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By : Adrian Alvarez
9 Min read
“Who’s going to have fun with the form?”
It’s the basic question that narrows down a
very large pool of skilled creators for each
season of “BCN Comics.” What started as
the occasional comic in our Chillustation
section in 2019 became a dedicated page
two years later. That extra room hasn’t
made the choices any easier. The longer
I work in comics, the more people I meet
who answer that basic question. Which,
in turn, stresses the organization of my
spreadsheets. So, more questions: “What
work don’t we see a lot of right now?”
“Who’s been persistent?” “Why not get
out of my own head and take someone
else's suggestion?” This season, Roden
Ovak, Hunter Savage, Angela Krieg, and
LJ-Baptiste come to you from a blend of
personal favorites, recommendations from
the production team, and strong self-pro-
motion. It's never been a solo effort. Noth-
ing in art ever is.
That’s how curation has been for the last
few years. Which is why it’s time turn that
original question on myself: “How can we
have fun with the form of the newspaper
comics page?” You saw a preview of that
in Season 5 with guest curators Comics
in Color changing up the variety of artists
and bucking the usual layout. Expect more
of that as we take notice of the increasing
number of comics collectives.
Next season, you’ll see the start of more
deliberate themes around the choice of
artists—shared backgrounds, philosophies,
and approaches to the medium—starting
with Hispanic/Latinx creators who live in or
have contributed to the Boston scene.
And while we remain committed to repre-
senting Greater Boston area, don't be sur-
prised to see a couple of out-of-staters in
the rosters.
But I’m future-tripping. We’re still in the
thick of Season 6! Roden, Hunter, Angela,
and LJ have so much to show us, includ-
ing themselves. Continue on below for our
new feature, “Meet Your Makers” and learn
more about who makes the work you’ve
been enjoying for the last few months.
—Adrian Alvarez
Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #167 March 2024
Check out all the art and columns of March's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass