Panel Borders: Klaus Janson – Superhero Noir

Continuing our month of shows about iconoclastic American comic book artists, Alex Fitch talks to German-American artist Klaus Janson about his work such as inking and eventually providing most of the art for Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in the early 80s to his more recent returns to the characters in Batman: Gothic and Daredevil: The End of Days. Klaus also talks about his love of teaching new artists and his experiences at comic book conventions over the years. (Recorded at Comics Launchpad, Birmingham 2011)

Inks and pencils by Klaus Janson - The Hulk, Daredevil, Batman and Wolverine

Links: Klaus Janson pages on Wikipedia and comicartcommunity.com
Summary of Klaus Janson’s lecture at comics launchpad
More info about Comics Launchpad, Birmingham, 2011
Listen to Alex’s interview with Klaus’ frequent collaborator John Romita Jr.
Continue reading →

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Panel Borders: Laura and Mike Allred – Pop art comics

Starting a month of shows about iconoclastic American comic artists, Alex Fitch talks to husband and wife art team Mike and Laura Allred about their work together from their long running Madman comic, to X-Statics and I, Zombie. The Alldreds’ style has been often described as pop art and Alex discusses the development of this as well as its representation in adaptations of their work such as Christopher Coppola’s film G-Men from Hell.
Originally broadcast 04/03/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

X-Force, Madman and I, Zombie art by Laura and Mike Allred

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.
Links: Mike Allred, Madman, X-Force / X-Statix and I, Zombie pages on Wikipedia Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Laura and Mike Allred – Pop art comics [ 29:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Buying and celebrating comics

Concluding our month of shows looking at non practitioners’ love of comics, Alex Fitch talks to auctioneer Lon Allen of Heritage comics and collectables in Texas, the company that last week began the auction of the Billy Wright collection of 300 comics including the first Batman, Superman and Marvel Comics from the 1930s and the sale has raised nearly 3.5 million dollars so far. Also, Alex talks to stand-up comedian Rob Deb, to Lik + Neon gift shop owner Janice Taylor about stocking small press comics on Brick Lane in London and to Paul Harrison, a Doctor of Egyptian Archeology, who is giving a talk on representations of Egyptian culture in superhero comics next Thursday, 1st March, at The Petrie Museum, University College London.

Action and Marvel Comics sold by Heritage Collectables, Ibis the Invincible, Rob Deb and Zines and Comics at Lik + Neon

Originally broadcast 26/02/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

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

Links: More info about Heritage comics and collectables
Rob Deb’s facebook events page
Lik + Neon website
UCL museums events
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Panel Borders: Movies, toys and graphic design with Alex Cox and James Jarvis

Continuing our month of shows looking at the work of people who aren’t known for their involvement in sequential art, Alex Fitch talks to film director Alex Cox and celebrated toy designer James Jarvis on the importance of comics to their work.

Alex and Alex talk about the prehistory of his classic film Repo Man as a comic book, why its proposed sequel Waldo’s Hawaiian Holiday was turned into a graphic novel and the influence of Dick Tracy on Death and the Compass. Alex and James talk about the latter’s first graphic novel De Profundis and how the style and narratives of comics have influenced his Amos Toys designs and work in general.

(Originally broadcast 12/02/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM / The second half of Alex’s interview with Alex Cox continues in this month’s Electric Sheep Magazine podcast)

Repo Man booklet + comic by Alex Cox / World of Pain + De Profundis by James Jarvis

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

Panel Borders: Movies, toys and graphic design with Alex Cox and James Jarvis [ 49:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Exhibiting comics

Continuing our month of shows about about non practitioners’ love of comics, Alex Fitch talks to Lord Baker of Dorking about The Cartoon Museum‘s latest exhibition ‘Her Maj: Sixty years of unofficial portraits of the Queen’ and to John Huddy, founder and curator of The Illustration Cupboard about the gallery’s history.
Also, from last week’s Manga Jiman awards ceremony at the Embassy of Japan in London, Cultural Officer Simon Wright and Minister Hiroshi Suzuki, the director of the Japan Information and Culture Centre, introduce this year’s winning entries to the comic book competition.

Art from Her Maj / Lord Baker at the exhibition opening / Kevin O Neil on display at the Illustration Cupboard / Manga Jiman Winner Elena Vitagliano: The Deep Needs Train

(Originally broadcast 12/02/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM)
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Comics and conflicts: Pat Mills on Charleys War

Imperial War Museum educator Grant Rogers talks to Pat Mills about his seminal wartime strip Charley’s War, serialised in Battle Action comic in the 1970s and 80s. Grant and Pat Mills discuss the history of the strip, working with Joe Colquhoun and the real life events that influenced the comic. (Recorded in front of an audience at the 2011 Comics and Conflicts conference at the Imperial War Museum, London.)

Charleys War by Joe Colquhoun and Pat Mills

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

Links: Wikipedia pages on Charley’s War and Pat Mills
Grant’s website
Listen to Alex’s interviews with Grant about his career working on great British Cartoons and his favourite film of 2006
Listen to Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott’s interview with Pat Mills about 2000AD
Listen to Grant’s 2008 interview with Pat
More Comics and Conflicts podcasts

Recommended events:

Storytelling for Comics and Graphic Novels course

You will learn about comic and graphic novel storytelling techniques, and how to create your own visual narrative. Everyone will end the course with one completed comic page, and the skills to continue their work for themselves. We will look at comic and graphic novel art styles, the use of text and images, the “grammar” of comic art, use of sound effects, abstraction, and styles. You provide a story from your own experience, or one you wish to adapt into the medium.

West Dean College, Chichester (Suitable for all levels)
2nd – 4th March 2012
Details here: www.westdean.org.uk

Comics and conflicts: Pat Mills on Charleys War [ 1:11:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Habibi Blankets

Concluding our month of shows looking at biography and autobiography in comics, Alex Fitch talks to the multiple award winning (and Grammy nominated) cartoonist Craig Thompson about his epic new graphic novel Habibi (My beloved). Alex and Craig discuss the 672 page book’s reworking of themes from ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, mixing in modern concerns about gender politics and pollution in the Middle East and how his previous autobiographical works Blankets and Carnet de Voyage, with their themes of sexual awakening, religion and travelogue, led to his latest work.

Habibi, Blankets and Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download. (Broadcast 29/01/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM) Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Habibi Blankets [ 35:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download