Pat Mills points us to a podcast recording of the talk he had with Grant Rogers at the Comics & Conflicts events last summer in the Imperial War Museum, organised by Alex Fitch, Paul Gravett and Ariel Khan, now online so those of us who couldn’t be there can get a listen.

Panel Borders: Habbibi Blankets, Sunday 29th January on Resonance FM, podcast after transmission on Panel Borders

Concluding our month of shows looking at biography and autobiography in comics, Alex Fitch talks to the multiple award winning (and Grammy nominated) cartoonist Craig Thompson about his epic new graphic novel Habibi (My beloved). Alex and Craig discuss the 672 page book’s reworking of themes from One Thousand and One Nights, mixing in modern concerns about gender politics and pollution in the Middle East and how his previous autobiographical works Blankets and Carnet de Voyage, with their themes of sexual awakening, religion and travelogue, led to his latest work.

Book List: Children’s book illustration, Tuesday 31st January at 8pm on Resonance FM, podcast on Panel Borders afterwards

In an hour long show about children’s book illustration, Alex Fitch talks to three generations of illustrators: David McKee, creator of Mr Benn, King Rollo and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant; Dave McKean, artist of of young adult books by David Almond, graphic novels and picture books by Neil Gaiman and Richard Dawkins’ first science book for children The Magic of Reality; and Jim Kay, illustrator of Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls and Toby Forward’s Flaxfield Quartet of novels about dragons.

Also includes an extract from Dave McKean’s presentation of his work from The Magic of Reality at the book launch in Foyles, September 2011.

Recent podcasts:

Panel Borders: Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes

Continuing our month of shows about biography and autobiography, guest presenter Nicola Streeten interviews Bryan and Mary Talbot about their forthcoming graphic novel, Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, which contrasts two coming of age narratives: Lucia, daughter of James Joyce, and author Mary Talbot, daughter of the Joycean scholar James S Atherton. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch)

Laydeez do podcasts – Judith Vanistendael: Dance by the light of the moon

In a Q and A recorded at Bar Music Hall in East London as part of Comica Festival, 2010, Paul Gravett talks to Flemish cartoonist Judith Vanistendael about her semi-autobiographical graphic novel Dance by the light of the moon, published in the UK by Self Made Hero. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch, introduced by Sarah Lightman)

Panel Borders: Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, Thursday 22nd January at 8pm on Resonance FM, podcast on Panel Borders after transmission

Continuing our month of shows about biography and autobiography, guest presenter Nicola Streeten interviews Bryan and Mary Talbot about their forthcoming graphic novel, Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, which contrasts two coming of age narratives: Lucia, daughter of James Joyce, and author Mary Talbot, daughter of the Joycean scholar James S Atherton. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch). You can also read a Director’s Commentary guest post with Mary and Bryan talking us through some of Dotter here on the blog.

(Lucia Joyce in the sanatorium, words by Mary Talbot, art by Bryan Talbot, published Jonathan Cape)

Laydeez do podcasts – Judith Vanistendael: Dance by the light of the moon

In a Q and A recorded at Bar Music Hall in East London as part of Comica Festival, 2010, Paul Gravett talks to Flemish cartoonist Judith Vanistendael about her semi-autobiographical graphic novel Dance by the light of the moon, published in the UK by Self Made Hero. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch, introduced by Sarah Lightman). Judith has a new book just out in Belgium and France this month and due out in English from SelfMadeHero this April, When David Lost His Voice.

Recent podcasts:

Panel Borders: Collier’s War

Continuing our month of shows on biography and autobiography, Alex Fitch talks to Canadian cartoonist David Collier about his work, from his Collier’s self published comics to graphic novels such as Chimo released by Drawn and Quarterly. Alex and David also talk about the latter’s experiences serving in the army and getting advice from Robert Crumb. (Recorded live in front of an audience at the Imperial War Museum, London).

Panel Borders: Animating Tatsumi

Starting a month of shows on biography and autobiography, Alex Fitch and Dickon Harris interview comic creator turned animator Eric Khoo who’s directed a portmanteau film called Tatsumi (released 13/01/12), based on the work of mangaka Yoshihiro Tatsumi, including five of his gekiga short stories with bookends adapting his autobiography A Drifting Life. You can read a Director’s Commentary with Eric talking us through some of the film here on the blog.

Panel Borders: Collier’s War, Resonance FM on Sunday 15th at 8pm, podcast on Panel Borders afterwards

Continuing our month of shows on biography and autobiography, Alex Fitch talks to Canadian cartoonist David Collier about his work, from his Collier’s self published comics to graphic novels such as Chimo released by Drawn and Quarterly. Alex and David also talk about the latter’s experiences serving in the army and getting advice from Robert Crumb. (Recorded live in front of an audience at the Imperial War Museum, London).

Recent podcasts:

Panel Borders: Animating Tatsumi

Starting a month of shows on biography and autobiography, Alex Fitch and Dickon Harris interview comic creator turned animator Eric Khoo who’s directed a portmanteau film called Tatsumi (released 13/01/12), based on the work of mangaka Yoshihiro Tatsumi, including five of his gekiga short stories with bookends adapting his autobiography A Drifting Life.

Electric Sheep Podcast: Cult animation

Alex Fitch talks to a pair of directors of innovative short animated films; to Oscar winner (2011 co-director Short Animated film) Shaun Tan about the adaptation of his acclaimed picture book The Lost Thing and to web animator Jonti Picking about his cult animated series Weebl and Bob as well as his adverts for Cadbury’s Creme Eggs (is it that time of year already?) and Anchor Butter.

Clear Spot: Cult animation, Tuesday 10th at 8pm on Resonance FM, extended Eric Khoo podcast on Panel Borders & Tan & Picking on Electric Sheep podcast after transmission

Alex Fitch talks to three directors of innovative new animated films. Alex talks to Oscar Winner (2011 co-director Short Animated film) Shaun Tan about the adaptation of his acclaimed picture book The Lost Thing and to web animator Jonti Picking about his cult animated series Weebl and Bob as well as his adverts for Cadbury’s Creme Eggs (is it that time of year already?) and Anchor Butter.

Alex is joined by Dickon Harris for an interview with comic book creator turned animator Eric Khoo who has directed a portmanteau film called Tatsumi (reviewed recently on the blog here), based on the work of Yoshihito Tatsumi, including five of his short stories and bookends adapting his autobiography A Drifting Life.

Electric Sheep Magazine, issue fifty-nine

Fake Documentaries: Political satires, media manipulation, horror trickery
We start off the year with the real truths behind fake documentaries to mark the Blu-ray release of Peter Watkins’s incendiary Punishment Park, whose denunciation of the US government’s repression of dissent remains powerfully relevant 40 years later. We also have articles on the Joaquin Phoenix hoax I’m Still Here, Danish political satire AFR, the infamous BBC live ghost-hunting show simulation Ghostwatch, and a comic strip on The Blair Witch Project, plus Norwegian monster mockumentary Troll Hunter is out on DVD.

At the cinema, we review Jean Vigo’s poetic gem L’atalante, Steve McQueen’s much anticipated study of sex addiction Shame, Tatsumi, an animated film on the life and work of the eponymous manga artist, and financial thriller Margin Call. In the DVDs we look at legendary road movie Two-Lane Blacktop and we have an interview with director Monte Hellman about his latest film, Road to Nowhere.

We also review Teuvo Tulio’s flamboyant melodrama Cross of Love, and we have a feature on films in which everybody dies. In Short Cuts we preview the London Short Film Festival. Musician Barry Adamson of Magazine and the Bad Seeds fame picks his favourites in the Film Jukebox while writer Tom Benn is Blade Runner’s Roy Batty in Alter Ego.

Recent podcasts:

Panel Borders: Unnamable horrors in genre comics

Concluding our series of shows about H.P. Lovecraft, Alex Fitch talks to three creators who have recently penned comics inspired by his monsters and scenarios. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning talk about adding a Lovecraftian twist to Marvel Superheroes in their titles Realm of Kings and The Thanos Imperative, which feature alternative versions of Captain Marvel and the Avengers possessed by the ‘Many-angled Ones’. Also Ed Brubaker discusses Fatale, his latest collaboration with artist Sean Phillips, following Sleeper, Criminal and Incognito, which mixes noir storytelling with occult ceremonies and tentacle faced Nazis.

Panel Borders episode 250 – Alan Moore and the horrors at Red Hook

Continuing our month of shows about H.P. Lovecraft, Alex Fitch talks to Alan Moore about his final graphic novel that isn’t part of the continuing League of Extraordinary Gentlemen narrative – Neonomicon – which has just been published, along with its prequel The Courtyard, as a graphic novel by Avatar Press. Both comics follow on from Lovecraft’s tale ‘The Horror at Red Hook’ and Alan discusses why he chose that story in particular to explore further, plus the origins of The Courtyard in an abandoned short story collection called ‘Yuggoth Cultures’, and examples of Lovecraftian imagery in his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen saga.

The Pulse episode 3

Filmed in London and presented by Lian Cooper, SCI-FI-LONDON’s monthly podcast about SF throughout the media features interviews by Alex Fitch with comic book creators Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning about their combination of Space Opera and superheroes for Marvel & Rebekah Isaacs about her Buffy spin-off series Angel and Faith. Also, Transformers special effects creator Scott Farrar talks about his work and Christopher Paolini (Eragon) discusses the latest book in his Inheritance Cycle of books with Chris Patmore, plus there are trailers for forthcoming games and films…

Panel Borders episode 250 – Alan Moore and the horrors at Red Hook, broadcast Sunday 11th at 8pm on Resonance FM, podcast afterwards on Panel Borders

Continuing our month of shows about H.P. Lovecraft, Alex Fitch talks to Alan Moore about his final graphic novel that isn’t part of the continuing League of Extraordinary Gentlemen narrative – Neonomicon – which has just been published, along with its prequel The Courtyard, as a graphic novel by Avatar Press. Both comics follow on from Lovecraft’s tale ‘The Horror at Red Hook’ and Alan discusses why he chose that story in particular to explore further, plus the origins of The Courtyard in an abandoned short story collection called ‘Yuggoth Cultures’, and examples of Lovecraftian imagery in his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen saga.

Recent shows available as podcasts on Panel Borders:

Panel Borders: Illustrating the Mountains of Madness

Beginning a trio of shows about the influence of writer H.P.Lovecraft on comics, Alex Fitch talks to I.N.J. Culbard about his graphic novel adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness and forthcoming adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward  for Self Made Hero. Cartoonist Rob Davis briefly joins the conversation (recorded at last month’s Thought Bubble convention) as Alex, Rob and Ian discuss Lovecraft’s short stories and the difficulty of illustrating prose that is alternatively wordy, obtuse and unnamable.

Laydeez do podcasts: Magical realism

In a pair of talks recorded at Laydeez do comics, cartoonists Kripa Joshi and Mawil (Markus Witzel) discuss their work, plus Alex Fitch visits Woodrow Phoenix in his studio to discuss his editing of the new graphic novel Nelson. If there is a common theme between the three, it is a sense of magical realism in their art which juxtaposes the ordinary with the out of the ordinary, from Woodrow’s use of road furniture in Rumble Strip, to Kripa’s use of Indian mythology in her tales of domestic incidents and Mawil’s blue collar stories of life in Germany through the lens of his alter-ego Sparky O’Hare. Recorded by Nicola Streeten and Alex Fitch, introduced and edited by Alex Fitch.

(cover art for Superio 6 by Leinil Yu)

The Orbiting Pod Episode 49 from Orbiting Pod on Vimeo.

Panel Borders: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes, Sunday 13th November at 8pm on Resonance FM, podcast afterwards on Panel Border

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. (This is the 300th radio show that Alex Fitch has made for Resonance FM! Congrats, Alex!)

Electric Sheep Film Club: Subversive Japanese Cinema

Electric Sheep and Strange Attractor present a screening of Sex Jack (1970, 69 mins), directed by yakuza-turned-filmmaker Kôji Wakamatsu and written by his politically engaged acolyte Masao Adachi. Set against the background of the 60s Japanese student movement, it follows a group of young revolutionaries who take refuge in the flat of a stranger. Screened at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the 1971 Cannes festival, it remains one of Wakamatsu’s most striking works. With thanks to the French-based international label Dissidenz, which has recently released three Kôji Wakamatsu DVD box-sets.

Sex Jack will be preceded by the black and white animated tale Man-Eater Mountain (dir Naoyuki Niiya, 2008, 28 mins), which uses paper theatre to tell a gruesome folk tale. A couple of police inspectors and their guide take a serial killer to the mountains to find the bodies of his victims, but soon they face the demons that reside there Man-Eater Mountain is presented by Zipangu Fest, the first UK-wide festival devoted to Japanese film, which runs from 18 to 24 November.

The films will be followed by a talk with Jasper Sharp, author of Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema, director of Zipangu Fest and co-editor of the Japanese cinema website Midnight Eye, and Julian Ross, commissioning editor at Vertigo Magazine and programme coordinator for the Theatre Scorpio season at Close-Up Film Centre and the Art Theatre Guild season at the BFI Southbank in July-August 2011. The talk will be hosted by Electric Sheep editor Virginie Sélavy.

(The next screening will be in January and then on a monthly basis at The Horse Hospital arts club)

Doors at 7pm on 15h November, film at 7:30pm, talk at 9:30pm. Full details on the Horse Hospital website.

Panel Borders: 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 and his web strip Makeshift Miracle, 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.