Books

The Amazing, Uncanny, Inclusive Story of the World’s Best Comics Shop, Books With Pictures

The tale is too colorful to be confined to the printed word.

Books With Pages Cover (Seaerra Miller)

In the X-Men comics, Kitty Pryde is a superhero who walks through walls and leaps across time. Her fans include Portland transplant Katie Pryde, 41, who took the character’s name as her own—and lived up to it by leading Southeast Division Street comic book shop Books With Pictures through a costly location change and a global pandemic.

The story of Books With Pictures is too colorful to be confined to the printed word. That’s why our Comics Issue is, appropriately, a comic strip, based on Pryde’s adventures and illustrated by visual artist (and former Books With Pictures staffer) Seaerra Miller.

With its triumph last year at the Eisner Awards, Books With Pictures has not only become one of the most famous comics shops in America, but in the world. Here’s how it happened.

(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)
(Seaerra Miller)

Bennett Campbell Ferguson is WW's assistant arts and culture editor, a Portland-based journalist and film critic. When not writing, he enjoys playing the piano, hiking and reading comic books.

Willamette Week provides local, trustworthy information that strengthens our community and holds power to account. Contribute now to our biggest fundraiser of the year!

Help us dig deeper.