Panel Borders: Depicting the darkness in Johnny Cash

Broadcast 10/12/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Continuing ‘Education and comics’ month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist about his book Johnny Cash: I see a darkness, an epic 224 page graphic novel that tells the life and times of the hell-raising American Country singer from early success to his iconic show at Folsom Prison and beyond. Alex and Reinhard chat about the artist’s varying style from project to project, his love of Americana and the travails of doing such a project in the nascent German comics scene. Continuing ‘Education and comics’ month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist about his book Johnny Cash: I see a darkness, an epic 224 page graphic novel that tells the life and times of the hell-raising American Country singer from early success to his iconic show at Folsom Prison and beyond. Alex and Reinhard chat about the artist’s varying style from project to project, his love of Americana and the travails of doing such a project in the nascent German comics scene.

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: Watch a 14 min edit of Alex’s interview with Reinhard, accompanied by the latter sketching Cash at the ICA
More info about Johnny Cash: I see a darkness at www.selfmadehero.com
Interview with Reinhard Kleist at www.paulgravett.com
Info on the iPhone edition of the Graphic Novel at the Forbidden Planet blog

Donate to The Stroke Association and get free DVDs / CDs in exchange…


BBC audio director Neil Gardner (The Brightonomicon / Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest) is offering choice items from his CD, DVD and book collection in exchange for donations to The Stroke Association and will match donations by 200%!


Get your stocking fillers from Neil and donate to a good cause….

More info here…

Panel Borders: Visiting the Cartoon Classroom

Partially broadcast 17/12/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Continuing our month of shows on comics and education, Alex Fitch talks to V for Vendetta illustrator David Lloyd and cartoonist Steve Marchant about the project – Cartoon Classroom – they’ve set up with the help of Paul Gravett; a not-for-profit website that aims to inspire the next generation of cartoonists and make the art form more accessible to children and adults who want to be more proficient at creating comic-strips and drawing cartoons. www.cartoonclassroom.co.uk is also designed as a gateway and information resource for studying cartoon and sequential art in schools, colleges, libraries and museums across the UK and Ireland and so Steve and David talk about the genesis of the project, its roots in the London Cartoon Centre and their own experiences both as comic book tutors and when they first broke into the industry.

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: Cartoon Classroom website
More info about Cartoon Classroom on Down the tubes
Buy Steve’s comic Stupidface at urban75.org
Steve’s online portfolio at www.cartoonstock.com
David’s website www.lforlloyd.com
Buy a painted V for Vendetta sketch by David off ebay and help support Cartoon Classroom
Info about the Cartoon Museum in London
Fanzine article about Andy Roberts’ experiences at the London Cartoon Centre
Listen to Alex’s interview with David about his comics career so far

Donate to The Stroke Association and get free DVDs / CDs in exchange…


BBC audio director Neil Gardner (The Brightonomicon / Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest) is offering choice items from his CD, DVD and book collection in exchange for donations to The Stroke Association and will match donations by 200%!


Get your stocking fillers from Neil and donate to a good cause….

More info here…

Panel Borders: Apostolos Doxiadis’ Logicomix

Originally broadcast 03/12/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Alex Fitch talks to to author Apostolos Doxiadis about the graphic novel Logicomix – An epic search for truth which he co-wrote with computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou from the University of California in Berkeley. The graphic novel centres around the life of Bertrand Russell and explores the history of mathematics in the 20th century, intertwined with the story of the authors grappling with the project’s creation. Alex and Apostolos are looking at the interesting structure of the graphic novel and how this relates to its subject matter as well as the nature of modern biographical comic books.

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: Offical Logicomix website
Apostolos’ website
youtube video about the making of Logicomix
Reviews of the book in The Guardian and the New York Times

Recommended events:

Donate to The Stroke Association and get free DVDs / CDs in exchange…

BBC audio director Neil Gardner (The Brightonomicon / Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest) is offering choice items from his CD, DVD and book collection in exchange for donations to The Stroke Association and will match any amount donated with the same again x 2! Get your stocking fillers from Neil and donate to a good cause….

More info here…

Panel Borders: The art of Rian Hughes

Broadcast 26/11/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Concluding our month of shows about ‘British Mavericks’, artists whose work is surprisingly avant-garde for the mainstream, Alex Fitch talks to comic book artist and graphic designer Rian Hughes about his work, from his early days in the small press and discovering European comics through Escape magazine to working on 2000AD and its spin off title, Revolver. Alex and Rian also talk about the latter’s reasons for becoming a full time graphic designer in the mid 90s and leaving comics for over a decade, before becoming interested in the medium once again over the last couple of years.

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

Also check out Alex’s interviews with Woodrow Phoenix and Paul Gravett about working on Escape magazine and their interest in ‘The Atom Style’

Links: Rian’s website – www.devicefonts.co.uk
Reviews of Rian’s 2000AD work and Yesterday’s Tomorrows collection
Pages on Rian Hughes at wikipedia and identifont.com
Video interview with Rian at the Veer design website

Related events:

Laydeez do Comics : ART & COMICS
Monday 30 November 6.30-8.30pm

Guest Speaker: Mel Brimfield, artist and curator of The Comic Book Project talking about her work and leading a discussion on ‘ Need More Love’ by Aline Kominsky Crumb

The Sewing Room @ The Rag Factory
16-18 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ
www.ragfactory.org.uk

Panel Borders: Ctrl Alt Shift – Lightspeed Champion and Savage Messiah

Broadcast 19/11/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Continuing ‘British Mavericks’ month on the show, Alex Fitch looks at the new charity anthology: “Ctrl Alt Shift unmasks corruption”, a collection of short comic strips that mixes seasoned professionals with the work of small press artists and creators from other media who are less well known for working in comics. From the latter group, Alex is talking to Dev Hynes*, better known as the musician Lightspeed Champion and who has a sincere interest in comics that led to the creation of two strips in the anthology. Alex also talks to the cover illustrator Laura Oldfield Ford, whose work can normally be found in fine art galleries in the fields of collage and traditional illustration, but also creates sequential art ‘zines under the name of Savage Messiah…

*(If you want to quibble, Dev was born in Texas but raised in Essex since the age of 2, so he’s an honorary British Maverick)

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:Ctrl Alt Shift – homepage / blog
Lazarides gallery website

Lightspeed Champion / Dev Hynes – website /myspace page
Info at wikipedia / nme.com

Laura Oldfield Ford / Savage Messiah – website / ‘zine site
Download an issue of Savage Messiah from modernedition.com
Article on Laura’s work by Paul Gravett
Info on Laura’s exhibition Britannia: 2013-1981

Related events:

Reinhard Kleist signing Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness Saturday 21 November 13:00 – 14:00
Reinhard Kleist will be signing his graphic novel Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 21st November 1- 2pm
Johnny Cash was a seventeen-time Grammy winner who sold more than 90 million albums in his lifetime and became an icon of American music. Already a bestseller and award-winner in Europe, JOHNNY CASH: I SEE DARKNESS vividly portrays the unpredictable, turbulent life of a loner, patriot, outlaw, and music business rebel with all the drama and character befitting the man who became a legend in his own lifetime.

Ben Templesmith Signing
The Fantastic artist of 30 Days of Night and Fell, Ben Templesmith will be signing at Orbital on Thursday 26th November 2009 from 5-7pm.

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Comica week 3:

Hoshino Yukinobu: From Hokkaido To Infinity
Helen McCarthy introduces the works of manga master Hoshino Yukinobu.
Where: British Museum, Gt Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
When: November 21, 2009 – 1.15pm to 2pm

Reinhard Kleist: I See A Darkness
Reinhard Kleist discusses his graphic biography of the most famous country singer of all time, Johnny Cash.
Where: Nash Room, ICA, The Mall, London
When: November 22, 2009 – from 7pm
Continue reading →

Panel Borders (episode 150!): Lost gloves, types of women and a (comic) Book of lists

In a pair of interviews recorded at “Collaborama!” during August’s Alternative Press week in London, ‘zine creator Dickon Harris talks to a couple of small press creators about their work: writer / artist Paul Rainey, whose comic book paperback The Book of Lists sees the cartoonist collating events from his life into thematic order and poet Ceri May who self publishes her writing at alt. press events. The podcast includes Ceri’s reading of the poems: “All the lost gloves of London”, “There are two types of women” and “When I grow up”… (Edited by Alex Fitch)

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: Paul Rainey – Official website…
where you can view 5 pages of The Book of Lists online
Review of various Rainey comics on the Propaganda review site

Ceri May – myspace page and blog
Ceri’s video about the small press
Info about the Y Tuesday monthly poetry club on myspace

Recommended events:

Orbital Comics Gallery will be hosting an exhibition of various artists’ contributions to the Solipsistic Pop comics anthology from 14-19 November 2009.

Gilbert Shelton, signing the brand new Fat Freddy’s Cat Omnibus at:
Gosh! Comics, Great Russell Street, London – Saturday 14th November, 3-5 pm
A rare chance to meet the legendary American underground creator as Knockabout comics publish an omnibus edition of one of his most famous creations…

Cameron Stewart / Karl Kerschl / Ramón Pérez at Orbital Comics
Cameron Stewart (Seaguy, Batman & Robin), Karl Kerschl (Wednesday Comics: Flash, Teen Titans: Year One) and Ramón Pérez (Resistance, NYX: No Way Home)
will be signing their wares on Thursday 19th November 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00.
Continue reading →