Panel Borders: Making Marvels in the UK

Continuing our month long look at British creators who have written and drawn superhero comics for both the American and domestic markets, in a panel recorded in front of a live audience at the London Science-Fiction Film Festival, Alex Fitch talks to a quartet of Marvel UK luminaries who were responsible for some of the best action / adventure titles in the 1980s and 90s.
Simon Furman, was (and still is) the primary writer of Transformers, as well as the scribe behind a dozen installments of the Doctor Who comic strip, plus many of Marvel UK’s most memorable SF titles including Dragon Claws and Death’s Head. John Freeman, helped create many of Marvel UK’s early 90s titles such as Death’s Head II, Warheads, Killpower and Motormouth. Dan Abnett and Gary Erskine co-created the Knights of Pendragon, a series which gave UK superhero Captain Britain a new, darker spin in the 1990s by adding him to an Arthurian team of heroes.
Alex and the four creators discuss the rise in popularity of Marvel UK as a producer of original material in the 1980s and some of the memorable comics they founded along the way. (Part 1 of 2)

4 covers of Marvel UK titles from the late 70s to mid 80s - Hulk Comic #41, Captain Britain #1, Transformers #8, Action Force #24

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 two of the Marvel UK panel

Links: Wikipedia pages on Marvel UK, Dan Abnett, , Gary Erskine and John Freeman
John’s website on British comics news: www.downthetubes.net
Gallery of Marvel UK covers at the Grand Comics Database
Marvel UK fanblog: It came from Darkmoor
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
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Panel Borders: eXpat Heroes

Starting a new podcast series of the UK’s only weekly radio show about comics, Panel Borders has a month of shows looking at the ‘British Invasion’ of UK creators who have worked on American and American-style superhero titles.

Alex Fitch talks to Chris Claremont, a veteran comics writer born in London who became one of the most prolific and popular American comic book writers of the 20th century, most famous for a 16 year sojourn writing the Uncanny X-Men from 1975 – 1991, with his last few issues selling in the region of eight million copies each.

In this episode, recorded at this year’s Bristol International Comics Expo, we’re focussing on a superhero Chris created for the UK market – Captain Britain – in 1976, the character’s relocation to America via the monthly comic Excalibur in 1988 and his more experimental X-Men spin off – New Mutants – which Chris created in 1982 and returned to writing last month.

(Originally broadcast 2nd September 2010 on Resonance FM)

New Mutants and Captain Britain by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis

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

Links: Wikipedia pages on Chris Claremont and Captain Britain
Article on New Mutants Forever at newsarama.com

Listen to Alex’s interviews with Alan Davis and Paul Cornell about drawing and writing Captain Britain respectively

Recommended events:

Pat Mills’ Electric Picnic

Graphic Content: The Big Comics Chat… A chaotic and fun-stuffed rocket ride through the inner and outer reaches of the comics and cartooning universes. Our intrepid and esteemed panel – Pat Mills (2000 AD), Steve Bell (Guardian), Emma Vieceli (Manga Shakespeare), Phil Barrett (Matter) and Mel Gibson (Northumbria University) – will cheerily dissect and debate the “sequential art” scene as it and was: offering thoughts, opinions and recollections on a wide range of topics, including: Classic British comics, Manga, Bande dessinée, Girls’ comics, John Major’s underpants, the Irish small presses, and much, much more. Masked and caped crusaders may also get an occasional mention…

Friday 3rd September, 5.30pm, Stradbally Hall Estate, Stradbally, Co. Laois, Eire

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Panel Borders: A tour of Hypercomics

In an extra additional Summer podcast of Panel Borders, Alex Fitch introduces a walking tour by Paul Gravett of the Hypercomics: The Shapes of Comics exhibition he’s curated at the Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park, featuring work by Adam Dant, Dave McKean, Warren Pleece and Daniel Merlin Goodbrey who additionally joins Paul to talk about his contribution to the exhibition and poster display outside.

Hypercomics: the shape of comics to come is on now until 26th of September at Pump House Gallery, Battersea Park, London, SW11 4NJ …

The Battersea Pump House Gallery with Hypercomics by Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, Dave McKean and Warren Pleece beyond

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

Links: Info about the Hypercomics: The Shapes of Comics exhibition at comicafestival.com and pumphousegallery.org.uk
Wikipedia pages on Dave McKean, Adam Dant, Warren Pleece and Daniel Merlin Goodbrey

Listen to Martin Myrone and Gerald Scarfe’s tour of Rude Britannia at Tate Britain (closes 05/09/10)

Recommended events:

Becky Cloonan at Orbital Comics

The art of American comic book artist Becky Cloonan is on display at Orbital Comics from 20th August to 20th September. Best known for her collaborartions with writer Brian Wood, the exhibtion curated by Tom Humberstone includes around 20 original pieces of work on show as well as some limited screenprints, postcard sets and a hand-painted guitar (only on display the first weekend of the show).
Becky herself will be in London on the 20th and will be available to chat to and sign books/art at the private view (8-10 pm 20th August 2010). There will also, as with all private views, be some free drink.

8 Great Newport Street
London WC2H 7JA
www.orbitalcomics.com

Hypercomics events at the Pump House Gallery and nearby

Sunday 22nd August, 12 noon – 6pm: Comiket – a small press comics fair being held in a marquee outside the venue which also features a drop in workshop for kids on character design. FREE
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Panel Borders: The art of Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon

In the second of two episodes looking at Latin American comics, Alex Fitch is talking to Brazilian comic book artists Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon about their work from titles such as the horror graphic novel Pixu to the surreal superhero comic The Umbrella Academy written by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way…

Excerpts from The Umbrella Academy by Gabriel Ba & Gerard Way and De:tales by Ba and Fabio Moon

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

Links: Bá and Moon’s blog
Wikipedia pages on Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon and The Umbrella Academy
Read the first 9 pages of Daytripper by Bá and Moon and The Umbrella Academy: Safe and Sound by Gabriel Bá and Gerard Way
Read an an interview with Bá and Moon from The Comics Journal

Recommended events:

Comics at The London Literature Festival

The London Literature Festival runs from July 1st – 18th at The South Bank Centre in London and features a multitude of talks, panels and presentations on the world of books. Comics are represented at the festival in a couple of events including:

Martin Rowson talks about adapting the ‘anti-novel: The Life and opinions of Tristram Shandy, gentleman into graphic novel format – Saturday 3 July 2010 – 4 pm

Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá talk about their careers so far as Brazilian comic creators who have found critical acclaim producing work for the US market – hosted by Jamie McKelvie – Monday 5 July 2010 – 7pm

‘Wallstrip’: Moon and Bá, in collaboration with local young people and artists, are creating a wall-sized comic strip on the ramp alongside Queen Elizabeth Hall, reflecting the stories and characters they meet throughout the festival.
Friday 9 July – from 9am (on display until Monday 30 August)

More info at www.londonlitfest.com
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