Portland Comics Part 1

This is part one of a short documentary about the comic book scene in Portland Oregon.

It was made in 2005 and shown at the 2nd annual Stumptown Comics Fest.




on Youtube you can watch it in High Quality


-Swinebread

Comic Books Get Some Local Cred

Last Week, the day after my son was born, I noticed a front-page article in the Oregonian about Portland comic books. I didn’t have the time to read it then but I finally got back to it this week via Oregonlive.com. This paper has done several stories about the local comics scene but finally they put it right there on the front-page, for all to see. I’ve been waiting for this kind of nod to the importance that comics play in the makeup of the city of Portland. Of course, it’s not technically about comics, the article is really about comics being adapted into films that make big bucks but it’s a step in the right direction. I guess with Comic Con coming down the pike the folks at the Oregonian wanted to highlight the local contribution.

Here’s an excerpt:

Portland's thriving community of comics creators and publishers -- including Dark Horse Comics, Oni Press and Top Shelf Productions -- is playing a major role in feeding the silver screen's voracious appetite.

"Portland," says Eric Gitter, Oni Press' L.A.-based producing partner, "is the Hollywood of comic books."

The week before Batman and the Joker commandeered the nation's cineplexes, the No. 1 movie in the country was "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," adapted from the comics series published by Milwaukie-based Dark Horse Comics. Although it fell from its perch in the "Dark Knight" onslaught, even a brief stay on top can do wonders for your visibility, Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson says.

"My phone's been ringing," Richardson says. "Lots of people have been calling and saying, 'Congratulations! Oh, and by the way, I have a project . . .' "

Although publishers won't reveal exactly how much money such Hollywood deals add to their revenue stream, Richardson says the movie connection may account for Dark Horse's sales records for three consecutive years. "We're heading for another record this year, despite the economy," Richardson says. Dark Horse Entertainment has offices at Universal Studios and Sunset Gower Studios in Los Angeles and is developing a slate of productions.

Portland's Oni Press, with several projects in development, has added staff. "We're at seven people now in Portland and two in L.A.," Oni Press co-founder Joe Nozemack says.

Local comics publishers aren't necessarily driving Jaguars and rolling in dough, Nozemack says. "You're not looking at serious amounts of money until the films are actually made. But the money that creators get for option rights gives them the freedom to do their own thing rather than working on somebody else's characters."

The whole article here

-Swinebread

Comics For the People

Allison Hallet wrote a great article (see here) for the Portland Mercy about how comics have changed to become accessible for all and some of the reasons why Portland is at the epicenter of comic creation.

It’s a nice primer on the morning of the Stumptown Comics Fest.

Here’s an excerpt.

There has been a distinct cultural shift in the last decade, as graphic novels have gained a wide readership, superhero comics have been mined for both academic and "literary" material (see: Douglas Wolk, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon), and girls weaned on Japanese entertainments like Pokémon have gravitated en masse to manga. Put another way: Even my mom has read Persepolis. Anyone who still has hang-ups about buying comics need only set foot in the casually welcoming Cosmic Monkey Comics or North Portland's sleek Bridge City Comics to dispel all lingering stereotypes about the Comic Book Guy. So by now everyone in Portland knows that, to quote one of the most clichéd newspaper headlines ever, "comics aren't just for kids anymore." (Kapow!) You may not know, however, that local publishers Top Shelf, Oni Press, and Dark Horse have all had a hand in this shift. With April's designation as Comics Month, as Oni Publisher Joe Nozemack puts it, "Finally, the city is paying attention."

The root of Portland's comic book ascendance arguably rests with Dark Horse Comics' Mike Richardson. As Richardson himself says, "I helped bring a huge part of the comics industry here." Dark Horse is both the oldest and the largest of the three local publishers, and many folks in the industry who moved to town to work there have gone on to other projects in the area. The company, which Richardson started in 1986 with a $2,500 credit card, has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States (behind DC Comics and Marvel). From their Milwaukie headquarters, Dark Horse publishes series like Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the television show was cancelled after seven seasons; season eight is currently running in comic book form), as well as well-known titles like Frank Miller's Sin City and Mike Mignola's Hellboy. They're also the longest-running publisher of manga in the US; Richardson's early embrace of Japanese comics proved prescient, as young women have flocked to manga in droves (pounding a few more nails in the Comic Book Guy's coffin).

-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Narcopolis #1.


Project Superpowers #0, Dynamite Entertainment.

Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters #1, Dynamite Entertainment.

Black Summer #5, Avatar.

Narcopolis #0, Avatar.

Salem: Queen of Thorns #0, Boom Studios.

Badger Saves the World #2, IDW.

Terminator 2 #6, Dynamite Entertainment.


Back Issue:
Painkiller Jane #4, Dynamite Entertainment. Apparently this is part one of a crossover with Terminator 2. So I bought this issue of PJ so I’d know what was going on in issue 6 of Terminator 2.

Trades:
What Were They Thinking Boom Studios.

Previously Published Trades:
Wasteland Book 2, Oni Press.

Marvel Legacy: The 1960s-1990s Handbook Marvel Comics.

Scary Book Vol 1, Dark Horse Comics.


-Swinebread

Stumptown Comics Fest 2007

The Stumptown Comics Fest finally arrived this past weekend for it’s 5th annual two-day event. The Fest has really come into it’s own this year with expanded panels, comic awards and more creators. The location switch to the Double Tree Hotel was good choice as there were plenty of food and transportation choices nearby plus the park across the street added that green Oregon feel. The weather fully cooperated by giving us the gift of liquid sunshine especially on Sunday. Unfortunately, I was feeling a little ill the first day and wasn’t able to attend some of the later panels but I was back full force for second day.


The first creator I talked with was artist Steve Lieber. One of the works he’s famous for is Whiteout. He graciously signed my copy of the book and since the movie was coming out next year, I asked him if he was involved in the production at all. He told me he wasn’t but he visited the set while they were shooting and had many fascinating things to say about the project.

Steve was very happy with many aspects of the film; in fact they had taken panels directly from the comic to set up some shots but he insisted that the designer of the film was a genius and needed no help from him to bring the story to the screen. He remembered one set that had a huge block of ice but since the room was about 70 degrees it obviously had to be fake but it looked very real. He also was impressed with Kate Beckinsale the star of the movie. An interesting observation Steve had was that while shooting she had a loud all American tough-gal voice but off camera her natural British accent and soft voice immediately came back.


Steve noted with approval that several parts of the original comic story have been greatly expanded for the film and the Whiteout movie will be about 80% Whiteout and 20% Whiteout: Melt (the second graphic novel). He also noted that while he didn’t have any direct involvement, the writer of Whiteout, Greg Rucka actually assisted in smoothing out the script and plot of the film. In the new post Sin City and 300 moviemaking era the studios have realized that involvement by the original writer can be a very helpful. Duh, who would -a- thunk it… All and all Steve was inspired by what he saw on the set and he and Greg are working on getting another Whiteout volume out, as there will be a huge multi-million dollar commercial for the graphic novel hitting the screens soon.


Next up, I had artist Christopher Mitten sign my copy of the Wasteland trade paperback. He’s a very bright talkative guy and I complemented him on his work. He spoke about how working with Oni Press had really been a great experience and that Wasteland was that breakthrough project (my words) he’d been seeking. When I told him I wasn’t buying the individual comics and that I preferred the trades he laughed and mentioned volume 2 is out in December. Being from Chicago, this was his first trip to Portland and he really liked it. I urged him to try out some of our fine brewpubs while he was here.


I swung by Nicole Georges table to say hi. She produces the much talked about zine-comic Invincible Summer. She was looking as 60’s as ever and had cupcakes to sell in addition to her illustrated wares. I picked up the latest issue and noticed that she’s doing a split comic with Clutch. Is that who was sitting next to her? We were both focused on Nicole and didn’t introduce ourselves to each other.


A creator that looks like he’s on his way is Matt Silady. He recently published his graphic novel The Homeless Channel. Portland was the last stop on a 4-con tour to promote his comic. He had an interesting story about how AIT/Planet Lar picked up his book to be published. Apparently he was tired of working at home in isolation so he started drawing at a buddy’s comic shop in the bay area. It worked out well for both because customers could come in and see a real artist working on comic book and Matt was much less lonely. He had published two mini-comics at that point and was working on the third when the publisher that had offices across the way casually mentioned that he would publish the Homeless Channel. At the urging of his fiancée he followed up and sure enough, the offer was real. Well the whole title was collected and published in one book and has received many good reviews. I guess you still can get discovered these days huh!


Near Steve Lieber was Sara Ryan’s table. She’s another up and coming writer. She was nominated for an Eisner for Me and Edith Head. I bought a copy of Click, her short story comic about high school. I asked her about her writing process, and she usually likes using a full script but if she knows the writer really well then she may talk through many details with the artist rather than script them out.


A guy who has fully embraced computer technology is John Worsley. Not only is he fully digital nowadays when it comes to creating his comics (he uses a combination of Painter and Photoshop) but he along with his programmer are developing a Sci-Fi MMORPG. They had a demo running which they will use to entice funding in the coming months. I try to stay away from computer games as they’re like crack to me but I think the guys are on to something. The premise is that it’s based on skill, intelligence and luck rather than simply time to advance characters, I mean really who has time to spend billions of hours for on-line gamming to get a powerful character. I don’t. I also picked up the second issue of John’s Distopian thriller Painkillers. I can’t wait to read it!


I had a chance to talk to Mike Allred and had him sign the first issue of his new Mad Man title. I kinda’ checked out of Mike's stuff for a while, but man, this comic published by Image was gorgeous and his wife’s coloring was better than ever. I was surprised to see the Atomics in Mad Man so I asked Mike about it. Apparently, the plan was to have Mad Man lead the Atomics for a time and have lots of crossovers but Dark Horse didn’t think the Atomics were mainstream enough and wanted Mike to stick with Mad Man exclusively. Well, Mike felt that the Atomics were much more commercial than Mad Man and that’s why he walked away from Dark Horse. Now I know why AAA Pop comics published the Atomics… and not DH.



This is just a small sample of what was going on. I really had a great time and enjoyed the panel discussions and workshops, especially the ones put on by the Pacific Northwest College of Art. They had some nice tips for staying creative and focused on your goals. I had a nice chitchat with Carol Lay too. I didn’t go to any of the after parties, like the one that included the Comic Art Battle, but maybe I’ll catch those next year. The Stumptown Comics Fest is a small and intimate convention and its’ definitely been worth it. The show has great creator focused feel that’s been lost at other venues, plus it is in Portland were I live so that make extra special right?



-Swinebread

My New Comics

This week’s best cover is Suicide Squad #1.

The Walking Dead #42, Image.

Suicide Squad #1, DC Comics. An impulse buy, hopefully the villains in this title won’t let me down.

Cthulhu Tales: Tainted #1, Boom Studios.

The Un-Men #2, DC Comics. It looks really freaking bizarre. I need more bizarre right now.

Lone Ranger #8, Dynamite Entertainment.

Groo: 25th Anniversary Special, #1, Dark Horse. I’ve developed a new respect for this comedy Sword & Sorcery series. I’ll have to get all the trades now.

Picked up some back issues:

The Un-Men #1, DC Comics. I saw the 2nd issue of Un-Men on the shelf and it looked really weird and since my shop still had #1, I decided to pick ‘em both up.

Whiteout Trade paperback vol #1, Oni Press. I figured I better get this to support the local guys and to read it before the movie comes out.


-Swinebread

Randomness

I finally started reading my trade paperback copy of Wasteland from Oni Press. It’s a black and white post-apocalyptic comic set a hundred years after the big wet (an unspecified disaster). I’m enjoying it so far, but I’m also quite the sucker for post-apocalyptic stories. The art is slightly cartoony, but the grayscale helps keep it serious. Also, Oni Press is another homegrown comic company from Portland.


Finished reading The Chronicles of Conan volume 12 by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema. It includes the tragic end of Robert E. Howard’s Queen of the Black Coast. Very fitting for me, as Vol 8, which had the first half of Queen of the Black Coast, got me started buying these Conan comic collections. You can read my original review of Volume 8 here. If you are a Conan or a sword and sorcery fan, do yourself a favor and pick these up. I am now personally convinced that Conan the Barbarian is the best mainstream comic from the 1970s. This is due to the heavily researched legwork by the writer and the fantastic drawings by the artists. I can’t wait for next collection due in Novmember.
I also finished reading Who Fighter by Seiho Takizawa. It’s a trade that collects a few one off manga stories. I enjoyed it quite a bit. From the backcover:

the first story in this anthology, "Who Fighter," is a play on the legendary "Foo Fighters," the nickname given to the mysterious, UFO-like fireballs that were sighted by World War II pilots. An ace Japanese pilot manages to shoot one of the fireballs down . . . or does he? As ominous signs and visions begin to follow in his steps, the bewildered pilot wonders if he's lost not only his memory of the incident–but also his very mind! The second story, "Heart of Darkness," is Takizawa's unique take on the Joseph Conrad novel that inspired the film Apocalypse Now. A Japanese war hero, Colonel Kurutsu, has gone rogue, setting up his own private kingdom deep upriver in the jungles of Burma. A young captain, sent to execute Kurutsu, finds that the true reasons for the Colonel's "desertion" are very different from what he was told

I wish Mr. Takizawa would have created a continuing series for who fighter, as the concept was very engaging and weird War is another of my favorite genres.

Hey, I also wanted to give a heads up as the Stargate: SG1 series finale airs this Friday. I’m gonna’ miss it because of work, but SciFi should rebroadcast later. It had a good run with really strong shows in the middle seasons.

-Swinebread