Panel Borders: Transmission X

Originally broadcast 04/02/10 as an episode of Strip! Resonance 104.4 FM

Starting web comics month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to three members of the Canadian webcomics collective ‘Transmission X’ in an interview recorded during last year’s Comica festival after their signing at Orbital Comics. Cameron Stewart is best known for his work on Grant Morrison’s Seaguy and Batman and Robin, but has also been responsible for a online crime comic called Sin Titulo which between its first instalment in 2007 and its 89th page last autumn won the 2009 Joe Shuster Award for Best Webcomic. Also on the Transmission X site are a collection of other terrific strips in a variety of genres including Kukuburi and Butter Nut Squash by the prolific Ramón Pérez and The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kershl. While they were on the London leg of their European tour, Alex caught up with Cameron, Ramón and Karl and talked about working in a variety of genres on the web, how this contrasts with their superhero comics for more famous publishers and the experience of updating web comics on a regular basis.

Various Transmission X webcomics by Ramón Pérez, Karl Kershl and Cameron Stewart

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: Transmission X homepage
Transmission X youtube channel

Cameron Stewart – Sin Titulo webcomic
Cameron’s blog

Ramón Pérez – Kukuburi and Butter Nut Squash webcomics
Ramón’s blog

Karl Kershl – The Abominable Charles Christopher and North Sea Epoch webcomics
Karl’s blog
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Panel Borders: Gay Super (Duper) Heroes

Concluding our month long look at ‘Masculinity in American comics’, Alex Fitch talks to Brian Andersen about his self published indie comics So Super Duper, Sex and the Superhero and Unabashedly Billie… Alex and Brian chat about representations of gay characters in superhero comics, making the transition between web and print publishing and becoming a publisher of other people’s comics to help the proliferation of LGBT titles on the shelves.

Panel from page 158 of So Super Duper by Brian Andersen, contained in issue 8 of the comic

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: Brian’s website – sosuperduper.com
Read So Super Duper online at newsarama.com
Brian’s profile at www.prismcomics.org

Listen to Alex’s month on gay comics creators from December 2008 and interviews with Pam Harrison, Zan Christensen, Patty Jeres
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Panel Borders: Ian Rakoff and comics at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Continuing our month long look at ‘Masculinity in American comics’, Alex Fitch talks to Ian Rakoff, a volunteer lecturer in sequential art at the Victoria and Albert Museum, who is primarily responsible for the museum’s acquisition of nearly 20,000 comics in their library. In advance of Ian’s lecture on February 3rd* – ‘The Creation of the American identity through 20th Century comic strips’ – Alex and Ian talk about the latter’s lifetime interest in comics from being inspired by Captain Marvel as a child to buying rare 1930s comics as an adult off a stall in Cambridge Circus in the 1960s and issues such as the depiction of race and cultural stereotypes in comics and comic strips in the last century.

Triptych with scenes from the Apocalypse by Master Bertram, Germany circa 1380. Photo by Richard Comline, taken in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

More info at www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events
*FREE, 1.15pm, February 3rd 2010, The Sackler Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

For more information about this podcast and a variety of formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org

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Panel Borders: The art of Howard Chaykin
Originally broadcast 14/01/10 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Continuing our month looking at depictions of masculinity in American comics, Alex Fitch talks to veteran artist Howard Chaykin about his career from collaborating with masters of Science Fiction literature in the 1970s – such as Michael Moorcock and Fritz Leiber – to producing creator owned titles in the 80s and 90s such as American Flagg! and American Century and his most recent work drawing iconic Marvel characters such as Wolverine and Blade plus writing the origin of John McClane in Die Hard Year One.

Panel from American Flagg! by Howard Chaykin

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: Interview with Howard Chaykin in The Independent about American Flagg!
Pages on Howard at Wikipedia and lambiek.net
Online gallery of Howard’s work at art4comics.com
Read the first ten pages of Die Hard Year One at comicbookresources.com

Recommended events

Comixmas exhibition

ComiXmas: When Worlds Collide is an exhibition of fantastic images from contemporary comic books and graphic novels, featuring work by the best contemporary comic book artists, along with images from past great masters of the genre. On display in the exhibition are prints reproduced at a strikingly larger scale by artists such as Osamu Tezuka, one of the fathers of Japanese manga and anime; Hergé, the Belgian creator of Tintin; Woodrow Phoenix, creator of the award winning Rumble Strip; Andrzej Klimowski, illustrator of The Master & Margarita; Reinhard Kleist, illustrator of Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness; From Hell creators Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, and many other artists. This free exhibition runs from 11 December 2009 to 6 February 2010 at the LondonPrintStudio Gallery, 425 Harrow Road, London.

Additionally, Paul Gravett will be hosting a free panel discussion How A Comic Is Made at the LondonPrintStudio on Thursday 21 January 2010, where you can discover the secrets behind writing and drawing comics, graphic novels and manga, revealed by creators featured in the ComiXmas Exhibition: Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal (Master and Margarita), Nana Li (Twelfth Night), Pat Mills (Nemesis, Slaine, Requiem) and Woodrow Phoenix (Rumble Strip). Followed by book signings and reception.

More info at www.londonprintstudio.org.uk

Tales of Diversity launch

The Eastside Educational Trust in Hackney has produced a sequential art anthology called ‘Tales of Diversity’ as part of their project ‘Graphic Truths’ as a way of engaging young people with comic book creation, to tell stories that are personal to them.
The anthology is being launched with an accompanying exhibtion at The Rag Factory, 16-18 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ on January 16th, with tutors and creators from Eastside Trust in attendance.

January 16th, 2010, The Rag Factory, 16-18 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
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Panel Borders: Philosophers, Gods and Monsters

In the first of this month’s shows about the portrayal of masculinity in American comics, Alex Fitch talks to writer Fred Van Lente about penning the adventures of undead superheroes in Marvel Zombies, bringing to light the exciting adventures of Action Philosophers from Aristotle to Derrida and co-writing tales of the Incredible Hercules which depict the travails of the Classical demi-god on modern day Earth and beyond. The interview was recorded at Gosh! comics in Great Russell Street, London following a signing by the writer…

Alex Fitch and Fred Van Lente in Gosh! comics, London

Originally broadcast 07/01/10 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

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: Fred’s website
Download The Silencers and Action Philosphers for your iPhone
Read an interview with Fred about the complete Action Philosophers collection

Recommended events

Special Exam screening with crew Q&A

The new British Sci-Fi thriller Exam is released in cinemas tomorrow and there’s a special screening on Sunday 10th of Jan at the Odeon Cinema, Panton Street, London with a Q & A by director Stuart Hazeldene, editor Mark Talbot Butler and composer Matthew Cracknel, hosted by producer Chris Jones (author of The Guerrilla Filmmakers Handbook).
For more info and to buy tickets, please vist Chris’ blog / read a review of the film at Sci-Fi London

Sunday January 10th, 2.15pm, Odeon Cinema, Panton Street, London

Suspiria at Shortwave

Sasquatch Cinema is a monthly film night held at the new Shortwave cinema in 10 Bermondsey Square, London, SE1 3UN (Tel: 0207 357 6845); nearest tube Borough (Northern line) / Tower Hill (DLR)…

We will be showing an eclectic range of films including cult classics and rarities you may not have seen before. Our next film is Suspiria (1977, 18 cert.) 94m, Director: Dario Argento

A brand new high definition transfer of Dario Argento’s horror classic Suspiria. Suspiria is Argento’s undisputed masterpiece of Grand Guignol horror, hitting new peaks of terror through its stunning photography (courtesy of Luciano Tovoli), eye-popping production design and terrifying atmosphere of dread and death.

Friday 15th January 11pm, Shortwave cinema, 10 Bermondsey Square, London, SE1 3UN

The cinema has a bar, and you can even bring your drinks in and watch the film!
The entry fee is £6.00. (£5 cons) Tickets can be bought in advance by phoning 0207 357 6845. Tickets will also be sold on the night on a first come – first served basis. Email: gabzucc [at] yahoo.com for more info.
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Panel Borders: Tales of Diversity

Broadcast 17/12/09 as part of an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Excerpts from Blood in Stones by Nickita Patterson, Benefit Fraud by Chantelle Beckford and Rosalee Noel and The Dollhouse by Leke Adekanbi and Shantel Cherebin

In the last of this month’s shows looking at the use of comics in education, Sarah Lightman visits the Eastside Educational Trust in Hackney and talks to two of the tutors / mentors from the organisation – Rakhee Jasani and Truly Johnston – who have set up a project called ‘Graphic Truths’ as a way of engaging young people with comic book creation to tell stories that are personal to them. Sarah also talks to four of the young creators – Chantelle, Shantel, Leke and Nickita – who have worked on the project and are seeing their comics printed in an anthology called ‘Tales of Diversity’ being launched next month.

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: Eastside Educational Trust – info about the Graphic Truths project on their website
Download Tales of Diversity as a PDF
Graphic Truths blog
Rag Factory website where the magazine is being launched on 16/01/10

Sarah Lightman – website
Info about Sarah’s monthly comics discussion group – Laydeez do Comics
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