Podcasts, radio shows, writing and more by Alex Fitch
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Comics @ SCI-FI-LONDON
April 29, 2011
Comics @ SCI-FI-LONDON flyer by Tom Humberstone
A two day festival about the best of British Comics from the last 30 years in a lovely new space – The Blue Room – at BFI Southbank.
DAY ONE: Saturday 30th April
The Blue Room, 1st Floor, BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London
Creators in attendance include Paul Collicutt (Robot City adventures), Phillipa Rice (My Cardboard Life), Alex Milway (The Mythical 9th Division), Eddie Robson (Doctor Who adventures), V.V. Brown, David Allain, John Spelling (all City of Abacus), Lee O’Connor (Ctrl Alt Delete unmasks corruption), Zarina Liew, Yuri Kore, Clio Millett (Manga Jiman winners), Matt Jones (BERG design) and Matthew Sheret (Paper Science)
Doors open at 10am – Small press creators will be around to sell their work and meet visitors
11am – SF comics for kids
Paul Collicutt (Robot City adventures), Phillipa Rice (My Cardboard Life), Alex Milway (The Mythical 9th Division) and Eddie Robson (Doctor Who adventures) discuss creating Science-Fiction and Fantasy comics for kids and having interested children in the format, how to keep their love of comics going.
Chair : Chris Johnson (CBBC)
There will be a free copy of Doctor Who Adventures magazine for every member of the audience.
Followed by a children’s workshop run by Paul Collicutt
12.30pm – City of Abacus
A panel discussion with four of the creators of the serialised graphic novel CITY OF ABACUS including writers V.V. Brown and David Allain and artists Lee O’Connor and John Spelling, who drew issues two and three respectively, looking at the intriguing mix of dystopian SF and fantasy that the comic presents. Chair: Alex Fitch (Resonance FM)
Followed by City of Abacus signing
2pm – Manga Jiman
Three recent finalists – Zarina Liew (Runner-up 2009/2010), Yuri Kore (Winner 2009/2010), Clio Millett (Winner 2010/2011) – of the Japanese Embassy’s ‘Manga Jiman’ (Pride in Manga) competition join one of the judges, to discuss the homegrown manga scene in the UK and the difference between Manga and Western style comics. Chair: Karen Rubins (Comic book artist in residence, Victoria and Albert Museum 2010)
3.30pm – The work of Warren Ellis
Editor Matt Jones (principal, BERG design who commission Ellis’ new comic SVK) and writer Matthew Sheret (Solipsistic Pop), whose love of comics started with Warren’s work, discuss the work of comic book / multimedia writer Warren Ellis who has penned some of the most influencial SF comics of the last twenty years. Chair: Iyare Igiehon (BBC 6Music)
Followed by 10 min preview screening of new documentary – “WARREN ELLIS: CAPTURED GHOSTS”
5pm – Close
More info at: www.scifilondon.com/festival
DAY TWO: Sunday 1st May
The Blue Room, 1st Floor, BFI Southbank, Waterloo, London
Creators in attendance include Al Davison and Tony Lee (IDW Doctor Who comic), Tom Humberstone (Solipsistic Pop), David Hine (Batman), China Miéville (Kraken), Denise Mina (The Field Of Blood), Alice Duke (Self Made Hero), Mark Stafford (Cherubs), Martin Fisher (Battle among the stars), Huw J. Davies (Freeman), Edward Ross (Parasites!) and Roger Mason (The Mice)
Doors open at 10am – Small press creators will be around to sell their work and meet visitors
11am – Small press to mainstream
Al Davison and Tony Lee (IDW Doctor Who comic), Tom Humberstone (Solipsistic Pop) and David Hine (Batman) talk about how working in small press comics has lead to work for mainstream publishers, but also provided a home to publish alternative titles throughout their careers so far. Chair: Matt Badham (Judge Dredd Megazine)
Followed by ‘Drop in and draw’ activities for first time artists wanting encouragement in creating comics, run by Tom Humberstone
12.30am – H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe
Novelists China Miéville (three time Arthur C. Clarke award winner for SF literature) and Denise Mina (The Field Of Blood) alongside artists Alice Duke (Self Made Hero) and Mark Stafford (Cherubs) discuss the influence of American writers Poe and Lovecraft on comic books and the difficulties posed by adapting their stories into strip format. Chair: Alex Fitch (Resonance FM)
2pm – Comics and moving pictures
Comics have been both the basis of and influenced the look of much TV and film over the past few years and so creators Martin Fisher (Battle among the stars), Huw J. Davies (Freeman, Garth), Edward Ross (Filmish, Parasites!) and Roger Mason (2000AD, The Mice) will be talking about how their interest in both fields has led to cross-pollination in their work and how they see this influencing both media as a whole. Chair: Rich Johnson (Bleeding Cool)
There will be a free signed copy of the new graphic novel Vision Machine by Greg Pak and R.B. Silva for the first 60 members of the audience attending this panel.
3.30pm – Horror and noir
A panel looking at the crossover between two popular genres with guests Denise Mina, graphic novelist Hannah Berry who will be previewing her new book ADAMTIME and David Hine who has written horror themed comics throughout his career from Strange Embrace to Spawn. Chair: Paul Gravett (Comica Festival)
Followed by a preview of The Walking Dead DVD extras, including a filmed interview with Robert Kirkman talking about the comic book and its TV adaptation. (15 mins)
5pm Close
More info at www.scifilondon.com/festival
Further information is available in the May BFI Southbank programme and at www.bfi.org.uk/southbank
This is not a ticketed event, however there will be a sign up sheet on the door, if you would like to reserve a seat for individual panels.
Panel Borders: Nobrow Press
April 28, 2011 — 1 Comment
Panel Borders:
Nobrow Press
Partially broadcast 28th April 2011 on Resonance 104.4 FM
Interior of People I have never met by Nick White, Exterior and interior of A Graphic Cosmogony published by Nobrow Press
This week’s show concludes our month of shows about comic book anthologies and collectives. In today’s episode Dickon Harris talks to Nick White and Alex Spiro from Nobrow Press in an interview recorded at the launch of their anthology “A Graphic Cosmogony” at the London Print Studio in November 2010 and Dickon is chatting to Nick and Alex about the history of Nobrow and the unique graphic design sensibilities and use of colour by the publishing company. (Edited by Alex Fitch)
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: Original listing of the event at London Print Studio
Nobrow Press website www.nobrow.net
Review of A Graphic Cosmogny at itsnicethat.com
Recommended events:
A two day festival about the best of British Comics from the last 30 years in a lovely new space – The Blue Room – at BFI Southbank.
The event includes panel discussions, workshops, talks, a film preview and signings, with guests including Al Davison (IDW Doctor Who comic), Tom Humberstone (Solipsistic Pop), David Hine (Batman), China Miéville (Kraken), Denise Mina (The Field Of Blood), Alice Duke (Self Made Hero), Mark Stafford (Cherubs), Ian Edginton (Victorian Undead), Martin Fisher (Battle among the stars), Huw J. Davies (Freeman), Edward Ross (Parasites!), Roger Mason (The Mice), Paul Collicutt (Robot City adventures), Phillipa Rice (My Cardboard Life), Alex Milway (The Mythical 9th Division), Eddie Robson (Doctor Who adventures), (Singer / songwriter) V.V. Brown, (film-maker) David Allain, (artist) John Spelling (all City of Abacus), Lee O’Connor (Ctrl Alt Delete unmasks corruption), Zarina Liew, Yuri Kore, Clio Millett (Manga Jiman winners), Matt Jones (BERG design) and Matthew Sheret (Paper Science)
The Blue Room, BFI Southbank, 30th April / 1st May, 10am – 5pm
More info at www.scifilondon.com/bficomics
Further information is available in the May BFI Southbank programme and at www.bfi.org.uk/southbank
(more…)
Today’s show: Nobrow Press
April 28, 2011
Today on Resonance FM…
Panel Borders: Nobrow Press
Interior of People I have never met by Nick White, Exterior and interior of A Graphic Cosmogony published by Nobrow Press
This week’s show concludes our month of shows about comic book anthologies and collectives. In today’s episode Dickon Harris talks to Nick White and Alex Spiro from Nobrow Press in an interview recorded at the launch of their anthology “A Graphic Cosmogony” at the London Print Studio in November 2010 and Dickon is chatting to Nick and Alex about the history of Nobrow and the unique graphic design sensibilities and use of colour by the publishing company. (Edited by Alex Fitch)
5pm, Thursday 28/04/11, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com
Links: Original listing of the event at London Print Studio
Nobrow Press website www.nobrow.net
Review of A Graphic Cosmogny at itsnicethat.com
Recommended events:
A two day festival about the best of British Comics from the last 30 years in a lovely new space – The Blue Room – at BFI Southbank.
The event includes panel discussions, workshops, talks, a film preview and signings, with guests including Al Davison (IDW Doctor Who comic), Tom Humberstone (Solipsistic Pop), David Hine (Batman), China Miéville (Kraken), Denise Mina (The Field Of Blood), Alice Duke (Self Made Hero), Mark Stafford (Cherubs), Ian Edginton (Victorian Undead), Martin Fisher (Battle among the stars), Huw J. Davies (Freeman), Edward Ross (Parasites!), Roger Mason (The Mice), Paul Collicutt (Robot City adventures), Phillipa Rice (My Cardboard Life), Alex Milway (The Mythical 9th Division), Eddie Robson (Doctor Who adventures), (Singer / songwriter) V.V. Brown, (film-maker) David Allain, (artist) John Spelling (all City of Abacus), Lee O’Connor (Ctrl Alt Delete unmasks corruption), Zarina Liew, Yuri Kore, Clio Millett (Manga Jiman winners), Matt Jones (BERG design) and Matthew Sheret (Paper Science)
The Blue Room, BFI Southbank, 30th April / 1st May, 10am – 5pm
More info at www.scifilondon.com/bficomics
Further information is available in the May BFI Southbank programme and at www.bfi.org.uk/southbank
(more…)
Reality Check: Dan Dare in the 21st Century
April 22, 2011 — 1 Comment
Reality Check:
Dan Dare in the 21st Century
Dan Dare and the Mekon in Revolver, Virgin Comics Dan Dare and Spaceship Away
The second half of a Q and A recorded at last year’s Sci-Fi London Festival about the 40th anniversary of Britain’s most famous comic book character. John Freeman hosts a panel discussion on Dan Dare with Garry Leach, Rian Hughes, Gary Erskine and Rod Barzilay; with this recording focussing on Hughes’ illustrations for Dare in Revolver and Crisis magazines; Gary Erskine and Garry Leach’s illustrations of Dan Dare for Virgin Comics and Rod Barzilay’s small press magazine about space fleet as featured in The Eagle – Spaceship Away.
For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com / Listen to the podcast of the first half of the panel recording
Links: Original listing of the event at Sci-Fi London
Wikipedia page on Dan Dare
Spaceship Away magazine website
John Freeman’s British Comics news website – Down the tubes
Rian Hughes’ website www.devicefonts.co.uk
Gary Erskine online
Buy original Garry Leach art from artdroids.co.uk
(more…)
Panel Borders: Dan Dare in the 20th Century
April 21, 2011 — 4 Comments
Panel Borders:
Dan Dare in the 20th Century
Partially broadcast 21st April 2011 on Resonance 104.4 FM
Three anthologies featuring Dan Dare: The Eagle, 2000AD and 1980s Eagle comic
Continuing our month of shows about collectives and anthologies, we have a recording of a panel discussion from Sci-Fi London in 2010, celebrating the continuing popularity of the iconic British Space Hero whose first appearance in The Eagle was published in April 1950. Comics editor and writer John Freeman (The Science Service / Ex Astris) talks to a quartet of artists and writers who have created new adventures for the lantern jawed pilot in more recent years.
These include: Garry Leach, who drew Dan’s return to print in 2000AD, ten years after the end of the original Eagle, in the late 1970s and more recently covers for Virgin comics’ revival of the ‘Pilot of the future’ in 2008;
Rian Hughes, who drew the Eagle inspired comic The Science Service in 1989 and then the Mekon’s final revenge in the Thatcherite satire Dare in the adult comics Revolver and Crisis a year later;
Gary Erskine, who drew Dan Dare’s most recent official comic book adventures in the Virgin Comics periodical of the same name; and
Rod Barzilay, the editor and one of the writers of Spaceship Away, a small press Dan Dare magazine that has continued the original adventures of Spacefleet where the 1950s Eagle left off over the past decade.
This recording covers Dare’s appearance in print from the 1950s to the 1980s. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch)
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
/ Listen to the podcast of the second half of this panel recording
Links: Original listing of the event at Sci-Fi London
Wikipedia page on Dan Dare
Spaceship Away magazine website
John Freeman’s British Comics news website – Down the tubes
Rian Hughes’ website www.devicefonts.co.uk
Gary Erskine online
Buy original Garry Leach art from artdroids.co.uk
Recommended events:
25 years of John Constantine: Hellblazer at SCI-FI-LONDON
To belatedly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start of the ongoing Hellblazer comic, for the inaugural event of this year’s London International Science-Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival, Sci-Fi London is proud to present a panel of Constantine creators – Jamie Delano, David Lloyd, Andy Diggle and Peter Milligan – in an on stage Q and A about their experiences of working on the comic and related graphic novels.
The panel is followed by a screening of the movie Constantine (2005).
5pm, Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, Lower Regent Street, London.
Tickets / more info: www.sci-fi-london.com/festival
A two day festival about the best of British Comics from the last 30 years in a lovely new space – The Blue Room – at BFI Southbank.
(more…)
Today’s show: Dan Dare in the 20th Century
April 21, 2011
Today on Resonance FM…
Panel Borders: Dan Dare in the 20th Century
Three anthologies featuring Dan Dare: The Eagle, 2000AD and 1980s Eagle comic
Continuing our month of shows about collectives and anthologies, we have a recording of a panel discussion from Sci-Fi London in 2010, celebrating the continuing popularity of the iconic British Space Hero whose first appearance in The Eagle was published in April 1950. Comics editor and writer John Freeman (The Science Service / Ex Astris) talks to a quartet of artists and writers who have created new adventures for the lantern jawed pilot in more recent years.
These include: Garry Leach, who drew Dan’s return to print in 2000AD, ten years after the end of the original Eagle, in the late 1970s and more recently covers for Virgin comics’ revival of the ‘Pilot of the future’ in 2008;
Rian Hughes, who drew the Eagle inspired comic The Science Service in 1989 and then the Mekon’s final revenge in the Thatcherite satire Dare in the adult comics Revolver and Crisis a year later;
Gary Erskine, who drew Dan Dare’s most recent official comic book adventures in the Virgin Comics periodical of the same name; and
Rod Barzilay, the editor and one of the writers of Spaceship Away, a small press Dan Dare magazine that has continued the original adventures of Spacefleet where the 1950s Eagle left off over the past decade.
This recording covers Dare’s appearance in print from the 1950s to the 1980s. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch)
5pm, Thursday 21/04/11, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com
Links: Original listing of the event at Sci-Fi London
Wikipedia page on Dan Dare
Spaceship Away magazine website
John Freeman’s British Comics news website – Down the tubes
Rian Hughes’ website www.devicefonts.co.uk
Gary Erskine online
Buy original Garry Leach art from artdroids.co.uk
Recommended events:
25 years of John Constantine: Hellblazer at SCI-FI-LONDON
To belatedly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start of the ongoing Hellblazer comic, for the inaugural event of this year’s London International Science-Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival, Sci-Fi London is proud to present a panel of Constantine creators – Jamie Delano, David Lloyd, Andy Diggle and Peter Milligan – in an on stage Q and A about their experiences of working on the comic and related graphic novels.
The panel is followed by a screening of the movie Constantine (2005).
5pm, Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, Lower Regent Street, London.
Tickets / more info: www.sci-fi-london.com/festival
A two day festival about the best of British Comics from the last 30 years in a lovely new space – The Blue Room – at BFI Southbank.
(more…)
Spring 2011 in print
April 14, 2011
Reviews…
Drive Angry
Release date: 25/02/11 (Cinema)
The Insatiable Moon
Release date: 04/03/11 (Cinema)
Source Code
Release date: 01/04/11 (Cinema)
Electric Sheep comics…
Notes on horror: a cartoon notebook,
illustrated article by Lisa Gornick
The Extraordinary adventures of Adele Blanc Sec
Release date: 22/04/11 (Cinema)
Review by Dan Lester
Articles…
Alex Fitch interviews Duncan Jones,
director of Moon and Source Code
‘The Many lives of Laurie Stode’,
final girl of the Halloween franchise
William Peter Blatty’s ‘faith trilogy’:
The Exorcist / The Ninth Configuration / Exorcist III
Panel Borders: Spring conventions
April 14, 2011 — 1 Comment
Panel Borders:
Spring conventions
Partially broadcast 14th April 2011 on Resonance 104.4 FM
Sprit of Hope cover by Mike Allred, panel from The Bulletproof Coffin by Shaky Kane, cover of Tripwire digital issue 001
Continuing our month of shows about anthologies and collectives, we have a trio of interviews recorded at two recent comic book conventions in London. Recorded at Kapow!, Islington Design Centre (April 2011): Alex Fitch talks to editor Alan Cowsill and publisher Tim Pilcher (Comic Book Alliance) about the comic book anthology Spirit of Hope that they’re bringing out to help raise funds to support the people of Japan after the recent Tsunami disaster and to Joel Meadows, editor of Tripwire about the new digital incarnation of his magazine about comics and pop culture. Also in an interview recorded at the London Comic and Small Press Expo, Goldsmiths College (March 2011), Dickon Harris talks to Shaky Kane about his career which has ranged from short pieces in a variety of anthologies such as 2000AD, Escape and Revolver to his serialised graphic novel, The Bulletproof Coffin, written by David Hine.
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 page on Shaky Kane
London Comic & Small Press Expo website
Article about Sprit of Hope at Geek Syndicate
Comic Book Alliance website
Tripwire magazine website
Panel Borders‘ previous interview with Joel Meadows about Tripwire, May 2008
Recommended events:
The London Zine Symposium, April 17th 2011
Workshops, talks and tables from around the world can be found at the 2011 London Zine Symposium, which is all about celebrating zines, small press, comix, radicals and DIY culture.
(more…)
Today’s show: Spring conventions
April 14, 2011
Today on Resonance FM…
Panel Borders: Spring conventions
Sprit of Hope cover by Mike Allred, panel from The Bulletproof Coffin by Shaky Kane, cover of Tripwire digital issue 001
Continuing our month of shows about anthologies and collectives, we have a trio of interviews recorded at two recent comic book conventions in London. Recorded at Kapow!, Islington Design Centre (April 2011): Alex Fitch talks to editor Alan Cowsill and publisher Tim Pilcher (Comic Book Alliance) about the comic book anthology Spirit of Hope that they’re bringing out to help raise funds to support the people of Japan after the recent Tsunami disaster and to Joel Meadows, editor of Tripwire about the new digital incarnation of his magazine about comics and pop culture. Also in an interview recorded at the London Comic and Small Press Expo, Goldsmiths College (March 2011), Dickon Harris talks to Shaky Kane about his career which has ranged from short pieces in a variety of anthologies such as 2000AD, Escape and Revolver to his serialised graphic novel, The Bulletproof Coffin, written by David Hine.
5pm, Thursday 14/04/11, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com
Links: Wikipedia page on Shaky Kane
London Comic & Small Press Expo website
Article about Sprit of Hope at Geek Syndicate
Comic Book Alliance website
Tripwire magazine website
Panel Borders‘ previous interview with Joel Meadows about Tripwire, May 2008
Recommended events:
The London Zine Symposium, April 17th 2011
Workshops, talks and tables from around the world can be found at the 2011 London Zine Symposium, which is all about celebrating zines, small press, comix, radicals and DIY culture.
(more…)
Anthology books including work by Alex Fitch
April 12, 2011
As well as writing regular reviews for Shiny Shelf and Electric Sheep magazines, writing features and commissioning comic strips for the latter and transcribing interviews for Wheel Me Out Magazine, Alex Fitch has contributed to four anthologies published in 2010 / 11.
The first of these – Directory of World Cinema: American Independent – went online in March and the book went on sale in May 2010.
You can also download or read the book online (though Alex would prefer if you bought a copy – see below).
Here’re some extracts:
On director Stuart Gordon: “Gordon took advice from his mother when making science fiction: if you don’t have the budget to make it expensive, you should make it smart, and Fortress evokes a convincing futuristic world outside its subterranean walls.”
On Horror films: “Worldwide cultural and political liberation in the 1960s led to more extreme forms of art becoming acceptable within mainstream media, although there was still the occasional movie that relied on atmosphere for audience chills rather than entrails.”
Also includes Alex’s reviews of Halloween (1979), House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, The Sticky fingers of time, Super-size me, Shortbus, Society and Mala Noche. More info at www.intellectbooks.co.uk
Launched at the British International Comics Show in October 2010:
A new anthology of horror and genre comics by new creators whose original home for these strips – Insomnia Publication – ceased trading before publication, leading to this handsomely produced self published anthology.
The book contains a foreword by Alex Fitch; here’s an extract:
The Sleepless Phoenix: Survival Stories is mainly based around the horror genre with a handful of detours into war and science-fiction, which possibly reflects the popularities of those genres in general at the moment – TV & bookshelves are filled with vampire tales, while the big screen is full of remakes, reimaginings & rip offs of slasher films. Here, while there is a certain familiarity with certain tropes of scary stories, there are plenty of twists on reliable and shocking subjects to make the contents within both familiar and new…
The third of 2010′s anthologies includes a transcript of Alex Fitch’s interview with Michael Winterbottom about his film Code 46 in a book titled:
Michael Winterbottom: Interviews published by University Press of Mississippi in December. You can stream the interview at Sci-Fi London and download the mp3 here.
Here’s an extract:
MW:At one point, as a joke, we were going to do this big pseudo-scientific document about all the science that we’d drawn on to make our film because Minority Report was completely based on that ludicrous gadget/gimmick thing. For us, it was a question of looking at the way societies work now in different places, taking some of the issues like genetics and refugees and just move one step away from that. In the opposite sort of film, it’s great to watch something like Alphaville and just pan across a random skyline of Paris and that is the future. It’s as realistic a vision of the future as you’re going to get.
The first of 2011′s anthologies to feature writing by Alex Fitch is The End: An Electric Sheep Anthology (Strange Attractor Press, £13.99):
… the first book by Electric Sheep Magazine, featuring all new articles by regular creators. Alex has contributed the script of a visual essay on zombie films post Night of the Living Dead (1968) and interviews with directors Michael Almereyda and Vincenzo Natali for a feature on film-makers’ favourite final scenes.
Here’re some extracts:
With Dawn of the dead in 1978, the zombie apocalypse is now fully under way: fleeing the outbreak, four survivors lead by another charismatic black hero end up holed up in a mall. No explanation is given for the apocalypse in the film; it simply presents zombies as brain-dead consumers shuffling about the building, snacking on human flesh between bouts of window shopping.
Michael Almereyda: (The Searchers) is a very American film, but it’s also a film that acknowledges and reels from these huge questions of genocide and race . It’s in some ways an ugly film – the ground is really smoking in that film, it’s not a pretty picture.
Vincenzo Natali: There are many things that are extraordinary about the ending of Se7en (1995). First and foremost, the entire film leads to that last and final moment. It’s like a Swiss watch, it’s perfectly constructed to bring us to that inevitable conclusion…
You can order Michael Winterbottom: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers)
Reality Check: Virtual Worlds on film
April 11, 2011 — 2 Comments
Reality Check:
Virtual Worlds on film
Robert Bradford in 8th Wonderland / Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy
Virtual worlds on the big screen vary from the most escapist to the increasingly relevant and in this episode of Sci-Fi London’s podcast we look at two very different representations of these on screen. Alex Fitch talks to Nicolas Alberny and Jean Mach, the directors of 8th Wonderland, a film about a virtual community declaring themselves to be a new country with rights and influence on the rest of the world, and the agit-prop antics of the members of this virtual country on film proved prophetic compared to recent events in the Middle East and demonstrations on the streets of London. Also, we have an extract from the Tron: Legacy press conference in which director Joseph Kosinski, stars Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde and others talk about their sequel to a VR film classic.
(Tron: Legacy is released on DVD 18/04/11 and 8th Wonderland in June)
For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com
Links: Official 8th Wonderland and Tron: Legacy websites
Download 8th Wonderland from iTunes
Recommended events:
25 years of John Constantine: Hellblazer at SCI-FI-LONDON
To belatedly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the start of the ongoing Hellblazer comic, for the inaugural event of this year’s London International Science-Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival, Sci-Fi London is proud to present a panel of Constantine creators – Jamie Delano, David Lloyd, Andy Diggle and Peter Milligan – in an on stage Q and A about their experiences of working on the comic and related graphic novels.
The panel is followed by a screening of the movie Constantine (2005).
5pm, Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, Lower Regent Street, London.
Tickets / more info: www.sci-fi-london.com/festival
The End: an Electric Sheep Anthology
April 8, 2011
The first Electric Sheep book is now available, a 260 page anthology of the latest cutting edge writing and illustration about film, themed around the concept of ‘the end’.
Cover of The End: an Electric Sheep Anthology
From the gutter to the avant-garde, The End: An Electric Sheep Anthology (Strange Attractor Press, £13.99) brings together a mind-bendingly eclectic programme of films, authors, artists and directors to create a unique new vision of cinema past, present and future.
Follow Electric Sheep into the darkness and you’ll find Bill Morrison’s chemical ghosts, the bad girls of 50s exploitation films, apocalyptic evangelical cinema, the human centipede, Spanish zombies, Japanese nihilists, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s lost masterpiece Inferno, Ingmar Bergman’s visions of the end and David Lynch’s soundtracks of decay.
Contributors include Jack Sargeant, author of Deathtrippping: The Extreme Underground; Jason Wood, author of The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema; James Rose, author of Beyond Hammer: Contemporary British Horror Cinema; Greg Klymkiw, producer of Guy Maddin’s Careful; Frances Morgan, former editor of Plan B Magazine; Jim Harper, author of Flowers From Hell: The Modern Japanese Horror Film; as well as the Brothers Quay, Vincenzo Natali and Peter Whitehead among many others.
Like the website and magazine formerly published by Wallflower Press, The End is edited by Virginie Sélavy and as with Electric Sheep’s other incarnations, 4% of the book is written by Alex Fitch (an article on zombie movies, see below, and interviews with Vincenzo Natali and Michael Almereyda) who commissioned the comic strip (by Pearlyn Quan and Simon Guerrier) and most of the illustrations.
(more…)
Panel Borders: Newspaper Comics
April 7, 2011 — 1 Comment
Panel Borders:
Newspaper Comics
Partially broadcast 7th April 2011 on Resonance 104.4 FM
Interior of Paper Science no.1, exterior of The Comix Reader no.1
This week’s show begins a month of shows about anthologies and collectives; Alex Fitch talks to the editors of two comic book anthologies which are printed in newspaper form; Richard Cowdry about his anthology, The Comix Reader, a new 24 page newspaper anthology inspired by his love of old newspaper strips, cinema cartoons and his connections with the alternate press scene; and Matthew Sheret about his twice yearly anthology Paper Science, published through his company We are words and pictures, an anthology which showcases brilliant design and the best up and coming comic book creators.
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: More info about The Comix Reader at www.thecomixreader.com and Paper Science at www.wearewordsandpictures.com
Paper Science 4 will be launched at Sci-Fi London’s comic book weekend, which takes place at the BFI on London’s Southbank on 30th April and 1st May, a two day festival featuring panels, talks, workshops, screenings / tables for small press creators to sell their work and entry is free. More info at www.londoncomicsfestival.com
Laydeez do comics April 2011
Guest Speakers
Members of The London Print Studio Comics Collective will present their individual works.
(more…)
Today’s show: Newspaper Comics
April 7, 2011
Today on Resonance FM…
Panel Borders: Newspaper Comics
Interior of Paper Science no.1, exterior of The Comix Reader no.1
This week’s show begins a month of shows about anthologies and collectives; Alex Fitch talks to the editors of two comic book anthologies which are printed in newspaper form; Richard Cowdry about his anthology, The Comix Reader, a new 24 page newspaper anthology inspired by his love of old newspaper strips, cinema cartoons and his connections with the alternate press scene; and Matthew Sheret about his twice yearly anthology Paper Science, published through his company We are words and pictures, an anthology which showcases brilliant design and the best up and coming comic book creators.
5pm, Thursday 07/04/11, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com
Links: More info about The Comix Reader at www.thecomixreader.com and Paper Science at www.wearewordsandpictures.com
Paper Science 4 will be launched at Sci-Fi London’s comic book weekend, which takes place at the BFI on London’s Southbank on 30th April and 1st May, a two day festival featuring panels, talks, workshops, screenings / tables for small press creators to sell their work and entry is free. More info at www.londoncomicsfestival.com
Electric Sheep Magazine podcast: Indie Movies Online
April 3, 2011 — 1 Comment
Electric Sheep podcast:
Indie Movies Online
With more and more people wanting to download movies off the internet, a new company has come along to help people do this legally with a wide range of films that include British gems and cult classics. Alex Fitch talks to James Rowley-Ashwood about indiemoviesonline.com: how the collection of films on the site were curated – from Evil Aliens to the site’s one paying movie A Serbian Film, short films by Lotte Reiniger and the Brothers Quay and back catalogue titles from Peter Greenaway and Alex Cox, some of which are out of print on DVD – and how the site’s funding and distribution are achieved.
For more information and a variety of formats you can stream / download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org
In association with 
Read Virginie Selavy’s article about the censorship of A Serbian Film and interview with the director
Recent articles by Alex Fitch at Electric Sheep: the Halloween franchise / Source Code review
