Neal - Stumptown Comics Fest

I’m gonna tell you a secret. The real reason I pursue comics is, I want to hang out with the comics crowd. I want those people to be my friends. I want to earn their respect through my art, which currently is somewhere on the low end of the scale. Probably because I’m not motivated by pure love of the art. I just want the glory, the fame, the riches, and comics seemed like the best way to get it. Right? No, clearly not.

Here’s another secret. Sometimes I get talking and from one sentence to the next I contradict myself. When this happens, I don’t even know myself what I really believe. I live in a world of fluid, fluxuating, detached-from-meaning semiotic ciphers.

Alright, I’m losing the thread here. The point is, I had a great time at the Stumptown Comics Fest. I met some new people and connected with some old connections. Getting involved with the ‘Fest committee was the best thing I’ve done all year. The few responsibilities I accepted terrified me-- if I let the comics crowd down, it’s all over. And we had a couple glitches, but we put on a good show. It was a pleasure to sit at my table and bask in the wonky energy. Next year, I’ll actually go to the parties.

The Stumptown Comics Fest is well on its way to becoming a Portland institution. Between the linocut images of legendary hags, the figurines of squid throttling rockets, the wide-eyed pastel-colored creep posters, the unvarnished confessional brush strokes and pen scratches, and the occasional appearance of a real-life costumed weirdo, the ‘Fest is home to anyone who dwells in the gutters between the panels of pop culture. Welcome home, people. Be seeing you next year!