Panel Borders – Panel Borders and other podcasts

Fumio Obata: In a Q and A recorded at Cartoon County, Brighton, Alex Fitch talks to Fumio Obata about his graphic novel Just so happens, which fictionalises his experiences of working as an artist in England and Japan, and his web comics about the Fukushima disaster. (Panel Borders continues on the 2nd Tuesday of each […]

Panel Borders: Drawn from life In the first Panel Borders of 2016, Alex Fitch talks to three cartoonists who work in biography and autobiography. Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal discuss their memoir about life in 1970s communist Warsaw – Behind the Curtain – and Sydney Padua explores her fictionalised account of the birth of computing – The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage – in a panel discussion recorded at Stoke Newington Literary Festival, 2015. (Originally broadcast as the first half of a Clear Spot on Resonance 104.4 FM, 14th January 2016) Excerpts from Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua, Behind the Curtain by Klimowski and Schejbal For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Info about the event at Stoke Newington Literary Festival More info about Behind the Curtain by Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal More info about The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua Listen to Paul Gravett discusses webcomics with P.J. Holden, Liz Lunney, Tim Winchester, Philipa Rice, David O’Connell and Sydney Padua Listen to Alex’s previous interviews with Andrzej Klimowski amd Danuscia Schejbal

Drawn from life: In the first Panel Borders of 2016, Alex Fitch talks to three cartoonists who work in biography and autobiography. Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal discuss their memoir about life in 1970s communist Warsaw – Behind the Curtain – and Sydney Padua explores her fictionalised account of the birth of computing – The […]

Panel Borders: Drawing The Beano Alex Fitch talks to writers / artists Laura Howell and Hunt Emerson who have contributed a number of strips to The Beano since 2002, including Little Plum, Ratz, Minnie the Minx and more, in an interview recorded at Caption comics festival, Coventry. Laura discusses moving from the small press to mainstream comics, and Hunt talks about the challenges of drawing kids comics after a career of adaptations of adult literature. Laura Howell draws Minnie the Minx (photo by Coventry Express and Star) / excerpts from Ratz, Little Plum and Freds Bed For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Hunt Emerson’s website Laura Howell’s website The Beano website Interview with Laura Howell from Coventry Express and Star Article on Howell and Emerson in The Beano at Forbidden Planet International blog

Drawing The Beano: Alex Fitch talks to writers / artists Laura Howell and Hunt Emerson who have contributed a number of strips to The Beano since 2002, including Little Plum, Ratz, Minnie the Minx and more, in an interview recorded at Caption comics festival, Coventry. Laura discusses moving from the small press to mainstream comics, […]

Panel Borders: Star Wars and Autobiography In a seasonal edition of Panel Borders, guest presenter (and cartoonist) Marc Ellerby talks to American graphic novelist Jeffrey Brown whose work varies from self-deprecating autobiographical titles such as Cats are Weird and A Matter of Life, to a variety of Star Wars illustrated books for kids including Jedi Academy and Vader’s Little Princess, in a Q and A recorded at Gosh! Comics, London. (Originally broadcast as the first half of a Clear Spot on Resonance 104.4 FM, 8th December 2015) Covers and interior art from various books by Jeffrey Brown including Jedi Academy For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Jeffrey Brown’s blog Info about Brown at starwars.com Marc Ellerby’s website Listen to Alex’s 2009 interview with Marc Ellerby

Star Wars and autobiography: In a seasonal edition of Panel Borders, guest presenter (and cartoonist) Marc Ellerby talks to American graphic novelist Jeffrey Brown whose work varies from self-deprecating autobiographical titles such as Cats are Weird and A Matter of Life, to a variety of Star Wars illustrated books for kids including Jedi Academy and […]

Panel Borders: Canadian Comics In a pair of interviews recorded at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, Alex Fitch talks to a trio of Canadian comic book creators about their work. Husband and wife team Stuart and Kathryn Immonen discuss working together and apart on such Marvel comic books as NextWave, Heralds, HellCat and Fear Itself, and on their more personal projects including the webcomic Moving Pictures and their latest graphic novel Russian Olive To Red King. Plus, in a live Q and A recorded in front of a select audience, Alex also talks to Quebec based cartoonist Estelle Bachelard, who draws under the pen-name Bach, about her first graphic novel from Soaring Penguin press – It’s Hard to be a Girl – which collects her humorous autobiographical facebook strips, taped in Brew Brothers Tea Shop, Kendal. (Originally broadcast as part of the ‘Clear Spot’, 9th November 2015 on Resonance 104.4 FM) Cover of Fear Itself by Stuart Immonen, interior art from HellCat by Immonen and Immonen, cover and interior art from Russian Olive by Immomen and Immonen, cover and interior art from Its hard to be a girl by Bach For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Preview of It’s hard to be a girl on the Forbidden Planet International blog and order form on Soaring Penguin website Info about Russian Olive To Red King on AdHouse Books website Stuart and Kathryn Immonen’s blog More info about the Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Canadian Comics: In a pair of interviews recorded at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, Alex Fitch talks to a trio of Canadian comic book creators about their work. Husband and wife team Stuart and Kathryn Immonen discuss working together and apart on such Marvel comic books as NextWave, Heralds, HellCat and Fear […]

Panel Borders: Kate Beaton – Step Aside, Pops! Alex Fitch talks to New York Times best selling author Kate Beaton about the latest collection of her webcomic Hark! A Vagrant: Step Aside, Pops, plus her children’s book The Princess and the Pony in front of a live audience at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, October 2015. Fitch and Beaton also discuss how the latter started making and disseminating webcomics and the influence of Canadian ‘infomercials’ on her work. (Originally broadcast as part of the ‘Clear Spot’, 9th November 2015 on Resonance 104.4 FM) Covers of Step Aside, Pops and The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton, Beaton and Alex Fitch at LICAF, photo by Leonard Sultana (An Englishman in San Diego) For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Hark! A Vagrant website and Kate Beaton’s tumblr site Buy The Princess and the Pony from Walker Books Round up of LICAF 2015, day 2 by Leonard Sultana on his An Englishman in San Diego website More info about the Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Kate Beaton – Step aside, Pops!: Alex Fitch talks to New York Times best selling author Kate Beaton about the latest collection of her webcomic Hark! A Vagrant: Step Aside, Pops, plus her children’s book The Princess and the Pony in front of a live audience at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, October 2015. […]

Panel Borders: Big Punch Studios Alex Fitch talks to a quartet of young graphic novelists – Nich Angell, Lucy Brown, Jon Lock and Alice White – who publish together under the umbrella of Big Punch Studios discuss Big Punch Magazine, and other titles created together and apart, in a panel discussion from the ‘True Believers’ Comic Festival in Cheltenham. Nich and Jon discuss they beginning of their collaborations via the crossover The Heavenly Cord, which mixes their comics 7String and Afterlife Inc., while Lucy explores her story 99 Swords and Alice talks about her design work on the anthology. (Originally broadcast as part of the ‘Clear Spot’, 12th October 2015 on Resonance 104.4 FM) Issues 1-3 of Big Punch Magazine / Alice White, Nich Angell, (Jon Lock) and Alex Fitch discuss Big Punch studios at True Believers Comic Festival, Cheltenham For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Big Punch Studios website and shop Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Nich Angell about swapping web comics

Big Punch Studios: Alex Fitch talks to a quartet of young graphic novelists – Nich Angell, Lucy Brown, Jon Lock and Alice White – who publish together under the umbrella of Big Punch Studios discuss Big Punch Magazine, and other titles created together and apart, in a panel discussion from the ‘True Believers’ Comic Festival […]

Panel Borders: Erica Smith – Girl Frenzy Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Erica Smith recalls her influential zine Girl Frenzy, made by Brightonians in the 1990s, in an interview recorded at Cartoon County, Hove. Alex and Erica also discuss the anti-UKIP beer mats the artist designed for distribution in the South East before the General Election and her contributions to “Julia Kay’s Portrait Party”.(Originally broadcast as part of the ‘Clear Spot’, 12th October 2015 on Resonance 104.4 FM) Issues 3 – 5 of Girl Frenzy, Erica Smith holds GF annual (photo by Sarah McIntyre), anti-UKIP beer mats designed by Smith For more info and a variety of formats to stream or download this podcast, please visit archive.org Links: Interview with Erica Smith about portrait art Article by Smith on her anti-UKIP beer mat design Article by Charlotte Cooper on her contributions to Girl Frenzy

Erica Smith – Girl Frenzy: Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Erica Smith recalls her influential zine Girl Frenzy, made by Brightonians in the 1990s, in an interview recorded at Cartoon County, Hove. Alex and Erica also discuss the anti-UKIP beer mats the artist designed for distribution in the South East before the General Election and […]