Podcasts, radio shows, writing and more by Alex Fitch
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Panel Borders: Challenging Lives
May 31, 2023
Extracts from The English G.I. by Jonathan Sandler and Brian Bicknell / Can’t Not Won’t by Eliza Fricker
Challenging Lives: In this ‘feature length’ podcast looking at comics that detail some extraordinarily challenging lives in biography and autobiography, a pair of graphic novelists discuss with Alex FItch their work on this topic. Cartoonist and designer Eliza Fricker dicusses her book Can’t Not Won’t: A Story about a child who couldn’t go to school, which illustrates her experiences of raising a child who suffers from Pathological Demand Avoidance, and writer Jonathan Sandler talks about turning his father’s wartime memories into the graphic novel The English G.I.: A World War II Graphic Memoir. Both interviews recorded in front of a live audience at Cartoon County.
Shorter edit broadcast 5th April 2023 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org
Links: Eliza Fricker’s website – Missing the Mark
Books illustrated by Eliza Fricker on the Jessica Kingsly Publishing website
Jonathan Sandler’s Graphic Memoir website
Review of The English G.I. in The Jewish Chronicle
Panel Borders: Junkyard Jack, Monster Fun and Street Noise Books
April 12, 2023
Art from Monster Fun: Hire a Horror by Matt Baxter, covers of books published by Street Noise, art from Junkyard Jack and the Horse that Talked by Danny Noble
Junkyard Jack, Monster Fun and Street Noise Books: In this ‘feature length’ podcast looking at comics for young audiences, and a young publisher looking to widen audiences, Alex Fitch talks to editor Liz Frances about her imprint Street Noise Books, who publish a range of graphic novels about diversity and activism, and to artists Matt Baxter and Danny Noble about illustrating Hire a Horror and Junkyard Jack and the Horse that Talked respectively in a panel discussion recorded at Graphic Brighton.
Shorter edit broadcast 1st March 2023 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org (more…)
Panel Borders: Youth and Wellbeing featuring Alison Bechdel
March 19, 2023
— 3 Comments
Alison Bechdel and Hannah Berry on stage at LICAF / art from G Bear and Jammo, and Don’t Call Me a Tomboy
Youth and Wellbeing: In this ‘feature length’ podcast looking at comics about youth and wellbeing, a quartet of artists discuss their work which touches on these topics. Former Comics Laureate Hannah Berry chats to renowned cartoonist Alison Bechel about her latest book The Secret to Superhuman Strength, as well as her classics Dykes to Watch Out For and Fun Home in a Q and A recorded at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. Also, Alex Fitch talks to artists Jaime Huxtable and Zara Slattery about their titles for younger readers including G Bear and Jammo, and Don’t Call Me a Tomboy respectively, in a panel discussion recorded at Graphic Brighton.
Shorter edit broadcast 1st February 2023 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org (more…)
Clear Spot: Guantanamo Voices
February 17, 2023
— 1 Comment
Covers of Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi / Guantanamo Voices edited by Sarah Mirk / Photos of Andy Worthington, Alex Fitch and Sarah Mirk / Close Guantanamo website
Guantanamo Voices: To discuss the 21st anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay, and the lives of the people still incarcerated there, Alex Fitch talks to writer Sarah Mirk about her graphic novel anthology Guantanamo Voices, which tells the tale of ten people associated with the prison, and to journalist Andy Worthington about his continuing campaign to Close Guantanamo. Also, Worthington talks with Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a former prisoner of the site about his experiences, in a Q and A introduced by lecturer Sara Birch, recorded at the University of Brighton in 2022.
Partially broadcast 23rd January 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more audio formats to download and stream, please visit archive.org
Links: Sarah Mirk’s website including info on Guantanamo Voices
Alex’s previous interview with Sarah about her political comics anthology The Nib
Andy Worthington’s website and Close Guantanmo campaign
Andy’s band The Four Fathers on bandcamp
Buy Mohamedou’s book The Mauritanian, previous published as Guantanamo Diary from bookshop.org
Info about Sara Birch’s conference ‘Guantanamo: 20 Years After’, at the University of Brighton
Panel Borders: Local And Locas Stories – Jaime Hernandez and Susan Sainsbury
December 18, 2022
Pages from Love and Rockets: Maggie the Mechanic, and Flies on the Ceiling by Jaime Hernandez / Hernandez chats to Alex Fitch at LICAF / pages from Cheery Cak, Big Knickers and work in progress by Susan Sainsbury
Local And Locas Stories: In this ‘feature length’ podcast, Alex Fitch talks to a pair of comics creators whose work is based around representation of marginalised people and cultures in specific times and places. Graphic novelist Susan Sainsbury discusses her Worthing based titles Kitty and Cheery Cak, about female lives lived on the South Coast of England, recorded at Cartoon County; and acclaimed cartoonist Jaime Hernandez celebrates the 40th anniversary of the award winning comic Love and Rockets, featuring L.A. punks, down-at-heel superheroes, and LGBTQ+ musicians in a Q and A recorded at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival.
Partially broadcast 7th December 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org
Links: Susan Sainsbury’s website and instagram site
Buy eBooks of Susan’s graphic novels
Info about Jaime Hernandez at publisher Fantagraphics website
Review of Flies on the Ceiling at ‘How to love Comics’ website
Articles on gay superheroes and comic book diversity by Alex Fitch in The Conversation
Panel Borders: Comics / Civil Wars
November 7, 2022
Cover and interior art from No Country by Patrice Aggs and Joe Brady / Interior art and cover of Vanni: A Family Struggle through the Sri Lankan Conflict by Benjamin Dix and Lindsay Pollock
Comics / Civil Wars: In this ‘feature length’ podcast, Alex Fitch talks to the artists of comics about civil war and conflict, in a pair of interviews recorded at Cartoon County. Lindsay Pollock discusses drawing the graphic novel Vanni which looks at the displacement of families during the Sri Lankan civil war, and his work with Postive/Negatives, a website that hosts strips about conflict and unrest around the world. Patrice Aggs chats about her art for the ongoing strip No Country, serialised in the weekly children’s comic The Phoenix, and collected in book length editions, which imagines a more dystopian United Kingdom where the country has been divided geographically between warring ideological sides.
Partially broadcast 2nd November 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org
Links: Lindsay Pollock’s website
Info about Vanni on Positive/Negatives website and New Internationalist shop
Patrice Aggs’ twitter
Publishers’ websites on No Country and It’s Her Story: Shirley Chisholm
Clear Spot: The Vectrex at 40
November 1, 2022
Cover of Vec-Man / photos of Prof. Peer Johannsen and Steve Hopkins / mock-up of Vectrex with Vyrzon on screen / cover of Vecrex Multi-Cart / photo of Sean Kelly
The Vectrex at 40: Alex Fitch presents a show celebrating the 40th anniversary of the much loved, but obscure video game console the Vectrex: programmer Steve Hopkins talks about his forthcoming shoot-em-up Vyrzon published by Minsoft Games and influenced by classic shooters such as Space Invaders, publisher Sean Kelly discusses reviving long lost games for the platform such as Dark Tower and A Crush of Lucifer, and lecturer Prof. Peer Johannsen chats about training a new generation of coders at Pforzheim University, and making his own new games such as Vec-Man and Rotor.
Partially broadcast 28th October 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more audio formats to download and stream, please visit archive.org
Links: Vyrzon publisher Minsoft games’ twitter account
Sean Kelley’s Vectrex website
Info about the 2022 Vectrex Academy taught by Prof. Peer Johannsen at Pforzheim University
Buy Peer’s Vectrex titles Vecman, Rotor and Gyrostronomy / Gystrology from Packrat Games
Info about Vector War XII / International Play your Vectrex Day
Previous Clear Spots about the Vectrex
Clear Spot – Doctor Who: 13, 26, 40 (ish)
October 28, 2022
Jon Culshaw, Janet Fielding, Peter Davison and Mark Strickson between recordings at Big Finish studios / cover of Doctor Who: Forty / Still from Doctor Who Am I featuring Matthew Jacobs / Covers of The Black Archive #25 and Faction Paradox: The Boulevard published by Obverse Books
Doctor Who – 13, 26, 40 (ish): In the gap between the end of one incarnation of Doctor Who and the start of another, spin-off material related to the show keeps fans entertained in its absence… Alex Fitch talks to actress Janet Fielding about reviving her character Tegan in audio dramas, the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie writer Matthew Jacobs and documentary maker Vanessa Yuille discuss their film Doctor Who Am I about encounters with fandom, and Stuart Douglas chats about publishing imprint Obverse Books which explores offbeat corners of the Whoniverse including titles featuring Iris Wildthyme and Faction Paradox.
Partially broadcast 27th October 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more audio formats to download and stream, please visit archive.org
Links: Big Finish audio plays featuring Janet Fielding including Doctor Who: Forty vol. 1 and 2
Info about Janet’s charity Project Motorhouse
Doctor Who Am I facebook page
Info about The Light cinemas, where the film is showing on November 7th
Obverse Books website
Previous programmes on Doctor Who
Panel Borders: Curating and Creating Comics
October 18, 2022
Covers of Mary and Agnes, and Now Wash Your Hands by Cathy Brett, plus photo of her work space including elements of Mrs. Thorwald: The Victim’s Story / Photo of Henny Beaumont in the Invisible People exhibition at Worthing Museum, plus Lost Generation (Covid cartoon of the year 2021)
Curating and Creating Comics: As the start of a new season of Panel Borders, the UK’s only monthly broadcast radio show about comics, Alex Fitch talks to a pair of artists whose work includes autobiography, museum display, and responses to Covid and Lockdown. In a Q and A recorded at Cartoon County, Henny Beaumont chats about the exhibition Invisible People, which features art based on her graphic novel Hole in the Heart and political cartoons alongside work by neurodiverse artists, and how she sequed into satirical work for The Guardian. Cathy Brett discusses her comic Mary and Agnes, about her grandmother’s friendship with Mary Trump, as featured in the BBC Alba documentary The President’s Mother, her work in three-dimensional collages and reliefs, and her new role as a curator at Leatherhead Museum.
Invisible People is on display Wednesday to Sunday at Worthing Museum and Gallery until 30th Oct 2022.
Cathy Brett is shortlisted for Surrey Artist of the Year 2022, which is on display Tuesday to Saturday at New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham until 5th November 2022.
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org (more…)
Panel Borders: Greg Rucka – Desert Island Comics
September 7, 2022
Alex Fitch chats to Greg Rucka via zoom
Greg Rucka – Desert Island Comics: In the second of a pair of podcast only recordings, Alex Fitch chats to comics writer Greg Rucka about the five titles he would want to have with him, if marooned on a desert island, including classics by Brian Bolland, Matt Wagner, Bill Sienkiewicz, Matt Fraction and Jen Van Meter.
Alex and Greg also talk about the comics which inspired the writer in his formative years, including Marvel Digest collections, and the importance of minority representation in his comics Batwoman and The Old Guard, in an interivew originally recorded to promote The Lakes International Comic Art Festival.
Also available as a video recording, uploaded 13th October 2021 on YouTube
For more formats to stream or download, please visit archive.org
Links: Greg Rucka’s website
Watch Alex interview Garth Ennis, Simon Spurrier and Rob Williams in a panel discussion on writing comics at LICAF
Other youtube videos on the Lakes International Comic Art Festival channel
Panel Borders: The Writing Game
August 3, 2022
Si Spurrier, Rob Williams, Garth Ennis and Alex Fitch at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival
The Writing Game: In the first of a pair of podcast only recordings, Alex Fitch talks to Simon Spurrier, Rob Williams, and Garth Ennis about their history of writing comics. The three writers discuss their techniques, the characters they’ve enjoyed working on including Judge Dredd and John Constantine, and their tips for collaboration in a panel discussion recorded at The Lakes International Comic Art Festival.
Originally available as a video recording, uploaded 17th October 2019 on YouTube
For more formats to stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at archive.org
Links: Simon Spurrier’s website
Rob William’s website
Alex’s previous interviews with Garth Ennis and Simon Spurrier
Panel Borders: New Anthologies
August 1, 2022
— 1 Comment
Cover of The 77 annual, Blazer no.2, Eat More Comics: The Best of The Nib, The Nib no. 6 plus photos of Ben Cullis, Steve MacManus, Alex Fitch, Sarah Mirk, Myfanwy Tristram, Daniel Locke
New Anthologies: In a pair of interviews recorded at Cartoon County online, Alex Fitch talks to a number of creators about their work on anthologies. Sarah Mirk discusses her work on political comics anthology The Nib with contributions from artists Myfanwy Tristram and Daniel Locke, talking about their strips created for the title. Ben Conan Cullis, a.k.a. Benksy, and veteran comics editor Steve MacManus talk about the various titles they’ve launched via kickstarter including The 77, Blazer and Pandora which are a love letter to classic British comics.
Originally broadcast 4th May 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at archive.org
Links: The Nib website
Sarah Mirk’s website
The 77 website and shop
Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Steve MacManus about launching the first issue of Blazer
Panel Borders: Unusual Buildings
July 10, 2022
Cover and interior art from You’re Thinking About Tomatoes, and Welcome Home / Photos (by Myf Tristram) of Michael Rosen and Cole Henley, Alex Fitch and Clarrie Pope
Unusual Buildings: In this month’s show, Alex Fitch talks to the creators of graphic novels set in unusual buildings… Former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen and artist Cole Henley discuss the comic book version of You’re Thinking About Tomatoes, in which a boy on a school trip to a country house gets embroiled in an adventure with a girl from a painting and a mummy come to life, in a Q and A recorded at Graphic Brighton; cartoonist Clarrie Pope explores the graphic novel Welcome Home about the lives of a community of squatters in a condemned tower block, co-written with her sister Blanche, in a Q and A recorded at Cartoon County.
Originally broadcast 6th July 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at archive.org
Links: Info about You’re Thinking About Tomatoes on publisher Unbound’s website
Michael Rosen’s website
Cole Henley’s website and instagram site
Info about Welcome Home on publisher Minor Compositions website
Clarrie Pope’s website (more…)
Panel Borders: Multimedia Comics
June 8, 2022
Hannah Berry and Lance Dann at Graphic Brighton / cover and interior art from The Rez / page from The Train by Chihoi / The Train on display in the window of the Southbank Centre
Multimedia Comics: This month, Alex Fitch talks to comic creators about multimedia engagement with their sequential art. Chinese cartoonist Chihoi chats about his comic The Train, which is currently on display in the riverside window of the the Royal Festival Hall, London, and at Graphic Brighton, audio producer Lance Dann and graphic novelist Hannah Berry discuss a comic and podcast called The Rez, which is a science-fiction title about kindness aimed at a young audience.
Originally broadcast 1st June 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at archive.org
Links: The Rez website, comic, and in app podcast
Order a print copy of The Rez from Soaring Penguin Press
The Rez page at Apple Podcasts / iTunes
Hannah Berry’s website and previous interviews
Info about The Train at the Southbank Centre
Chihoi’s website and gallery exhibitions
Info about Chihoi’s comic The Book Fight
Order Chihoi’s comics collection The Library from Lambiek
Panel Borders: Sporting Titles
May 7, 2022
Comics by Ellen Lindner and Josh Hicks / photos of Lindner, FItch and Hicks
Sporting Titles: In a pair of interviews recorded at Cartoon County, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonists whose recent work has been on sports themed comics. Ellen Lindner chats about her project ‘A History of Gender Rebellion in Baseball’ – which has generated the comic, Lost Diamonds and two issues of the zine The Cranklet’s Chronicle, so far and looks at how female presenting people, and people of colour have been marginalised by the sport, and Josh Hicks discusses Glorious Wrestling Alliance, which follows the escapades of ‘the universe’s least-professional wrestling company’, as well running Carp Publishing Endeavours, a micropress based out of Cardiff, plus his work on animating a pop video for the Foo Fighters.
Originally broadcast 6th April 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
For more formats to stream or download, please visit the home of this podcast at archive.org
Links: Ellen Lindner’s website
The Strumpet comic website
Josh Hicks’ website
Carp Publishing Endeavors website
Panel Borders: Music, Comics, and Performance
March 7, 2022
— 2 Comments
David Bramwell performs The Cult of Water at Brighton Festival 2018, Once Upon a Time by Danny Noble, Cover of Black Crown Quarterly featuring a fictionalised version of Will Potter (drawn by Philip Bond)
Music, Comics, and Performance: In a pair of interviews recorded at Graphic Brighton Alex Fitch talks to a trio of performers who mix music and comics in their creative output. Will Potter (Cud) and Danny Noble (The Meow Meows) discuss how being in bands has an influence in their writing and drawing comics, while David Bramwell talks about how music is an important part of his performance piece The Cult of Water which examines the work of Alan Moore.
Originally broadcast 3rd March 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
Links: Danny Noble’s website
Info about Black Crown Quarterly on Cud’s website
David Bramwell’s website
Listen to Alex’s interview with Philip Bond about drawing music related comics
More Graphic Brighton podcasts
Panel Borders: Historical Adventures
February 4, 2022
Historical Adventures: Alex Fitch talks to artists Warren Pleece and Edith (Grattery) about their work on historical graphic novels. In a Q &A recorded at Cartoon County, Brighton, Pleece discusses the joy of rendering adventures set in the past, and the importance of creating comics featuring people of colour who often get excised from history, when drawing the books Freedom Bound and Incognegro: Renaissance. Plus, in an interview recorded at Amiens comics festival, Edith explores her technique and references, including inspiration from Gustave Doré, when rendering Basil & Victoria and her adaptation of Tom’s Midnight Garden, dramas set in Victorian England and beyond.
Partially broadcast 2nd February 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
Links: For more info, and links to various download formats, please visit the home of this podcast at archive.org
Warren Pleece’s website
Edith’s profile on Lambiek
(more…)
Panel Borders: Drawn from Experience
January 12, 2022
Excerpts of comics by Steven Appleby, Sayra Begum, Matt Smith and Rachael Smith
Drawn from Experience: Alex Fitch talks to creators of autobiographical comics and graphic novels inspired by life, about depicting their own experiences on the page. In a panel discussion recorded at the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival, Steven Appleby, Sayra Begum, Rachael Smith and Matt Smith talk about their titles Drag Man, Mongrel, Quarantine Comix, and You’re Stuck with Me Now in front of a live audience.
Also, as part of the Academic Comics conference ‘L’Enfance de l’Art: Jeuness et Bandes dessinées’ (The Childhood of Art: Youth and Comics) hosted at Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Laurence Grove (University of Glasgow) discusses his personal experiences of observing depictions of disability in comics for children and adults.
Partially broadcast 5th January 2022 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
Links: For more audio formats to download and stream, please visit the home of this episode at archive.org
Steven Appleby’s website
Sayra Begum’s website
Rachael Smith’s website
Matt Smith’s website: Smith vs Smith
Laurence Grove’s profile on University of Glasgow website
Panel Borders: Drawn from Memory
December 31, 2021
Drawn from Memory: In this episode, Alex Fitch talks to Sabba Khan about her graphic novel The Roles We Play which mixes infographics, comics autobiography, and family history of forced migration from Mirpur in Pakistan, as well as her architectural practice, and previous comics such as Roti which show an interest in construction and repetition. Q and A recorded at Cartoon County.
Partially broadcast 1st December 2021 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
Links: For more audio formats to download and stream, please visit the home of this episode at archive.org
Sabbah Khan’s website
More info about The Roles We Play on Myriad Editions’ website
Buy The Roles We Play on Amazon UK
Listen to Sabba Khan’s presentation about her previous comics work at LDComics
Panel Borders: Drawn from History
December 23, 2021
Drawn from History: In this episode, Alex Fitch talks to former ‘Time Team’ motion graphics creator Neil Max Emmanuel, who explores the various drawing styles he’s adopted to illustrate The Middle Ages – A Graphic History which illuminates numerous moments from ‘The Dark Ages’ and how some of the period reflects the Britain of today. Alex and Neil also discuss the latter’s tenure making graphics for archeological digs on TV, and illustrating the children’s book Saxon Gold
Partially broadcast 1st December 2021 on Resonance 104.4 FM / DAB (London)
Links: For more audio formats to download and stream, please visit the home of this episode at archive.org
Neil Max Emmanuel’s website
More info about The Middle Ages – A Graphic History on Icon Books’ website
Buy The Middle Ages: A Graphic History from Amazon UK and Saxon Gold from History West Midlands’ website
Listen to Alex’s interview with Meg-John Barker about Icon Books’ Queer: A Graphic History and Gender: A Graphic Guide
Panel Borders and other podcasts 
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