Chicago is like a haven for great indie comic artists. Among my favorites are Laura Park, Jeremy Tinder, Joshua Cotter, Jeffrey Brown, Chris Ware, Grant Reynolds, Anders Nilsen, Paul Hornschemier and I'm not sure, but I think Aaron Reiner is living there now. You can check out some jams by most of these guys at the ol' Trubble Club: [link]

Definitely hang out around Chicago Comics and Quimby's Books and before long you'll be sure to see some awesome stuff from these guys laying around.