Death By Orphans

This is the first part of a longer poem that I wrote using the oulipian prisoner’s constraint. This constraint prohibits you from using letters with arms or tails (b, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, p, q, t, or y). I understand it takes its name from a prisoner’s need to fit as much writing on a single sheet of paper, which is limited, as possible. It can be a deceptively difficult exercise, I suggest everyone attempt it.

I have been hoping to start making some OuBaPo comics. I decided to wade in by taking a OuLiPo constraint and making it an OuBaPo constraint. The comics equivalent of the prisoner’s constraint, I felt, would be to make a comic that did not have any portion of any character outside of the frame. This, however, did not prove very constraining and; therefore, was not a very interesting challenge. I’m still happy with the result but will have to attempt something more limiting in the future.

Do you have any suggestions for other ways of interpreting the prisoner’s constraint into comics?

Stay tuned for the remaining parts.