COMICCON PROFILE: DAVE KENDER

I hate public transportation. It’s crowded, never on time and always smells like Cheetos and leather. Between holding my breath and trying to keep my grip on the graphic novel I’ve been pouring over, the last thing I want is a friendly tap on the shoulder from a Belmont mom with an expression that says: “Don’t you think you’re a little too old for that?”

“It’s so frustrating,” says Dave Kender, founder of the Boston Comics Round Table, long time advocate for the artform and creator behind The Ragbox. “You have books like Persepolis and Fun House on bestseller lists and these are routinely assigned in classrooms now; but, audiences unfamiliar with comics are still hesitant to jump into unknown titles without that stamp of approval. ‘I’m not reading comics, I’m reading an award-winning autobiography in comics form.’ That stigma is hard to shake. We’re making progress, but it’s an uphill battle.”

As a graphic novelist, Kender didn’t hear his calling until after his undergraduate career. During those infamous “finding yourself years” following the mortarboard, he realized how comics encompassed all the things he loved.

“It’s a visceral process with a strong DIY ethos. In a lot of ways, you can be the architect of your own success. You write ‘em, you draw ‘em, you print ‘em, you promote and distribute ‘em—I love that cradle to grave approach, because of that, the business of comics is just as fascinating to me as the writing and lettering.”

After earning his MFA at Emerson College, Kender seized the opportunity to start a unique project which combined the comic book community’s penchant for collaboration with the the rich stories of sacrifice, tradgedy and triumph which saturate urban communities everywhere. And thusly, in 2009 Kender introduced his brainchild, The Ragbox.

Before Boston, Kender was living across the country in post dot-com boom San Francisco, where he found his inspiration for what would be The Ragbox.

“The neighborhood of the Mission District was this fascinating jumble of races, ethnicities and social classes. It was like a microcosm of these conflicts that were happening all over the country.”

Witnessing his generation’s go at “in-with-new-money-out-with-older-traditions,” Kender’s focused on the peripheral stories orbiting universal trends.

“It’s cyclical, but no one thinks their situation is typical of some overarching human tendency. It’s too personal. It’s hard and it hurts. That’s the story I wanted to tell. That’s the story of The Ragbox.”

By telling that story in 25 chapters through different artists, Kender’s creation echoes its inspiration—many voices telling a single story.

That same concept—a collaborative look into a community—led to the Boston Comic Roundtable. Created 2006, it was Kender’s means of finding local cartoonists and writer who were all interested in working together and sharing their experiences and insights.

“You don’t make independent comics for the money. You do it for the love of the experience.”

With over 100 members meeting weekly, a five Inbound anthologies released showcasing local talent, the roundtable is a refuge for those who are eager to preserve the spirit of independent publishing.

Inbound, outbound and everywhere in between, Boston comic book fans of all ages have a reason to be proud. The work of creators like Dave Kender hold a mirror to our communities, reflecting the people and the stories that shape us, one panel at a time.

FOR MORE ON DAVE KENDER’S WORK, CHECK OUT THERAGBOX.COM AND BOSTONCOMICSROUNDTABLE.COM

AND REMEMBER TO STOP ON BY THE BOSTON COMIC’S ROUNDTABLE BOOTH ON ARTIST’S ALLEY DURING THE CON!

[Sat 4.30.11.-Sun 5.1.11. Hynes Convention Center. 900 Boylston St., Boston. Sat 10am-7pm., Sun 10am-5pm/$20 one day, $35 both days. 617.954.2000. bostoncomiccon.com]