Panel Borders: (Ghosts of) Young Graphic Novelists

Continuing a month of shows about the depiction of musicians and music culture in comic books, this week’s episode coincides with our yearly look at the work of young graphic novelists. Alex Fitch talks to Owen Johnson, Mark D Penman, James Lawrence and Andrew Tunney about their comics and forming an exhibiting group with three others called Ghosts for an art show at Orbital Comics entitled ‘Cult’. The artists discuss the influences on their comics including the anthology title Waste, how the group was formed and what visitors can expect from the exhibition; includes an extract from the soundtrack to Johnson’s comic Raygun Roads. The exhibition Ghosts: Cult runs at Orbital Comics, London until April 20th (Originally broadcast Monday 7th April, Resonance 104.4 FM)

Excerpts from comics by Owen Johnson, Mark Penman, James Lawrence and Andrew Tunney

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: More info about the Orbital Cult exhibition
Owen Michael Johnson’s blog and website
Mark D Penman’s tumblr site
James Lawrence’s Dangerine commix
Andrew Tunney’s website
Listen to Alex’s previous shows on Young British Graphic Novelists: 2011 / 2012 / 2013

Recommended events:

Comics at SCI-FI-LONDON

Dave McKean doesn’t really need an introduction here – from his Sandman covers to Arkham Asylum to his books with Neil Gaiman, through to his own books and illustration and graphic work, he has shaped and changed the look of comics for decades. Apart from his well-known photo collage work, he is also extremely adapt at the good ol’ ink and brushwork.

Alex Fitch will be interviewing Dave McKean at Gosh! on Saturday, the 26th of April, from 7.30pm onwards.

Emma Vieceli, you may know from SelfMadeHero’s Manga Shakespeare adaptations, Young Avengers, her work on ambitious webcomics The Thrill Electric for Channel Four with John Reppion and Leah Moore and Breaks with Malin Rydén, plus most recently in print, the graphic novel adaptations of the ever-popular Vampire Academy series.

Emma will be conversation with Alex on Sunday, the 27th of April, from 7.30pm, Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London, W1F 0DR

Nearest tube for Gosh! is Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square

Mike Carey is a much loved contributor to Vertigo Comics’ John Constantine: Hellblazer title, he also enjoyed a seven year tenure as the writer of the Lucifer comic. He will be discussing his career so far, plus his latest acclaimed horror novel The Girl with all the gifts and graphic novel X-Men: No more humans.

Saturday 3rd May, 2.30pm, The Club Room, 2nd Floor, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL

Nearest tube to Conway Hall is Holborn on the Central and Piccadilly Lines.
Continue reading →

Panel Borders: (Ghosts of) Young Graphic Novelists [ 42:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Jim McCarthy, Music Biographies

Starting a month of shows about the depiction of musicians and music culture in comic books, Alex Fitch talks to Jim McCarthy about writing graphic novel music biographies of musicians and groups such as Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, The Ramones and Metallica. Fitch and McCarthy talk about the varying difficulties of depicting late musicians on the page, writing authentic voices for real people and taking a docudrama approach to graphic novels. (Recorded at Cartoon County, Brighton, January 2014)
Originally broadcast Monday 7th April, Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

Excerpts from Sex Pistols, Ramones, Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain graphic novels, written by Jim McCarthy

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: Jim McCarthy’s website and page on Omnibus Press website
Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Jim as part of a tag team conversation with four 2000AD creators

Recommended events:

Comics at SCI-FI-LONDON

Dave McKean doesn’t really need an introduction here – from his Sandman covers to Arkham Asylum to his books with Neil Gaiman, through to his own books and illustration and graphic work, he has shaped and changed the look of comics for decades. Apart from his well-known photo collage work, he is also extremely adapt at the good ol’ ink and brushwork.

Alex Fitch will be interviewing Dave McKean at Gosh! on Saturday, the 26th of April, from 7.30pm onwards.

Emma Vieceli, you may know from SelfMadeHero’s Manga Shakespeare adaptations, Young Avengers, her work on ambitious webcomics The Thrill Electric for Channel Four with John Reppion and Leah Moore and Breaks with Malin Rydén, plus most recently in print, the graphic novel adaptations of the ever-popular Vampire Academy series.

Emma will be conversation with Alex on Sunday, the 27th of April, from 7.30pm, Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London, W1F 0DR

Nearest tube for Gosh! is Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square

Mike Carey is a much loved contributor to Vertigo Comics’ John Constantine: Hellblazer title, he also enjoyed a seven year tenure as the writer of the Lucifer comic. He will be discussing his career so far, plus his latest acclaimed horror novel The Girl with all the gifts and graphic novel X-Men: No more humans.

Saturday 3rd May, 2.30pm, The Club Room, 2nd Floor, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL

Nearest tube to Conway Hall is Holborn on the Central and Piccadilly Lines. Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Jim McCarthy, Music Biographies [ 1:07:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Ben Katchor, architectural strips

Concluding a month of shows about comics and graphic novels drawn from elements of real life, Alex Fitch talks to award winning American cartoonist Ben Katchor about his weekly newspaper strips on tourism and architecture. Fitch and Katchor discuss the latter’s weekly strip from The Village Voice – Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer – and how it was part of a wave of underground cartoonists in periodicals, collecting his absurdist cartoons on tourism – The Cardboard Valise – and his oversized monthly graphic short story for Metropolis magazine, collected as Hand Drying in America and other stories.
(Originally broadcast 31/03/14 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Excerpts from Julius Knipl, The Cardboard Valise and Handdrying in America by Ben Katchor

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: Ben Katchor’s website and blog
Katchor’s pages on www.lambiek.net and www.ted.com Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Ben Katchor, architectural strips [ 1:05:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Unusual Origins

Continuing a month of shows about comics and graphic novels which present ‘slices of life’ on the page, Alex Fitch talks two creators who are doing their first work in the field. Jessica Martin, actress turned graphic novelist, discusses her self published comic book biography of Clara Bow – It Girl – and her forthcoming longer work about society and cinema in the 1930s. Willem Samuel talks about the first volume of his autobiography Mengelmoes, published by Soaring Penguin Press, which depicts his childhood in South Africa and how the drawing style and magical realist narration will change over later volumes. Recorded at London Super Comic Con, Spring 2014. (Originally broadcast 24/03/14 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Cover and interior art from Mengelmoes by Willem Samuel and It Girl by Jessica Martin

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: Jessica Martin’s website
Info about Mengelmoes at Soaring Penguin Press’ website
Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Unusual Origins [ 39:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Oscar Zarate, exploring The Park

Continuing a month of shows about comics and graphic novels which present ‘slices of life’ on the page, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Oscar Zarate about his latest graphic novel The Park, an exploration of various characters whose lives intersect on Hampstead Heath, published by SelfMadeHero.
The Park is the first graphic novel illustrated by Zarate that the artist has also written rather than working from someone else’s script, and he discusses the genesis of the project, his previous graphic albums published in France and his rereleased short story anthology It’s Dark in London. (Recorded in front of an audience at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, Autumn 2013 / originally broadcast 17/03/14 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Pages from The Park, I keep coming back and La Faille by Oscar Zarate

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: Info about Oscar Zarate’s work with SelfMadeHero at www.selfmadehero.com
Info about Zarate at lambiek.net
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival website

Recommended events:

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 at SCI-FI-LONDON

The MST3K all nighter is a regular attraction of SCI-FI-LONDON (The London International Science Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival), and this year the festival would like to bring along two of the actors from the series to ‘riff’ in person at the film screenings. Dr. Forrester and Frank’s appearance will hopefully be funded by an indiegog campaign where you can also purchase a signed Cinematic Titanic DVD by the duo.

More info here / festival website

British Comics Month at Gosh!

Special events celebrating British Comics are taking place throughout March at Gosh! Comics in Soho, London. These include:

BLANK SLATE TALK at Process, the monthly event where working and aspiring comics artists and writers get together and talk about their work process. As part of British Comics Month, March is Blank Slate themed affair, with Darryl Cunningham, Joe Decie and Lizz Lunney all talking about their own comics-making methods, chaired by Woodrow Phoenix. Friday, March 21st, and run from 7.30pm to 9pm. From the 17th through to the 23rd of March, customers will be able to get 25% off of all Blank Slate books! Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Oscar Zarate, exploring The Park [ 38:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Room for Love

Continuing a month of shows about comics and graphic novels which present ‘slices of life’ on the page, Alex Fitch talks to writer / artist Ilya about his latest graphic novel, Room for Love, published by SelfMadeHero, which depicts the relationship between a homeless rent boy and the middle aged woman who gives him a place to stay. Fitch and Ilya discuss the project’s history, the artist’s more cartoony style used in the book, and how the story connects to his much loved End of the Century Club comics. Recorded at Cartoon County, Brighton, Autumn 2013. (Originally broadcast 10/03/14 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Panels from Room for Love by Ilya

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: Info about the book at www.selfmadehero.com
Info about Ilya at lambiek.net
Cartoon County website

Recommended events:

London Super Comic Con

This year’s London Super Comic Con is taking place on March 15th and 16th at the ExCel Centre, Docklands. Guests include Arthur Adams, Frank Cho, Max Brooks, Jonathan Ross, Mark Buckingham, Howard Chaykin, Katie Cook, Peter David and many more.

Find out more by going to http://londonsupercomicconvention.com

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 at SCI-FI-LONDON

The MST3K all nighter is a regular attraction of SCI-FI-LONDON (The London International Science Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival), and this year the festival would like to bring along two of the actors from the series to ‘riff’ in person at the film screenings. Dr. Forrester and Frank’s appearance will hopefully be funded by an indiegog campaign where you can also purchase a signed Cinematic Titanic DVD by the duo.

More info here / festival website Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Room for Love [ 59:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Will Eisner week

Starting a month of shows about comics and graphic novels which depict ordinary life on the page, Alex Fitch talks to a quartet of comics experts and historians about Will Eisner’s autobiographical comics to coincide with International Will Eisner Week, which celebrates the author’s work. Richard Reynolds (Senior Lecturer, Central Saint Martins), Ian Rakoff (Lecturer, Victoria and Albert Museum), Guy Lawley (contributor: 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die) and Steve Edgell (co-author: The Complete Cartooning Course) discuss Eisner’s seminal graphic novel A Contract with God and its sequels, the cartoonist’s work for the army on P.S. Magazine: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly and his final work The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Extracts from A Contract with God, P.S. Magazine and The Plot by Will Eisner

(Originally broadcast 03/03/14 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

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: Info about Richard Reynolds on Central Saint Martins website
Ian Rakoff’s blog
Info about Guy Lawley on Paul Gravett’s website
Guy Lawley’s bibliography on goodreads.com
Will Eisner week website

Recommedned events:

W.A.S.P. 2014

This year’s Web Artist Swap Project is in full swing with the likes of Rebecca Burgess, Richy K. Chandler, Francesca Dare, Zarina Liew, David O’Connell, Jade Sarson, Nicola Streeten, Paul Shinn and many more taking turns in drawing each others’ webcomics.
Find out more by going to www.tempolush.com/wasp

British Comics Month at Gosh!

Special events celebrating British Comics are taking place throughout March at Gosh! Comics in Soho, London. These include:

Selfmade Hero Spring Party, featuring ILYA, Mark Stafford, and Reinhard Kleist, Friday, the 7th of March, from 7pm to 9pm. Also, from the 3rd through to the 9th of March, customers will be able to get 25% off all Selfmade Hero books! Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Will Eisner week [ 45:31 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Concluding a month of shows about French comics or Bande dessinée, Alex Fitch talks to Tim Pilcher about his new role as UK Liaison at Humanoids Publishing, bringing translations of French graphic novels to Britain, and to Graphic Novelist and filmmaker Joann Sfar about his titles The Rabbi’s Cat (Le Chat du Rabbin) and Tokyo.

Fitch and Pilcher discuss the launch titles available from Humanoids UK in the Spring, including work by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Nicolas de Crecy, and Sfar discusses how he adapts his style for different audiences and age groups, as well as for the cinema as the director of Gainsbourg: Vie héroïque (2010). (Originally broadcast 24/02/14 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Extracts from The Rabbis Cat and Tokyo by Joann Sfar and covers of three forthcoming releases from Humanoids UK

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: Humanoids UK facebook page
Joann Sfar’s website

Recommended events

W.A.S.P. 2014

This year’s Web Artist Swap Project is in full swing with the likes of Rebecca Burgess, Richy K. Chandler, Francesca Dare, Zarina Liew, David O’Connell, Jade Sarson, Nicola Streeten, Paul Shinn and many more taking turns in drawing each others’ webcomics.
Find out more by going to www.tempolush.com/wasp

British Comics Month at Gosh!

Special events celebrating British Comics are taking place throughout March at Gosh! Comics in Soho, London. These include:

Selfmade Hero Spring Party, featuring ILYA, Mark Stafford, and Reinhard Kleist, Friday, the 7th of March, from 7pm to 9pm. Also, from the 3rd through to the 9th of March, customers will be able to get 25% off all Selfmade Hero books! Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Rabbis and Humanoids [ 50:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download