It’s a Comix Thing, you wouldn’t understand: a photo gallery from Comix Thing 2025

I had the pleasure of attending the new iteration of the Portland small press show, Comix Thing, on August 23, 2025. The event, bookended by a comics reading and an experimental animation screening, was organized thanks to the efforts of Tim Goodyear, Mannie Murphy, and Re Pinter. On Friday, I made the first trek to the Lloyd Center Mall for the sixth installment of the excellent Awake Time Stories, a comics reading series hosted by Re Pinter and Molly Lecko Herro at Floating World Comics. The lineup featured a great mix of local comics talent, including Lola WK and Lonnie Garcia, as well as visiting cartoonists Mara Ramirez and A.T. Pratt. Even though the reading got off to a late start, Pinter and Lecko provided lively introductions, utilizing a giant papier-mâché mask. The musical accompaniment, courtesy of cartoonist and musician Amanda Berlind, added even more life to the projected comic pages. On Sunday, I attended the experimental animation screening hosted by Mannie Murphy also at Floating World. The shorts were followed by my favorite part of the screening, a brief discussion led by Murphy, giving the participants (all cartoonists who had been experimenting with animation) the opportunity to ask each other about their creative process, providing a space to delve into the medium of comics in relation to animation. On Friday and Sunday evening, during the Awake Times Stories reading and animation screening, the mall was quiet, almost deserted. This atmosphere was completely different on Saturday for Comix Thing.

The mall was filled with people when I arrived Saturday. Through the scent of salted pretzels, people were finding their way between shops, ice skating, a trading card show, and Comix Thing, taking place in an abandoned retail space a few stores down from Floating World. Holding the event in the mall connected the comics show to a larger Portland community. I spoke with a few attendees who had initially only come to the Lloyd Center for either ice skating or the trading card show, but had decided to check out Comix Thing because it was part of the mall. In many ways, Comix Thing is like many small press shows; however, it is not always as easy to stumble upon one. The show itself was generally abuzz for most of its operation. As I went around to talk to cartoonists, I noticed many tables were constantly drawing multiple attendees at a time, seemingly busy with a healthy mix of conversation and commerce. I had the opportunity to talk to many local Portland cartoonists, including Olivia Cruz and Jerrry James, whom I had been a fan of but hadn’t had the chance to meet before. Some cartoonists I talked to made the journey to the Pacific Northwest, such as Susan Kaplan from Brooklyn, as well as Miles McDiarmid and Mara Ramirez from California. One thing I was excited for at Comix Thing was the debuts of new comic works. McDiarmid debuted his latest comic, Key Change, and Secret Room, a local publisher and store, debuted the newest in their Shush series, Twin Story, from Portland cartoonist Pheobe Mol. When I spoke with John James from Secret Room, he expressed excitement about Comix Thing as Portland’s own small press show, which was shared by many of the exhibitors. John James also discussed the strength of the Portland comics community, pointing to the city's numerous comic stores and spaces, all of which coexist, with even more popping up. This community was evident throughout the show, which was filled with comic aficionados and general mallgoers alike, all taking an interest in the various tables. There are numerous false descriptors used to describe Portland, Oregon, these days. However, one thing is sure: Portland is a Comix town.

I only moved to Portland in 2021, so the event's history was unknown to me. I briefly talked with Tim Goodyear, one of the organizers, about how the show came to be. Goodyear told me that Comix Thing was originally a low-key, late-night, small-press comics show that would utilize the space rented for the Frankenstein Comic Swap hosted earlier in the day. The event has been dormant for a few years until this past August. The event was revived and revised when the organizers discussed the lack of a comics-focused small press show in Portland despite the large community. Goodyear told me that he was apprehensive about using the name “Comix thing” since it might be confusing, but Re Pinter advocated for the title. I, for one, think that was the right choice. It has just the right ring to it. In a city so full of comic talent and interest, it is exciting that Portland has its own Comix Thing, and I hope to attend more in the future.