A Eugene comic bookstore is hosting a festival on Saturday, October 4, celebrating graphic novels, comic books, zines, and more. The Comics Art Festival of Eugene is a day long event happening at 5th Street Market.
The festival will feature workshops, panels, and an artist vendor area where attendees can meet with comic artists. Over 40 writers, artists, and publishers are slated to attend the event. Panelists include award-winning novelists and artists such as Caroline Cash (PeePeePooPoo Comics), Sarah Shay Mirk (Creating Nonfiction Comics), and David Walker (The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History).
Andrea Gilroy, an organizer of the festival and owner of Books with Pictures Eugene, says that Eugene is the perfect place to host this festival.
“Oregon has a particularly rich history of being comics creative. There are lots of comics publishers, tons of comics creators,” said Gilroy. “So Eugene is a really nice location, because we can get people sort of from southern Oregon and from Portland and all around down into this central location.”
Gilroy added that the variety within the festival means that there is something for everybody.
“We're really excited to bring the community together…We have children's graphic novelists coming. We have adult zines, for adults, and kind of everything in between,” said Gilroy. “So we think it's going to be a really fun time, and even if it's something that you don't think is up your alley, you might really be surprised when you see the breadth and quality of comic artists on display.”
