Name: Off the Page — an evening of queer comix readings
Start: 2025-10-23T18:30:00-05:00
End: 2025-10-23T20:30:00-05:00
Location: Gerber/Hart Library & Archives

$Off the Page \u2014 an evening of queer comix readings$

Six cartoonists come together to share their work off the page and into live reading performances!
About this Event

It's fall in Chicago, which can only mean one thing: OFF THE PAGE returns for a night of seasonally appropriate comix! Six cartoonists will perform their work—interpreting their art through live readings with a variety of performance styles. From queer horror to vampire hijinks to Halloween-coming-of-age, you won't want to miss this extra-spooky comix reading.

Readers include:

Mark Bouchard
Lake Christou
Jaime Dear
Aaliyah Lachel'e
Kit Montgomery
Bianca Xunise

Doors at 6pm with half an hour before our event starts at 6:30pm. The event will run to 8:30pm with an intermission in the middle. Gerber/Hart closes at 9pm.

Tickets are free but reservations are required due to limited space. This show is 18+.

Costumes are, of course, encouraged.

★★★

ABOUT GERBER/HART

Gerber/Hart is a LGBTQ+ library and archives located in the Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago. Founded in 1981, Gerber/Hart is one of the largest repositories of LGBTQ+ content in the world. Gerber/Hart is a 501(c)3 non-profit and focuses on collecting, preserving, and making accessible the LGBTQ history and culture of Chicago and the Midwest.

Learn more at gerberhart.org or by following @gerberhart onInstagram and Facebook. And for a deep dive into some of the amazing collections at Gerber/Hart, listen in to their podcast Unboxing Queer History!

Accessibility: Gerber/Hart is located on the second floor of 6500 N Clark Street. There is a staircase just inside the entrance (by the Walgreens) and an elevator at the end of the hallway (past the Howard Brown front desk).

★★★

ABOUT THE CARTOONISTS

Mark Bouchard (they/them) writes mostly queer horror comics, and also SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. They love horror, hardcore punk, their spouse, and seitan chikn parm.

Lake Christou is a Canadian cartoonist, printmaker and butch, based in Chicago. Their work, which alternates between autobio and fantasy, celebrates the inherent absurdity of mundane life.

Jaime Dear came from Ohio. They distribute comics & zines with their friends at Strange Deer Press. Most of their stuff can be read for free at potatofuzz.itch.io.

Aaliyah Lachel'e (she/her) is a queer Chicago based cartoonist and illustrator. She writes fantastical stories about girlhood and loserdom. This time, she's writing about vampires. Aaliyah will be performing with Zee Bareika and Kales Merrick.

Kit Montgomery is a cartoonist, zine maker, and small press pest based in Chicago. They created Draculester and other border-line curses.

Bianca Xunise’s work has been regarded as ‘gripping narrative[s], relatable situations, and evocative artwork with an aesthetic that oozes with late-1970s zine flair.’ With two Ignatz and an NAACP Award under their belt, Bianca enjoys being a voice for those who march to the beat of their own drum and hopes that their comics are comforting to those who feel like they don’t fit in. Bianca will be performing with co-collaborator Michael Mercurio.