Hey, all! If you attended this last year's Comics Fest and wrote a report on it for your blog, or took some pictures which didn't get added to our flickr group, please let us know! We'd love to add a link to it here on the Stumptown homepage! Either reply here in the comments, or by email to info -at-stumptowncomics.com. Thanks for your help!

Last night's opening of the Stumptown Comics Fest was a fun, low-key, relaxed time, and I believe that today will be even better! The Comix Apocalypse proved, once again, that Portland has the best cartoonists in the country, as we defended our honor against contestants from the Other coast, California, and points in between. Congratulations Team Portland!

A few small announcements:

Sadly, Phil Foglio and Matt Fraction won't be joining us at the Fest this year. Phil had a last minute conflict arise, and Matt is honoring a prior commitment to appear at a show in Kansas City. I'm hoping they'll both be able to join us again next year.

It looks like internationally-known comics-brainiac superstar Scott McCloud will be joining us today! In a surprise visit, Scott, probably best known for Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and his latest, Making Comics, will be taking a detour from his ongoing 50-State Tour to come check out Stumptown. You can most likely find him wandering the hall, or resting with friends Jenn Manley Lee and Barry Deutsch at table 77.

Second, our official photographer this year, Joshin Yamada, has started a flickr group for the Stumptown Comics Fest, and has already posted a bunch of pictures from yesterday as well as from the awesome pre-Fest party thrown by exhibitors Steve Lieber and Sara Ryan. So, if you've been taking pictures, please feel free to post them here, and if you know who someone is in one of the pictures, help us label them!

The Third Annual Stumptown Comics Fest hits Portland this weekend with its largest assortment of creators, cartoonists, illustrators, publishers and retailers yet. The show runs for two big days, Friday, October 27th and Saturday, October 28th in the south end of the Oregon Convention Center's Portland Ballroom.

Admission for the Fest is $5 per day, or $10 for a Weekend Pass (includes a poster and button, while suppplies last), and gives you access to 120 tables of exhibitor space and a full schedule of panels and presentations. Hours for the Fest are:

Friday: 4pm - 8pm
Saturday: 10am - 6pm

See you there!

First, I'm sad to announce that Mike Allred won't be able to appear at the Comics Fest this year after all. I was really looking forward to meeting Mike and talking about comics and religion, but a scheduling conflict finds him elsewhere in the country at this time of year (and considering the October weather in Portland, I can't say I totally blame him). I'm hoping he'll be able to join us next year, though. Likewise, Lark Pien and Thien Pham find themselves at the mercy of the fates, and won't be joining us this year either. This would have been Lark's first time at Stumptown, and we're sorry she won't be here, though if you look closely and ask around I'm sure you'll be able to find some of her work at the Global Hobo table.

Second, I'm happy to announce that the Exhibitors List has been updated with table numbers! I've also posted the table map as a downloadable pdf, so you can find out where your favorite exhibitors are going to be and plan your route accordingly! Enjoy!

This year's Stumptown Comics Fest, taking place on October 27th & 28th in Portland, Oregon, is pleased to announce that their 120-table exhibitor space is completely sold out, nearly two weeks before the official deadine for exhibitor registrations.

Exhibitors who still hope to get on the waiting list are encouraged to send in their forms before the official deadline, however the increasing popularity of the Comics Fest makes it unlikely that any tables will become available. The creator-focused convention, the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, has grown significantly from the modest beginnings of its first event, which saw nearly 40 cartoonists and self-publishers sharing a scant 22 tables just two years ago. Much of that growth is attributed to extremely positive word-of-mouth promotion within the communities of cartoonists that populate the west coast.

The Stumptown Comics Fest has a history of showcasing local talent such as Shannon Wheeler, Paul Guinan, and Jeff Parker continues this year with appearances by "Banana Sunday" artist Colleen Coover and Mike Allred, known for his creator-owned works "Madman Comics" and "The Atomics". We also welcome Paul Chadwick, who celebrates the 20th anniversary of his Eisner-award winning creation "Concrete", which helped launch Dark Horse Comics' flagship title "Dark Horse Presents" in 1986. Also joining us this year are "Flight" anthology editor Kazu Kibuishi, Long-running alternative comics artist Keith Knight, and Steve Rolston, artist for Oni Press' "Queen & Country" and Dark Horse Comics' "The Escapists".

This year, exhibitors are venturing from all over the country to spend the Halloween weekend in Portland. Cartoonists from Seattle, San Diego, and Los Angeles join locals from Portland, Salem, and Wood Village, Oregon, while others are travelling from as far as Poland, Maine to Hamtramck, Michigan, to Vancouver BC and Boulder, Colorado, and all points in-between. More than 40 of the 200+ creators and exhibitors appearing at this year's Fest had such a good time at last year's Fest that they decided to come back.

This year also marks the first appearance of such iconic Northwest publishers as Dark Horse Comics and Fantagraphics Books, as well as repeat appearances by Portland-based independent favorites Top Shelf Comics and Oni Press.

Admission for this year's Fest will be $5 per day. Attendees also have the option on Friday to purchase a Weekend package for $10, which includes admission both days, as well as an official poster and pin featuring artwork by "Spiral Bound" author Aaron Renier, while supplies last.

August has been a busy month for us here - the Early Bird Registration deadline has passed, and our available tables have dwindled from close to 40 down to a scant 12 tables available, with a little more than two months left before the Fest! The Exhibitors List has just been updated to show the tremendous number of excellent cartoonists, illustrators, writers, and publishers who will be joining us this October! There's still time for you to get your name on that list, you know! The official deadline is September 15, though it's entirely possible that we may run out of available space before that. Once all the tables are gone I'll be starting a waiting list, and will then begin assigning tables, if they become available, on a first-come-first-served basis. In 2005, not enough exhibitors cancelled to allow for the full waiting list a chance at a table, so we actually had to add a few more tables to the room. Sadly, that will not be an option this year, so if you want to be sure to get a table, I'd recommend sending your registration form in ASAP.

If you look on the left here, you'll find a sample of the artwork for this year's poster, designed by two of Portland's favorite expatriates, Aaron Renier and Alec Longstreth. Aaron will be joining us at this year's Fest again, signing at the Top Shelf table, as well as participating in the weekend's events. Click on the image to see a larger version in the Forum. The posters will be available for sale at the Fest for $3, and shirts and pins will also be available featuring artwork from the piece.

We're still looking for volunteers to help us distribute posters and flyers up and down the West Coast. If you're willing to do some stapling for us in your home town and help us spread the word about this fantastic little comics show, or if you want to help at the Fest itself, send a note to the Volunteer coordinator!

Well, the early-bird registration period for Stumptown '06 has officially passed, and we're up to a whopping 88 tables filled right now. That's three more than we even had available last year! So, that means we've got about 30 tables left, so if you were planning on getting one, now is the time! I will institute a waiting list as I did last year, but unfortunately this year we really have no room to expand to if need be.

I'm sad to report that announced guest Linda Medley won't be able to make it this year after all. I'm disappointed, but I'm hoping she'll be able to join us in 2007 (which is already shaping up to be a great Fest in itself, let me tell you!). However, I'm happy and excited to announce that Keith Knight has just signed on to be a guest this year! Keith's 'K Chronicles' comic has been a favorite small press comic strip for years, and I'm looking forward to seeing his slide show presentation at Stumptown.

Also, I've finally updated the Exhibitors List again with all the latest forms - so if you got in before the deadline you should now be up on the site (and even a few post-deadline exhibitors are up there as well).

Yep, it's true! The deadline for Early-bird registration for Stumptown 2006 is coming up at the end of June. If you've been putting it off, now is the time to get your registration form and payment in. Until June 30th, you can still get the tables for $40 for a half table and $60 for a full table. After the deadline the rates go up to $50 for a half and $90 for a full table, which frankly, is still pretty cheap for a creator-focused show like this. About 75% of the tables are still available, but I think as the deadline looms, that number will drop pretty quickly!

And if you're still having doubts, just check out the current Exhibitors List to scope out all the great creators you'll be able to rub elbows with come October! And keep checking back on that list in the coming weeks as we continue to add new Guests and Exhibitors!

Stumptown Comics Fest 2005 was a resounding success, improving in every way over 2004's humble but well-received beginnings! Moving from the historic Old Church building to the comparatively cavernous 5700+ sq. ft. Smith Ballroom, SCF05 exhibitors and attendees packed the house with much comics-loving hustle and bustle. Over 500 readers and fans showed up to help celebrate everything great about comics. With over 100 exhibitors, a full day of panel discussions and comics film presentations, and a standing-room only Comic Art Battle, the 2005 Stumptown Comics Fest garnered much positive press, including write-ups in the Portland Mercury, Willamette Week and the Portland Tribune, as well as a feature article in The Oregonian.

Click image to enlarge!

So how can we possibly top that?

Well, by making this year's Fest even bigger! It's true, not only did we sell out of the 80 tables we had available for the 2005 Fest, we even had to add five more tables to accommodate those on the waiting list. It's safe to say we outgrew our space at the Smith Ballroom, so we're moving again, this time to our new home at the enormously gigantic Oregon Convention Center! Our ample 12,000 square foot space will hold upwards of 100 tables, and there's room to grow in the coming years. We're also expanding the Fest to Two Big Days™, Friday, Oct. 27 & Saturday, Oct. 28! This means more time to look around and shoot the breeze with your favorite artists and creators from the top publishers, as well as more panels and events. And of course, the Fest will conclude with another installment of the insanely popular Comic Art Battle!

If you're interested in exhibiting at this year's Fest, simply mosey on over to the Registration page and download the form! Our table rates are still extremely reasonable for a two-day Fest, and by registering early you get a huge discount!

To keep on top of the latest news, check back here for more updates, or add your name to the SCF2006 News list by filling out the tiny form to the right of every page on this site.