A Portland Comic Book Publisher Writes Stories about Hillary Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Gates

Portland's Best Biographical Comics

(Darren Davis)

Like any good comic book publisher, Portland's TidalWave Productions (tidalwavecomics.com) has created a universe full of eclectic characters who occupy different points on the moral spectrum. Except, they aren't merely archetypes—they're real-life human lightning rods like Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Gates and, yes, even President Trump.

(Darren Davis)

TidalWave's vast slate of comics isn't limited to nonfiction, but the company has gotten the most attention for its biographical offerings, most recently a James Comey comic that explores the former FBI director's "origin story," including his 1977 encounter with the infamous masked criminal known as the "Ramsey Rapist" and his prosecution of Martha Stewart.

"The biography thing actually happened on accident," says founder Darren G. Davis.

(Darren Davis)

As a longtime fan of Greek mythology and its adjacent properties—he grew up preferring Clash of the Titans to Star Wars—much of TidalWave's early works were inspired by the likes of Ray Harryhausen, with a smattering of Vincent Price.

Then in 2008, during the presidential election season, the admittedly apolitical Davis observed what he considered to be the media's unfair treatment of both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. So he sought to counteract that with comics about both women and, in the process, heighten his own political awareness.

(Darren Davis)

"I'll be honest, during the 2008 election, I voted, but I wasn't the most political person in the world," he says. "These books helped me become more informed and knowledgeable, and they do the same for other people."

Another Comey comic set in the Trump era is in the works, Davis says. But there's no word yet on what we all really want to see: an issue in which a cape-wearing Robert Mueller hurls a Batarang-shaped indictment at the president.

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Click here for the full Best of Portland 2018 guide.

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