- Nicole Georges and Clutch
You can tell Portland is the zine capital of the US of A because not only does the mighty Powell's stock two shelves of zines, the Multnomah County Library has worked for the past four years to build up their 1,000-title zine collection. I talked with official zine librarian Emily Jane Dawson about some of the work she's excited about seeing this year and combined them with my own favorites to make this top 10 list for the arts section. Feel free to put add your own recommendations to the comments! Here we go:
Invincible Summer—Nicole Georges
Adorable badass Georges has just finished a brand-new issue of Invincible Summer, the Portland diary comic to end all Portland diary comics that combines Georges' skillful drawings with short tales about her dogs, dreams, and favorite vegan food.
Stumptown Underground
Four editors pull together writing and art from locals to build a fatty zine around a different central theme each month. "It's super ambitious, I can't believe how much work they've put out," says Dawson.
Crappy Comics—Tim S. Root
You already know Tim Root's work: He's the cracked-up genius behind Stumptown Coffee's hand-drawn advertisements. The people in his comics are just as wrinkly and wonderful and odd as they explore Root's world of metal shows and backed up toilets. He also has a line of comics made just for the children!