Because We’re Still a Hub for Comics

Sure, Marvel and DC have their multimillion-dollar franchises of dead superheroes who won’t stay dead, their spinoffs and crossover events. But comics are so much more than that, and the proof is on the corner of Southeast Division Street and Orange Avenue at Books with Pictures.

“Our fundamental goal is to be welcoming and comforting to people that either don’t usually know comics or want to get into comics,” says Books with Pictures store manager Nick Orr. “We tend to want to build a community of people who love comics so they can all have a place to go and hang out.”

For years, the Eisner Award-winning shop has been a safe haven for lifelong comics readers and newcomers alike, hosting signings with Portland creators Kelly Sue DeConnick, David F. Walker and others, as well as community-focused events, like the monthly Books with Pals book club.

“A good thing about this area is that even though there’s a lot of [comics shops], they all have a specific focus and the space to do something different,” Orr says.

So while Books with Pictures might focus on comics and graphic novels for a broad array of audiences, places like Excalibur Comics on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, Cosmic Monkey on Northeast Sandy Boulevard, and Tasteecat Comics on Southeast Clinton Street specialize in back issues and collectibles as well as newer titles. Floating World Comics, which moved to Lloyd Center as part of a recent surge of indie businesses inhabiting the mall, leans a little more eclectic, with a strong selection of zines, anthologies and artifacts from self-published artists and alternative publishers.

On the topic of publishers, did you know Portland is home to three comic book publishers? Yes, Dark Horse (Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy, Sin City), Image (Spawn, Invincible, The Walking Dead), and Oni Press (Scott Pilgrim, The Tea Dragon Society, Stumptown) are all based in the area. From Image, Bitter Root, co-created by David F. Walker, returns in March, and Oni Press continues its relaunch of the historic EC Comics line with new issues of Epitaphs from the Abyss and Cruel Kingdom in April.