Stumptown Comics Fest is offering a list of great guests and specials in their upcoming event. This fifth annual festival will be held April 26-27, 2008 at the Doubletree Hotel Lloyd Center in Portland, Oregon. Appearing at the fest this spring as the special guest of honor is Dark Horse Comics founder Mike Richardson.

Richardson and Dark Horse have recently celebrated their twentieth anniversary and there’s plenty to be happy about. With his leadership Dark Horse has evolved from a small startup in the 1980s to the biggest independent comics publisher in the U.S. They have featured such talents as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, and the late Will Eisner and have successfully personalized licensed properties like Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Conan, and Aliens/Predator stories.

Along with meeting fans, some industry pros will be sharing their artistic wisdom. Dave Roman of Nickelodeon Magazine, Diana Schutz of Dark Horse, Brett Warnock from Top Shelf, James Lucas Jones of Oni Press, Eric Reynolds from Fantagraphics, Jim Valentino of Image, and Steve Lieber and Ron Randall of Periscope Studio will be doing portfolio reviews for aspiring artists. A schedule with their evaluation times will be added to Stumptown’s website soon.

With this and more happening, the Stumptown Comics Fest is the place to exhibit. The early bird deadline for exhibitors is today Friday, February 29, 2008. Currently, tables are available at the discounted price of $70 for a half and $110 for the full eight-foot table. In March the price raises to $90 for a half and $150 for the full table. Exhibitor registration closes March 31, 2008.

Learn more about the Stumptown Comics Fest by visiting their website.