Panel Borders: Big Questions

Starting a month of shows about anthropomorphic comics on Panel Borders – comics about animals with human attributes – Alex Fitch talks to American cartoonist Anders Nilsen about his epic 658 page graphic novel Big Questions. The book, originally serialised as 15 comics, first self-published by Nilsen and then continued by Drawn and Quarterly, tells the tale of the pilot of a crashed bomber and his relationship with a colony of birds and local wildlife in the countryside where his plane went down. The artist also discusses his award winning graphic novella Dogs and water and why he is often drawn to animals as the subject matter of his comics books.

Excerpts from Big Questions by Anders Nilsen

Originally broadcast 05/08/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Wikipedia page on Anders Nilsen
New York Times reviews of Big Questions
Anders’ website and blog
Listen to Alex’s previous month of shows on anthropomorphic comics
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Panel Borders: Big Questions [ 29:13 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Resident Aliens – Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse

In the last of our series of shows about comic book creators who collaborate together, Alex Fitch talks to Steve Parkhouse and Peter Hogan about their new comic, Resident Alien, initially serialised in Dark Horse Presents and now continuing as a comic book miniseries. The comic tells the story of an alien who has crash-landed in rural American and found a job as a small town doctor, now turned detective when a body is found in mysterious circumstances. Alex talks to Peter and Steve about working together, producing comics for both the UK and US markets and their previous experiences on revered British anthology titles Crisis and Doctor Who Monthly. (Recorded in front of an audience at Kapow!, London, Spring 2012)

Interior and cover of Resident Alien by Steve Parkhouse + Peter Hogan / Cover of The Bojeffries Saga by Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse / Cover of Revolver, edited by Peter Hogan

Originally broadcast 29/07/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Wikipedia pages on Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse
Preview of Resident Alien #0 at www.darkhorse.com
Interview with Peter Hogan and article on Steve Parkhouse’s work in Warrior comic on the Forbidden Planet International blog Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Resident Aliens - Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse [ 43:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Multimedia Comics

In the third of our series on comic book collaborators, Alex Fitch talks to two pairs of creators who have created cross platform comics that exist as both as sequential art and moving pictures. Film-maker Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and Tommy Lee Edwards (Turf) discuss their interactive motion comic The Random adventures of Brandon Generator designed to promote Internet Explorer 9, and Dave Lander and Stathis Tsemberlidis discuss Decadence #9 plus their spin off short films Immortality and MOA-192B…

Brandon Generator by Edgar Wright and Tommy Lee Edwards / cover of Decadance #9 / stills from Immortality by Dave Lander and MOA-192B by Stathis Tsemberlidis

Originally broadcast 22/07/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download. Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Multimedia Comics [ 47:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Multimedia Comics [ 47:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Cabanon Press

In the second of a series of shows about comic book creators who have collaborated together, Alex Fitch talks to celebrated British cartoonists Tom Gauld and Simone Lia in a conversation recorded at this year’s Spring Comiket at Bishopsgate Institute, London. Tom and Simone talk about their collaborative comics First and Second (republished together as Both by Bloomsbury) and publishing books together under the title Cabanon Press.

Art by Simone Lia and Tom Gauld

Originally broadcast 15/07/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Tom Gauld’s website
Simone Lia’s website
Info about Comica festival

Listen to previous interviews with Tom Gauld and Simone Lia Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Cabanon Press [ 29:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Scott Snyder / Jock – The Black Mirror

In the first of a series of shows about comic book creators who collaborate together, Alex Fitch talks to writer Scott Snyder and artist Jock about their 2010 / 2011 collaboration on Detective Comics, collected as the graphic novel Batman: The Black Mirror. Although Snyder’s current run on Batman is also winning critical acclaim, his first story showed his great affinity with the Dark Knight right from the start; The Black Mirror, also featured back-up tales illustrated by Francesco Francavella, which combine with the ‘features’ by Jock to tell a memorable tale of Jim Gordon’s estranged son James Junior returning home with murderous intent, while a former Robin, Dick Grayson, is protecting Gotham City as the Caped Crusader .(Recorded at Kapow! comics convention, London 2012)

Extract from Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder and Jock

N.B./ The next episode of Panel Borders will be broadcast / podcast on Sunday 15th July… Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Scott Snyder / Jock, The Black Mirror [ 29:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Scott Snyder / Jock, The Black Mirror [ 29:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Brockley (co)Max

In the last of our series of shows about comic book communities around the UK, Alex Fitch talks to Kieron Gillen (Uncanny X-Men), Sarah Gordon (The Peckham House for Invalids), Howard Hardiman (The Lengths), Simone Lia (Please God, find me a husband!), Gary Northfield (Derek the Sheep), Woodrow Phoenix (Nelson) and Julia Scheele (69 love songs, illustrated) about living and working in Brockley, South East London. Recorded live at the Brockley Max festival, June 2012.

Originally broadcast 24/06/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM
N.B./ The next episode of Panel Borders will be broadcast / podcast on Sunday 8th July…

Sarah Gordon, Howard Hardiman, Simone Lia, Gary Northfield, Julia Scheele, Kieron Gillen, Woodrow Phoenix and Alex Fitch at Brockley Max

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Panel Borders: Brockley (co)Max [ 56:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Manchester Strips

Continuing our month of shows about comic communities around the UK, Alex Fitch travels to Manchester to talk to four local creators. Adam Cadwell (Blood Blokes), John Allison (Bad Machinery), Joe List (Freak Leap) and Chris Doherty (Video Nasties) talk about self publishing, the influence of other media on their work, using the internet to promote their comics, plus the experience of living and working in the North West of England.
Originally broadcast 10/06/12 on Resonance 104.4 FM

Images and comics by Joe List, Chris Doherty, Adam Cadwell and John Allison

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Manchester Comix Collective website
John Allison / Adam Cadwell / Adam Cadwell / Joe List websites Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Manchester Strips [ 41:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download