One of the highlights of Portland's Stumptown Comics Festival each year is the Trophy Award and Art Battle that takes place on Saturday night at Cosmic Monkey Comics, where the winners of the festival awards are announced and Portland-based creators engage in a live art battle. And every year, one of the things I look forward to the most is finding out what art battle host Jeff Parker ("Agents of Atlas," "X-Men: First Class") is going to wear.

Expectations were running high, after he dressed up like a genie and danced around with a gorilla last year, and kicked it like a rock star the year before. How was he going to top that? Simple: By joining the Dark Carnival and dressing up like a Juggalo. ComicsAlliance was there to document the entire transformation process, and the "Science vs. Magic" drawing competition that followed. Comics, how do they work?


Carla Speed McNeil, Sara Ryan and Steve Lieber before the battle

Zack Soto, Colleen Coover, Jeff Parker, Fred Chao

Fred Chao

Colleen Coover's "MAGIC" art

Fred Chao's "SCIENCE" art

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