2013 Stumptown Comics Fest Guest Profile - Shawn Aldridge

A bit late this week, but please join us as we highlight and celebrate another guest for the 2013 Stumptown Comics Festival. This week we turn our attention to Shawn Aldridge.

Aldridge is a writer, letter, and colorist, but is best known for his creator-owned series Vic Boone, which won the 2012 Stumptown Comics Festival's Reader's Choice Award. The series also earned the Editor's Choice Award from IGN. Originally an entry for DC Comics's Zuda online portal, the futuristic story of an ex-motorcycle daredevil turned private-eye has won over fans and fellow creators. If you're not familiar with the series, Aldridge has generously offered up and for free.

Find out more about Shawn Aldridge on his blog: http://shawnaldridge.blogspot.com (Image by Steve Becker.)

Be sure to fill-out your ballot for the 2013 Stumptown Comics Awards and mail finished entries to Michael Ring at ! Entries due March 15, 2013!

2013 Stumptown Comic Arts Awards Open for Submissions

The Stumptown Comics Fest, the largest creator-focused comics convention in the Pacific Northwest, is now accepting submissions of comic work for consideration by our judges for the 2013 Stumptown Comic Arts Awards. Publishers and creators interested in submitting work should include one physical copy of each title to be considered, accompanied by an official Entry Submission form which can be downloaded from the link below:

Please include one form with each work being submitted.

Categories for this year's awards include Best Artist, Best Writer, Best Cartoonist, Best Letterer, Best Colorist, Best Publication Design, Best Small Press, Best Anthology, and Best New Talent.

In addition, the Stumptown Comics Fest is proud to announce a new category for 2013 - Best Webcomic!

Any work published after April 2012 will be eligible. Digital comics (meaning any comic published for online download or mobile reading devices) are also eligible for any category by following the instructions on the submission form. Those submitting their Webcomic and Digital comics work do not need to provide printed copies. Submitters may not submit more than five distinct works per category, but works may be submitted in any number of categories.

Entries must be postmarked no later than the submission deadline of March 15, 2013 to be considered, and should be mailed to this address:

As with last year, all work submitted will be subject to consideration by a jury of industry professionals. The jury will issue a final ballot in March 2013, which will be available online for voting by any and all professionals, fans, and readers of the comic arts. The votes will determine the final winners of each category, which will be tabulated and awarded at the Awards Ceremony to be held during the Stumptown Comics Fest on April 27 & 28 in Portland, Oregon.

Any questions about the Comic Arts Awards should be directed to Michael Ring at .

Saturday Superheroes at Guardian Games on February 23rd

The 10th annual Stumptown Comics Fest returns to the Oregon Convention Center on April 27th & 28th, and this year promises to be more family-friendly than ever before. To help get people exited for the main event, organizers are teaming up with the Alter Egos Society to put on a special event for children at Guardian Games on February 23rd. Guardian Games co-owner Angel May stated, "The Portland pop culture community has always been so supportive of our store and work, we are more than happy to provide a location for the Alter Egos Society and Stumptown Comics."

Saturday Superheroes at Guardian Games will feature three separate sessions where participants will get to dream-up their own superhero and then work with a team of professionals to make their own comic! Lisa Eisenberg of and Cat Farris of Periscope Studio will be leading the comic creation, along with a select number of other volunteers, to ensure children learn the basics about creating sequential art. As well, kids will be given a special card for Honorary Membership in the Alter Egos Society, a group of costumed crusaders who work to raise money for nonprofits in the city through cosplay events.

Attendance for a session at Saturday Superheroes at Guardian Games is only $5, and parents staying to supervise their children do not need to pay in order to watch their special ones creating. The three different sessions are scheduled from: 11:00AM - 12:30PM, 1:00PM - 2:30PM, and 3:00PM to 4:30PM. The event is open to kids of all-ages, so there's no need to worry about any inappropriate content, booths, or other potentially offensive items being in sight. So, join us on February 23rd to help support Oregon's premier creator-focused Stumptown Comics Fest and have fun with entire family!

The Stumptown Comics Fest Needs You!

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Stumptown Comics Fest, Portland's premier creator-focused comics festival! To celebrate this milestone, we're planning our biggest and best fest yet. However, we can't do it alone. To pull it off, we need all the help we can get. We need you.

If you're totally into comics and want to help out behind the scenes this year, then we're looking for you! Volunteers have always been the lifeblood of the Stumptown Comics Fest as well as some of the fest-related activities throughout the year, and this year is no different. No matter your skill set, age, or comic preference; if you're motivated, hard-working, and committed to being a part of the local comics community, we want to hear from you!

Please click on the Volunteer link and fill out the form to apply for a spot on our volunteer roster. We'll be accepting applications from now through March 9.

We look forward to hearing from you soon and seeing you at the 2013 Stumptown Comics Fest!

2013 Stumptown Comics Fest Guest Profile - Greg Rucka

Every Wednesday, join us as we highlight and celebrate a guest for the 2013 Stumptown Comics Festival. This week we turn our attention to Greg Rucka.

Starting in the realm of prose with his Atticus Kodiak novels, Eisner and Harvey award winning writer Greg Rucka received critical comics acclaim with his series Whiteout from Oni Press. In that time, Rucka has gone on to write many iconic characters for both DC and Marvel Comics. In 2010, he was honored with the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for his work on Detective Comics. In addition to his comic book and novel writing, Greg Rucka has penned pieces for DC Animation and Sony Computer Entertainment. He has recently wrapped the second Stumptown series for Oni Press as well as Punisher: War Zone for Marvel Comics. He is currently working on the web comic series, Lady Sabre & The Pirates of the Ineffable Aether. You can learn more about Greg Rucka and his work at www.gregrucka.com