When I walked into Short Run last year, I had no idea it was going to change my life. By the end of the night I’d met some of the most inspiring local artists I’d ever come into contact with, and carried out an enormous haul of indie comics. I spent the next month or so poring over these artifacts—grotesque tales from Bellingham’s Neroglyphic Press; the meticulously drawn Castle & Wood series; piles of DIY zines that spurred me to try my own hand at the craft. Short Run fundamentally changed how I look at my community by illuminating all its scrappy, fabulous freaks who make incredible art with nothing but a Xerox machine, a stapler, and a decent pen. Mark the next gathering on your calendars: Sat., Nov. 15 at Washington Hall. shortrun.org

Read all of our picks for Arts & Culture, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.