Comics: Comicons and Stumtowns

Emerald City Comicon poster. 

April was an amazing month for comics and independent comic artists. From my past posts you may know that I consider comics and graphic novels to be included under the “literature” umbrella. For others who do, mark your calendars for next Spring to include two new literature events, the Emerald City Comicon and Stumptown.

The Emerald City Comicon was held the weekend of April 4th and 5th this year. It was what most people would think of when they picture a comics convention. People were in costume, there were celebrities from Sci-fi TV series, and there were lots of actual comic books, meaning issues of Spiderman, Superman, The Green Lantern, and other increasingly obscure heroes. Then there were the tables for independent artists. These are the people I really wanted to see, as I feel they are the ones pushing the genre from “comic book” to “literature.” Among my must-see’s were James Kochalka, author of the American Elf daily strips and many children’s books, as well as Ericka Moen, author of Dar: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary. These, and artists like them, are moving away from your typical “comic book” and creating stories through pictures as well as words. Mind you, this is a very basic explanation of why I enjoy and believe comics can be literature, for I haven’t broached the subject before. I’m also assuming that not too many of my readers have had wide experiences with comics, and if you have, I’d invite you to email me or comment and we can discuss them more in depth! (I love discussions!)

Stumptown, held April 18th and 19th, while not a Seattle specific (it is held annually in Portland, OR), is one of the most well known Pacific Northwest comic conventions. Rather than the typical comic book scene, Stumptown is devoted almost entirely to graphic novel artists and webcomics. Among the must-sees there were Jeff Smith, author of the Bone series, Lucy Knisley, author of many comic compilations and French Milk, and Dame Darcy, author of Gasoline, which I hope to have reviewed soon. Stumptown was more of an arts festival than the ECCC and provided a more personal look at the artists and their books.

If the examples I’ve shown you here piqued your interest, know that this is only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many great artists and writers in the comic world and most of them attended events right here in Seattle! So, mark your calendars for next Spring and keep your ears open for news of the next comic convention in your beautiful hometown.

Happy Reading.