Co-presenter / producer of "Panel Borders", Thursdays 5pm Resonance 104.4 FM. Film reviewer for www.electricsheepmagazine.com Podcaster for www.sci-fi-london.com
Continuing our month of shows about biography and autobiography, guest presenter Nicola Streeten interviews Bryan and Mary Talbot about their forthcoming graphic novel, Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, which contrasts two coming of age narratives: Lucia, daughter of James Joyce, and author Mary Talbot, daughter of the Joycean scholar James S Atherton. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch) (Recorded live in front of an audience at the University of Sussex as part of the First Fictions Festival).
Image from Dotter of her fathers eyes by Bryan and Mary M Talbot
Laydeez do podcasts – Judith Vanistendael: Dance by the light of the moon
A Q and A recorded at Bar Music Hall in East London as part of Comica Festival, 2010, Paul Gravett talks to Flemish cartoonist Judith Vanistendael about her semi-autobiographical graphic novel Dance by the light of the moon, published in the UK by Self Made Hero.
(Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch, introduced by Sarah Lightman)
Excerpt from Dance by the light of the moon by Judith Vanistendael
Continuing our month of shows on biography and autobiography, Alex Fitch talks to Canadian cartoonist David Collier about his work, from his Collier’s self published comics to graphic novels such as Chimo released by Conundrum Press and various titles distributed by Drawn and Quarterly. Alex and David also talk about the latter’s experiences serving in the army and getting advice from Robert Crumb. (Recorded live in front of an audience at the Imperial War Museum, London)
Panel from Chimo by David Collier, published by Conundrum Press
CRAIG THOMPSON signing copies of Habibi, Blankets and more, 5pm-7pm,
Saturday 21st January
EDDIE CAMPBELL signing at 6:30pm, Friday 3rd February
1, Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR / www.goshlondon.com
Nearest tube: Picadilly Circus / Leicester Square
Other comics events:
Course: Drawing For The Graphic Novel
Stephen Marchant’s 11-week course on Thursday evenings run by Birkbeck College in association with the Cartoon Museum.
Where: Cartoon Museum, London
When: January 12, 2012
Rethinking the History of Childhood: Narratives, Sources, Debates
The history of childhood is now ripe for re-evaluation. The conference will
debate existing paradigms while welcoming the work of new scholars.
Where: University of Greenwich, Centre for the Study of Play and Recreation
When: January 14, 2012
Alex Fitch talks to a pair of directors of innovative short animated films; to Oscar winner (2011 co-director Short Animated film) Shaun Tan about the adaptation of his acclaimed picture book The Lost Thing and to web animator Jonti Picking about his cult animated series Weebl and Bob as well as his adverts for Cadbury’s Creme Eggs (is it that time of year already?) and Anchor Butter.
Alex Fitch interviews Shaun Tan / Weebl and Bob re-enact Raiders of the Lost Ark
Starting a month of shows on biography and autobiography, Alex Fitch and Dickon Harris interview comic creator turned animator Eric Khoo who’s directed a portmanteau film called Tatsumi (released 13/01/12), based on the work of mangaka Yoshihiro Tatsumi, including five of his gekiga short stories with bookends adapting his autobiography A Drifting Life.
Panel Borders: Unnamable horrors in genre comics by Brubaker, Abnett and Lanning
Concluding our series of shows about H.P. Lovecraft, Alex Fitch talks to three creators who have recently penned comics inspired by his monsters and scenarios. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning talk about adding a Lovecraftian twist to Marvel Superheroes in their titles Realm of Kings and The Thanos Imperative, which feature alternative versions of Captain Marvel and the Avengers possessed by the ‘Many-angled Ones’. Also Ed Brubaker discusses Fatale, his latest collaboration with artist Sean Phillips, following Sleeper, Criminal and Incognito, which mixes noir storytelling with occult ceremonies and tentacle faced Nazis.
Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the Marvel Cancerverse by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning in Realm of Kings, drawn by Leonardo Manco and The Thanos Imperative drawn by Miguel Sepulveda
Panel Borders episode 250 – Alan Moore: The Horrors at Red Hook
Continuing our month of shows about H.P. Lovecraft, Alex Fitch talks to Alan Moore about his final graphic novel that isn’t part of the continuing League of Extraordinary Gentlemen narrative – Neonomicon – which has just been published, along with its prequel The Courtyard, as a graphic novel by Avatar Press. Both comics follow on from Lovecraft’s tale ‘The Horror at Red Hook’ and Alan discusses why he chose that story in particular to explore further, plus the origins of The Courtyard in an abandoned short story collection called ‘Yuggoth Cultures’, and examples of Lovecraftian imagery in his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen saga.
Wrap covers of The Courtyard and Neonomicon by Alan Moore, Anthony Johnson and Jacen Burrows
Another monthly event, in which hosts Mike Medaglia and Mark Haylock pick a ‘mainstream’ and small press comic to discuss in this free reading group in Gosh Comics!, Soho
This month they’re looking at “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud and John Miers‘ treatment of The Tower of Babel in his book “A Collection of Comics”
All books will be available at Gosh! and you can read ‘The Tower of Babel’ online (however the book is really nice to have!)
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Time: 19:00 until 21:00 Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F ODR
Panel Borders: Illustrating the Mountains of Madness
Beginning a trio of shows about the influence of writer H.P.Lovecraft on comics, Alex Fitch talks to I.N.J. Culbard about his graphic novel adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness and forthcoming adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward for Self Made Hero. Cartoonist Rob Davis briefly joins the conversation (recorded at last month’s Thought Bubble convention) as Alex, Rob and Ian discuss Lovecraft’s short stories and the difficulty of illustrating prose that is alternatively wordy, obtuse and unnamable.
Images from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, At the Mountains of Madness and Deadbeats by I.N.J Culbard
In the last LDC of 2011, Laydeez curators Nicola and Sarah talk about their work and how it has evolved since the first LDC meeting in 2009 + a couple of designers talk about their comics.
Guests: Rachel Abrams, designer and writer, Brooklyn NY Sarah Lightman, artist, curator and researcher Marcia Mihotich, graphic designer and illustrator Nicola Streeten, illustrator and author of graphic memoir Billy, Me & You
Recommended Read: Billy, Me & You by Nicola Streeten, published by Myriad Editions
Monday 5 December
Time: 6.30 – 9.30pm
Venue: The Rag Factory, 16-18 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
Canny Comics
On Friday 9th and Saturday 10th December, listeners in the North of England might like to go along to the Newcastle Comic Convention, Canny Comics which is taking place at Tyneside Cinema and Newcastle City Library – events include a free screening of George lucas’ magnum opus, Howard the Duck, signings, a drink and draw session and guests include Mary and Bryan Talbot, Doug Braithwaite, Gary Erskine and Al Ewing…
09/12/11 – 7pm till late, Tyneside Cinema, 10 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne And Wear NE1 6QG
10/12/11 – 10am – 5.30pm, Newcastle City Library, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AX
More info can be found at cannycomiccon.blogspot.com
As everyone likes a good ghost story at Christmas, Alex Fitch chairs a panel discussion on H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, the two American heavyweights of classic horror and fantastic literature, with contributors including novelists China Miéville and Denise Mina, and illustrators Mark Stafford and Alice Duke. 2011 is the 85th anniversary of Lovecraft’s seminal story The Call of Cthulu, the 80th anniversary of the character first appearing in another writer’s fiction (Robert E. Howard’s The Black Stone) and the 170th anniversary of the publication of The Murders in the Rue Morgue. The panelists discuss the influence of Lovecraft on genre fiction plus the use of the iconography of Poe in Goth culture and detective literature. (Recorded at the British Film Institute as part of this year’s SCI-FI-LONDON festival).
Also contains a preview of Panel Borders’ Lovecraft season featuring I.N.J. Culbard, Alan Moore, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.
Alex Fitch, Alice Duke, China Mieville, Denise Mina and Mark Stafford at SCI-FI-LONDON, photo by Fia Eamónn Wahlin
Electric Sheep Podcast – Pulp Fiction: Low budget British genre films
Alex Fitch talks to director Tom Guerrier about his short film Cleaning Up, featuring Doctor Who stars Mark Gatiss and Louise Jameson as a hitman and his landlady; and to Adam Hamdy, co-director, and actors Jay Sutherland, Gavin Molloy, Simon Burbage and Lee Ravitz, about Pulp, a caper movie set in the small press comic community. Both films are starting to tour festivals and Alex talks to their creators about the making of each project and their ambitions to get the films to larger audiences.
Cleaning Up will be screening next on 10/01/12 at the London Short Film Festival at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith.
Pulp receives its UK premiere on 02/02/12 at SFX Weekender Sci-Fi convention, Prestatyn Sands, Wales.
Simon Burbage, John Thomson and Gavin Molloy in Pulp / Tom Guerrier helps Mark Gatiss get into character for Cleaning Up
For more information and a variety of formats you can stream / download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org
In the last LDC of 2011, Laydeez curators Nicola and Sarah talk about their work and how it has evolved since the first LDC meeting in 2009 + a couple of designers talk about their comics.
Guests: Rachel Abrams, designer and writer, Brooklyn NY Sarah Lightman, artist, curator and researcher Marcia Mihotich, graphic designer and illustrator Nicola Streeten, illustrator and author of graphic memoir Billy, Me & You
Recommended Read: Billy, Me & You by Nicola Streeten, published by Myriad Editions
Monday 5 December
Time: 6.30 – 9.30pm
Venue: The Rag Factory, 16-18 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
