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The good chaps at Secret Headquarters answer the age old question, “what happens when you ask a bunch of cartoonists, artists and assorted weirdos to do one panel comics?” as they’re one-of-a-kind comic book shop in Silver Lake hosts the group show Bound & Gagged. “Comedy, horror, navel gazing, abstraction and more” curated by Tom Neely and I Will Destroy You featuring the artists listed below and, of course, comics and booze!

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East coast skateboarding meets West coast comic booking as the Secret Headquarters welcomes skate rag Born Ugly creators James Callahan and Mickael Broth to their Silver Lake comic book park for their show Drawings, Photos and Drawings of Photos as well as the release of the latest issue of Born Ugly.

From SHQ:

“Brewed in the bars and backyard ramps of Richmond Virginia, Born Ugly Magazine is the voice and visual of
the everyday skateboarder. With content focused on the lives of people that skateboard for the
love of it, and not a paycheck, Born Ugly sets itself apart from the homogenized glut of skateboard mags
currently saturating skate shop counters. Add to that layouts infused with illustration soaked in Masonite dust and beer sweat, and you’ve got Born Ugly.

James Callahan. Mickael Broth. Skateboarding. Comics. Toilet Humor. Drawings. Barf. Some other stuff that we are not aware of. Get into it. They will be at Secret Headquarters Friday August 6th starting at 7pm with the newest issue of BORN UGLY as well as a slew of drawings and paintings. Crack a beer with these east coast powerhouses.

There will be drinks. We hope that there will not be actual barf.
Be sure to ask about karate chopping a toilet that has been set on fire…”

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Welcome back to Earth geeks and geekettes! And although your long journey (San Diego) from your precious dork utopia (Comic Con) is now over, you don’t have to hang up your Spock ears and Slave Leia costumes just yet because Silver Lake’s Secret Headquarters has got one last bit of nerdiness for you this Monday: comic book artist extraordinaire Paolo Rivera comes to town to sign your funny books and what nots.

From SHQ:

“So, you know that Punisher Spider-Man story: Crime and Punisher? You know that sort of Punisher Skull type shirt SHQ made a small run of..?  This is the guy. Paolo Rivera. He is also the guy that painted all of those Marvel Mythos stories. The same guy that is working on the new Amazing Spider-Man: One Moment In Time story arc. That guy, Paolo, is going to be at Secret Headquarters tomorrow night. He’ll be standing around for a little while some come on down. If you ever wanted to meet the valedictorian of the Mainland High School class of 1999, here is your chance!”

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Come for the comics stay for the pie, Octopus Pie that is. Silver Lake’s Secret Headquarters hosts comic book author Meredith Gran as she doles out heaping servings, and book signings, of her famously delicious Octopus Pie.

From the SHQ:

“Meredith Gran’s OCTOPUS PIE (www.octopuspie.com) debuted in 2007 and quickly developed
a large fan base, making it one of the most popular comics on the Internet. The webcomic follows the adventures of nerdy and acerbic Eve Ning, who lives with her long-lost childhood friend (and perpetual happy stoner), Hanna, in Brooklyn. Initially published three times a week, and now posted in collected “episodes,” the stories and world of OCTOPUS PIE have developed over hundreds of strips. Now the first two years of the comic are collected in the beautiful Villard trade paperback OCTOPUS PIE: There Are No Stars In Brooklyn.”

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So sorry for the super late posts today people of the internets. Hope you get out and enjoy your second summertime weekend!

Vanessa Davis’ Primal Donna at Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake.

From the SHQ:

“Vanessa Davis is the award-winning cartoonist of the graphic novel and minicomic Spaniel Rage, which has been praised by Bust and Vice magazines. Her new Drawn & Quarterly book, Make Me a Woman, was serialized online for Tablet Magazine and will debut this year, solidifying her role as one of the leading cartoonists and humorists of her generation. Using beautiful watercolors, refreshing honesty, and humor, her comics made an immediate impression and have appeared in such anthologies as Kramers Ergot, Best American Comics, Stuck in the Middle, Papercutter, and An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories.”

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Comic books and the Secret Headquarters go hand in hand like Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig. Wait, what?! At least that’s what the crew at the Silver Lake hideout would like you to believe as they invite Tom Neely and Scot Nobles to open their bizarre show and book release with Henry and Glenn Forever.

From the SHQ:

“Henry and Glenn Forever is the ridiculous idea born out of a night of too many beers shared by a group of artists who sometimes call themselves The Igloo Tornado. On that night Gin Stevens said “There should be a Tom of Finland book, but with Henry and Glenn…” and Tom Neely and Scot Nobles replied: “Yes! And we’re going to do it!” This bold idea (or is it a bad idea?) became a small zine that grew into a notorious legend that has now become a nice little book published by Cantankerous Titles.

In order to keep the artists calm and in the room we will be serving our usual whiskey and beer extravaganza. The festivities start at 8pm and will go until Glenn or Henry decide that they have had enough of this nonsense…

Secret Headquarters will have the original art work on hand for the month of May as well as copies of the now, somewhat notorious, Henry and Glenn Forever book.”

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The good lads at Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake not only sell the finest comic books in all the land, they also do a fine job of bringing you art shows in the finest of environments. This weekends’ Covered group show, where a plethora of artists re-interpret comic book covers, is no exception and marks the shops largest show to date (I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek and the art is bonkers. Make sure to look for Johnny Ryan’s contribution!)

Check a preview of the pieces on Flickr here.

More from the Secreters:

“Artists from North America and Europe re-imagine old comic covers in their own style. Based on the blog: www.coveredblog.blogspot.com and curated by blog editor, Robert Goodin.

Artists included are: Andrew Brandou, Jeffrey Brown, Albert Calleros, Coop, Ludovic Debeurme, Michael Deforge, Valerie Fletcher, Yoko Furusho, Robert Goodin, Lisa Hanawalt, Dustin Harbin, Sammy Harkham, Sam Henderson, Josh Holinaty, Patrick Kochakji, Joy Kolitsky, Joe Lambert, Bob London, Tom Neely, Ben Newman, Laura Park, Brian Ralph, Aaron Renier, M. Jason Robards, Johnny Ryan, Richard Sala, Genevieve Simms, Jeremy Tinder, Jon Vermilyea, Anthony Vukojevich, and Steven Weissman.

The show can also be experienced on The Covered blog with one new cover being posted per day beginning March 6th. Work can be purchased by following a link to the Secret Headquarters Flickr page or calling Secret Headquarters….“

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Keeping it Silver Lake-centric, the deadly duo of Daves of Secret Headquarters host the art of Lisa Hanawalt at their comfy comic book shop tomorrow night. I got a sneak peek at some of the illustrated pieces and I must say they are impressively detailed, a must see up close! Very affordable too!

More from the Secret Headquarterers:

“Lisa Hanawalt is some girl from Palo Alto, CA who has a fancy art degree from UCLA.
When Lisa isn’t seen drawing at the Buenaventura booth, or freezing in New York, she can be found creating work for The Believer, McSweeney’s, Vice Magazine, etc. The Secret Headquarters team thinks Hanawalt’s work is top notch amazing.

Join the talented Lisa Hanawalt for a drink or two as she discusses the merits of Indian Jones and the craft of hand painted picture frames.”

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With the holidays and gift giving seasons upon us, some generous art shows and events are here to lend a helping hand with giveaways, affordable stuffs and comic books.

• The Secret Headquarters hosts a “one night only” evening with acclaimed artist and creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola, at their Silver Lake comic book store. In addition, “SHQ will also be offering a limited edition Mignola illustrated 3 color letterpress print made specifically for this show. The prints feature never before seen Hellboy artwork by Mike Mignola with color supervision by Dave Stewart.”

• Sonja Rasula once again gives us her uniquely locally independent design show which features direct shopping from over 300 designers and artists, in support of local design as well as our economy, with the UNIQUE LA Holiday Show. Admission not only gets you re-entry through the weekend and a free drink, but also a free tote with exclusive artwork by Shepard Fairey’s Studio No. 1. Also our Gelatobaby friend Alissa Walker will be on hand to help you do the robot, ornaments that is.

• To commemorate the DVD release of our film, Beautiful Losers, director Aaron Rose will be coming on hand to introduce Beautiful Losers Shorts, rare films by the artists and friends of the film. Screening at The Cinefamily on Fairfax, this special presentation features works Mike Mills, Harmony Korine, Thomas Campbell, Geoff McFetridge, Cheryl Dunn, Chris Johanson, Stephen Powers, Spike Jonze, Clare E. Rojas, Tobin Yelland, Jo Jackson and more!

(flyer design once again creatively crafted by Keith Scharwath)

• Giant Robot’s ever affordable cash and carry show is back at GR2 with Post It 4 featuring new work on post its by Gary Baseman, Bob Dob, Evah Fan, Matt Furie, Ryan Heshka, Travis Lampe, Johnny Ryan, Souther Salazar, Deth P. Sun and many, many more. Prices vary between $5.00 and $100.00 - but most pieces priced at $20.00. Limit one piece from each artist on opening night.

• Deck the Halls with Tony Alva for a charitable silent art auction and 4 Year Anniversary Celebration at his Exhibit A Gallery on Fairfax. Featuring artwork from skateboarders Christian Hosoi, Wynn Miller, Mark Gonzalez and many more. RSVP a must!

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Close out the summer this Labor Day weekend with art openings, saving our state parks by dancing your ass off and watching classic movies in unusual places around Los Angeles.

• Brooklyn based artist Jon Vermilyea brings an Attack From Space with art and a new silkscreen book to The Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake.

• Fresh friends at Fresh Pressed host Michael C. Hsiung and his cast of mythical creatures for an opening and live screenprinting of select works in Los Feliz.

• Picnicing, beer tasting and “beautiful baby” watching at the Barnsdall Art Park for an outdoor movie night featuring Jon Favreau’s Los Feliz inspired Swingers.

• Go to the Fuck Yeah Fest and help save our state parks while enjoying the musical stylings of the Black Lips, No Age, Tim and Eric and many more F-Yeahers at the Los Angeles State Historic Park.

• Buff Monster brings a Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile to the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City just in time to cool off and close out the summer.

• Be there for Being There at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery as Cinespia presents the 1979 dramedy (and original Forrest Gump) directed by Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude) starring Peter Sellers.

• Enjoy your day off while watching the recently departed John Hughes’ 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Also at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

• Also on Saturday night, The Cinefamily on Fairfax and Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Show) has an adventure for you should you choose to accept it: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure directed by Tim Burton. Screening as part of the Upright Citizens Brigade’s Comedy Death Ray series.

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