1 Margaret Cho

Chicago Theatre

The first Asian American woman to nab a network sitcom (ABC’s ill-fated All-American Girl), Grammy-nominated Cho eviscerates pop culture’s inanities in the manner of her late mentor, Joan Rivers. October 3. $30 to $60. ticketmaster.com

2 Kyle Kinane, Pete Holmes, and Liza Treyger

Venue Six10

Three prodigal comedians of Lincoln Lodge lore return to Chicago to perform and chat about their time in the city’s standup scene. September 26. $30. chicagomag.com/culturefestival

3 Dave Attell

Up Comedy Club

Best known for hosting Comedy Central’s Insomniac with Dave Attell, the profane, self-deprecating comic touches on everything from global warming to Jewish conspiracy theories. October 8 to 10. $35. upcomedyclub.com

4 Lewis Black

Chicago Theatre

The seething, darkly funny Black began ranting on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1996; he hasn’t stopped since. October 10. $40 to $75. ticketmaster.com

5 Janeane Garofalo

City Winery

Expect the ’90s alt icon (Wet Hot American Summer, Reality Bites) to be as acerbic as ever, applying her fiercely feminist lens to such disparate topics as Catholicism, porn, and asexuality. October 23. $28 to $35. citywinery.com

6 Jim Jefferies

Vic Theatre

You may recognize this prickly, foulmouthed Australian from his star turn on FX’s now-canceled Legit—or from a biting bit on U.S. gun control that recently went viral. November 13 to 14. $40. jamusa.com

7 Sebastian Maniscalco

Chicago Theatre

A native of Arlington Heights, the perpetually perturbed Maniscalco draws on his Italian upbringing and the ever-annoying society in which he lives. November 28. $41 to $49. ticketmaster.com

8 Russell Peters

Venue at Horseshoe Casino-Hammond

With his protean ability to mimic the accents that made up his polyglot childhood in Canada, Peters routinely sells out stadiums across the world. Still, his cachet in America isn’t as high as he thinks it should be. October 10. $59 to $94. livenation.com

9 John Hodgman

Thalia Hall

A former correspondent for The Daily Show, Hodgman riffs on New England, dad mustaches, and public transit in his latest one-man show, Vacationland. September 24. $25 to $28. thaliahallchicago.com

10 Tony Roberts

Jokes and Notes

If you’re a fan of vintage Kevin Hart, check out this similarly high-energy act from a veteran of It’s Showtime at the Apollo and HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. October 9 to 11. $20. jokesandnotes.com