Panel Borders: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes

Continuing our month of shows about genre in comics, Alex Fitch talks to creators of small press and mainstream cowboy comics. Alex talks to veteran comics writer John Ostrander about his classic serialised graphic novel The Kents featuring the history of Superman’s great grandparents in 19th century Kansas and their encounters with the Luthers of the time, which is being re-released in three ‘100 page giants’ this winter. Alex and John also talk about Blaze of Glory: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes, Grimjack and his unrealized Doctor Who audio western.
Also in an interview recorded at this year’s Bristol Small Press Expo, Tim Keable and Andrew Cheverton talk about their ongoing comic West, which has recently included horror tropes and guest artists plus their future plans for the title and its graphic novel collections.

The Kents and Blaze of Glory: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes by John Ostrander / West - Justice and The Confederate Dead by Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable

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

Links: Tim Keable and Andrew Cheverton‘s website – www.angrycandy.co.uk
Review of West: Justice on The Forbidden Planet International blog

John Ostrander‘s message pages at www.comicscommunity.com
Preview of The Kents at dccomics.com

Recommended events:

Events at Gosh! Comics

November 14: A Comica Conversation with Richard McGuire (Raw, The New Yorker, Liquid Liquid) and Steven Appleby, plus a projection of McGuire’s animated films.

November 18: German creators Uli Oesterle and Mawil signing copies of their newly translated books from Blank Slate + Q & A with Alex Fitch (Resonance FM).

November 25: Nelson launch party, signing and art show. Exclusive Gosh! Bookplate Edition by Frank Quitely available on the night!

November 26: Luke Pearson signing copies of his new Hilda book from Nobrow + art show (all pieces are up and on sale now)

Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR

Thought Bubble comics festival

This year’s week long Thought Bubble festival, part of the Leeds International Film Festival, starts on 14th November 2011, with comic related screenings each day. From Wednesday 16th – Friday 18th there is also a three day academic conference called Comics Forum.
On Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th, there is a traditional comics convention at the Royal Armouries with additional talks, activities and workshops at Saviles Hall.

Panel Borders events:
Saturday 19th, 1pm, Alex Fitch will be hosting a Q and A on stage with Tim Sale (Heroes, Batman: The Long Halloween, Spiderman: Blue) about his work.
Sunday 20th, 2pm, Alex Fitch will be hosting a panel about the Image Comics Sci-Fi Noir Elephantmen with writer Richard Starkings and artist Boo Cook.
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Panel Borders: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes [ 55:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Hemlock and Skullkickers – Gendering Fantasy

Starting a month of shows about genre in comic books, Alex Fitch talks to the writers of two very different fantasy comics which show the wide range of approaches to the genre. At a signing in Orbital Comics, recorded in February, Alex talks to Jim Zubkavich about his popular Image Comics title Skullkickers, his web strip Makeshift Miracle and his work on Udon Studios’ Street Fighter comic, then in an interview recorded at last weekend’s MCM Expo, Joceline Fenton discusses her small press comic Hemlock. Both creators discuss the appearance of their comics online, the importance of well designed packaging for the collected editions and their other projects.

Skullkickers by Jim Zubkavich and Edwin Huang / Makeshift Miracle by Zubkavich + three pages from chapter one of Hemlock by Josceline Fenton

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

Links: Jim Zubkavich on livejournal and blogspot
Info about Jim Zubkavich at Udon Entertainment’s website

Josceline Fenton pages on tumblr
Hemlock website, including the first page of the saga

Recommended events:

Events at Gosh! Comics

November 9: Comics Gosh!p – the new monthly meeting for graphic novel fans, run by Mark Hayock & Mike Medaglia, this month discussing Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli’s Batman: Year One and Joceline Fenton’s Hemlock.

November 11: Frederik Peeters (Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story) signing/talk/Q&A. His new book Sandcastle is out through SelfMadeHero.

November 14: A Comica Conversation with Richard McGuire (Raw, The New Yorker, Liquid Liquid) and Steven Appleby, plus a projection of McGuire’s animated films.

November 18: German creators Uli Oesterle and Mawil signing copies of their newly translated books from Blank Slate + Q & A with Alex Fitch (Resonance FM).

November 25: Nelson launch party, signing and art show. Exclusive Gosh! Bookplate Edition by Frank Quitely available on the night!

November 26: Luke Pearson signing copies of his new Hilda book from Nobrow + art show (all pieces are up and on sale now)

Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR
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Panel Borders: Hemlock and Skullkickers – Gendering Fantasy [ 53:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Peckham Invalids and The Thrill Electric

Concluding this month’s series of shows about new British comics, Alex Fitch talks to the creators of a pair of new Edwardian set comics that mix classic comic book ideas with old and new storytelling techniques. Howard Hardiman discusses The Peckham House for Invalids, a new comic he’s written, illustrated by Julia Scheele and Sarah Gordon that features disabled homeless children with superpowers. Howard and Alex also talk about the return of the author’s beloved anthropomorphic title Badger, in a new zine / illustrated novella format and his recent experiences at art school.
Plus, in a pair of interviews recorded at the MCM Expo, Alex talks to Leah Moore, John Reppion and Emma Vieceli about their web comic, The Thrill Electric, which started this week on Channel 4?s website and tells the tale of sexual politics gang violence and the arrival of the telegraph in turn of the century Manchester.

The Peckham House for Invalids issue 1 by Howard Hardiman, Julia Scheele and Sarah Gordon / The Thrill Electric by Leah Moore and John Reppion - issue 2 art by Emma Vieceli and Windflower Studios

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

Links: The Thrill Electric website
Leah Moore and John Reppion’s website
Emma Vieceli’s website

The Peckham House for Invalids website
Buy Howard Hardiman’s other comics: Badger and The Lengths
Julia Scheele’s website
Sarah Gordon’s website

Recommended event:

Nobrow anthology launch

On Thursday November 3rd at the impossibly fashionable bar Jaguar Shoes, 32 Kingsland Rd, Shoreditch, the pubishers of Luke Pearson’s books Nowbrow press will be launching their new anthology from 6.30pm.

More info: www.comicafestival.com

Panel Borders: Peckham Invalids and The Thrill Electric [ 36:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: New Small Press anthologies

Continuing our month of shows about new British comics, Alex Fitch chats to the editors of two new Small Press anthologies which are launching next month. Mike Medaglia talks about Dot Comics, an anthology title he edits with Elliot Baggott which collects the best examples of online web comics onto the printed page, with the first issue including extracts from Tozo: The Public Servant, Josceline Fenton’s Hemlock and Philippa Rice’s My Cardboard Life. The author of the first of those strips is our second guest this week as David O’Connell talks about his new anthology project ink+PAPER, which will showcase new work by Barnaby Richards, Ellen Lindner, Lizz Lunney, Hugh “Shug” Raine, Cliodhna Lyons, Dan Berry, Joe Decie and many more.

Cover of dot Comics and interior page by Josceline Fenton, ink+PAPER and interior page by Barnaby Richards

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

Links: dot Comics and Mike Medaglia facebook pages
Wet Ashes web comic by Mike Medaglia and Lisa Woynarski

ink+PAPER website
Tozo: The Public Servant web comic by David O’Connell
David’s blog www.scribblehound.com

Electric Sheep Magazine illustration by Mike Medaglia and comic strip review by David O’Connell

Recommended events:

Mike and Laura Allred signing

At Orbital Comics on Great Newport Street in London, on Sunday 29th October, Mike and Laura Allred will be doing a signing of their work, including the pop art classics Madman and X-Statics

5pm, 29th October, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street

Nobrow anthology launch

On Thursday November 3rd at the impossibly fashionable bar Jaguar Shoes, 32 Kingsland Rd, Shoreditch, the pubishers of Luke Pearson’s books Nowbrow press will be launching their new anthology from 6.30pm.

More info: www.comicafestival.com

Panel Borders: New Small Press anthologies [ 29:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: The Etherington Brothers’ Baggage

Continuing new British Comics month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to Lorenzo and Robin Etherington about their new graphic novel Baggage and the strips they’re contributing to the forthcoming comic The Phoenix.
Lorenzo and Robin talk about their methods, contributing Monkey Nuts to The DFC and its graphic album library and their new projects Long Gone Don and The Dangerous Adventures of Von Doogan.

Images from Baggage, Monkey Nuts and The Phoenix by the Etherington Brothers

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

Links: The Etherington Brothers’ blog
Review of Baggage on the Forbidden Planet International blog
The Phoenix comic blog

Alex’s interviews with other DFC creators: Jim Medway (Crab Lane Crew),
Kate Brown (The Spider Moon) / Dave Shelton (Good Dog, Bad Dog) / Ben Haggarty (MeZolith),
Sarah McIntyre (Vern and Lettuce),
John and Patrice Aggs (The Boss),
Philip Pullman (The Adventures of John Blake)

Recommended events:

Anders Nilsen UK tour

Candian cartoonist Anders Nilsen will be signing at:
Gosh! Comics, Berwick street at 6pm on Saturday 15th October, as part of a UK tour that sees him visit
Page 45, Nottingham on Sunday the 16th and
OK Comics, Leeds on Monday the 17th, he then gets a day off before coming back to London to do a Q and A at
Orbital comics on Wednesday 19th of October where he’ll be chatting to British cartoonist Tom Gauld.

More info: www.goshlondon.com / www.comicafestival.com
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Panel Borders: The Etherington Brothers' Baggage [ 31:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Young Graphic Novelists

Continuing New British Comics month on Panel Borders in its new Sunday night slot, Alex Fitch talks to French graphic novelist Bastien Vives about the recent British reprint of his book Le gout du chlore: A taste of Chlorine and to small press creator Luke Pearson about his haunting novella, Everything we miss.

Excerpts from A taste of Chlorine by Bastien Vivès and Everything we miss by Luke Pearson

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

Links: French Wikipedia page on Bastien Vivès
Info on A taste of Chlorine at www.randomhouse.co.uk
Luke Pearson’s website
Buy Everything we miss from Nobrow Press

Recommended events:

Anders Nilsen UK tour

Candian cartoonist Anders Nilsen will be signing at:
Gosh! Comics, Berwick street at 6pm on Saturday 15th October, as part of a UK tour that sees him visit
Page 45, Nottingham on Sunday the 16th and
OK Comics, Leeds on Monday the 17th, he then gets a day off before coming back to London to do a Q and A at
Orbital comics on Wednesday 19th of October where he’ll be chatting to British cartoonist Tom Gauld.

More info: www.goshlondon.com / www.comicafestival.com
Continue reading →

Panel Borders: Young Graphic Novelists [ 29:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Panel Borders: Kid Koala’s Kult Komics

Starting New British Comics month on Panel Borders in its new Sunday night slot, guest presenter Robin The Fog talks to Eric San, better known as Kid Koala, a world-renowned DJ, turntablist and cartoonist hailing from Montreal. Best known for a series of delightfully odd-ball albums released on the UK Ninja Tune label (often including a free comic book), 2011 has seen the publication of his second graphic novel Space Cadet, a labour of love years in the making, complete with bespoke soundtrack album. The Kid has also been travelling around presenting a series of ‘Music To Draw To’ events of late, where pens and paper are mandatory accessories and the audience sit around drawing to an ‘inspirational’ turntable set. Sketchbook in hand, Robin The Fog attended the recent London leg of his tour to talk etch-boards, robots and the Canadian work-ethic.

Cover of Space Cadet and flyer for Music to draw to by Kid Koala, drawing of Kid Koala at turntable by Andy Paterson

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

Links: Kid Koala‘s website
Robin The Fog’s website
Buy Kid Koala’s Space Cadet from UK publisher, Ninja Tune records
Info about Red Material gallery, who hosted the ‘Music to draw’ to event

Recommended events:

Info about the BD Passion comics festival at the Institute Francais, Kensington, taking place on 7th-9th October

Anders Nilsen signing tour

Gosh! Comics, No. 1 Berwick Street, London, Saturday 15th October
Page 45, Nottingham, Sunday the 16th October
OK Comics, Leeds, Monday 17th October
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Panel Borders: Kid Koala’s Kult Komics [ 28:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download