Husbands. Joining Jane for part of the event will be Brad Bell, co-writer, co-creator and star of Husbands. ROOM S401ABC

Sunday, April 15 (floor open 10am-5pm):

10:45AM-11:45AM CBLDF: THE HISTORY (AND FUTURE) OF COMICS CENSORSHIP
Learn the shocking history of comics censorship and how even today comics and the people who make, sell and read them are still threatened. CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein tells the sordid tale, from the public book burnings and Senate hearings that led to the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s through the attacks on retailers in the 1980s, artists in the 1990s, and readers today that the CBLDF is working to combat! ROOM N426A

C2E2 is taking place at the North Building at McCormick Place. For more information about C2E2, click here.

Prism Comics is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that promotes LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) creators, characters, themes and readers in the comic book field. Along with convention appearances, Prism gives out an annual Queer Press Grant, and maintains a website (prismcomics.org) with LGBT creator listings and features on all that’s queer in comics.