THE BOSTON COMICS ROUNDTABLE: a community of comics creators, meeting weekly since 2006.

Author: Dan Mazur

  • BCR in “One Page Stinkers”

    BCR in “One Page Stinkers”

    No less than seven BCR members are featured in the latest issue of the Portland, Maine-based anthology, “One Page Stinkers.”  As the name indicates, this is an anthology of one-page comics (stinking is optional).

    cover

    This is a fun anthology, risograph printed in mini-comic format.  There’s always a theme, and this issue’s is “heat wave.”  They don’t do large runs, so it’s hard to get a copy outside of Portland –but we’re working on getting some for BCR  events.  Find out more about them here.  There are lots of other good cartoonists in there, of course, but the BCR people represented are:

  • The Double Translation Project

    The Double Translation Project

    This summer (July 27, to be precise), the BCR meeting was consumed with a collaborative/creative activity, which Levon Gyulkhasian, who introduced it to the group, calls “Double Translation.”  IMG_0426

    In this timed activity, we initially select, at random, several visual “prompts” to get us started (we drew them from an actual hat!)

    Using the prompts as inspiration, each  person write a short essay or story in about 20 minutes, then passes it to the person to their right, who adapts it as a comic (in about 45 minutes), who then passes the finished comic to the person to their right, who writes a written adaptation of it (in about 20 minutes again). 

    Pieces of paper were being passed around the BCR meeting tables, with each member having a chance to write, draw, and “rewrite” on a different story. 

    At the end of the meeting, there was a little time left to pin the work on the walls and discuss/admire what we’d done.

    Here are the results of this fun and challenging exercise, by each of the three-person “teams” — a lotta good work for 2 hours!  (Click TWICE to enlarge an image):

    Soyoon/Levon/John:

    Bryan Cavalier/Ty/Tony:

     

    Pat Flaherty/Dan Mazur/Beth Barnett:

    Renad Khalid/Ben Rutberg/Sarah

    Chloe/Kaiser/Sarah:

    Dan Mazur/Beth Barnett/Chloe:

    Kevin/Bryan Cavalier/Ty:

    Ben Rutberg/Kevin/Bryan Cavalier:

    Sarah/Soyoon/Levon:

     

    EJ Barnes/Renad Khalid/Ben Rutberg:

    Levon/John B./EJ Barnes:

    Kaiser/Sarah/Soyoon:

    JL Bell /EJ Barnes/ Renad Khalid

    Kaiser/Sam/Cat:

    Cat (no essay 1?)/Sam

    Tony L. / ? /Pat Flaherty:

    An “orphan” text… maybe the artist brought their work home before it could be scanned…

    PHOTO ALBUM:

  • BCR at the Boston Comic Con!

    BCR at the Boston Comic Con!

    Come find us in the vast reaches of the vast reaches of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (hint: we’re at table AA402)!  Strike a blow for independent comics by buying a BCR book instead of a photo with some old guy with a moustache named Stan.  The show hours are Friday, August 11, 4-9 PM, Saturday, August 12, 10-7, and Sunday August 13, 10-5.  Please come say hello, we’re begging you!  Info on the show at: http://bostoncomiccon.com/

    BCR at BCC stan lee

  • Activity Time at BCR this week

    Activity Time at BCR this week

    At our regular Thursday meeting, July 27, we’ll be engaging in a group, “creative constraint” activity, courtesy of Levon Gyulkhasyan.  The exercise is called “double translation” and it works like this:

    1.  Each person randomly chooses  icon “prompts” (ie. little pictures of symbols, objects etc) for inspiration, then…
    2.  …writes a one-page, 5 or 6 panel comics script.  Which is then passed to the person on your right.
    3. Each person draws the comic based on the script that has been passed to them.  Then passes the drawn comic again to the right.
    4. Each person reads the comic that has been passed to them, and writes a new script, based on their interpretation of the comic.

    So it’s kind of like a game of “telephone,” where we see how closely the “adapted,” 2nd script resembles the first. Plus, everyone gets to write and draw a comic, so this is fun.

    Here is a wordless comics instruction for the activity (by Levon):

    IMG_8964

    IMG_8965

    Yes, don’t be late, because the activity will be starting pretty fast, so we’ll have time to complete it.

    If you’re not sure if you want to do the activity, come anyway and give it a try, or just hang out and kibbitz.

  • Paroline, Lamb and Dye sign new GNs at Hub Comics!

    Paroline, Lamb and Dye sign new GNs at Hub Comics!

    Our people are doing great things in the wide world of comics!  On July 16, from 11:00-2:00, Hub Comics in Somerville hosts a signing for not one but two new graphic novels drawn by BCR members: “Making Scents,” with art by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb (written by Arthur Yorinks), and “Pigs Might Fly,” drawn by Jerel Dye, with colors by Laurel Lynn Leake (and written by the great Nick Abadzis).  We knew them when (when they were already great. that is)!Making-Scents-and-Pigs-Might-FLy

  • BCR at PilCON – Saturday May 6

    BCR at PilCON – Saturday May 6

    https-cdn.evbuc.comimages301464352043470056401originalWe will be tabling at the first-ever Peabody Institute Library comics show, this Saturday from 10 am- 4pm.  BCR will be there with anthologies galore, as well as some BCR members with their own tables. Come see us!  The show is free, learn more here:

    https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pilcon-2017-tickets-32449182378