Panel Borders: Writing serialised comics

Continuing Panel Borders’ month of shows looking at the writing of superhero comics, Alex Fitch talks to writers Gail Simone, Andy Diggle, Robin Furth and Al Ewing about their work on British and American titles, in a panel discussion recorded at last year’s Thought Bubble festival. Gail and Andy discuss their work for DC Comics and contributing to anthology titles, while Robin talks about adapting Stephen King’s The Dark Tower for Marvel Comics and Al discusses moving from 2000AD to his first work on American strips.

Thought Bubble 2012 runs from 11th – 18th November, culminating with a two day comics convention on 17th and 18th November at Royal Armouries, Leeds.

Covers of Green Arrow by Andy Diggle, Batgirl by Gail Simone, Jennifer Blood by Al Ewing and The Dark Tower by Robin Furth

Links: Andy Diggle’s website
Gail Simone’s tumblr site
Al Ewing’s blog
Page on Robin Furth at The Dark Tower wiki
Thought Bubble website Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Writing serialised comics [ 49:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Millar World

Starting a month of shows on Panel Borders about the art of writing superhero comics, Alex Fitch talks to Mark Millar, a 2000AD alumnus who now has his own anthology comic CLiNT, featuring popular alt-superhero saga Kick-Ass and other strips intended for forthcoming movie adaptations. Alex and Mark discuss the latter’s experiences in British and American comics, the relationship of his Catholic faith to strips American Jesus and Saviour, and the genesis of super-villain heist caper Super Crooks with film maker Nacho Vigalondo. (Originally broadcast 04/11/12 on Resonance FM)

Covers of 2000AD Prog 842, Swamp Thing #159, American Jesus: Chosen #1, CLiNT vol. 2 #1, Super Crooks #1

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Mark Millar’s website and wikipedia page
Titan publishing page on CLiNT
SFX article on Millar’s involvement in forthcoming Marvel movies
Listen to Alex’s interview with director Nacho Vigalondo and transcript Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Millar World [ 30:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: …for travel’s sake

In the last in a month of episodes of Panel Borders looking at depictions of travel in comic books and graphic novels, Alex Fitch talks to a pair of cartoonists whose small press and collected comics are all about travelling for the sake for it.
Oliver East discusses his Trains are… Mint trilogy of graphic novels, published by Blank Slate Books, which chronicle his walking along train lines from Manchester to Liverpool and across Germany, as well as his latest project Swear Down. Oliver has become part of the landscape itself, with the dissemination of his album covers for Elbow’s The Seldom Seen Kid and Build a Rocket Boys! on billboards, and Alex and Oliver discuss the marks that people leave on the environment such as these and the artist’s interest in graffiti.
Also, Alex talks to Kayla Marie Hillier about her web / self published comic Galavant which depicted her travels from Toronto to Manchester and back again, via South London, in the Winter of 2009 / 2010 and is available in a collected edition from the author.

Covers of Trains are… mint and Proper go well high by Oliver East / Galavant: January and collected edition by Kayla Hiller

(Originally broadcast 28/10/12 on Resonance FM) Continue reading →

Panel Borders: ...for travel's sake [ 42:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Sussex to South Asia and stops in-between

Continuing a month of shows about travel in comic books and graphic novels, this week’s Panel Borders looks at the work of two young graphic novelists whose work is published by Jonathan Cape. Alex Fitch talks to Julian Hanshaw about his new collection of short stories, I’m Never Coming Back which includes his award winning entry to the Observer / Cape Graphic Short Story Prize, and his previous graphic novel The Art of Pho, which both depict magical-realist stories of travel around the globe.

Also, in a talk given at Laydeez do Comics earlier this year, Hannah Berry discusses her second graphic novel, Adamtime, which tells the tale of a group of people trapped on a mysterious, sedentary train in the middle of the night, the paths that lead them there and their attempts to escape. (Originally broadcast 21/10/12 on Resonance FM)

Excerpts from I’m never coming back by Julan Hanshaw and Adamtine by Hannah Berry

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Random House pages on Hannah Berry and Julian Hanshaw
Julian’s website
Fobidden Planet International’s “director’s commentary” pages on I’m Never Coming Back and Adamtine
Laydeez do comics website
2009 Panel Borders interviews with Hannah Berry and Julian Hanshaw

Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Sussex to South Asia and stops in-between [ 29:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Hugo Tate

Continuing Panel Borders’ month of shows about the depiction of travel in comic books, Alex Fitch talks to the award winning cartoonist Nick Abadzis about the recent Blank Slate Books collection of his much loved strip Hugo Tate, originally serialised in Deadline magazine.
Alex and Nick discuss the autobiographic aspects of the serial, his experiences in the brief but influential wave of ‘adult’ British comics in the late 1980s and how the story reflects the difficulties of any Brit coming to terms with life in America.

Panel from Hugo Tate by Nick Abadzis

(Originally broadcast in an edited version 14/10/12 on Resonance FM) Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Hugo Tate [ 41:21 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download