Guest: Scott McCloud

Scott McCloud has been described by Frank Miller as, "the smartest guy in comics." He built this reputation on a number of ground breaking ideas, not the least of which are the Creators Bill of Rights he co-drafted in 1988, and the 24-Hour Comic, a phenomenon that has continued to grow and prosper in the 18 years since he first dreamed it up.

Scott is possibly best-known for his 1993 book, , a revolutionary book which represented a major step forward in developing a theoretical basis for understanding the comics medium... told in a comic format. Though controversial and contentious at the time, the book has since become the cornerstone on many a creator's bookshelf, and is used as a textbook in college courses across the country.

Scott followed up Understanding Comics with two more volumes devoted to the industry and the craft of comics: and his latest, . To celebrate its release, Scott took his family on a year-long 50-state lecture tour, during which Scott lectured at the Pacific Northwest College of Art as part of their week-long Graphic Novel Intensive program, coinciding with last summer's Platform Film Festival.

Scott first made his name in comics with the critically-acclaimed alternative superhero title Zot!, published for 36 issues by Eclipse Comics in the late 1980s, and according to him, he is anxious to get back to writing and drawing long-form fiction comics again, to put some of the things he learned while working on 'Making Comics' to use.

We're excited to have Scott joining us for our fifth Comics Fest, and if you want to exhibit alongside Scott and our other Special Guests, fill out the Registration form and send it in - the Early-Bird Discount deadline is coming up at the end of February.