Panel Borders: Illustrating the Memory Palace

In the first of a new series of Panel Borders, we have the start of a month of shows looking at the presence of comics in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Alex Fitch talks to curator Ligaya Salazar and artist Robert Hunter about the exhibition Memory Palace which runs at the V and A until 20th October and depicts a post apocalyptic London where memory and speech are being legislated and curtailed by the state. Salazar discusses the creation of the exhibition with her co-curator Laurie Britton Newell and how the short story by Hari Kunzru which forms the basis of the show has been illustrated by artists from various media, including comics, illustration and sculpture. Hunter talks about his silent comic strip in the book of the exhibition which reimagines its creation within the walls of the museum and elsewhere and his latest graphic novel Map of Days, available from Nobrow Press. Originally broadcast 2nd September 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

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 Memory Palace at Victoria and Albert Museum website /
Sky Arts website
Review of Memory Palace at One Stop Arts
Robert Hunter’s website
More info about Map of Days at Nobrow Press

Recommended Events:

Quick Strips at Brighton Digital Festival

Twelve cartoonists reveal all in under six minutes each

Quick Strips, part of Brighton Digital Festival, is a speedy showcase for 12 cartoonists and graphic novelists to reveal all in public by presenting their work or giving away their trade secrets in under 6 minutes each.

Alex Fitch of Resonance FM is compere for the night, and the stellar cast features First Graphic Novel Competition winner Gareth Brookes, author of The Black Project, to be published on 12 September, and fellow Myriad graphics authors Nye Wright (Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park), Hannah Eaton (Naming Monsters), and, down from Leeds to investigate the Balcombe fracking protests, Darryl Cunningham, author of Science Tales. Other guests are graphic novelists and cartoonists Hannah Berry, Joe Decie, Chie Kutsuwada, Ottilie Hainsworth, Julia Homersham, Jaime Huxtable and Ben Naylor. Held in association with Cartoon County.

Location: The Latest Bar, Manchester Street, Brighton BN2 1TF
Thursday 5th September, 2013

Doors open 18.30; show starts 19.00; ends 21.00 FREE

More info at: http://www.myriadeditions.com/events?item=368 Continue reading →

Panel Borders: What’s normal anyway?

Concluding a month about LGBT comics, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Morgan Boecher about his humorous webcomic What’s normal anyway? which depicts the travails of a transgender male. Morgan discusses the autobiographical elements of his comic, his history as an artist and future plans for the narrative. (Last in the current series) Originally broadcast 29th July 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

or 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: What’s normal anyway? website
Invest in the What’s normal anyway? kickstarter campaign
Blog posts by Morgan Boecher on www.paradigmshiftnyc.com
Interview with Morgan at www.bilerico.com

Recommended Events:

Myriad Books on the Beach: Graphic Novel Show and Tell

Join Alex Fitch of Resonance FM with Myriad graphic authors for a show and tell of their favourite graphic novel beach reads.

As part of ‘Myriad Books on the Beach’ series for Brighton’s Big Screen, Alex Fitch will be joined by Kate Evans (The Food of Love), Nye Wright (Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park) and Hannah Eaton (Naming Monsters).

Brighton’s Big Screen is the country’s only open-air, free, beachfront cinema, situated next to Brighton Pier and the Wheel. Back for a second year, Brighton’s Big Screen will showcase sporting events including the World Athletics Championships and both recent box office hits and movie classics. In association with the Big Screen, Myriad are running a series of events throughout the summer: ‘Myriad Books on the Beach’.

Wednesday 7th August, 2013, 3.30 – 5pm

Location: East of Brighton Pier (near the Brighton Wheel), Marine Parade, BN2 1TB

For more information about the screen and a full list of events and screenings, visit the Brighton’s Big Screen website.
Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Educating with autobiography – Comic Nurse and Erika Moen

Continuing a month of shows about lesbian and gay comics, Alex Fitch talks to MK Czerwiec and Erika Moen about their work. MK discusses her alter-ego Comic Nurse and narratives about nursing in her sequential art which include elements of autobiography and how this has led to curating zines and illustration work about her home city of Chicago. Erika talks about her webcomic Dar! which gave her a space to discuss her relationships and sexuality on the net, plus her collaborations with Jeff Parker on Bucko, published by Dark Horse, and Matthew Nolan on sex education strips. Originally broadcast Monday 22nd July on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

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: Erika Moen’s website
M.K. Czerwiec’s website
Listen to M.K.’s presentation at Laydeez do Comics Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Small press gay comics and zines

Continuing a month of shows about gay and lesbian comics, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonists David Shenton and Sina Sparrow about their work. Shenton discusses his plans for new cartoon work and his current exhibition “Those Foolish Things”, on display at Space Station Sixty-Five gallery in Kennington, South London; and Sparrow talks about his zine Art Fag and contributing to the forthcoming anthology QU33R. Originally broadcast 15th July 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

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: David Shenton’s website
Sina Sparrow’s website
Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Homogeneity in Gay educational comics

Continuing a month of shows about gay and lesbian comics, Panel Borders presents a lecture by post doctoral researcher Doctor Jordana Greenblatt on the similarity in content of gay comics about safe practices and HIV, concentrating on Safer Sex Comix (by Alexander and Gregg, publ. 1987 by Gay Men’s Health Crisis of New York) and Alex et la vie d’apres (by Thierry Robberecht and Fabrice Neaud, publ. 2008 by Ex Aequo), recorded at “Ethics under cover – the 4th international Conference on Comics and Medicine”, Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Jordana discusses the similarity of sexual expression found in graphic narratives published 20 years apart – one designed as an educational pamphlet and the other a modern graphic novella based on the experiences of young gay men in Belgium – and talks to Alex Fitch about how the talk fits into her ongoing research and interests. Originally broadcast Monday 8th July 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

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: Download Alex et la vie d’apres
More info about Jordana Greenblatt
Article on the demise of Safer Sex Comix
Article on Tony Kushner in Vanity Fair, including images from Safer Sex Comix
More info about Graphic Medicine
More info about Brighton and Sussex Medical School Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Bulldogs and an itinerant Shirtlifter

Starting a month of shows about Lesbian and Gay comics and graphic novels, Alex Fitch talks to a British illustrator and a couple of Canadian cartoonists about their work in the field. Steve MacIsaac discusses his Xeric Award-winning comic Shirtlifter which collects autobiographical tales of his experience of moving from Canada to Japan and back to North America, with shorter fictional stories of modern gay life by himself and other creators including Ilya and Justin Hall. Also, artists Chas Hunter (from Toronto) and Si Arden (from Plymouth) discuss their collaboration on the art for a new digital wordless erotic comic called Bulldogs written by Dale Lazarov. Originally broadcast 1st July 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM

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: Steve MacIsaac’s website
Download Bulldogs from Ribbon
Chas Hunter’s website

Listen to Alex’s 2008 interview with Dale Lazarov
Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Drawing Stitches

Concluding a month of shows about depictions of illness and medicine in comics, Panel Borders is proud to present an interview with David Small, discussing his memoir Stitches, a graphic novel which depicts his battle with throat cancer as an adolescent. David discusses the creation of the book, the difficulties of presenting memoir as a comic and his previous experiences as a political cartoonist. Originally broadcast Monday 24th June, 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

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: David Small’s website
More info about Stitches at www.wwnorton.co.uk Continue reading →