Now Presenting the latest, greatest mini-comics
Each year the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo enthusiastically supports self-published comics by awarding MICE Mini-Grants to independent creators. We are thrilled to be back in person and to celebrate the hard work and talents of our exhibitors with MICE Mini-Grants. MICE Mini-Grants offer funding to help creators print their work, provide focused marketing and promotional support, and a top-notch distribution channel for their comics thanks to our partner Radiator Comics.
our partners
The Mini-Grant program is made possible thanks to a matching financial contribution from PrintNinja. We are also excited to announce our continued partnership with Radiator Comics, which offers winning entries an open opportunity for retail and online distribution.
MINI-GRANT 2024 Showcase
Congratulations to all of our MICE Mini-Grant winners of 2024! These award-winning selections will be available for purchase at the exhibitors' tables and (most) later this year from Radiator Comics.
UNCLE
Amy Chu - 10B
Uncle follows a writer-director-filmmaker, Nadine, who “recreates” a trip with her uncle that never happened. The story jumps between multiple timelines, including Nadine’s memories, her uncle’s stories, film production, and even the movie itself.
Mature readers
BODY ISSUES:
COMICS ABOUT BODY IMAGE
Babs New - 27A
The third and final installment of Body Issues collects 12 more stories about body image from real people (but drawn as animals).
Teens and up
COME HOME SAFE
Boya Sun - 28B
After a fatal explosion, an astronaut faces their last moments in the vast emptiness of space, longing for parental comfort as they approach death alone.
Mature readers
CICADA COMICS
Cris Siqueira - 6B
The story takes place in an absurdist version of our world and is a critique of internet culture and the ridiculous times we live in.
Mature readers
HELLO? ARE YOU THERE?
Diigii Daguna - 57
A collection of messages and conversations that they (author) have collected over the years that helped them get out of their head and spurred them into action.
All-ages
CLIPPINGS
Gabby Golec - 49A
Co-dependency unearths itself between two love-pilled characters upon a strange encounter. What forms can love take?
Mature readers
BOO BOO KAH NOO
Henry Uhrik - 79A
Boo Boo Kah Noo is the story of a brother and sister who rescue french directors, ping pong players and other eccentrics off the rooftops of a flooded city.
All-ages
SHARE CONTENT
Jillian King - 49B
Share Content is a poetry comic that juxtaposes the sterile experience of remote work with the intimacy of living in Boston's triple-decker homes. By observing neighbors’ windows at night, the comic explores alternate futures and parallel lives shaped by the mirrored architecture of these homes.
Mature readers
PEACH BEAST
Jules Sharpe - 83B
Peach Beast is a queer and trans erotic comic about a peach farmer who meets a beast in the woods. The comic is partially based on my explorations of Chunhwa and Shunga, which are Korean and Japanese erotic paintings from the 19th century.
Mature readers
TAPE #453
Mac Maclean - 62B
Tape #453 is a full-color wordless comic from the point of view of a security camera over 20 years. Though many of the scenes the camera picks up are mundane, some stretch the limits of reality itself. Who installed this camera? And who is watching?
Teens and up
SOFA KING
Meg Selkey - 23A
It’s 2007, and Krishna feels too small, too big, too quiet, too loud, too smart, too dumb– but all at once, right now, in Cara Callahan’s backyard.
Teens and up
ROBOT POETRY CLUB
Michael Albrecht - 72B
After the extraordinarily wrong execution of a CompSci 101 assignment, a computer gains sentience and heads off on a journey of self-discovery.
Teens and up
WEDDING JUICE AND OTHER MELODRAMAS: issue 1
Sanika Phawde - 26B
I started making this series to cope with the stress of having one month to remotely co-plan my wedding, with my family, in India, while living in Boston. After not having been able to travel to india to see my parents in 4.5 years, I would be introducing my American partner to my country, my culture and my entire extended family and friends, all at once, at our own wedding.
All-ages
WAKE UP: BALLAD FOR THE MIDWEST QUEER
Sara C. - 24A
Personal reflection on aging and what it means to grow up queer in a space that demands you grow out of it.
Teens and up
SWEET TOOTH
Vicky Yang - 16B
This is a story about sugar addiction and my memory (or my lack of memory) of Grandma. About what has been passed on and what was lost in time. This is a female family history, a personal inquiry into the past, and a story about connection and its complexity.
All ages