Panel Borders: Probably Nothing

Starting a month of shows about untold tales in comics, which is to say stories that are underrepresented in graphic narratives, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist and storyboard artist Matilda Tristram about her debut graphic novel Probably Nothing – A diary of your-not-average nine months, that recounts the true story of how her pregnancy coincided with a cancer scare. Alex and Matilda discuss the unusual style of the book, which separates out cartoons and text on the page, her tenure working for Children’s TV producers Ragdoll and the semi experimental art used in her webcomics. (Originally broadcast 4th December 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM, recorded at Cartoon County, Brighton, November 2014)

Art from Probably nothing, and web comics by Matilda Tristram

For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org Continue reading →

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Panel Borders: Vehlmann and Gazzotti

Concluding a month of shows about the work of comic book creators who mix together different cultures and media in their art, Alex Fitch talks to writer Fabien Vehlmann and artist Bruno Gazzotti about their graphic album series Alone (Seuls), published by Cinebook. The creators discuss how their serial – about children who wake up in a world without adults – was inspired by classic American dystopia fiction, Vehlmann’s interest in 19th century thrillers which influenced his comic Green Manor, and Gazzotti’s experience on the policier series Soda. Recorded in front of an audience at the South Ken Kids Festival, Institut Francais, November 2014. (Originally broadcast 27th November 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM, London)

Cover, interior art and serialised cover of Alone (Seuls) / covers of Green Manor and Beautiful Darkness written by Fabien Vehlmann / cover of Soda drawn by Bruno Gazzotti

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

Links: Info about the original event at the South Ken Kids Festival
Info about Alone on CineBook’s website
Read back issues of Spirou et Fantasio featuring Fabien Vehlmann at izneo.com
Info about Bruno Gazzotti and Fabien Vehlmann on lambiek.net

Panel Borders: Vehlmann and Gazzotti [ 59:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Graphic Details

Continuing a month of shows about the work of comic book creators who mix together different cultures and media in their art, Alex Fitch talks to gallery owners Jo David and Rachel House, and artist Ariel Schrag about the exhibition Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women, currently on display at Space Station 65, Kennington, South London. Also, Graphic Details curator Sarah Lightman talks about her work and introduces artists Miriam Katin, Diane Noomin, Corinne Pearlman and Ilana Zeffren who describe the examples of their autobiographical strips which are featured in the exhibition. (Recorded at Space Station 65 Kennington, November 2014; originally broadcast 20th November 2014)

Exterior of Space Station 65 gallery / Ariel Schrag discusses her work / excerpt from The Book of Sarah by Sarah Lightman

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

Links: Space Station 65 website
Graphic Details blog
Ariel Schrag’s website

Panel Borders: Graphic Details [ 1:01:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Ricky Rouse has a gun

Continuing a month of shows about the work of comic book creators who mix together different cultures and mediums in their work, Alex Fitch talks to playwright and film maker Jörg Tittel about writing his debut graphic novel Ricky Rouse has a Gun, a satire on Western movie violence and China’s ‘knock-off economy’, published by SelfMadeHero. Fitch and Tittel discuss how the project evolved from a film script to a graphic novel, the process of working with artist John Aggs and whether the writer’s own background of an upbringing in different cultures fed in to the story on the page. (Recorded at Cartoon County, Brighton, September 2014, originally broadcast 13th November 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Ricky Rouse meets Alex Fitch / images from …has a Gun

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

Links: Ricky Rouse website
Jörg Tittel’s page on Twitter
Cartoon County website

Panel Borders: Ricky Rouse has a gun [ 37:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: …there is Joost Swarte

Starting a month of shows about the work of comic book creators who mix together different cultures and mediums in their work, Alex Fitch talks to acclaimed Dutch cartoonist and graphic designer Joost Swarte about his career so far. Fitch and Swarte discuss the latter’s covers for The New Yorker and RAW magazine (also reprinted as the front of the Tate coffee table book Comics Art), the Fantagraphics collection of his strip work “Is that all there is?” and the artist’s work in designing children’s books, theatrical architecture and stained glass windows.
(Recorded in front of an audience at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, October 2014, originally broadcast 6th November 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Covers and comic strips by Joost Swarte

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

Links: Joost’s website
More info about Fantagraphics’ collection Is that all there is?
Page about the event on the LICAF website

Panel Borders: …there is Joost Swarte [ 1:03:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Join the Army Fear Channel

Concluding a month of episodes about war comics, Alex Fitch talks to fine artist Darren Cullen about his comics Join the Army and Below, the first a satirical look at Military propaganda from the Bayeux Tapestry to the present day and the latter updating the genre of subterranean Sci-Fi invented by Verne and Rice Burroughs. Fitch and Cullen also discuss the Fear Channel collage website and current interactive installation ‘Pocket Money Loans’ at Atom Gallery in Finsbury Park. (Originally broadcast 30th October 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Art from ‘Join the Army’, ‘Below’ and ‘Fear Channel’ by Darren Cullen

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

Links: Darren’s website and shop
Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives and Darren Cullen’s art tumblr sites
Article about Pocket Money Loans in The Independent

Panel Borders: Join the Army Fear Channel [ 32:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: To End All Wars

Continuing a month of shows about the depiction of war in sequential art, guest presenter John Stuart Clark (who draws under the pen-name Brick) hosts a panel discussion about the new War Comics anthology To End All Wars, published by Soaring Penguin Press, featuring co-editor Jonathan Clode and contributors Selina Locke and Stuart Richards. The two Johns discuss editing the anthology, from commissioning creators to suggesting tweaks that clarify their stories; Selina discusses having to change artists shortly before the deadline and Stuart talks about the sources for his story ‘Il Gatto’. (Recorded by Alex Fitch in front of an audience at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, originally broadcast 23rd October 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Cover and interior pages from To End All Wars by Brick, Jonathan Clode, Stuart Richards and Selina Lock

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

Links: To End All Wars blog
Info about the original event at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival
More info about To end all wars on Soaring Penguin Press’ website

Panel Borders: To End All Wars [ 51:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Pat Mills’ Great War comics

Continuing a month of shows about war comics, Alex Fitch talks to Pat Mills, one of the acclaimed masters of the genre. Alex and Pat discuss the completion of Titan Books’ reprints of his classic strip Charley’s War, his adaptation of Isaac Rosenberg’s “Dead man’s Dump” in the war poetry and comics collection Above the Dreamless Dead published by First Second Books, and his introduction to the anthology To End all Wars from Soaring Penguin Press. (Originally broadcast 16th October 2014 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Covers of Charley’s War omnibus and Above the dreamless dead / interior art from Dead Man’s Dump / cover of To end all Wars

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

Links: Pat Mills’ website
Charley’s War tribute website
More info about Above the Dreamless Dead on First Second Books’ website
More info about To end all wars on Soaring Penguin Press’ website

Panel Borders: Pat Mills' Great War comics [ 33:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Commitment to International Aces

Continuing a month of shows about war comics, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Chris Geary about his series of four comic book short story collections International Aces, which tell the tales of various fighter pilots across the globe from Von Richthofen to Rickenbacker. Fitch and Geary also discuss the latter’s interest in classic war strips, the packaging of the Aces books and his educational graphic novel Commitment, which uses a narrative about a stressed female executive to explain the concept of ‘real options’ analysis. (Recorded in front of an audience at ‘Nine Worlds GeekFest‘, Heathrow 2013, and broadcast 9th October 2014, on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Interior art and cover of International Aces / Limited edition cover and interior art of Commitment by Chris Geary

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

Links: Chris’ website and publishing imprint
Review of International Aces at the Charley’s War website

Panel Borders: Commitment to International Aces [ 34:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download