Sept. 2, 2026 – Portland is known as a hub for comics, especially for independent artists and their creations – from Kelly Sue DeConnick’s reimagined Captain Marvel to Frank Miller’s Sin City to Rupert Kinnard’s Brown Bomber and Diva Touché Flambé. A new film from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), set to premiere Saturday, Sept. 12, at Rose City Comic Con, finally explains why.
“Indie Comics City: How Portland Built Its Own Comics Universe” features interviews with legends and luminaries of the city’s comics landscape, including DeConnick, Kinnard, Dark Horse Comics founder Mike Richardson, author and Crucial Comix co-founder Sarah Shay Mirk, and comics journalist Joe Sacco. Together they knit a story previously told only in fragments into a comprehensive, colorful romp through Portland and Oregon comics history. A special episode of OPB’s flagship arts program “Oregon Art Beat,” the 50-minute film will be available on OPB’s website starting Sept. 12 and on OPB TV on Sept. 24.
“Indie Comics City” is packed with discoveries likely to surprise comics newbies and superfans alike – from the small Oregon town once home to the nation’s top political cartoonist, to the revolutionary financial approach that put Dark Horse Comics on the map, to the location of one of the world’s best comics bookstores. Alongside featured artists, the city itself emerges as the film’s main character, one possessed with the superpower to draw creative people to it, even as rising housing costs have made it harder for them to stay.
“I wanted to show how Portland became a place where you can create your work, your way. You don’t have to follow the rules. And people will support you,” said Steven Tonthat, a multimedia arts and culture producer at OPB and lifelong comics fan who produced “Indie Comics City.”
The premiere at Rose City Comic Con will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A with Kinnard, Tonthat, Books with Pictures owner Katie Pryde, and moderator Donald Orr, an OPB producer.
The creative team behind “Indie Comics City: How Portland Built Its Own Comics Universe,” produced by OPB:
- Producer: Steven Tonthat
- Editor: Lisa Suinn Kallem
- Director of photography: Cameron Nielsen
- Comics artist: Jonathan Hill
- Narrator: Crystal Ligori
- Executive producer: Jessica Martin
Where to watch
- World premiere: Saturday, Sept. 12, at Rose City Comic Con at the Oregon Convention Center (Room D137-140). The screening starts at 3 p.m., followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. Admission is included with ticket purchase to Rose City Comic Con.
- Digital premiere: Saturday, Sept. 12, on OPB’s website
- TV premiere and PBS app: Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. PST.