Today's show: Classic Childrens’ characters in Comics

Today at 5pm on Resonance 104.4FM - Strip!: Classic Childrens’ characters in Comics

In the last Strip! of the year, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott are looking at the depiction of beloved children’s characters in comics. First we have our interview with Mark Buckingham about reinventing classic fairy tales in Fables and the challenge of bringing something new to the character in his two year run on Spider-man.

Later in the show we have the first on air broadcast of Alex & Duncan’s conversation with Geoff Senior and Simon Furman on 25 years of Transformers, which was first podcast last summer. This is a change to the show advertised at the end of last week’s episode (which was to be about adaptations of classic literature in comics and will be broadcast in a fortnight) mainly because I accidently left the CD at home this morning…

Links: Wikipedia pages on Mark Buckingham, Fables and the comic: Peter Parker, Spider-man
Download free Marvel Comics by Mark
Partial bibliography
Interview with Mark at Silver Bullet Comics

Podcast: The art of John McCrea

Alex Fitch interviews artist John McCrea about his work, his love of superhero comics which has now lead to work in Saudi Arabia and collaborating with writer Garth Ennis on such projects as Troubled Souls.
As Panel Borders is currently podcast only, you can download today's show now... (mp3 format, 14.4mb)
For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Wikipedia pages on John McCrea, Garth Ennis and Fleetway publishing's Crisis comics anthology
John's Middle Eastern comic The 99
Lambiek page on John McCrea, showing examples of his artwork

Podcast: The art of Glenn Fabry

Alex Fitch interviews artists Glenn Fabry and John McCrea, two very different artists who have worked on comics in Britain and America and have both illustrated strips by writer Garth Ennis. The majority of today's show is concerned with Glenn's work from his seminal run on Sláine in 2000AD to his epic run of painted covers for DC comics' Preacher which are available in a coffee table book.

Towards the end of the show Alex talks to John McCrea about the 60 issues he drew of Ennis' superhero satire Hitman (and their interview continues next week).
As Panel Borders is currently podcast only, you can download today's show now... (mp3 format, 18mb)
For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Wikipedia pages on Glenn Fabry , John McCrea, Sláine, Preacher and Hitman
Glenn's website

Podcast: The art of Steve Yeowell

Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott interview artist Steve Yeowell, a 2000AD veteran who has worked on both sides of the Atlantic. Yeowell achieved early fame collaborating with Grant Morrison on the superhero epic Zenith and the first storyline in The Invisibles plus more esoteric titles such as The new adventures of Hitler, Sebastian O & Skrull Kill Krew. More recently Yeowell has returned to 2000AD working with Ian Edgington on such scripts as Detonator X and The Red Seas...

In comics news: This weekend it's Caption Fest 2007 in Oxford where small press artists and writers present their work and there're workshops presented by awawrd winning graphic novelist Al Davidson (The Spiral Cage).

Also: The Observer has launched a competition to find new comics artists and writers so if you think you can create a short story using pictures, word balloons and captions that fits on a single page of A4, visit Random House's Graphic Novels website for more details.

As Panel Borders is currently podcast only, you can download today's show now... (mp3 format, 12.3mb)
For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links: Wikipedia entry on Steve Yeowell
Interview with Steve at 2000adreview.co.uk
Excerpts from The new adventures of Hitler at Scans Daily
Tashkeel Comics' website

Podcast: Transformers - ...and now

With the new Transformers movie currently in cinemas, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott conclude their interview with the writer (Simon Furman) and one of the most acclaimed artists (Geoff Senior) of the seminal British Transformers comic from the 1980s looking at Furman's continuation of the mythos for a variety of publishers, Senior's new career as a graphic designer and what they think of the live action movie...

In other comics news: The Observer has launched a competition to find new comics artists and writers so if you think you can create a short story using pictures, word balloons and captions that fits on a single page of A4, visit Random House's Graphic Novels website for more details.

Panel Borders is currently podcast only and you can download this episode now... (mp3 format, 13.5mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Links - Wikipedia entries on: Transformers comics, cartoon, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior
Simon's blog
Geoff's website
Titan Publishing's new UK Transformers comic by Simon & Geoff
Dynamite Entertainment's new Terminator 2 comic by Simon
Underground Online's guide to Transformers
Monzo and Jhiaxus' guide to obscure Transformers comics

Podcast: Transformers - then...

This afternoon's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 13.8mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Today's show: Transformers - then...

With a week to go until the release of the new Transformers movie, Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott interview the writer (Simon Furman) and one of the most acclaimed artists (Geoff Senior) of the seminal British Transformers comic from the 1980s which helped cement a love of the robots in disguise for our generation as much as the cartoons and toys the franchise was based on.

In other comics news: The Observer has launched a competition to find new comics artists and writers so if you think you can create a short story using pictures, word balloons and captions that fits on a single page of A4, visit Random House's Graphic Novels website for more details

4.45pm BST, Resonance 104.4 FM (London)* / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

*In case there are problems with the show being transmitted on Resonance, the podcast will go online at the same time...

Links: Wikipedia entries on:
Transformers comics, cartoon, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior
Simon's blog
Geoff's website
Titan Publishing's new UK Transformers comic by Simon & Geoff
Dynamite Entertainment's new Terminator 2 comic by Simon
Underground Online's guide to Transformers
Monzo and Jhiaxus' guide to obscure Transformers comics

Podcast: "How gay are comics?" part 2

This afternoon's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 14.5mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Today's show: "How gay are comics?" part 2

In the second pilot episode of Panel Borders, Alex Fitch concludes his interview with Patricia Jeres about gay representaion in comics both on the page and behind the creator's pen, looking this week at the new Batwoman and transgender Skrulls in Young Avengers! Patricia is an advisory board member of Prism comics - a company that promotes LGBT creators in the medium and previously worked for DC comics.


5pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links to info on some of the creators discussed in the programme:
Prism comics' website and page on Patty Jeres
dykes to watch out for.com - Alison Bechdel's blog
Allan Heinberg's myspace page
Greg Rucka's website
Brian K Vaughan's website
Zeb Wells bibliography at Marvel.com
Wikipedia pages on Prism Comics, Alison Bechdel, Allan Heinberg, Greg Rucka and Brian K. Vaughan
'Adventures of a Gay Geek' blog about diversity in comics

Podcast: "How gay are comics?" part 1

This afternoon's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 14.2mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Today's show: "How gay are comics?" part 1

In the first of today's two shows scheduled in the run-up to Pride weekend Alex Fitch interviews Patricia Jeres about gay representaion in comics both on the page and behind the writer / artist's pen. Patricia is an advisory board member of Prism comics - a company that promotes LGBT creators in the medium and previously worked for DC comics.


5pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links (which contain strong content - do not access unless you are over 15 / a liberal / not at work): Prism comics
Comic book queers podcast and forum
Reviews of gay comics at comics212.net
How gay was Captain America?
Daredevil goes to a gay bar...
Brokeback Mountain... the comic
How gay are Transformers?
Judges 19 interpreted by Neil Gaiman
Leviticus 20 interpreted by Alan Moore

Having read the latter; anyone feeling like going to Pride this weekend should know that Christian Voice are going to be picketing the event, so why not go down with a home made sign that quotes other anachronistic gems from Leviticus like:

Chapter 19 -
Verse 19: ...thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
Verse 27: Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
Chapter 20 -
Verse 9: For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

...just a thought.

Podcast: The Worlds of Bryan Talbot

Tonight's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.6mb)

N.B./ as I have received 5 correct entries (3pm 30/05/07), the competition is now closed...

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: The Worlds of Bryan Talbot

On this week's "I'm ready for my close-up", Alex Fitch's guests are Bryan Talbot & Mark Wright, creator and adaptor respectively of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright... Alex will be talking to Bryan about his career in comics, focusing on Luther and Alice in Sunderland and asking Mark about the challenges of converting a graphic novel to the audio medium...
There's also a competition to win one of 5 signed copies of the Big Finish audio adaptation of Luther Arkwright CDs at the end of the show...

10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Find details about Bryan's Alice in Sunderland signing tour
Read a review of Alice in Sunderland in comic strip form
Wikipedia pages on The Adventures of Luther Arkwright
and Bryan Talbot
More info on Bryan's exhibition at The Cartoon Museum which runs to the beginning of July
Buy / sample The Adventures of Luther Arkwright web comic
Buy / download the trailer for The Adventures of Luther Arkwright audio adaptation
More info on Bryan's next project Cherubs
...which is drawn by former close-up guest Mark Stafford

Podcast: Blake's 7 redux

Last night's show is now available to download... (mp3 format, 28.3mb)

For more info and a selection of different file formats you can download or stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.com

Tonight's show: Blake's 7 redux

Recorded at this year's Bristol international Comic Expo - Alex Fitch interviews the makers of the new Blake's 7 internet radio series - writer Ben Aaronovitch, actor Owen Aaronovitch who plays 'Gan', sound designer / actor Alistair Lock who plays 'Zen' and producer Andrew Sewell.


10.30pm BST Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Listen to the new Blake's 7 at www.blakes7.com
Wikipedia pages on Blake's 7 and Ben Aaronovich
IMDb page on Owen Aaronovich
Outpost Gallifrey page on Alistair Lock
Interview with Andrew Sewell at www.blakes-7.co.uk