In our two-week Portland Special, we've looked at a lot of great bands (and given away one great mixtape) but we've decided to end it with a quick look at one of Portland's other big creative scenes: comics. Here, we speak to James Lucas Jones, Editor-In-Chief of Oni Press, one of America's best independent comics publishers.

Dazed Digital: How did you end up in Portland?
James Lucas Jones: I wound up in Portland because of Oni. I'd been freelancing for the company - helping out with some web initiatives - and when Oni founder Joe Nozemack and then-editor-in-chief Jamie S. Rich offered me an entry-level position in editorial, I jumped at the opportunity.
DD: What's the best thing about Portland?
JLJ: Man, it's hard to pick any one thing - I love this city so much and at this point I have no intention of ever leaving. It's just got a great vibe. It's a great city for progressives. It's got vibrant arts and music scenes. It's an incredible town for foodies. There are tons of great parks and, especially for someone who grew up in complete urban sprawl, the city has everything I could ever want without all the insane commutes or horrible gridlock.
DD: What's the worst thing about Portland?
JLJ: I can live with the hipsters and the hippies. If I have one gripe about Portland it's that too many of its natives take for granted exactly how great a place it is. I don't know what it is about this town, but I don't think you can fully appreciate it until you've lived some place like Phoenix or Los Angeles.
DD: What's your favourite Portland spot?
JLJ: In terms of in-doors, I'd have to say Mamma Mia's, a killer Italian restaurant and bar in downtown. For outdoors, I have a bunch of favored parks, but I think the one at Mount Tabor is probably my favorite.
DD: What's the comics scene like in Portland?
JLJ: Portland has a wonderful comics scene. We've got a ton of great comic stores, offices for three different publishers [Oni, Dark Horse and Top Shelf], and more cartoonists, writers, and artists than most conventions. This town is dirty with comic folk of all kinds - whether it's mainstream guys like Brian Bendis or comic book auteurs like Matt Wagner, sometimes it's hard to go to the movies or hit the grocery without running into some comic industry professional. It's kinda cool. It's a supportive community, too. It's kind of a spider-web of relationships and the connections really transcend any kind of indie vs. mainstream breakdown.
DD: What are your plans for Oni Press in 2008?
JLJ: We've got tons of great stuff lined up for this year! We're finally going to see the release of the first volume of Ray Fawkes and Cameron Stewart's Apocalipstix this summer and I'm really jazzed about that. We also have new installments of our Scott Pilgrim, Last Call, Sharknife, and Black Metal graphic novel series in the hopper, too. Not too mention a few continuing comic series like the post-apocalyptic Western Wasteland and the alien invasion aftermath epic Resurrection. Finally, and perhaps most appropriately, we have Stumptown - a new private detective serial from the mind of acclaimed novelist and comic scribe Greg Rucka. Rucka's last ongoing series for us dealt with the lives of secret agents working for the British SIS, but this new project is set firmly in our home town of Portland, OR and I can't wait for people to get to read it!