Goblin Market Manga & Curiosities

A hand holds a flyer in front of a street scene in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The flyer advertises “Lincoln Brunch Fest,” scheduled for Saturday, October 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Art District, presented by the Lakeview Special Service Area 27. The event will take place on Lincoln Avenue from Diversey to Wellington. Behind the flyer, the “Left Coast Food + Juice” restaurant sign is visible, with tree-lined sidewalks, cars, and a traffic light at the intersection of George, Lakewood, and Lincoln Avenue in the background.

Brunch Fest is this Saturday, 10am-2pm! Come by for free brunch samples, and swing by our Banned Book Reading Tent. 📚🥞

We're closing at 5pm after Brunch Fest to host Dungeons and Derby, a fundraiser for the Windy City Rollers.

The Artistic Alphabet Mafia is the organizer behind the Care Cubbies. Check them out at carecubby.net for more Care Cubby locations in Chicago.

Donations happily accepted! We'd really like to add some menstrual products, pet food, rapid covid tests, and at-home flu tests.

And we're on the look out for cute little baskets to keep things neat and organized.

Right now, the Care Cubby is stocked with Narcan, drug testing strips, pregnancy tests, sexual health items, kn95 masks, pain killer, ear plugs, hand sanitizer, and pet treats.

A wooden chest decorated as a Dungeons & Dragons-style “mimic,” with teeth, eyes, a red tongue, and a green dragon head on the front. The chest is open, showing a teeth and a hint of a tongue. Under the chest, there are shelves stocked with Narcan boxes, harm reduction supplies, and other small items.

Two boxes of Narcan nasal spray (naloxone HCl 4mg) on a shelf. The boxes contain two single-dose nasal spray devices for emergency treatment of opioid overdose.

A close-up of a basket with packets labeled “WiseBatch Harm Reduction,” containing individually wrapped test strips. Signs indicate three types: benzodiazepine, xylazine, and fentanyl single-use test strips.

Have you noticed this new friend in our Art & Community space? It's a Care Cubby stocked to help you care for yourself and your community!

Our Care Cubby was made by the @trashgoblins.bsky.social, because goblins believe in mutual aid. 💚

An artist with short blonde hair paints Halloween window art at dusk, seen through a shop’s glass with street reflections

Spooky windows are almost done! 🎃

Library-shelf background with a tall stack of books at right. Large text: “There were over 10,000 attempts to ban or censor books in school libraries last year. Censorship has increased dramatically in 2025.”

Library-shelf background with the line: “Book bans overwhelmingly target books featuring people of color and LGBTQ+ people.” Jacket images shown: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, and Flamer by Mike Curato.

Text on a bookshelf background: “Three Avenues Bookshop & Goblin Market are teaming up to bring Freedom to Read Day to Lincoln Ave. Stop by our Banned Book Reading Tent during Lincoln Ave Brunch Fest to relax with a banned book and discover ways to fight book bans. Banned Book Story Time! 1:30 pm, A Big Mooncake for Little Star.”

“Let Freedom Read Day” open-book logo over a library-shelf background. Text: “The freedom to read is under attack — let’s do something about it!”

Stop by our Banned Book Reading Tent (~2860 N Lincoln Ave) during Brunch Fest to relax with a banned book and learn how you can fight book bans.

“What if we kissed at the Brunch Fest Banned Book Reading Tent.” Event graphic with stacked books on a library-shelf background. Text: “Saturday, October 11, 10am–2pm.” Logos for Goblin Market and Three Avenues Bookshop.

What pairs better than brunch and books? Saturday, Oct 11 is Let Freedom Read Day and Lincoln Ave Brunch Fest! Three Avenues Bookshop and Goblin Market are teaming up to help our community fight book bans.

A meme in two panels. The top is a scene from the film Mean Girls with the caption It's October 3rd. The bottom is a pocket watch with Don't Forget 3.Oct.10 from Fullmetal Alchemist.

It's October 3rd.

A group of people in the Goblin Market art & community space

Critical Role Campaign 4 is starting now!!!

A photo taken from inside a shop of a person painting a ghost on the outside of the window

Goblin Market's storefront. A woman in a white skirt and grey top is painting a ghost and clouds on the window, and paint bottles are lined up on the windowsill

Goblin Market's storefront. A woman in a white skirt and grey top is painting a ghost and clouds on the window. There is a ladder and paint bottles are lined up on the windowsill

Our windows are getting a spooky makeover! 👻

Don Alsafi of Goblin Market holding two comics

Two picks from Don this week:
The Author Immortal #1 by Frank J. Barbiere & Morgan Beem — A washed-up writer wakes up inside the fantasy series he loved as a kid.

The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft #1 by Romuald Giulivo & Jakub Rebelka — A surreal, haunting take on Lovecraft’s final hours.

A blindfolded man with fangs and a city coming out of his head and the words Critical Role Campaign 4

Calling all Critters! Join us tomorrow for nerdy crafts and the launch of Critical Role campaign 4! criticalrolewatchparty.eventbrite.com

A hand holding a sticker with a possum and the words Trans Rights or I Bites

This sticker by @thesadsquatch.bsky.social is calling to me today.

Bsky is my favorite social media platform (other than our store discord), so I made you guys a coupon code. 🖤 Use the code "skeets" for 30% off craft kits.

A mimic from D&D painted up in rainbow colors and surrounded by dice

Nerdy crafts start at 7pm, including our most popular craft kit--mimic dice boxes!

Join us this Thursday for nerdy crafts and the launch of Critical Role campaign 4! criticalrolewatchparty.eventbrite.com

It's great having an offsite event that's close enough to use a wagon instead of renting a car!

Daniel outside Beermiscuous, a bat with a lot open sign in the window. Daniel is standing next to a fully loaded wagon

That's a wrap on our first Boozy Book Fair! Thanks so much to @beermiscuous.bsky.social and to everyone who stopped by. 💖

Ryvre of Goblin Market holding a book behind a table of books

Boozy Book Fair at Beermiscuous, with a table full of books

Boozy Book Fair is in full swing! Come on down for beer and books!

Got a response from Faire:
"at this time, brands are not expected to disclose the use of AI for products sold on Faire. We ask that retailers proceed at their own caution"

Faire also confirmed that they allow AI items to be marked handmade 🤢

DIY Button Bar, Sunday September 28, 11am-4pm

We're bringing out the button makers this Sunday! Bring your own art or use our provided comics and manga.

Don Alsafi holding a Twilight Zone comic in front of Goblin Market's tarot and occult section

Don's pick this week is the Twilight Zone #1, a new anthology series from @idwpublishing.com!

Written by @danpgwatters.bsky.social with art by @morganbeem.bsky.social, the first issue is titled “Blanks.”

Three books: Cuckoo, Manhunt, and Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Need more queer and trans horror for the spooky season? We've got you covered!

Stop into the shop or come by our Boozy Book Fair this Saturday at Beermiscuous for our favorite horror by LGBTQ+ authors and artists! (and a whole lot more!)

Being up front about AI prints and stickers allows us to skip them for our store. Clear rules about what can be marked as handmade would help us order more from actual artists!

The only people the policy would hurt are those trying to pass off AI art as handmade.

I've pulled back on ordering art prints and stickers on Faire because of this. I know that's not helpful to real artists, but the only two bad reviews my store has is over AI art that was passed off to us as real. (I'm pretty good at catching it, but not 100%, unfortunately)

If you buy on Faire and don't want nasty surprises like this, contact customer service and let them know!

If you sell on Faire and don't want your art to be confused with AI art, let them know that as well.

To clarify, while AI-generated art is not something Faire actively supports or promotes, we are still working to improve how this kind of content is monitored and disclosed. Your concerns are completely valid, and I genuinely appreciate you bringing them to our attention.

Google search result snippet for Faire (faire.com) showing the headline ‘Wholesale AI art for your store’ with preview text about AI-driven artistry. On the right is a thumbnail image of an AI dog in a shiny astronaut suit and helmet

Their customer service told me they don't actively support AI art, but that's not really accurate.

AI animal hands with too many fingers and the text "Faire Wholesale allows brands to sell AI art as handmade. Were these the hands that made it?

An AI animal hand with too many fingers and the text This is actual "art" from Faire that was marked handmade from a brand with good reviews

I'm very frustrated with Faire today!

Requiring brands to disclose that they're selling AI art prints seems like the bare minimum a platform can do. Instead, Faire has no policy at all.

Don't make me tap the sticker

(sticker credit to @harebrained.bsky.social)