Panel Borders: Making Marvels in the UK part 2

Continuing our month long look at British creators who have written and drawn superhero comics, (in a panel recorded in front of a live audience at the London Science-Fiction Film Festival) Alex Fitch concludes his talk with a quartet of Marvel UK luminaries who were responsible for some of the best British action / adventure titles in the 1980s and 90s.
Alex discusses with artist Gary Erskine and writers Dan Abnett, Simon Furman and John Freeman, the decline in fortunes of Marvel UK as a publisher in the 1990s – despite their creation of memorable titles such as Knights of Pendragon, Dragon’s Claws and popular Transformers spin-off title Death’s Head – due to changing market pressures. (Part 2 of 2)

For more info about this podcast and a variety of formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org / Listen to part one of the Marvel UK panel

Links: Wikipedia pages on Marvel UK, Dan Abnett, Simon Furman, Gary Erskine and John Freeman
John Freeman’s website on British comics news: www.downthetubes.net
Gary Erskine and Simon Furman’s blogs
Dan Abnett’s website
Gallery of Marvel UK covers at the Grand Comics Database
Marvel UK fanblog: It came from Darkmoor
Read Dan Abnett and Simon Harrison’s unpublished Warheads / Death’s Head II graphic novel Loose Cannons
Interview with Gary Erskine in The Guardian about working in the British comics industry

Listen to Alex’s interviews with Chris Claremont and Alan Davis / Paul Cornell about Captain Britain
Listen to Alex’s interview with Simon Furman about Transformers: part one / part two

Recommended events:

Orbital BECKY CLOONAN EXHIBITION EXTENDED TO SEP. 30th

Due to the big success of Becky Cloonan‘s show at the Orbital Gallery, we have extended the exhibition dates until the end of this month.
The show features original artwork from Demo, Pixu, the upcoming series Wolves and East Coast Rising, as well as limited screenprints, postcard sets and a hand-painted guitar.
The Orbital Gallery is open on our usual shop hours, from 10:30 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday and 11:30 to 17:00 on Sundays.

Orbital comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Film Screenings:

Free MEGA SHARK vs GIANT OCTOPUS screening @ THE ALIBI

Skill Wizard proudly presents the original, contemporary mockbuster from Asylum – the makers of MEGA PIRANHA – ignore the groan-worthy other oversized beast movies, all you need is MEGA SHARK vs GIANT OCTOPUS (2009).

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa7ck5mcd1o

The Asylum really know how to make an entertainingly bad, pacy and non-ironic B (actually, more like Z) movie, just add beer.

“WINNER EATS ALL!” We have have some truly awesome MEGA PIRANHA merch to giveaway for the ‘Guess the Deaths’ game and for the most witty Heckle…

– Several Full sized glossy posters / A decent trucker cap / XL t-shirt
*** ALL signed by TIFFANY and PAUL LOGAN (stars of Mega Piranha)***

Mon 20th SEPT, the Alibi, 91 Kingsland High St, London E8 2PB
8pm – 2am (FILM AT 9pm) with DJing Schlock rock and metal…
FREE ENTRY

FilmBar 70 presents Tam Lin (aka The Devil’s Widow)

If you haven’t been to any of the FilmBar 70 nights yet, you’re missing out on an excellent evening of old adverts, trailers, music and some excellent films! One of our favourite nights of the month, check out www.youtube.com/Filmbar70 for the trailer!

Tam Lin (aka The Devil’s Widow) dir: Roddy McDowall (1970)

“Scum! You must treat them like scum!”

Filmbar70 is very proud to present a neglected and under-appreciated classic of British cinema – the magical and mysterious Tam Lin. The only directorial effort from Roddy McDowall (yes, Cornelius from the Planet of the Apes series), the film was unfairly critically mauled upon its release in 1970 and is ripe for re-evaluation. With an unbelievable cast headed by super suave Ian McShane and the alluring Ava Gardner, Tam Lin is sensuous, lyrical and unrepentantly romantic cinema of the highest order.

The indefinably wealthy and enigmatic Michaela (Gardner) lives a life of endless sensual gratification with her young lover Tom (McShane). With an entourage of swinging hipsters in tow, they head north from London for yet more decadent shenanigans. But when Michaela discovers that Tom has fallen for a provincial pastor’s daughter (Stephanie Beacham) and yearns for a simpler, more sedate life, the mood of the party threatens to turn from the celebratory to the downright sinister. As Tom learns the secret behind Michaela’s glamorous façade and the true price of the promise of eternal hedonism, he realises that he too may face the fate met by her myriad former lovers – madness, despair and destruction.

(£3 cover charge / FREE to members)

Roxy Bar and Screen, 128-132 Borough High Street, Lo