This content was published: May 18, 2009. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Dark Horse Comics pioneer leads popular PCC class
Photos and story by James Hill
Diana Schutz, PCC Instructor
She is Frank Miller’s editor and worked with him on “300” and various “Sin City” graphic novels. She also serves as editor to countless other well-known authors. And since 2002, Diana Schutz of Dark Horse Comics has been a Portland Community College instructor.
The 30-year veteran in the comics industry teaches the credit course “Art 217: Understanding Comics Art.” It studies the evolution of comics through the years, looking at cartoonists like Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, and Art Spiegelman, to name just a few, while analyzing how the artwork contributes to the story’s narrative.
“Comics are all about telling stories with pictures,” Schutz said. “And, yes, students do get to read comic books for their homework! My longtime career in comics means I have many contacts in the industry, and I bring in at least one cartoonist during the term to talk to the students about actually making comics. So if Frank Miller were to come see his editor sometime in the next couple months, I’d certainly draft him into a guest lecture.”
As an executive editor at Dark Horse, she is a project manager who is hands-on, overseeing each project from start to finish. She nurtures the process from the story’s initial idea all the way to the printed comic book on the racks. In addition, there’s planning for the future
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »