Panel Borders: Updating the classics
Concluding our month of shows looking at the connections between comics and literature, Alex Fitch talks to a pair of authors who have used graphic novels and comics to update classic literature. Mike Carey discusses his comic The Unwritten which sees characters from classic literature – such as Frankenstein‘s monster – and authors – like Mark Twain – being caught up in a fantastical conspiracy through the ages; Alex and Mike also discuss how the latter’s parallel career as a novelist effects his comic book writing.
Also, newspaper cartoonist Martin Rowson discusses his graphic novel adaptation and updating of Gulliver’s Travels, with its art and content reflecting current political leaders and situations. (Originally broadcast 24/02/13 on Resonance 104.4 FM)
Interior art and cover of Gulliver’s Travels by Martin Rowson, cover of Vicious Circle and interior art from The Unwritten, written by Mike Carey
For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org
Links: Martin Rowson’s Guardian profile and wikipedia page
Mike Carey’s website and wikipedia page
Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Martin Rowson here and to Alex’s interview with Mike’s regular collaborator Peter Gross, here…
Recommended events:
Webcomic Artist Swap Project 2013
Eleven Webcomics drawn by guest artists!
Starts February 25th, creators involved include: Nich Angell Cat and Meringue / Sammy Borras Instant Comics / Rebecca Burgess Strangers and Friends / Sarah Burgess The Summer of Blake Sinclair / Richy K. Chandler Lucy the Octopus / Francesca Dare Penny Blackfeather / Evelyn Hewett Fruit Machine / Zarina Liew Le Mime / Naniiebim Mephistos / Jade Sarson Cafe Suada / Louise Wei and Dave Hodgkinson Panda and Polar Bear, and David O’Connell, creator of Tozo The Public Servant, will also be contributing art!
If you’re a fan of online strips, check out the project and you might have a few new favourite creators by the end of the week…
More info: http://www.tempolush.com/wasp
Tripwire 21st anniversary Kickstarter campaign
In 2013, Britain’s favourite comics and genre magazine celebrates its 21st birthday. To commemorate, we are doing a must-buy book.
TRIPWIRE has been Britain’s only features-driven comics and genre magazine which has published since 1992 and with 2013 being the magazine’s 21st anniversary, its coming of age if you like, we thought it would be remiss if we didn’t do something to commemorate this.
The book will come in regular paperback and in a limited hardcover edition. Between its covers will be a selection of new material, including art either never seen before or rarely seen from the likes of Drew Struzan (poster artist for Indiana Jones, The Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Phil Hale (award-winning portrait painter), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg, The Shadow, Blackhawk),Frank Quitely (Batman & Robin, All-Star Superman), Walter Simonson (Elric, Thor), Dave Taylor (Batman, Tongue Lash) and many more. Additionally, it will include features looking at the trends and issues that have played a major part in comics and genre over the past 21 years, including the best and worst comic and genre movies 1992-2013, the 21 most important creators to come to the fore in the last twenty-one years, the 21 best graphic novels (mainstream and independent) and much more. It will also include the best content from twenty-one years of TRIPWIRE, a magazine which covered the cream of comics and genre and will include the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Guillermo Del Toro, Mike Mignola, Joss Whedon, Joe Kubert, Will Eisner to name but a few. It will also include a selection of photos pulled from the magazine of genre movers and shakers. It will be a must-buy for fans and aficionados of comics and genre, approached with the same level of professionalism and quality that people have come to expect from the magazine.
“TRIPWIRE really is a breath of fresh air. Its layouts are superb, with great well-written features perfectly set off by the pictures, adding clarity and intelligence to every page. And it keeps on doing it. Amazing, Gratifying. A pleasure to look at, a pleasure to read…” MICHAEL MOORCOCK
Incentives run at prices between £1 and £500 including signed copies, PDFs, prints T-Shirts and more…
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/154246759/tripwire-21st-anniversary
Help launch The Black Cloud
Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…
Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.
‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.
‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.
The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.
Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud
SF Short Film needs funding
If you’re a fan of SF short films or SCI-FI-LONDON, you could help and find a moment to post some news to your friends/contacts about their crowd funding…
They’re making a film called “Ellipse” – co-written and directed by Ilana (We Are All Cylons) Rein. It’s a co-production with SCI-FI-LONDON and The Royal Observatory Greenwich. Thaey have much incredible talent on board including Territory Studios – the group that did some of the FX for Prometheus….
The campaign page is here http://www.sponsume.com/project/ellipse
Develop your graphic fiction ideas with Mike Carey
This one-day course will enable you to really build on and develop your own ideas, and to take some practical steps towards getting your graphic fiction work into shape for an agent or publisher. Mike will look at how to develop ideas for a series, and lead some discussion around the wider scope of the graphic form. There will also be plenty of time for you to craft your own work under Mike’s guidance.
This workshop is perfect for anyone who is already working on an idea for the graphic form, and is looking to develop their ideas further. You don’t need to have come to last season’s workshop to attend.
Saturday 16 March, 11am – 4.30pm
£60 / £45 concessions
Toynbee Studios
28 Commercial Street
London E1 6AB
Nearest Tube/Train: Aldgate East (Hammersmith and City, District)
More info: www.spreadtheword.org.uk
