Today’s show: eXpat Heroes by Chris Claremont

September 2, 2010 — The British Invasion

Today on Resonance FM…

Panel Borders: eXpat Heroes by Chris Claremont

New Mutants and Captain Britain by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis

Starting a new series of the UK’s only weekly radio show about comics, now under a new (old) name, Panel Borders has a month of shows looking at the ‘British Invasion’ of UK creators who have worked on American and American-style superhero titles.

In this week’s show, Alex Fitch talks to Chris Claremont, a veteran comics writer born in London who became one of the most prolific and popular American comic book writers of the 20th century, most famous for a 16 year sojourn writing the Uncanny X-Men from 1975 – 1991, with his last few issues selling in the region of eight million copies each.

In the interview, recorded at this year’s Bristol International Comics Expo, we’re focussing on a superhero Chris created for the UK market – Captain Britain – in 1976, the character’s relocation to America via the monthly comic Excalibur in 1988 and his more experimental X-Men spin off – New Mutants – which Chris created in 1982 and returned to writing last month.

Also, in a pair of 60 second (!) interviews recorded at the premiere of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World in London, Alex talks to British director Edgar Wright, creator Bryan O’Malley and star Michael Cera about bringing a different kind of superhero to the screen.

5pm 02/09/10, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Wikipedia pages on Chris Claremont and Captain Britain
Article on New Mutants Forever at newsarama.com

Listen to Alex’s interviews with Alan Davis and Paul Cornell about drawing and writing Captain Britain respectively

Recommended events:

Mark Millar and Jonathan Ross signing

Mark Millar and Jonathan Ross are signing copies of the first issue of the new British comic CLiNT, today at W.H.Smiths in Victoria Station, a monthly periodical which features superhero strips Nemesis and Kick Ass II by Millar plus aliens and Vampire gangsters in Turf by Ross.

4.30pm, W.H.Smiths, Victoria Station, London SW1V 1JT

David Hine signing at Forbidden Planet

DAVID HINE will be signing FVZA: THE FEDERAL VAMPIRE AND ZOMBIE AGENCY at Forbidden Planet Megastore, Shaftesbury Avenue in London today, with additional copies of the sold out Bulletproof Coffin available to buy as well…

6pm, Forbidden Planet Megastore, Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JR

Pat Mills’ Electric Picnic

Graphic Content: The Big Comics Chat… A chaotic and fun-stuffed rocket ride through the inner and outer reaches of the comics and cartooning universes. Our intrepid and esteemed panel – Pat Mills (2000 AD), Steve Bell (Guardian), Emma Vieceli (Manga Shakespeare), Phil Barrett (Matter) and Mel Gibson (Northumbria University) – will cheerily dissect and debate the “sequential art” scene as it and was: offering thoughts, opinions and recollections on a wide range of topics, including: Classic British comics, Manga, Bande dessinée, Girls’ comics, John Major’s underpants, the Irish small presses, and much, much more. Masked and caped crusaders may also get an occasional mention…

Friday 3rd September, 5.30pm, Stradbally Hall Estate, Stradbally, Co. Laois, Eire