Still from Night of the Living Dead

In the second of a series of eight shows about the Seven Deadly Sins, the weekly discussion show run by PhD students from The London Consortium looks at the concept of Wrath and its connection to zombie culture. Guests include: Dr. Richard Barnett, a Fellow at the Wellcome Trust and host of ‘Sick City’, Alex Fitch, the presenter of Resonance FM’s Panel Borders and an assistant editor of Electric Sheep Magazine, and Dr. Jill Critchley, psychotherapist, member of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies and accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Psychotherapist. Host: Lauren Sapikowski

7pm, Monday 20th May 2013 / repeated 2.30am, Sunday 26th May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / more info at http://thethreadradio.org

Links: More info about The London Consortium

Recommended events:

Image Duplicator at Orbital Comics

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely? This show brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans.

Take Back the Art!

16th May – 31st May 2013, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA
More info: http://www.orbitalcomics.com/image-duplicator

Society screening, Brighton

CINE EXCESS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON PRESENTS:

A SPECIALLY REMASTERED SCREENING OF CULT HORROR CLASSIC, SOCIETY

FOLLOWED BY Q and A WITH DIRECTOR/PRODUCER BRIAN YUZNA

The Cine Excess International Film Festival and the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts are delighted to welcome myth-making director/producer Brian Yuzna to the region, where he will present a special screening of his cult film classic Society, as well as to give a career talk to film students studying at the University’s Hastings Campus the following day. He will be interviewed on stage by Cine Excess Director, Dr. Xavier Mendik, Lecturer in film studies at University of Brighton and author of BFI’s 100 Cult Films.

Society (1989) is a deliciously dark satire on the darker underbelly of modern life.Billy (Billy Warlock) is feels he’s different to the rest of his family. They seem to relish an upper class life of social parties whilst he prefers to be more down-to-earth.His suspicions extend to his own girlfriend but when David (Tim Bartell) his sister’s boyfriend, dies mysteriously after showing him a tape, he returns home to find a bizarre party in full swing which reveals the true horrors of his upbringing, a heritage he’s now expected to embrace.
THURSDAY 23rd MAY TIME: 9.15pm
DUKE’S CINEMA at KOMEDIA, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UN

More info / tickets: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Dukes_At_Komedia/Whats_On

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

page from The Book of Sarah by Sarah Lightman / exhibition launch / Press and Release flyer / photo of gallery

Exhibiting comics (2013): As part of Panel Borders’ month of shows about fine art and comics, we have our yearly look at how art from comic books is displayed in the gallery space. At OCCUPY MY TIME GALLERY, Deptford, Alex Fitch talks to gallery owner / curator Sue Cohen, and artist Sarah Lightman, about the latter’s exhibition “The Book of Sarah”, which previews her forthcoming graphic novel from Myriad Editions.
Also, at Phoenix Brighton, fine art lecturer Sue Gollifer, curator Karin Mori, exhibition designer Ben Thomson, and artist Iain Paxon (Hamilton Yarns) talk about the gallery’s exhibition of artists’ books “Press and Release”.

“The Book of Sarah” is on display at OCCUPY MY TIME GALLERY, Enclave 9, Resolution Way, Deptford, London SE8 4NT (Weds – Sat) to 1st June, 2013 / “Press and Release” is on display at Phoenix Brighton, 10-14 Waterloo Pl., Brighton, East Sussex BN2 9NB (Weds – Sun) to 9th June 2013 (Originally broadcast 20/05/13 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org

Links: Occupy my Time Gallery website
Sarah Lightman’s website
Phoenix Brighton website
Hamilton Yarns website
2012 show on ‘Exhibiting Comics’ featuring Lord Baker of Dorking and John Huddy

Recommended events:

Image Duplicator at Orbital Comics

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely? This show brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans.

Take Back the Art!

16th May – 31st May 2013, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA
More info: http://www.orbitalcomics.com/image-duplicator

Society screening, Brighton

CINE EXCESS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON PRESENTS:

A SPECIALLY REMASTERED SCREENING OF CULT HORROR CLASSIC, SOCIETY

FOLLOWED BY Q and A WITH DIRECTOR/PRODUCER BRIAN YUZNA

The Cine Excess International Film Festival and the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts are delighted to welcome myth-making director/producer Brian Yuzna to the region, where he will present a special screening of his cult film classic Society, as well as to give a career talk to film students studying at the University’s Hastings Campus the following day. He will be interviewed on stage by Cine Excess Director, Dr. Xavier Mendik, Lecturer in film studies at University of Brighton and author of BFI’s 100 Cult Films.

Society (1989) is a deliciously dark satire on the darker underbelly of modern life.Billy (Billy Warlock) is feels he’s different to the rest of his family. They seem to relish an upper class life of social parties whilst he prefers to be more down-to-earth.His suspicions extend to his own girlfriend but when David (Tim Bartell) his sister’s boyfriend, dies mysteriously after showing him a tape, he returns home to find a bizarre party in full swing which reveals the true horrors of his upbringing, a heritage he’s now expected to embrace.
THURSDAY 23rd MAY TIME: 9.15pm
DUKE’S CINEMA at KOMEDIA, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UN

More info / tickets: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Dukes_At_Komedia/Whats_On

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

page from The Book of Sarah by Sarah Lightman / exhibition launch / Press and Release flyer / photo of gallery

As part of Panel Borders’ month of shows about fine art and comics, we have our yearly look at how art from comic books is displayed in the gallery space. At OCCUPY MY TIME GALLERY, Deptford, Alex Fitch talks to gallery owner / curator Sue Cohen, and artist Sarah Lightman, about the latter’s exhibition “The Book of Sarah”, which previews her forthcoming graphic novel from Myriad Editions.
Also, at Phoenix Brighton, fine art lecturer Sue Gollifer, curator Karin Mori, exhibition designer Ben Thomson, and artist Iain Paxon (Hamilton Yarns) talk about the gallery’s exhibition of artists’ books “Press and Release”.

“The Book of Sarah” is on display at OCCUPY MY TIME GALLERY, Enclave 9, Resolution Way, Deptford, London SE8 4NT (Weds – Sat) to 1st June, 2013 / “Press and Release” is on display at Phoenix Brighton, 10-14 Waterloo Pl., Brighton, East Sussex BN2 9NB (Weds – Sun) to 9th June 2013

8.30am, Monday 20th May 2013 / repeated 3pm, Thursday 23rd May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Links: Occupy my Time Gallery website
Sarah Lightman’s website
Phoenix Brighton website
Hamilton Yarns website
2012 show on ‘Exhibiting Comics’ featuring Lord Baker of Dorking and John Huddy

Recommended events:

Image Duplicator at Orbital Comics

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely? This show brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans.

Take Back the Art!

16th May – 31st May 2013, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA
More info: http://www.orbitalcomics.com/image-duplicator

Society screening, Brighton

CINE EXCESS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON PRESENTS:

A SPECIALLY REMASTERED SCREENING OF CULT HORROR CLASSIC, SOCIETY

FOLLOWED BY Q and A WITH DIRECTOR/PRODUCER BRIAN YUZNA

The Cine Excess International Film Festival and the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts are delighted to welcome myth-making director/producer Brian Yuzna to the region, where he will present a special screening of his cult film classic Society, as well as to give a career talk to film students studying at the University’s Hastings Campus the following day. He will be interviewed on stage by Cine Excess Director, Dr. Xavier Mendik, Lecturer in film studies at University of Brighton and author of BFI’s 100 Cult Films.

Society (1989) is a deliciously dark satire on the darker underbelly of modern life.Billy (Billy Warlock) is feels he’s different to the rest of his family. They seem to relish an upper class life of social parties whilst he prefers to be more down-to-earth.His suspicions extend to his own girlfriend but when David (Tim Bartell) his sister’s boyfriend, dies mysteriously after showing him a tape, he returns home to find a bizarre party in full swing which reveals the true horrors of his upbringing, a heritage he’s now expected to embrace.
THURSDAY 23rd MAY TIME: 9.15pm
DUKE’S CINEMA at KOMEDIA, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UN

More info / tickets: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Dukes_At_Komedia/Whats_On

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Superman carrying girl with green shoes, Star Girl banded with blue wave, Help! magazine Fumetti, Chopin a la moog, Swedish Lives, A / B, The Night is Silent by Barbara Nessim

Barbara Nessim – a (comics) artful life: Continuing a month of shows about the connections between fine art and comic books, Alex Fitch talks to acclaimed artist and illustrator Barbara Nessim about her work and the many connections it has with sequential art, as its influence and subject. A selection of Nessim’s work is currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, with her Wonder Woman analogue “Star Girl Banded with Blue Wave” (1966) being used as the focus for the marketing of the show; Alex talks to her about this work, the use of panel based sequential images in her Flag series and others, and her unlikely appearance in a anti-drugs fumetti, facilitated by Gloria Steinem and published in Warren Magazines’ Help! periodical in the 1960s.
Barbara Nessim – an artful life is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum until 19th May 2013 (Originally broadcast 13/05/13 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org

Links: Barbara Nessim’s website
Info about the Barbara Nessim exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Article about Nessim’s installation at Centria Building

Recommended events:

When is a graphic novel not a comic? When it’s a…

A panel debate at the Brighton Festival exploring the dimensions of narrative art, in association with Myriad Editions, and featuring Myriad authors Woodrow Phoenix and Nye Wright, with Hannah Berry and Tim Pilcher.

‘The graphic novel as a literary form is really coming into its own at the moment, and we’re very lucky that we have one of the best graphic novel publishers here in Brighton – Myriad – so we’re putting on an event with them that I’m very excited about’ – Mathew Clayton, Literary Programmer, Brighton Festival

Woodrow Phoenix produced a giant comic for his MA at Brighton University, exploring – literally – the dimensions of what a comic is. Co-winner of Best Book in the British Comics Awards, he and fellow graphic novelists Nye Wright and Hannah Berry debate the different ways of creating narratives: whether pen and paper, ceramics, embroidery or sculpture. Art schools are now hot-beds of new cartoonists, and the traditional US comic is giving way to a more modern, domestic graphic memoir. How did this sea-change come about? What makes a comic, when does it become a graphic novel, is it all just marketing? A panel debate at the Brighton Festival, chaired by comics guru Tim Pilcher and in association with Myriad Editions.

Location: Studio Theatre, Brighton Dome, New Road, Brighton
8 – 9pm, Wednesday 15th May, 2013

More info / tickets: www.brightonfestival.org

Laydeez Do Comics at Brighton Festival

A free event in the Studio Bar, in association with Myriad Editions, and featuring the artists, authors and organisers of Laydeez Do Comics, Nicola Streeten and Sarah Lightman, with guests: illustrator and manga artist Chie Kutsuwada and artist curator Kim Pace

After the panel event in the Studio Theatre, the audience is invited to join the legendary Laydeez Do Comics in the Studio Bar. The UK’s first women led graphic novel forum will be presenting a series of invited speakers from 9-10.30pm. This is a non-ticketed event and is open to all members of the public, so please come along and have your eyes opened to some of the amazing work going on in the comics world.

Laydeez Do Comics regularly attracts more than 100 guests at its monthly meetings in London, and groups have now set up in Chicago, San Francisco, Bristol and Leeds with pop-ups in New York – and now, for the very first time, Brighton!

Nicola Streeten’s first graphic book, Billy, Me & You, was published by Myriad in October 2011. It first appeared in serialised form in Liquorice Magazine.

Location: Studio Theatre Bar, Brighton Dome, New Road, Brighton

9 – 10.30pm, Wednesday 15th May, 2013

More info / tickets: www.brightonfestival.org

Tripwire Launch with Michael Moorcock, Peter Milligan, Mike Carey, Roger Langridge & Christopher Fowler

Since its launch back in 1992, TRIPWIRE has been the UK’s leading features-driven comics and genre publication. Its emphasis on British comics and creators and left of centre mainstream has garnered it fans around the world. In 2013, to commemorate its 21st birthday, TRIPWIRE will be publishing TRIPWIRE 21, a must-own celebration of 21 years of the magazine. To mark this, Foyles and TRIPWIRE present a panel that includes Michael Moorcock (Mother London), Peter Milligan (Hellblazer), Mike Carey (The Unwritten, X-Men), Roger Langridge (The Muppets, Fred The Clown) and Christopher Fowler, creator of the popular Bryant & May book series in discussion with TRIPWIRE editor-in-chief Joel Meadows.

Venue: the Gallery at Foyles

Thursday 16th May 2013 6:30pm – 8:30pm Charing Cross Road Literary Event, Chargeable Event
More info / tickets: www.foyles.co.uk/Tripwire

Image Duplicator at Orbital Comics

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely? This show brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans.

Take Back the Art!

16th May – 31st May 2013, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

More info: www.orbitalcomics.com

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Superman carrying girl with green shoes, Star Girl banded with blue wave, Fumetti from Help! magazine, Swedish Lives, A / B by Barbara Nessim

Continuing a month of shows about the connections between fine art and comic books, Alex Fitch talks to acclaimed artist and illustrator Barbara Nessim about her work and the many connections it has with sequential art, as its influence and subject. A selection of Nessim’s work is currently on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, with her Wonder Woman analogue “Star Girl Banded with Blue Wave” (1966) being used as the focus for the marketing of the show; Alex talks to her about this work, the use of panel based sequential images in her Flag series and others, and her unlikely appearance in a anti-drugs fumetti, facilitated by Gloria Steinem and published in Warren Magazines’ Help! periodical in the 1960s.

Barbara Nessim – an artful life is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum until 19th May 2013

8.30am, Monday 13th May 2013 / repeated 3pm, Thursday 16th May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Links: Barbara Nessim’s website
Info about the Barbara Nessim exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Recommended events:

When is a graphic novel not a comic? When it’s a…

A panel debate at the Brighton Festival exploring the dimensions of narrative art, in association with Myriad Editions, and featuring Myriad authors Woodrow Phoenix and Nye Wright, with Hannah Berry and Tim Pilcher.

‘The graphic novel as a literary form is really coming into its own at the moment, and we’re very lucky that we have one of the best graphic novel publishers here in Brighton – Myriad – so we’re putting on an event with them that I’m very excited about’ – Mathew Clayton, Literary Programmer, Brighton Festival

Woodrow Phoenix produced a giant comic for his MA at Brighton University, exploring – literally – the dimensions of what a comic is. Co-winner of Best Book in the British Comics Awards, he and fellow graphic novelists Nye Wright and Hannah Berry debate the different ways of creating narratives: whether pen and paper, ceramics, embroidery or sculpture. Art schools are now hot-beds of new cartoonists, and the traditional US comic is giving way to a more modern, domestic graphic memoir. How did this sea-change come about? What makes a comic, when does it become a graphic novel, is it all just marketing? A panel debate at the Brighton Festival, chaired by comics guru Tim Pilcher and in association with Myriad Editions.

Location: Studio Theatre, Brighton Dome, New Road, Brighton
8 – 9pm, Wednesday 15th May, 2013

More info / tickets: www.brightonfestival.org

Laydeez Do Comics at Brighton Festival

A free event in the Studio Bar, in association with Myriad Editions, and featuring the artists, authors and organisers of Laydeez Do Comics, Nicola Streeten and Sarah Lightman, with guests: illustrator and manga artist Chie Kutsuwada and artist curator Kim Pace

After the panel event in the Studio Theatre, the audience is invited to join the legendary Laydeez Do Comics in the Studio Bar. The UK’s first women led graphic novel forum will be presenting a series of invited speakers from 9-10.30pm. This is a non-ticketed event and is open to all members of the public, so please come along and have your eyes opened to some of the amazing work going on in the comics world.

Laydeez Do Comics regularly attracts more than 100 guests at its monthly meetings in London, and groups have now set up in Chicago, San Francisco, Bristol and Leeds with pop-ups in New York – and now, for the very first time, Brighton!

Nicola Streeten’s first graphic book, Billy, Me & You, was published by Myriad in October 2011. It first appeared in serialised form in Liquorice Magazine.

Location: Studio Theatre Bar, Brighton Dome, New Road, Brighton

9 – 10.30pm, Wednesday 15th May, 2013

More info / tickets: www.brightonfestival.org

Tripwire Launch with Michael Moorcock, Peter Milligan, Mike Carey, Roger Langridge & Christopher Fowler

Since its launch back in 1992, TRIPWIRE has been the UK’s leading features-driven comics and genre publication. Its emphasis on British comics and creators and left of centre mainstream has garnered it fans around the world. In 2013, to commemorate its 21st birthday, TRIPWIRE will be publishing TRIPWIRE 21, a must-own celebration of 21 years of the magazine. To mark this, Foyles and TRIPWIRE present a panel that includes Michael Moorcock (Mother London), Peter Milligan (Hellblazer), Mike Carey (The Unwritten, X-Men), Roger Langridge (The Muppets, Fred The Clown) and Christopher Fowler, creator of the popular Bryant & May book series in discussion with TRIPWIRE editor-in-chief Joel Meadows.

Venue: the Gallery at Foyles

Thursday 16th May 2013 6:30pm – 8:30pm Charing Cross Road Literary Event, Chargeable Event
More info / tickets: www.foyles.co.uk/Tripwire

Image Duplicator at Orbital Comics

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely? This show brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans.

Take Back the Art!

16th May – 31st May 2013, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

More info: www.orbitalcomics.com

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Richard Reynolds and Rian Hughes on stage at Comiket, Central Saint Martins, Lichtenstein strip by Mort Walker

Fine art / comics: Starting a month of shows looking at the connections between ‘fine art’ and comic books, Panel Borders is proud to broadcast a pair of presentations by Richard Reynolds FRSA and graphic designer Rian Hughes given at 2013 Spring Comiket, Central Saint Martins School of Art. Reynolds looks at the influences that various works of fine art have had on comic books over the last hundred years while Hughes explores the many comic book panels that Roy Lichtenstein used in creating his works of art, currently on show at Tate Modern. (Originally broadcast 06/05/13 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org

Links: Richard Reynolds’ page on linkedin
Rian Hughes’ website
Info about the Image Duplicator show at Orbital Comics
David Barsalou’s Deconstructing Lichtenstein website
Sotherby’s pages on Glenn Brown
Mort Walker strip about Roy Lichtenstein

Recommended events:

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Richard Reynolds and Rian Hughes discuss fine art and comics at Comica Comiket, Spring 2013

Starting a month of shows looking at the connections between ‘fine art’ and comic books, Panel Borders is proud to broadcast a pair of presentations by Richard Reynolds FRSA and graphic designer Rian Hughes given at 2013 Spring Comiket, Central Saint Martins School of Art. Reynolds looks at the influences that various works of fine art have had on comic books over the last hundred years while Hughes explores the many comic book panels that Roy Lichtenstein used in creating his works of art, currently on show at Tate Modern.

8.30am, Monday 6th May 2013 / repeated 3pm, Thursday 9th May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Links: Richard Reynolds’ page on linkedin
Rian Hughes’ website
Info about the Image Duplicator show at Orbital Comics

Recommended events:

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Posters for Birdemic II and Best Friends Forever

Apocalypse Miao: In a pair of Q and As recorded at the London Science-Fiction Film Festival (SCI-FI-LONDON), Alex Fitch talks to the creators of two new low budget portrayals of the apocalypse on screen. Stars Alan Bagh and Thomas Favaloro, writer / director James Nguyen and producer Jeff Gross discuss the B movie spoof Birdemic II: The Resurrection and co-writer / star Vera Miao talks about her excellent mid-apocalyptic road movie Best Friends Forever. (Originally broadcast 3rd May 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

This year’s SCI-FI-LONDON festival takes place at various venues around London from 30th April – more info at www.sci-fi-london.com

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

Websites: www.bestfriendsforeverfilm.com / www.birdemic.com

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Posters for Birdemic II and Best Friends Forever

In a pair of Q and As recorded at the London Science-Fiction Film Festival (SCI-FI-LONDON), Alex Fitch talks to the creators of two new low budget portrayals of the apocalypse on screen. Stars Alan Bagh and Thomas Favaloro, writer / director James Nguyen and producer Jeff Gross discuss the B movie spoof Birdemic II: The Resurrection and co-writer / star Vera Miao talks about her excellent mid-apocalyptic road movie Best Friends Forever.

5pm, Friday 3rd May, repeated 8am Tuesday 7th May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast at panelborders.wordpress.com/category/reality-check after broadcast

Links: to follow

Recommended events:

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Covers of The Card by Graham Rawle, Brenda and Effie Forever / Vince Cosmos by Paul Magrs and Comic Book Babylon by Tim Pilcher

Celebrating Ephemera: Starting a new series of the bimonthly show on books, Alex Fitch talks to three authors whose work celebrates ephemera and pop culture detritus. ‘Graphic Novelist’ Graham Rawle discusses his latest novel The Card, which follows the journey of a man who believes he is being employed by the secret service to protect Princess Diana, via playing cards, bubble-gum cards and cigarette cards that are left in his path. Rawle is an author and University of Brighton lecturer who uses graphic design and typography in his work, including collage of text from magazines (Woman’s World) and photographic montages (Lost Consonants et al.). Also, Tim Pilcher talks about his crowd-funded memoir Comic Book Babylon which documents his time working at DC Comics’ London office in the 90s, meeting pop culture celebrities such as Grant Morrison, Jonathan Ross, The Spice Girls and Adam Ant; while Paul Magrs chats about his novels and audio plays set around the fringes of Doctor Who, including his latest release Vince Cosmos, Glam Rock Detective where a Ziggy Stardust style pop star turns out to be engaged in an on-going war with aliens on Earth. Magrs also discusses his popular ‘Brenda and Effie’ series of books about the Bride of Frankenstein and a white witch running a B+B in Whitby. (Originally broadcast 01/05/13 on Resonance FM)

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other formats you can download / stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org

Links: Paul Magrs’ blog
Graham Rawle’s website
Comic Book Bablyon Kickstarter campaign

Recommended events:

Help fund COMIC BOOK BABYLON: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs and Comics on Kickstarter

Tim (Erotic Comics) Pilcher’s memoir about the years he spent working at DC Comics’ Vertigo office in the mid-Ninties. The book has reached its target of raising £3,850, but the printer has increased costs since the kickster campaign began – the new “Stretch Target” is now £5,500.

“…For a few glorious years only, before cost-cutting set in, there was Vertigo’s ‘British Office’ – the comics equivalent of the Loaded HQ in the ‘90s. Vodka, mushrooms, Es, sex, money, travel and the pure unleashed creativity of young people having a good time together.”—Grant Morrison, author of Supergods, All Star Superman, Batman Inc. and The Invisibles.

There are three versions of Comic Book Babylon available: eBook (with additional images), paperback, and 200 limited edition hardbacks, with covers created by design genius and comic book artist Rian Hughes. “Rian’s out done himself,” said an impressed Pilcher, “The punky/acid house colours perfectly reflect the rave mood of the times in the book.” Hughes has also designed a limited edition print and three “Sex, Drugs and Comic Books” badges as incentives.

Comic Book Babylon: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics ENDS on Kickstarter on Thursday 3 May, 2013. See it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2016810024/comic-book-babylon-a-cautionary-tale-of-sex-drugs

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Free Comic Book day at Gosh! Comics

As well as all the comics that will be available for free on Free Comics Day, come down to Gosh! Comics on Saturday 4th May between noon and 4pm to hang out with artists Mark Buckingham (Fables), Laurence Campbell(The Punisher), Isabel Greenberg (Observer short story winner), Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (Tank Girl), David O’Connell (Tozo – the Public Servant), Gary Northfield (The Beano), Adrian Salmon (Doctor Who), Vivian Schwarz (There are cats in this book) and Dan White (Cindy and Biscuit) who will be sketching and drawing for kids.

From noon, Saturday 4th May 2013, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR
More info at www.goshlondon.com

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Covers of The Card by Graham Rawle, Brenda and Effie Forever / Vince Cosmos by Paul Magrs and Comic Book Babylon by Tim Pilcher

Starting a new series of the bimonthly show on books, Alex Fitch talks to three authors whose work celebrates ephemera and pop culture detritus. ‘Graphic Novelist’ Graham Rawle discusses his latest novel The Card, which follows the journey of a man who believes he is being employed by the secret service to protect Princess Diana, via playing cards, bubble-gum cards and cigarette cards that are left in his path. Rawle is an author and University of Brighton lecturer who uses graphic design and typography in his work, including collage of text from magazines (Woman’s World) and photographic montages (Lost Consonants et al.). Also, Tim Pilcher talks about his crowd-funded memoir Comic Book Babylon which documents his time working at DC Comics’ London office in the 90s, meeting pop culture celebrities such as Grant Morrison, Jonathan Ross, The Spice Girls and Adam Ant; while Paul Magrs chats about his novels and audio plays set around the fringes of Doctor Who, including his latest release Vince Cosmos, Glam Rock Detective where a Ziggy Stardust style pop star turns out to be engaged in an on-going war with aliens on Earth. Magrs also discusses his popular ‘Brenda and Effie’ series of books about the Bride of Frankenstein and a white witch running a B+B in Whitby.

8pm, Wednesday 1st May 2013, repeated 9am, Thursday 2nd May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast at https://panelborders.wordpress.com/category/book-list

Links: Paul Magrs’ blog
Graham Rawle’s website
Comic Book Bablyon Kickstarter campaign

Recommended events:

Help fund COMIC BOOK BABYLON: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs and Comics on Kickstarter

Tim (Erotic Comics) Pilcher’s memoir about the years I spent working at DC Comics’ Vertigo office in the mid-Ninties. The book has reached its target of raising £3,850, but the printer has increased costs since the kickster campaign began – the new “Stretch Target” is now £5,500.

“…For a few glorious years only, before cost-cutting set in, there was Vertigo’s ‘British Office’ – the comics equivalent of the Loaded HQ in the ‘90s. Vodka, mushrooms, Es, sex, money, travel and the pure unleashed creativity of young people having a good time together.”—Grant Morrison, author of Supergods, All Star Superman, Batman Inc. and The Invisibles.

There are three versions of Comic Book Babylon available: eBook (with additional images), paperback, and 200 limited edition hardbacks, with covers created by design genius and comic book artist Rian Hughes. “Rian’s out done himself,” said an impressed Pilcher, “The punky/acid house colours perfectly reflect the rave mood of the times in the book.” Hughes has also designed a limited edition print and three “Sex, Drugs and Comic Books” badges as incentives.

Comic Book Babylon: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics ENDS on Kickstarter on Thursday 3 May, 2013. See it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2016810024/comic-book-babylon-a-cautionary-tale-of-sex-drugs

Gosh Comics Signing

April 27th:

Ian Gibson signing copies of the new edition of HALO JONES.
http://www.goshlondon.com/2013/03/ian-gibson-signing-halo-jones

All of these are listed on the events page.
http://www.goshlondon.com/events

Gosh! comics, 1 Berwick Street, London

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Free Comic Book day at Gosh! Comics

As well as all the comics that will be available for free on Free Comics Day, come down to Gosh! Comics on Saturday 4th May between noon and 4pm to hang out with artists Mark Buckingham (Fables), Laurence Campbell(The Punisher), Isabel Greenberg (Observer short story winner), Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (Tank Girl), David O’Connell (Tozo – the Public Servant), Gary Northfield (The Beano), Adrian Salmon (Doctor Who), Vivian Schwarz (There are cats in this book) and Dan White (Cindy and Biscuit) who will be sketching and drawing for kids.

From noon, Saturday 4th May 2013, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR
More info at www.goshlondon.com

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Your days are numbered cover by David Ziggy Green / excerpt from Shallowater by Jenny Linn-Cole

Shallowater, Your Days Are Numbered: Concluding a month of shows looking at small press and independent comics, we have a pair of interviews recorded in venues where such titles are stocked. Alex Fitch talks to Jenny-Linn Cole (in the gallery of Orbital Comics), about her graphic novel Shallowater, an tale of music, masculinity, and existentialism serialised in a series of small press comics. Also, in an interview recorded at the DIY Cultures festival, Dickon Harris talks to Jon Turner about the independent comics magazine Your days are numbered which mixes reviews and articles about sequential art with cutting edge graphic design. (Originally broadcast 29/04/13 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

For more info and a variety of different formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at www.archive.org

Links: Your days are numbered website
Jenny Linn-Cole’s website / blog

Recommended events:

Help fund COMIC BOOK BABYLON: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs and Comics on Kickstarter

Tim (Erotic Comics) Pilcher’s memoir about the years he spent working at DC Comics’ Vertigo office in the mid-Ninties. The book has reached its target of raising £3,850, but the printer has increased costs since the kickster campaign began – the new “Stretch Target” is now £5,500.

“…For a few glorious years only, before cost-cutting set in, there was Vertigo’s ‘British Office’ – the comics equivalent of the Loaded HQ in the ‘90s. Vodka, mushrooms, Es, sex, money, travel and the pure unleashed creativity of young people having a good time together.”—Grant Morrison, author of Supergods, All Star Superman, Batman Inc. and The Invisibles.

There are three versions of Comic Book Babylon available: eBook (with additional images), paperback, and 200 limited edition hardbacks, with covers created by design genius and comic book artist Rian Hughes. “Rian’s out done himself,” said an impressed Pilcher, “The punky/acid house colours perfectly reflect the rave mood of the times in the book.” Hughes has also designed a limited edition print and three “Sex, Drugs and Comic Books” badges as incentives.

Comic Book Babylon: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics ENDS on Kickstarter on Thursday 3 May, 2013. See it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2016810024/comic-book-babylon-a-cautionary-tale-of-sex-drugs

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Your days are numbered cover by David Ziggy Green / excerpt from Shallowater by Jenny Linn-Cole

Concluding a month of shows looking at small press and independent comics, we have a pair of interviews recorded in venues where such titles are stocked. Alex Fitch talks to Jenny-Linn Cole (in the gallery of Orbital Comics), about her graphic novel Shallowater, an tale of music, masculinity, and existentialism serialised in a series of small press comics. Also, in an interview recorded at the DIY Cultures festival, Dickon Harris talks to Jon Turner about the independent comics magazine Your days are numbered which mixes reviews and articles about sequential art with cutting edge graphic design.

8.30am, Monday 29th April 2013 / repeated 3pm, Thursday 2nd May, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Links: Your days are numbered website
Jenny Linn-Cole’s website / blog

Recommended events:

Help fund COMIC BOOK BABYLON: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs and Comics on Kickstarter

Tim (Erotic Comics) Pilcher’s memoir about the years he spent working at DC Comics’ Vertigo office in the mid-Ninties. The book has reached its target of raising £3,850, but the printer has increased costs since the kickster campaign began – the new “Stretch Target” is now £5,500.

“…For a few glorious years only, before cost-cutting set in, there was Vertigo’s ‘British Office’ – the comics equivalent of the Loaded HQ in the ‘90s. Vodka, mushrooms, Es, sex, money, travel and the pure unleashed creativity of young people having a good time together.”—Grant Morrison, author of Supergods, All Star Superman, Batman Inc. and The Invisibles.

There are three versions of Comic Book Babylon available: eBook (with additional images), paperback, and 200 limited edition hardbacks, with covers created by design genius and comic book artist Rian Hughes. “Rian’s out done himself,” said an impressed Pilcher, “The punky/acid house colours perfectly reflect the rave mood of the times in the book.” Hughes has also designed a limited edition print and three “Sex, Drugs and Comic Books” badges as incentives.

Comic Book Babylon: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics ENDS on Kickstarter on Thursday 3 May, 2013. See it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2016810024/comic-book-babylon-a-cautionary-tale-of-sex-drugs

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Stills from Arthur Sleep and True Love

the True Love of Arthur Sleep: Alex Fitch talks to graphic designer turned film-maker Sam Harris about his short silent film Arthur Sleep, a half hour Stygian odyssey that mixes elements of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Eraserhead, as a trip on the London Underground takes a traveller into more mysterious destinations than he envisioned. Also, in a Q and A recorded at last year’s SCI-FI-LONDON, Alex talks to the writers and producer of True Love, an SF thriller that tests a couple’s devotion to each other as a set of innocuous questions in a surrealist prison turn to torture. (Originally broadcast 26th April 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Arthur Sleep is premiering at Deptford Old Town Hall, New Cross, London SE14 6AF on 28 April at 4pm with a live score performed by members of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and London art-rock bands – more info at
www.freefilmfestivals.org / True Love is released in Japanese cinemas on 27th April and this year’s SCI-FI-LONDON festival takes place at various venues around London from 30th April – more info at www.sci-fi-london.com

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: Arthur Sleep website
Join the Arthur Sleep facebook group
True Love writers Fabio and Fabio facebook page / website
Info about the SCI-FI-LONDON screening

Recommended events:

Help fund COMIC BOOK BABYLON: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics on Kickstarter

Tim (Erotic Comics) Pilcher’s memoir about the years I spent working at DC Comics’ Vertigo office in the mid-Ninties. The book has reached its target of raising £3,850, but the printer has increased costs since the kickster campaign began – the new “Stretch Target” is now £5,500.

“…For a few glorious years only, before cost-cutting set in, there was Vertigo’s ‘British Office’ – the comics equivalent of the Loaded HQ in the ‘90s. Vodka, mushrooms, Es, sex, money, travel and the pure unleashed creativity of young people having a good time together.”—Grant Morrison, author of Supergods, All Star Superman, Batman Inc. and The Invisibles.

There are three versions of Comic Book Babylon available: eBook (with additional images), paperback, and 200 limited edition hardbacks, with covers created by design genius and comic book artist Rian Hughes. “Rian’s out done himself,” said an impressed Pilcher, “The punky/acid house colours perfectly reflect the rave mood of the times in the book.” Hughes has also designed a limited edition print and three “Sex, Drugs and Comic Books” badges as incentives.

Comic Book Babylon: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics ENDS on Kickstarter on Thursday 3 May, 2013. See it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2016810024/comic-book-babylon-a-cautionary-tale-of-sex-drugs

Gosh Comics Signing

April 27th:

Ian Gibson signing copies of the new edition of HALO JONES.
http://www.goshlondon.com/2013/03/ian-gibson-signing-halo-jones

All of these are listed on the events page.
http://www.goshlondon.com/events

Gosh! comics, 1 Berwick Street, London

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

Stills from Arthur Sleep and True Love

Alex Fitch talks to graphic designer turned film-maker Sam Harris about his short silent film Arthur Sleep, a half hour Stygian odyssey that mixes elements of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari and Eraserhead, as a trip on the London Underground takes a traveller into more mysterious destinations than he envisioned. Also, in a Q and A recorded at last year’s SCI-FI-LONDON, Alex talks to the writers and producer of True Love, an SF thriller that tests a couple’s devotion to each other as a set of innocuous questions in a surrealist prison turn to torture.

Arthur Sleep is premiering at Deptford Old Town Hall, New Cross, London SE14 6AF on 28 April at 4pm with a live score performed by members of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and London art-rock bands – more info at
www.freefilmfestivals.org

True Love is released in Japanese cinemas on 27th April and this year’s SCI-FI-LONDON festival takes place at various venues around London from 30th April – more info at www.sci-fi-london.com

5pm, Friday 26th April, repeated 8am Tuesday 30th April, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast at panelborders.wordpress.com/category/reality-check after broadcast

Links: Arthur Sleep website
Join the Arthur Sleep facebook group
True Love writers Fabio and Fabio facebook page / website
Info about the SCI-FI-LONDON screening

Recommended events:

Help fund COMIC BOOK BABYLON: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics on Kickstarter

Tim (Erotic Comics) Pilcher’s memoir about the years I spent working at DC Comics’ Vertigo office in the mid-Ninties. The book has reached its target of raising £3,850, but the printer has increased costs since the kickster campaign began – the new “Stretch Target” is now £5,500.

“…For a few glorious years only, before cost-cutting set in, there was Vertigo’s ‘British Office’ – the comics equivalent of the Loaded HQ in the ‘90s. Vodka, mushrooms, Es, sex, money, travel and the pure unleashed creativity of young people having a good time together.”—Grant Morrison, author of Supergods, All Star Superman, Batman Inc. and The Invisibles.

There are three versions of Comic Book Babylon available: eBook (with additional images), paperback, and 200 limited edition hardbacks, with covers created by design genius and comic book artist Rian Hughes. “Rian’s out done himself,” said an impressed Pilcher, “The punky/acid house colours perfectly reflect the rave mood of the times in the book.” Hughes has also designed a limited edition print and three “Sex, Drugs and Comic Books” badges as incentives.

Comic Book Babylon: A Cautionary Tale of Sex, Drugs & Comics ENDS on Kickstarter on Thursday 3 May, 2013. See it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2016810024/comic-book-babylon-a-cautionary-tale-of-sex-drugs

Gosh Comics Signing

April 27th:

Ian Gibson signing copies of the new edition of HALO JONES.
http://www.goshlondon.com/2013/03/ian-gibson-signing-halo-jones

All of these are listed on the events page.
http://www.goshlondon.com/events

Gosh! comics, 1 Berwick Street, London

50 years of Doctor Who spin-offs, at SCI-FI-LONDON

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, SCI-FI-LONDON is proud to host an event looking at some of the under appreciated aspects of the franchise.

12.30pm: Novelists Paul Cornell (Scream of the Shalka), J.T. Colgan (Dark Horizons), Terrance Dicks (Players, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot) and Tommy Donbavand (Shroud of Sorrow) talk about continuing the Doctor’s trips in prose fiction and why they wanted to tell tales of the thousand-year-old time traveller…

1.15pm: Comic book writers Andrew Cartmel and Scott Gray, and artists Mark Buckingham and Adrian Salmon, discuss their serialised strip adventures of the TARDIS, printed in Doctor Who Magazine, the American Doctor Who comic and fanzines.

The need for Doctor Who spin-offs became increasingly important since the end of the original series in 1989, with both novels and comics filling the gap when the show was off air, with many writers of the modern TV show being strip and book alumni. Print stories have also been used as the inspiration for TV episodes in the 21st century, such as the memorable David Tennant dramatisations of Cornell’s novel Human Nature and Doctor Who Magazine comic, The Lodger.

2pm: Followed by a screening of the 1965 film DR WHO AND THE DALEKS, starring Peter Cushing in the lead role.

More info / book tickets at: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/festival/2013

Exhibitions at Orbital Comics

Andrew Hickinbottom

is a digital 3D illustrator who specialises in stylised pinups. His work has been showcased on the internet over 60 times, and has been featured in many international books and magazines, appearing on 4 covers. Some of his clients include EA, Tassimo, Seat, Intel and The international Olympic Committee.

This exhibition of his personal works features a wide range of his appealing female character illustrations, with signed prints, an artbook and even a VERY limited edition figurine for sale.

17th April – 10th May

Reappropriating Lichtenstein

Artists Jason Atomic and Rian Hughes are curating an exhibtion at Orbital Comics, on the subject of Reappropriating Lichtenstein to coincide with the final weeks of the exhibtion at Tate Modern in May. Any practising comic book artists who would like to trace back one of Lichtenstein’s images to its original source, crediting the original artist in the process, and produce a new version themselves are invited to submit proposal for exhibition by April 6th.
More info here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/03/19/a-call-for-comic-artists-to-respond-to-roy-lichtenstein

Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud