Panel Borders: Talking Teabags and Wishing Wells

Originally broadcast 01/10/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Extracts from Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry plus Fried Egg and Cherry Cake by Sally-Anne Hickman

Concluding ‘women in comics month’ on the show, Alex Fitch talks to a couple of illustrators about their genre bending work. Hannah Berry‘s debut graphic novel Britten and Brülightly tells the tale of a harried private detective with the nickname of ‘The Heartbreaker’ whose final case sees his career catch up with him, in a terrific comic book that combines the tenets of noir with gentle surrealism – his confidant is his pet teabag, Stewart – and assured cinematic visuals. Sally-Anne Hickman is a self-published comic book artist and writer whose work ranges from affectionate parodies of pop culture icons such as Spider-man and the Powerpuff Girls to intricate diary comics that give an intimate portrayal of the self-publishing world, packaged as collectible items with textured covers that incorporate fur, metallic sparkle and googly puppet eyes.

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: Read Fried Egg and Cherry Cake by Sally-Anne Hickman online at Paper Tiger Comix and early comics (2002-2004) at Cheese Comics’ website
Reviews of Sex, drawn and Rock and Roll & A Smelly Tail at the Forbidden Planet International blog

Interview with Hannah Berry at the Forbidden Planet International blog
Review of Britten and Brülightly at Down the Tubes

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Comics news:

The Observer / Jonathan Cape / Comica Graphic Short Story Prize 2009
Are you an aspiring graphic novelist? Do you have an original story to tell? Win £1,000 and have your story printed in The Observer.
More info…

Deadline: 19th October 2009
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Panel Borders: Emma Vieceli, promoting new British Manga

Originally broadcast 24/09/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Extract from Dragon Heir issue 9 by Emma Vieceli

Continuing ‘women in comics’ month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to Emma Vieceli, illustrator of the Manga Shakespeare adaptations of Hamlet and Much ado about nothing who has also contributed to the graphic anthology “Comic Book Tattoo” which adapts the songs of Tori Amos into strip format. Alex and Emma also talk about the crossover between traditional Western comics and Manga as a new generation of small press creators in the UK experiment with both forms, a practice that is encouraged by the ‘Artists Alley’ that Emma helps organise at the twice yearly MCM Expos in the Docklands and the publishing collective ‘Sweatdrop studios’ that she’s a member of.
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: Emma’s website and livejournal
More info about Manga Shakespeare
‘Sweatdrop studios’: website and Manga day at the V & A
Vote for Sweatdrop and Leek and Sushi’s Manga Show in the NEO Awards

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Comics news:

London signings…

Bryan Talbot: promoting his new graphic novel – “Grandville”, on Sunday 27th September, 2pm – 4pm at Orbital Comics, off Charing Cross Road.

Joe Sacco: a rare opportunity to get graphic novels such as the award-winning Palestine, Safe Area Goražde, The Fixer, and War’s End signed by the man himself so don’t miss it! Gosh! comics, Great Russel Street, opposite The British Museum on Wednesday the 30th of September from 5 to 7pm

We Are Words + Pictures Market Stall

We Are Words + Pictures are pleased to announce that their first stall date will be Sunday 27th September in Brick Lane’s new Tea Rooms market, just around the corner from the old Truman Brewery. Comics by Julia Scheele, Matthew Sheret and others + original artwork by Tom Humberstone

More info at www.wearewordsandpictures.com
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Panel Borders: In the company of women

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

Pages from House of the Muses by Pam Harrison and Y The Last Man with pencil art by Pia Guerra

Continuing “women in comics” month on the show – we have two interviews with creators whose comics are set in worlds featuring primarily female characters. Alex Fitch talks to Pam Harrison, the Queer Press Award winning creator of “House of the Muses – the latter days of Sappho of Lesbos” while (Eagle Award winner) Tom Humberstone talks to Pia Guerra, artist of “Y: The Last Man” who won the 2008 Eisner Award and 2006 Joe Shuster Award for her work on the title.
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: Pam Harrison’s House of the Muses website and Prism Comics profile
Interview with Pam on the Prism website
Buy House of the Muses from amazon.co.uk
Alex’s interviews with 2007’s Queer Press Grant winners
Info about this year’s grant (deadline October 1st)

Pia Guerra’s website
Pages on Pia’s work on the comic book database and wikipedia
Interviews with Pia about drawing Y – The last man and Doctor Who: The Forgotten at comicbookresources.com

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Panel Borders: The art of Karen Rubins

Originally broadcast 10/09/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Excerpt from Tales by Ghost Light by Karen Rubins

Continuing ‘Women in comics’ month, Alex Fitch talks to artist Karen Rubins about being the Comic Book Artist in Residence at the Victoria and Albert museum in London, being visited by members of the public and their collaborating on a strip displayed in her studio. Alex and Karen also discuss the latter’s career so far from drawing goth-styled comics for the small press to creating short manga pieces in “The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2” and “Manga Jiman 150”.

If you’d like to visit Karen at the Victoria and Albert museum, her studio is open to visitors this month from 1-4 pm on Fridays 11th & 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September.
There will be more Open Studios during the London Design Festival between the 19th and 25th September; her studio is located in the V and A’s Sackler Centre, the nearest entrance being in the tunnel that runs underneath Exhibition road from South Kensington tube.

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: Karen’s website, blog and page at the V & A website
Interview with Karen at Comic Bits Online
Buy Karen’s manga from Itch publishing

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Panel Borders: Fab Toons and Splendid ‘Zines

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

Extract from Re Members by Francesca Cassavetti and Nick Tesco

Starting ‘women in comics’ month on the show, we have a couple of interviews with small press creators who are selling their self published periodicals at festivals and competitions around the country. Dickon Harris talks to Bea, a.k.a. Beatrice Lane, in an interview recorded at the Bristol Small Press expo and Alex Fitch talks to Francesca Cassavetti in an interview recorded at “Schmurgen con” in Mile End. Bea publishes “Bear Cave” ‘zines on a variety of subjects from short fiction to music reviews, with her latest issue ‘The most splendid bands I know’ due out shortly, while Francesca’s “Fab Toons” comics tell a variety of autobiographical stories from her life, in strip format, from her days at art school to dating a former punk star and the birth of her first child.

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: Francesca’s website, blog and comicspace
Reviews of Francesca’s work on Richard Bruton’s Propaganda / Fictions blog
Bea’s work blog and We make ‘zines profile

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Panel Borders: The art of Jill Thompson

Concluding children’s comics month on Panel Borders, the belated podcast of Alex Fitch’s interview with Jill Thompson sees Alex and Jill talk about her career so far from drawing popular DC comics such as Wonder Woman and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman to creating her own children’s books Scary Godmother and Magic Trixie. Jill also talks about her influences, her early work on Mike Baron’s Badger and her latest project Beasts of Burden.
(With thanks to Gosh! Comics for arranging this interview)

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: Jill’s website and blog…
Jill’s page at lambiet.net
Watch the cartoon version of Scary Godmother on youtube
Read an interview with Jill and writer Evan Dorkin about Beasts of Burden
Read the first instalment of Beasts of Burden at www.darkhorsecomics.com
Buy Jill’s comics from Forbidden Planet International

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Panel Borders: Octopi, dogs and bears, oh my!

Originally broadcast 13/08/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Lucy the Octopus by Richy K. Chandler and Harold (a dog's best friend) by Henri Goldsmann have bad hair days

Continuing children’s comics month on Panel Borders, Alex Fitch talks to artists Henri Goldsmann and Richy K. Chandler about their work. Henri is the author of a new picture book – Harold (a dog’s best friend) – and has a successful career as a caricaturist, having dabbled in graphic novels such as Secret Agent Spanky Sheep on the side. Richy has produced ten terrific mini comics such as Lucy the Octopus and Govinda the Meditating Rabbit over the last couple of years which are now available in a cute bear shaped box set…

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: Henri Goldsmann –
Buy Henri’s books – Secret Agent Spanky Sheep / Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden / Harold (a dog’s best friend)
Henri’s website – www.bluntpencil.com
youtube video of Henri drawing
Review of Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden

Richy K. Chandler
Richy’s myspace pages for comics and music
Watch a video of Richy constructing the mini-comics box set
Info about Richy at factorfictionpress.co.uk

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Panel Borders: Horrible Histories

Excerpt from Horrible Histories by Terry Deary and Martin Brown, image copyright Scholastic / Imperial War Museum

Starting children’s comics month on Panel Borders, Alex Fitch talks to writer Terry Deary and Australian cartoonist Martin Brown about their hugely successful range of children’s books, Horrible Histories, which have formed the inspiration for an exhibition called Terrible Trenches that’s just opened at the Imperial War Museum, London.

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: Wikipedia pages on Terry Deary, Martin Brown and Horrible Histories
Info about Horrible Histories at scholastic.co.uk
Info about the Terrible Trenches exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, London

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