Today’s show: Banal Pigs and Constabulary Sheep

October 29, 2009 — Anthologies and collectives

Today on Resonance FM:

Strip!: Banal Pigs and Constabulary Sheep

Cover of the Banal Pig Landscape anthology by Steve Tillotson and Gareth Brooks plus the inhabitants of The Fleece Station, inset, by Sarah McIntyre, Gary Northfield and Viviane Schwartz

Concluding* this month’s series of shows on “collectives and anthologies”, we’re looking at two very different animal themed collectives. In an interview recorded at this year’s Small Press Expo in Bristol, Dickon Harris talks to Steve Tillotson and Gareth Brookes about their self published comics, including The Manly Boys Annual, Can I borrow your toilet? and The Banal Pig Landscape anthology; while in an interview recorded in the Old Police Station, Deptford, Alex Fitch talks to Sarah McIntyre and Viviane Schwartz, who illustrate books for children such as Morris the Mankiest Monster and There are cats in this book respectively, and share a studio with Beano artist Gary Northfield that they affectionately call The Fleece Station…
(*an additional clear spot about the Alternative Press Fair will be broadcast in the second week of November)

5pm 29/10/09, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast online tonight…

Links: Steve Tillotson’s Banal Pig website
Gareth Brookes’ Appalling Nonsense website
Listen to Gareth read his poems Smell of the Wild and Jolly Bear as part of Gemma Cantlow’s Stand-up Comics
Listen to Dickon’s interview with Gareth Brookes and various other creators at last year’s Handmade and Bound festival

The Fleece Station blog
Sarah’s website and blog
Viviane’s website
The DFC website / “Save the DFC” blog
Super Comics Adventure Squad blog

Related events: BLACK POWERS exhibtion at Swiss Cottage Library Gallery

As part of Black History Month, Swiss Cottage Library Gallery presents an exhibition of comics by black creators and of African-American characters in comics. The collection coheres around black representations through the imagery and language of the comic book medium: representation as markers of both historical and contemporary struggles. The theme is developed through archival works from the 1930’s to the present-day and culminates with a display of the singular comic art of Patrice and John Aggs, Paul Peart-Smith, Woodrow Phoenix and Lance Tooks.

09 October – 06 November 2009
Swiss Cottage Library Gallery, 88 Avenue Rd, London, United Kingdom

and: London signings…

Eddie Campbell / Alex: The Years have pants Signing at Gosh! Comics, Great Russell Street – Saturday 7th November – early London availability of the behemoth that is Alec: The Years Have Pants – A Life-Sized Omnibus. Saturday 7th November 2 – 4pm

David Petersen /Mouse Guard: David Petersen be signing the gorgeous Mouse Guard Winter 1152 at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 7th November 1 – 2pm

plus: Autumn comics conventions and events…

5th to the 26th of November: Comica, the three week festival of comics in and around the Institute of Comtemporary Arts in London includes appearances by Eddie Campbell, David Lloyd, Brian Talbot, James Jean and Tara McPherson. – more info at www.comicafestival.com

19th to the 22nd of November: The Thought Bubble sequential art festival in Leeds which includes appearances by Paul Cornell, Gary Erskine, Garen Ewing, Andy Diggle, Frank Quietly and many more – more info at www.thoughtbubblefestival.com

November Small Press events:

Handmade and bound – The Affordable book arts and zine fair, Sunday 1st November at the St Aloysius Social Club, near Euston,

The Small Press Comiket, Sunday 8th November which is part of the fortnight long Comica festival at The ICA, on The Mall, in Central London

“Are you zine friendly?”, Thursday 12th November, an Alternative Press event at the Foundry in Hoxton, promoting a new small press web resource: the Zine Friendly blog! And that’s at 86 Great Eastern Street.

For more info about all these events please visit: comicsandzines.wordpress.com