This past week, the BCR was asked by the Boston Phoenix to contribute some comics to their “Future Boston” issue, which comes out on this Thursday, the 21st. I won’t “scoop” the paper by showing you what we came up with… but they also asked for some on-theme spot illustrations to possibly use in the issue. I don’t know if they’ll run them or not, but here are the ones I did: 
Author: Dan
Lives in: Cambridge, Mass.
Does: comics.
Used to live in: Topanga Canyon, California
But grew up in: Cambridge, mostly
Used to do (maybe still?): Screenwriter, journalist, teaches some too
Review: I Cut My Hair #3 by Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg
Eisenberg’s clean-line style is a real treat. Her line is fluid and sensitive enough to define volumes and express facial expressions and gestures, and precise and controlled enough for some virtuoso architectural drawing (especially the sequence in the Forbidden City). There’s little or no shading (when she shades, she uses a broken-line haching that works nicely) and the pages have a clean, inviting look, with the few solid blacks generated by the characters’ dark hair or other small details. Her characters are distinctive, both in facial features and body type. Printed at 8.5 x 11, the scale of this “mini” gives the art room to be appreciated fully.
“I Cut My Hair” #3 is pretty much straight journal/auto-bio comic, relating the protagonist’s trip to Beijing to visit her boyfriend in 2009. It provides the bare-bones pleasures of the genre: a little glimpse into other lives, a little informative travelogue, some good descriptions of their various meals. Beyond that, it’s not exactly thrilling drama; a pervasive sense of ‘niceness’ (there’s really no conflict here at all, with the exception of an unpleasant cab ride), is both the strength and weakness of the writing. Though minimally eventful, at 36 pages, the narrative doesn’t drag; once you give yourself over to an understated, day-by-day account of her travel, the leisurely pace and sense of completeness to the story is welcome.
Story-wise, this isn’t much more than pleasant, likeable stuff — told with clarity — but Eisenberg’s beautiful artwork tips the balance strongly in favor of this comic.
36 pages, black and white, stapled.
http://lisarosalieeisenberg.com/
latest illustration
For Sage Knight’s Living Well column, “Try It On, Let it Go”:
The column will appear in next week’s Topanga Messenger.
See more of these illustrations here.
“Show and Tell” Kickstarter campaign
To all comics and or/education fans: help kickstart “Show and Tell,” the official anthology of the New England Comic Arts in the Classroom conference!
If nothing else, watch 3 anthology editors “uh” and “um” their way through the kickstarter video!
“The Last Actâ€
I continue to add comics from my “archive” to this website. The Last Act is a fictionalized account of a true anecdote set in Boston in 1865. It was written by Susan Chasen and drawn by me. It’s 5 pages long and was published in 2009 “Inbound 4: A Comic Book History of Boston.”
“From Afar”
“From Afar,” a science fiction geek-romantic- adventure originally appeared in Boston Comics Roundtable’s “Inbound 3,” in 2009. Just in casethere’s anyone left in the world who doesn’t own a copy of that classic anthology (there may still be a few copies available…), I thought I’d make it available for you reading pleasure here, as well. It’s posted in “Read My Comics.”
There’s Nothing Like Christmas, Part 3
Soon to be seen on Boston Comics Roundtable’s holiday wrapping paper!
There’s Nothing Like Christmas, Part 2
Soon to be seen (we hope) on Boston Comics Roundtable’s holiday wrapping paper!!
Posted: “Seafood Sundae.”
I’ve posted my story “Seafood Sundae,” an anecdote from my days as an ice-cream scooper at Belgian Fudge in Harvard Square. In the “Read My Comics” section. This story was published in the “Leftovers of the Living Dead” anthology by Fatcat Funnies.
There’s Nothing Like Xmas, part 1
I’m doing a holiday-themed gag strip (most likely to be seen on the Boston Comics Roundtable wrapping paper.) Not really a strip, exactly, more like a series of related panel gags. Anyway, here’s the first panel…
