$5 or less: my favorite books from Stumptown Comics Fest

My first rule of comic cons: Don’t spend more than you make… but within the first hour of the Stumptown Comics Fest, I had already accrued 15 books. My table was slow today, but at least I got to work my way through some great comics. I mean, some really fucking great comics… so much so that I’d feel bad if I didn’t share them with you guys:

“High Score” by various- $1

A mini-comic anthology related to Rusel DeMaria’s “High Score: An Illustrated History of Electronic Games” Kickstarter project. It sounds like the KS project is having some pre-post-production problems, but this little mini comic, with short stories by 5 great artists, is FANTASTIC!

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“As You Were” by various- $5

For music lovers with an affinity for house shows. This punk comics anthology reminds me of what I loved and hated about basement shows. Sidenote: wandering through some Portland neighborhoods today reminded me of a house show I played with Beefy and mc router five years ago. The most fun show I’ve ever played ever…

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“Write Now” by Neil Brideau – $1

A charming little mini that shares the message “anyone can be an artist right now”. Though brief, the book talks about how to make and distribute your own comics… and it even includes a mini-mini-comic of it’s own on the back page. Perfect for kids… and really really old people.

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“Down In The Dumps” by Neil Brideau- free!!!

Ever known one of those folks that just can’t be cheered up? This is a story about them. Though free, this book actually feels a little meatier than some of the others I acquired today. The art is fantastic, but the comedy timing is spot on with this.

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” “ by Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg- $3

A wordless (and untitled) comic, hot of the presses. This story focuses on the anxiety some people feel that builds and builds when they talk about their troubles. It’s full of great visual metaphors and I love Lisa’s line-work here.

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“The Dvorak Zine” by Alec, Frunch, and Gabe- $1

Clearly a labor of love, this zine talks about the history of keyboards, the advantages of Dvorak over QWERTY, and how to set up your laptop for Dvorak. Great humor makes it worth reading, whether or not you would ever consider changing up your keyboard. Read it online here.

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“Second Chances” by Matt Sundstrom – $3

I love wordless comics, though I sometimes feel bad about how quickly I fly through them. Second Chances is one of those rare wordless comcis that feels like a full sized book. The story focuses on a bored office worker and a clever plan gone wrong.

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