Reality Check:

Torchwood novelists

Classified government information about Torchwood according to Children of Earth (c) BBC 2009

In a panel discussion recorded live at a meeting of the British Fantasy Society, late 1980s Doctor Who script editor Andrew Cartmel talks to a quartet of Torchwood novelists – Mark Morris, Sarah Pinborough, Guy Adams and Joe Lidster – about bringing the show to the printed page and expanding the adventures of Jack, Ianto and Gwen to the length of a hardback novel.
(Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch)

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: Official BBC Torchwood website
Wikipedia pages on Torchwood novels, Andrew Cartmel, Guy Adams’ novel ‘The House that Jack built’ , Joe Lidster, Mark Morris and Sarah Pinborough
The British Fantasy Society website
Alex Fitch’s interview with Joe Lidster about his writing career so far

In association with:

Related news:

Doctor Who: Blue Moon by Oli Smith

Small press comic book creator Oli Smith has had his first official Doctor Who prose story published by the BBC on their website, which tells the tale of the Tenth Doctor’s involvement with the moon landings.
Read the first instalment here, with more info on Oli’s website

also:

Pho and Muc: comics and photos at the Arts Bar, Camberwell

Julian Hanshaw, winner of the 2008 Observer graphic short story competition for his comic strip “Sand Dunes and Sonic Booms”, exhibits images from his forthcoming travelogue / Thai cookery graphic novel “The Art of Pho”, alongside photos by Rob Athill of Saigon’s late night food vendors…

20th-26th July 5.30pm – late
Arts Bar (above Funky Munky),
25 Camberwell Church Street,
London SE5 8TR

Meet the artists at a special squid party night on the 24th…!

and:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboard is pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

Tonight on Resonance FM:

I’m ready for my close-up: Fly me to the moon

Gerry Anderson on the set of Space: 1999

On the 40th anniversary of the moon landings, Alex Fitch talks to two television pioneers who were inspired by the events of July 16th 1969.

Alex talks to Gerry Anderson about how the space race and technological innovations of the 1960s inspired such shows as Supercar and Thunderbirds. Alex and Gerry also talk about the latter’s sojourn in the RAF as an aircraft conroller, responding the fashions in genre with Four Feathers Falls and Fireball XL5 and mixing animation styles in lesser known series such as Lavender Castle and The Secret Service.

Sir Patrick Moore and Apollo 11, photo by Paul Grover

Sir Patrick Moore covered the events of the Apollo 11 mission live on TV and discusses the events of that day with Alex as well as the highlights of his six decades presenting The Sky at Night.

(N.B. The interview with Sir Patrick is available to download now at Sci-Fi London)

Thursday 16/07/09 10.30pm Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Gerry Anderson’s fan club
Buy Fireball XL5 and Space:1999 from Network DVD

Sir Patrick Moore’s website
The Sky at Night page at www.bbc.co.uk
Buy The Sky at Night: Apollo 11 at play.com

Related news:

Doctor Who: Blue Moon by Oli Smith

Small press comic book creator and Electric Sheep Magazine contributor Oli Smith has had his first official Doctor Who prose story published by the BBC on their website, which tells the tale of the Tenth Doctor’s involvement with the moon landings.
Read the first instalment here, with more info on Oli’s website

also:

Pho and Muc: comics and photos at the Arts Bar, Camberwell

Julian Hanshaw, winner of the 2008 Observer graphic short story competition for his comic strip “Sand Dunes and Sonic Booms”, exhibits images from his forthcoming travelogue / Thai cookery graphic novel “The Art of Pho”, alongside photos by Rob Athill of Saigon’s late night food vendors…

20th-26th July 5.30pm – late
Arts Bar (above Funky Munky),
25 Camberwell Church Street,
London SE5 8TR

Meet the artists at a special squid party night on the 24th…!

and:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboard is pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

As one of the most respected and highly regarded names in this field Kevin O’Neill’s illustrative work has led him to rub shoulders with distinguished writers, directors and film stars. Most widely known for his collaborations with writer Pat Mills on Marshal Law (see over) and Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD Kevin has also worked with Alan Moore on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was recently turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

www.illustrationcupboard.com

Today on Resonance FM:

Strip!: Doctor Who comics now

Excerpt from The Ten Doctors by Rich Morris

Alex Fitch talks to the creators of a couple of recent innovative Doctor Who comics about bringing a new angle to the popular franchise. Leah Moore and John Reppion wrote the recent one off comic “The Whispering Gallery” which sees the Doctor and Martha exploring a terrifying museum on an alien planet. Also, Alex talks to Richard Morris, creator of the popular and unauthorised web comic, “The Ten Doctors” – an epic serialised graphic novel which celebrates almost every aspect you can think of from 46 years of the Timelord’s adventures.

5pm 16/07/09, repeated 11.30pm 19/07/09, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast online tonight…

Also:

I’m ready for my close-up: Fly me to the moon

Gerry Anderson on the set of Space:1999

On the 40th anniversary of the moon landings, Alex Fitch talks to two television pioneers who were inspired by the events of July 16th 1969. Sir Patrick Moore covered the events of the Apollo 11 mission live on TV and discusses the events of that day with Alex as well as the highlights of his six decades presenting The Sky at Night. Alex also talks to Gerry Anderson about how the space race and technological innovations of the 1960s inspired such shows as Fireball XL5 and Thunderbirds.

(N.B. The interview with Sir Patrick is available to download now at Sci-Fi London)

Thursday 16/07/09 10.30pm Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links: Rich Morris‘ webcomics – The Ten Doctors, Doctor Who: Forever Janette, House of Paulus, 24 fps and Yet another fantasy gamer comic

Leah Moore and John Reppion’s website including info on Doctor Who: The Whispering Gallery
Listen to Alex to John and Leah about Sherlock Holmes and Dracula comics
Listen to Alex talk to Gary Russell about Doctor Who comics

Gerry Anderson’s fan club
Buy Fireball XL5 and Space:1999 from Network DVD

Sir Patrick Moore’s website
The Sky at Night page at www.bbc.co.uk
Buy The Sky at Night: Apollo 11 at play.com

Join our facebook group / follow Panel Borders on twitter

Related news:

Doctor Who: Blue Moon by Oli Smith

Small press comic book creator Oli Smith has had his first official Doctor Who prose story published by the BBC on their website, which tells the tale of the Tenth Doctor’s involvement with the moon landings.
Read the first instalment here, with more info on Oli’s website

also:

Pho and Muc: comics and photos at the Arts Bar, Camberwell

Julian Hanshaw, winner of the 2008 Observer graphic short story competition for his comic strip “Sand Dunes and Sonic Booms”, exhibits images from his forthcoming travelogue / Thai cookery graphic novel “The Art of Pho”, alongside photos by Rob Athill of Saigon’s late night food vendors…

20th-26th July 5.30pm – late
Arts Bar (above Funky Munky),
25 Camberwell Church Street,
London SE5 8TR

Meet the artists at a special squid party night on the 24th…!

and:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboard is pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

As one of the most respected and highly regarded names in this field Kevin O’Neill’s illustrative work has led him to rub shoulders with distinguished writers, directors and film stars. Most widely known for his collaborations with writer Pat Mills on Marshal Law (see over) and Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD Kevin has also worked with Alan Moore on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was recently turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

www.illustrationcupboard.com

Electric Sheep podcast:

The current state of Gay cinema part 1 (Kenneth Anger / LLGFF)

Interview originally broadcast 03/07/09 in an edited version on www.resonancefm.com

Kenneth Anger at the Imperial War Museum, photo by Damon Cleary

Following London Gay Pride weekend, in the first of two podcasts looking at the current state of gay cinema, Alex Fitch looks at this year’s London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and at the short film collection ‘Boys on film 2: In too deep’. Virginie Sélavy interviews infamous gay experimental film maker Kenneth Anger about his work, from the Magick Lantern Cycle of the second half of the last century to his current interest in digital media and manipulation. (Part 1 of 2)

For more info about the variety of formats you can download this podcast in / stream, please visit www.archive.org

Links: Read a transcript of Virginie’s interview with Kenneth Anger and Alex’s article about gay cinema at www.electricsheepmagazine.com
Anger’s Wikipedia and IMDb pages
Article about Anger’s recent films at www.artforum.com
Buy Boys on film 2 from peccadillopictures.com
Info about London Pride film screenings

For info on the latest issue of Electric Sheep magazine, please click here

Related news:

The London Japanese Art Festival
is on the weekend of the 11th / 12th of July at Richmond Adult Community College and includes:
Manga and Anime Art Exhibition, craft and sales tables from Manga shops, toys and dolls and all sorts of Japanese art and culture related goods.
Talks by Helen McCarthy and Paul Gravett
Martial Arts
Kimono dressing (kitsuke) and kimono fashion show
Cosplay Masquerade and presentations
Manga drawing workshops
J-Pop Party
Set photo shoots and roving photographers
Origami and other paper art
Calligraphy
Koto music
Japanese Dancing
Taiko Drumming
Japanese food and drink, including Pocky, obento and sake, as well as the open cafe area
Three Yatai – Takoyaki, Okonomi-yaki, Yakisoba, Donbri

UK PREMIERE : OCEAN WAVES

The Japanese Art Festival is proud to announce that the event will be hosting the premiere of the Studio Ghibli anime Ocean Waves. Studio Ghibli is better known as the Oscar-winning animation studio who brought us Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Never before released in the UK, Ocean Waves centres around the life of Taku, an average high school student. But soon his quiet life will be turned upside down with the arrival of Rikako: a beautiful exchange student from Tokyo. By the end of term Taku will have learnt a valuable lesson in love and friendship.

The Ocean Waves screening is courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

More info at www.japaneseartfestival.com

also:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboardis pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

As one of the most respected and highly regarded names in this field Kevin O’Neill’s illustrative work has led him to rub shoulders with distinguished writers, directors and film stars. Most widely known for his collaborations with writer Pat Mills on Marshal Law (see over) and Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD Kevin has also worked with Alan Moore on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was recently turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

More info at www.illustrationcupboard.com

Reality Check:

Female action heroes

Gianna Jun as Blood the last vampire and Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2

With new versions of the Terminator and Blood: The Last Vampire franchises currently in UK cinemas, Alex Fitch talks to experts on the previous instalments.
In an extract from a press conference at the ‘MCM Expo’, Alex talks to Linda Hamilton about playing Sarah Connor in The Terminator / Terminator 2: Judgment Day and becoming a feminist icon. Alex also talks to anime and manga expert Helen McCarthy about Blood+ and the various other incarnations of Blood: TLV, that lead to the current live action film.

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: More info about the London MCM Expo
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), official movie site
Wikipedia pages on Blood: The Last Vampire and ‘Sarah Connor’ in the Terminator saga

Related news:

The London Japanese Art Festival
is on the weekend of the 11th / 12th of July at Richmond Adult Community College and includes:
Manga and Anime Art Exhibition, craft and sales tables from Manga shops, toys and dolls and all sorts of Japanese art and culture related goods.
Talks by Helen McCarthy and Paul Gravett
Martial Arts
Kimono dressing (kitsuke) and kimono fashion show
Cosplay Masquerade and presentations
Manga drawing workshops
J-Pop Party
Set photo shoots and roving photographers
Origami and other paper art
Calligraphy
Koto music
Japanese Dancing
Taiko Drumming
Japanese food and drink, including Pocky, obento and sake, as well as the open cafe area
Three Yatai – Takoyaki, Okonomi-yaki, Yakisoba, Donbri

UK PREMIERE : OCEAN WAVES

The Japanese Art Festival is proud to announce that the event will be hosting the premiere of the Studio Ghibli anime Ocean Waves. Studio Ghibli is better known as the Oscar-winning animation studio who brought us Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Never before released in the UK, Ocean Waves centres around the life of Taku, an average high school student. But soon his quiet life will be turned upside down with the arrival of Rikako: a beautiful exchange student from Tokyo. By the end of term Taku will have learnt a valuable lesson in love and friendship.

The Ocean Waves screening is courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

More info at www.japaneseartfestival.com

also:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboardis pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

As one of the most respected and highly regarded names in this field Kevin O’Neill’s illustrative work has led him to rub shoulders with distinguished writers, directors and film stars. Most widely known for his collaborations with writer Pat Mills on Marshal Law (see over) and Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD Kevin has also worked with Alan Moore on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was recently turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

More info at www.illustrationcupboard.com

Today on Resonance FM:

I’m ready for my close-up: Kenneth Anger

Kenneth Anger at the Imperial War Museum, photo by Damon Cleary

To herald the arrival of London Gay Pride weekend, Virginie Sélavy talks to infamous experimental film maker Kenneth Anger about his career, from ground breaking shorts such as his Magick Lantern Cycle and Scorpio Rising in the 1960s, to his recent return to the medium after a twenty year break.

5pm, Friday 03/07/09, Resonance 104.4 FM / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast soon after transmission at www.electricsheepmagazine.wordpress.com

Links: Read a transcript of Virginie’s interview with Kenneth Anger at www.electricsheepmagazine.com
Anger’s Wikipedia and IMDb pages
Article about Anger’s recent films at www.artforum.com
Info about London Pride film screenings

Related news:

The London Japanese Art Festival
is on the weekend of the 11th / 12th of July at Richmond Adult Community College and includes:
Manga and Anime Art Exhibition, craft and sales tables from Manga shops, toys and dolls and all sorts of Japanese art and culture related goods.
Talks by Helen McCarthy and Paul Gravett
Martial Arts
Kimono dressing (kitsuke) and kimono fashion show
Cosplay Masquerade and presentations
Manga drawing workshops
J-Pop Party
Set photo shoots and roving photographers
Origami and other paper art
Calligraphy
Koto music
Japanese Dancing
Taiko Drumming
Japanese food and drink, including Pocky, obento and sake, as well as the open cafe area
Three Yatai – Takoyaki, Okonomi-yaki, Yakisoba, Donbri

UK PREMIERE : OCEAN WAVES

The Japanese Art Festival is proud to announce that the event will be hosting the premiere of the Studio Ghibli anime Ocean Waves. Studio Ghibli is better known as the Oscar-winning animation studio who brought us Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Never before released in the UK, Ocean Waves centres around the life of Taku, an average high school student. But soon his quiet life will be turned upside down with the arrival of Rikako: a beautiful exchange student from Tokyo. By the end of term Taku will have learnt a valuable lesson in love and friendship.

The Ocean Waves screening is courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

More info at www.japaneseartfestival.com

also:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboardis pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

As one of the most respected and highly regarded names in this field Kevin O’Neill’s illustrative work has led him to rub shoulders with distinguished writers, directors and film stars. Most widely known for his collaborations with writer Pat Mills on Marshal Law (see over) and Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD Kevin has also worked with Alan Moore on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was recently turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

More info at www.illustrationcupboard.com

Panel Borders:

There’s no time like the present

Originally broadcast 02/07/09 as an episode of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Excerpt from TNTLTP by Paul Rainey

Starting Sci-Fi comics month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to small press creator Paul Rainey about his serialised graphic novel There’s no time like the present which he has been self publishing as
individual comic books over the past five years. TNTLTP tells the story of a group of friends from Milton Keynes who suffer from the usual concerns of our generation – niche interests, unfulfilling jobs, difficulties with dating etc. – but in a world where time travel exists and the UK in the present day is a holiday vacation for patronising visitors from the future. Alex and Paul talk about the latter’s influences from Alan Bleasdale to Doctor Who, Kurt Vonnegut to Coronation Street, how the opening of a new memorial in Milton Keynes is best attended by a Dalek and the process of telling a long form narrative with an unusual structure.
For more info about this podcast and a variety of formats you can stream or download, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org

Links: Paul’s website – www.pbrainey.com
There’s no time like the present website – www.tntltp.com – where you can read issue one online
Paul’s 2000AD prog slog blog!
TNTLTP review at the Forbidden Planet International blog
Join our facebook group

Related news:

The London Japanese Art Festival
is on the weekend of the 11th / 12th of July at Richmond Adult Community College and includes:
Manga and Anime Art Exhibition, craft and sales tables from Manga shops, toys and dolls and all sorts of Japanese art and culture related goods.
Talks by Helen McCarthy and Paul Gravett
Martial Arts
Kimono dressing (kitsuke) and kimono fashion show
Cosplay Masquerade and presentations
Manga drawing workshops
J-Pop Party
Set photo shoots and roving photographers
Origami and other paper art
Calligraphy
Koto music
Japanese Dancing
Taiko Drumming
Japanese food and drink, including Pocky, obento and sake, as well as the open cafe area
Three Yatai – Takoyaki, Okonomi-yaki, Yakisoba, Donbri

UK PREMIERE : OCEAN WAVES

The Japanese Art Festival is proud to announce that the event will be hosting the premiere of the Studio Ghibli anime Ocean Waves. Studio Ghibli is better known as the Oscar-winning animation studio who brought us Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Never before released in the UK, Ocean Waves centres around the life of Taku, an average high school student. But soon his quiet life will be turned upside down with the arrival of Rikako: a beautiful exchange student from Tokyo. By the end of term Taku will have learnt a valuable lesson in love and friendship.

The Ocean Waves screening is courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

also:

Kevin O’Neill at the Illustration Cupboard

14 July – 08 August 2009

The first British exhibition of his original artwork from.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Marshall Law
Nemesis the Warlock
Judge Dredd

The Illustration Cupboardis pleased to present the first British exhibition of the world-famous graphic-novel artist Kevin O’Neill.

As one of the most respected and highly regarded names in this field Kevin O’Neill’s illustrative work has led him to rub shoulders with distinguished writers, directors and film stars. Most widely known for his collaborations with writer Pat Mills on Marshal Law (see over) and Nemesis the Warlock in 2000AD Kevin has also worked with Alan Moore on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was recently turned into a blockbuster Hollywood film starring Sean Connery.

An exciting and sometimes controversial artist this unique event offers fans and collectors an opportunity to view thirty pieces of Kevin’s original drawings and paintings never seen before, and provides visitors to London during the summer season a chance to visit a truly special event.

All artwork is available for purchase, and signed books will also be for sale.
The exhibition will continue on our first floor gallery throughout the remainder of August.
Artwork can be viewed and purchased off our website from 8th July.
Prices range from £500 – £7500

Monday – Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm

More info at www.illustrationcupboard.com

Issue 4 of Wheel Me Out magazine

The latest issue of the online magazine ‘Wheel Me Out’ is now available to download and includes transcripts of Alex Fitch’s interview with Park Chan-Wook about his film “I’m a cyborg but it’s okay”…

Compared with other people I am relatively ignorant of pop culture. I tend to listen to classical music mainly and also read classical books. I don’t really watch recent films, mostly old ones. I’ve never played a computer game!

However, I am very interested in new technology so I’m trying to employ it in my films and am very positive about using computer graphics. In I’m a Cyborg… it’s quite visible that I relied on CGI, compared with my previous films where the CGI is invisible.

Sarah Lightman’s interview with David Lloyd about his artistic practice and influences on his work from the start of his career in advertising to his most recent graphic novel, “Kickback” …

It’s tougher to enter this business now than it was for me. There’s much more competition. Despite the fact that comic books aren’t selling as they used to, there’s no apparent reduction in the number of people who want to work in the field. I think this is because sequential art is something that people fall in love with and want passionately to work at.

Ananda Pellerin’s interview with Cosey Fanni Tutti, a founding member of the art / music collective Throbbing Gristle…

My dad was a Fire Chief but he also did electronics. He used to build wirelesses and TVs and things. I look back now and see exactly why I am the way I am. I was listening to all this weird noise as he was tuning things in, circuit boards going off. He bought me a tape recorder when I was ten and said “you don’t need a record player, you can take this and do things instead.”

…and much more, including competitions to win mugs, CDs and posters…

Available now at www.wheelmeout.com / info about the previous issue

Also, at Sci-Fi London, there’s a partial transcript of Alex’s interview with Antony Johnston looking at writing the Dead Space comic book and in game dialogue…

With something like “Dead Space”, there are so many different media to take into account and the storyline, the master, overall storyline is so large, complex and there’s so much of it. With the comic, we knew we wanted to do a prequel and we knew roughly at that point how the game was going to pan out, so it was a question of “How are we going to establish the back story?”. We have to establish the tone the game is going to take, but we can’t give away clues that would help people to sort of cheat or beat the game. We can’t give away too many secrets that will spoil the game for people.

Read online now at www.sci-fi-london.com/news / listen to the full version of Alex’s interview with Antony as a podcast…

Electric Sheep Film Club: Audition / Ôdishon

For the second meeting of the all new Electric Sheep Film Club at the Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square, we’re proud to be showing:

Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999)

Still from Audition by Takashi Miike

Enfant terrible Takashi Miike’s most notorious work remains genuinely shocking. The story of a middle-aged man who, following his son’s advice, holds auditions to find a new wife is the pretext for an exploration of fantasy, desire, cruelty and obsession that is as visually beautiful as it is gruesomely disturbing.
…and then chat with other film-goers and Electric Sheep writers about the film in the bar after the screening. (with thanks to Palisades Tartan)

Wednesday 3rd June, 8pm, Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, WC2
More info at www.princecharlescinema.com and www.electricsheepmagazine.com/events
IMDb page for Audition

Comics news:

LUC @ 176

The one month countdown starts now!

London Underground Comics’ latest event takes place at the 176 Project Space in Chalk Farm, London and features over 40 of the UK and beyond’s finest small press creators selling their wares in one of north London’s most beautiful gallery spaces.
Free tea and coffee, live DJs, animation projected on the 40 foot wall of the gallery and much more.

Exhibitors include: .
Oli Smith, Oliver Lambden, Sean Azzopardi, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, David Baillie, Douglas Noble, Marc Ellerby, Jamie McKelvie, Kieron Gillen,Jake Harold, Dan Lester, Francesca Cassavetti, Sally-Anne Hickman, Richy K Chandler, Josceline Fenton, Phil Spence, Paul Rainey, Howard Hardiman and many more…

27th June, 176 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3PT
More info: londonundergroundcomics.com / www.projectspace176.com

also:

An exhibition of Shaun (The Arrival) Tan’s prints, and 4 original pastels, is on at
The Illustration Cupboard at 22 Bury Street, SW1Y 6AL until 22nd June
More info at www.illustrationcupboard.com

Today on Resonance FM:

Strip!: Adapting prose for manga, games and genre comics

Covers to Dead Space, the comic - issues 1 to 3 by Antony Johnston and Ben Templesmith

Concluding adaptation and inspiration month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to writer and graphic designer Antony Johnston about combining text and image in comics and other media from his illustrated novella Frightening Curves to enriching the computer game he scripted – Dead Space – with a comic book prequel and interactive websites. Alex and Antony also talk about the latter’s influences, writing the new Wolverine Manga and adapting the prose work of Alan Moore and Anthony Horowitz into comic book format.

5pm 28/05/09, repeated 11.30pm 31/05/09, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast online tonight…

Links: Antony’s website – www.antonyjohnston.com and pages on wikipedia and google books
Interview about, interactive website and review of Dead Space
Oni Press’ official Wasteland website
Avatar Press microsite about Antony’s first collaboration with Alan Moore – The Courtyard
Extracts from Antony’s Alex Rider adaptations at lovereading4kids.co.uk
Review of Wolverine manga
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Comics / sci-fi news:
Kamishibai.org is now live, being a resource for Japan’s performance art of telling stories with sequential images, including info on the next London performance of the form on May 31st…

plus:
LUC @ 176

The one month countdown starts now!

London Underground Comics’ latest event takes place at the 176 Project Space in Chalk Farm, London and features over 40 of the UK and beyond’s finest small press creators selling their wares in one of north London’s most beautiful gallery spaces.
Free tea and coffee, live DJs, animation projected on the 40 foot wall of the gallery and much more.

Exhibitors include: .
Oli Smith, Oliver Lambden, Sean Azzopardi, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, David Baillie, Douglas Noble, Marc Ellerby, Jamie McKelvie, Kieron Gillen,Jake Harold, Dan Lester, Francesca Cassavetti, Sally-Anne Hickman, Richy K Chandler, Josceline Fenton, Phil Spence, Paul Rainey, Howard Hardiman and many more…

27th June, 176 Prince of Wales Road, London, NW5 3PT
More info: londonundergroundcomics.com / www.projectspace176.com

Electric Sheep Film Club: Bad Timing

For the first meeting of the all new Electric Sheep Film Club at the Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square, we’re proud to be showing:

Nicolas Roeg’s Bad Timing (1980)

Still from Bad Timing by Nicolas Roeg

Billed as ‘a terrifying love story’, this controversial, unjustly overlooked film by Nicolas Roeg is a dazzling, provocative and ferocious dissection of a couple’s disintegration, starring Theresa Russell and Art Garfunkel. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see this stunning film by the director of Performance and Don’t look Now on the big screen!
…and then chat with other film-goers and Electric Sheep writers about the film in the bar after the screening. (with thanks to Park Circus)

Wednesday 6th May, 8pm, Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, WC2
More info at www.princecharlescinema.com and www.electricsheepmagazine.com/events

Sci-Fi London 8 logo

It’s nearly the May Bank Holiday, which means it’s also nearly time for this year’s Sci-Fi London – The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantasy Film

Now in its 8th year, Sci-Fi London has developed into a more wide-ranging science fiction festival than ever before. Sci-Fi London now includes talks on literature, science and comic books that not only sit alongside the film events in the programme, but provide a dialogue with the screenings: TV and radio writers will discuss sci-fi comedy while comic book artist Kevin O’Neill will talk about his drawings on screen and the film based on them, Hardware (1990), which will be shown afterwards.

Image from Hardware, directed by Richard Stanley

A perennial and popular strand at SFL is the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 all-night screenings, where fans of SF B-movies watch a TV version of those films, with heckling by an onscreen astronaut and two robots. This year’s festival takes that idea into the realm of stand-up comedy, screening one of the films showing in the festival again with a live redub of the soundtrack by improv comedians who include Cariad Lloyd, Gemma Whelan, Sara Pascoe (Free Agents), Humphrey Ker (Penny Dreadfuls) and Paul Foxcroft. Elsewhere there are different kinds of interaction with SF fans. For the first time in its history, SFL 8 will screen a ‘fan-film’, The Hunt for Gollum, which boasts production values similar to any of the authentic Lord of the Rings films and should keep devotees of the saga happy before the official prequel hits the big screen. In addition, SFL features an on-stage reading of a radio play script, The Brightonomicon, by some of the original cast, allowing the audience to see behind the scenes of something they’d normally only hear. The films at this year’s SFL are a mixture of old and new, Western SF and films from further afield:

The City of Lost Children / La cite des enfants perdus directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

As well as The City of Lost Children (1995), featuring a Q and A with co-director Marc Caro performed by Alex Fitch with translation by Virginie Sélavy, there’s a kids screening of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986), Ever Since the World Ended (2003), and four of the best Star Trek movies from the 1980s, which fans can see for free. World cinema is represented by Turkish comedies G.O.R.A. (2004) and A.R.O.G. (2008), Japanese SF epic Twentieth-Century Boys part 2 and a selection of Israeli short films.

Image from Stingray Sam directed by Cory McAbee

New films and premieres include Bill Plympton’s Idiots and Angels, Stingray Sam (from the director of The American Astronaut, a low-fi American indie favourite of recent years) and new Japanese / American co-produced animé Afro Samurai: Resurrection, featuring the voices of Samuel L. Jackson and Lucy Liu. Perhaps the most obvious example of combining old and new at the festival is Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell 2.0, which is a remix of the original film, replacing all of the backgrounds and some of the characters with new visuals. Whether Oshii’s interference with his own film is on the level of George Lucas’s endless tinkering with Star Wars – making it worse each time – or Ridley Scott’s various re-edits of Blade Runner – all equally as good and as unneeded – remains to be seen.

A longer version of this article first appeared in Electric Sheep Magazine online

Reality Check:

Red Dwarf / Robot Zoo

The cast of Red Dwarf, Easter 2009

In a special Easter episode looking at ways you can entertain kids and adults alike over the Bank Holiday, Alex Fitch talks to Craig Charles about playing Dave Lister again after a ten year hiatus in the new Red Dwarf mini-series Back to Earth. Alex also talks to Jo Hatton, keeper of the Robot Zoo at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill which presents a collection of robotic and animatronic animals to the public and mixes education with the feel of a traveling carnival.

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: For more info about Red Dwarf: Back to Earth please visit http://dave.uktv.co.uk
For more info about The Robot Zoo, please visit www.horniman.ac.uk
Wikipedia pages on Red Dwarf and The Horniman Museum
Read a transcript of Alex’s interview with Craig

Comics / sci-fi news: Strength from Adversity: A Contemporary Japanese Cinema and Art Festival – 15-17 April 2009

The National Gallery is pleased to be hosting this celebration of contemporary Japanese cinema. Includes screenings of Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen), Fudeko: Sono Ai – Tenshi no Piano (Fudeko and the Angel’s Piano), Takeshi Kitano’s Kikujiro and Okuribito (Departures)

and… (while we’re on the subject)

Kamishibai.org is now live, being a resource for Japan’s performance art of telling stories with sequential images, including info on the next London performance of the form on May 31st…

also: Sci-Fi London 8

From Wednesday 29th April – Monday 4th May , at The Apollo Picadilly, Lower Regent Street, London, it’s the 8th London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film which includes premieres of The Hunt for Gollum, 20th Century Boys part 2, Stingray Sam, The Clone Returns Home, Cyborg She and many more.

Comic book events include a screening of Hardware preceeded by an extended, illustrated Q & A with Alex Fitch interviewing Kevin O’Neill, a Q & A with Marc Caro following a screening of The City of Lost Children and a panel discussion with Paul Cornell, Bryan Talbot and Paul Duffield.

More info at www.sci-fi-london.com

In association with:

Hectic Peelers screening: Not Quite Hollywood – The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!

Not Quite Hollywood poster

MONDAY 6 APRIL, Roxy Bar and Screen, 7:30pm, FREE: Resonance FM and Electric Sheep Magazine present Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, a brilliantly entertaining documentary that celebrates Australian genre cinema of the 70s and 80s. Expect a fast-paced, breathless 102-minute ride packed with outrageous stunts, shameless nudity, bloody terror and countless crazy anecdotes!
The film will be introduced by Electric Sheep Magazine editor Virginie Sélavy.
With thanks to Optimum Releasing.
7.30pm, 06/04/09, Roxy Bar and Screen, 128-132 Borough High Street London SE1 1LB

To find out more about other Electric Sheep Screenings, please click here and for the latest issue of the magazine, please click here

Links: Not quite Hollywood page at www.imdb.com
Interview with director Mark Hartley at www.filmdetail.com
Official Australian home page for the documentary

In association with:

Electric Sheep Magazine Winter Spring cover

In good bookshops now and available online (with a 15% discount) at www.wallflowerpress.co.uk and features illustrations by Oli Smith, Emma Price and Tom Humberstone and a new comic strip by Mark Stafford.
It’s a measly £3.25 in shops / £12 for 4 issues on subscription.

Click here for more details of the current issue, or here for the previous one…

Let the right one in illustration by Tom Humberstone

WALL-E and EVE on the Planet of the Apes illustration by Oli Smith

 

The Red Squirrel illustration by Emma Price

Watchmen article illustration by Mark Stafford

ESM continues online as a monthly magazine between print issues including exclusive content such as Alex Fitch’s article on the West London Fantastic Film society and Virginie Selavy’s interview with Kim Ji Woon

Also:

Cover of Wheel Me Out magazine #3

Evil Brain from Outer Space (from Something Weird Video)

This Sunday (15/03/09) at “Vibe Live” above the Vibe Bar at 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL, Electric Sheep Magazine is proud to present our FREE quarterly screening event to help promote the new print issue of the magazine. To compliment and offer alternate programming to the apocalyptic superhero movie currently in UK cinemas, Electric Sheep Magazine offers diverting afternoon entertainment, which includes an offbeat superhero movie and an apocalyptic short!

Evil Brain from Outer Space [Sūpā Jaiantsu - Uchū Kaijin Shutsugen]…features the final exploits of Japanese Superhero Starman in a mission to save the Earth from a marauding brainlike alien creature created by a mad scientist with the help of an alien army!
78 mins, black and white, 1964
(with thanks to Something Weird for permission to show the film)

The End is Cow…is a new short comedy film about mankind being threatened by an invasion of cephalopods cows who want to destroy us with their evil lactation!
[Cast and crew will be in attendance]
30 min, colour, 2008

Doors open at 2pm with music from DJ Lucky Cat and a stall selling London Underground Comics (featuring the work of Oli Smith and Emma Price) + comics by Tom Humberstone and Mark Stafford…
What else are you going to do on a cold Sunday afternoon in East London?
The first 10 people in get a free copy of the new issue of Electric Sheep! You will also have the possibility of winning a year’s subscription to the magazine!

In association with:

Reality Check:

The Invisible art of acting for radio

Rupert Degas at the recording of Cry Babies by Kim Newman, photo by Moira Degas (c) 2009

Alex Fitch talks to actor Rupert Degas about his various roles in genre radio and audio dramas such as playing David Warner’s sidekick “Rizla” in the BBC7 adaptation of Robert Rankin’s The Brightonomicon and playing the father of a cyrogenically preserved child in Kim Newman’s Cry-Babies which was recently broadcast on Radio 4. Alex and Rupert also talk about his roles in Dan Dare, Dirk Gently and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy plus his uncredited role voicing the devil in Exorcist: The Beginning…

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: For more info about BBC radio’s SF season, please click here
bbc.co.uk pages on Kim Newman’s Cry Babies (including “listen again” until 15/03/09) and
Robert Rankin’s The Brightonomicon (including “listen again” until a week after broadcast)
Rupert’s wikipedia and IMDb pages
Buy audio books (including Dan Dare) read by Rupert from orionbooks.co.uk
Buy The Brightonomicon and The Long dark tea-time of the soul from bbcshop.com
The Brightonomicon podcast blog

For more podcasts about radio and audio dramas, please click here

In association with:

Reality Check:

Being Bruce Campbell

Originally broadcast 19/02/09 on Resonance FM as an episode of I’m ready for my close-up

Bruce Campbell in My name is Bruce

Alex Fitch talks to legendary ‘B’-movie actor Bruce Campbell about his new film My name is Bruce which sees the actor directing, producing and playing a fictionalised version of himself on screen. My name is Bruce sees Campbell kidnapped by a fan and taken to the small town of Gold Lick, Oregon (pop. 333) to save the locals from an ancient Chinese demon prefaced by his own country and western musical numbers… Alex and Bruce also talk about the actor’s career so far, appearing in memorable films by Sam Raimi such as the Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies, and his experience of dealing with fandom over the years…

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: Watch the trailer for My Name is Bruce
Bruce’s website
More info on the My name is Bruce DVD

In association with:

Today on Resonance FM:

Strip!: The work of David Baillie

Advert for The Belly Button Bubble Chronicles by David Baillie

Continuing Indie comics month on Strip!: Alex Fitch talks to writer and artist David Baillie about his experiences in the comics industry. David has been self publishing comics since the beginning of the 2000s and has recently produced his first graphic novel – Tongue of the dead – a pastiche and welcome update of 1970s and 80s Sword and Sorcery comics. David also has worked as a comics commentator for various publications, is working on a 3D site specific graphic novel with Daniel Merlin Goodbrey displayed on the walls of a children’s hospital in France and has just seen his first “Future Shock” published in the venerable British periodical 2000AD.

5pm 19/02/09, repeated 11.30pm 22/02/09, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Links: David’s website
The first page of David’s Future Shock at the Forbidden Planet International blog
David’s 24 minute comic on flickr

I’m ready for my close-up: Being Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell in My name is Bruce

Alex Fitch talks to legendary ‘B’-movie actor Bruce Campbell about his new film My name is Bruce which sees the actor directing, producing and playing a fictionalised version of himself on screen. My name is Bruce sees Campbell kidnapped by a fan and taken to the small town of Gold Lick, Oregon (pop. 333) to save the locals from an ancient Chinese demon prefaced by his own country and western musical numbers… Alex and Bruce also talk about the actor’s career so far, appearing in memorable films by Sam Raimi such as the Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies, and his experience of dealing with fandom over the years…

10.30pm 19/02/09, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended (sweary!) podcast online now at www.sci-fi-london.com/audio

Links: Watch the trailer for My Name is Bruce
Bruce’s website
More info on the My name is Bruce DVD

Comics News:

Brighton ‘zine fest February 2008

…will be taking place over the weekend of 21st/22nd February. Workshops, talks and bands will be on the Saturday (@ The Cowley Club) and zine stalls, acoustic acts and a few other mystery things will be on the Sunday (@ West Hill Hall).

More info at www.brightonzinefest.co.uk

Electric Sheep Magazine Winter 2008 cover

The third Wallflower Press edition of Electric Sheep magazine (co-presenter(s) of the Hectic Peelers cinema nights with Resonance FM) has just been released and is available from various stockists… Electric Sheep is edited by Virginie Sélavy with assistance by Alex Fitch and has reviews / interviews by various Resonance programme makers including Virginie, Alex and James DC (all contributors to I’m ready for my close-up / Strip!), and features illustrations by Strip! guests Tom Humberstone, Dan Lester, Mark Stafford (left to right below), and future Strip! guest Lee O’Connor.

It’s a measly £3.25 in shops / £12 for 4 issues on subscription.

Click here for more details of the current issue, or here for the previous one…

ES also continues online as a monthly magazine between print issues including exclusive interviews like Alex Fitch talking to acclaimed Britsh directors Peter Greenaway and Michael Winterbottom and reviews such as Oli Smith looking at The Mindscape of Alan Moore…

Today on Resonance FM:

Strip!: Queer Press Grant winners

Continuing gay comics month on Resonance FM, Alex Fitch talks to the winners of last year’s Queer Press Grant – Justin Hall and Tommy Roddy about their comics “Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super Tranny” and “Pride High” respectively. “Glamazonia” tells the tale of a transgender super-heroine fighting mythical creatures, serial killers and old fashioned super hero origin stories while “Pride High” is a hipper version of the “X-Men” which allows the gay characters of a super hero school take centre stage, while dealing with issues of oppression and mortal enemies.

Glamazonia

Pride High #6

5pm GMT, Thursday 11th December, repeated at 11.30pm Sunday 14th
December, Resonance 104.4FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com
Individual half hour edits of the two interviews will be podcast
after transmission here and at http://podcasts.resonancefm.com

I’m ready for my close-up: Michael Winterbottom’s Code 46, 10.30pm Thurs 11th December

During a special Architecture foundation screening of Code 46 at the Barbican centre, Alex Fitch caught up with director Michael Winterbottom in the foyer of the cinema and discussed issues of British Science Fiction, unreliable narrators and the importance of location in Sci-Fi films. Alex and Michael also look at issues of psychogeography, breaking the fourth wall in 24 hour party people and A cock and bull story and why Spielberg’s Minority Report is a ludicrous attempt to make realistic SF!

Links: Tommy Roddy – Profile at www.prismcomics.org
Wikipedia page on Pride High
Buy Pride High from www.pridecomics.com

Justin Hall – youtube video of Justin reading Glamazonia
Justin’s livejournal page, website and profile on prismcomics.org
Comics Bulletin report on Justin & Tommy winning the Queer Press Grant

Michael Winterbottom – Article on Code 46 at www.indiewire.com
IMDb and Wikipedia pages on Code 46
Official United Artists website for the movie
Article on the Barbican screening of Code 46 at bldgblog

Reality Check: Life during Wartime

Continuing our new series of Sci-Fi London podcasts, we have a pair of interviews about modern Science-Fiction takes on warfare which have a classical, yet prescient feel to them: Duncan Nott talks to Garth Ennis about working on the new Virgin Comics version of the classic British sci-fi comic strip Dan Dare which sees Dare called out of retirement as Britain and Earth enter new hostilities with the Mekon due to a corrupt Prime Minister running the country. Also, Tripwire Magazine editor Joel Meadows presents and takes part in a brief press conference with actor Michael Hogan about playing the long suffering character Colonel Tigh in the 21st century reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, which is about to return to our screens shortly for the second half of its final season. Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch (with thanks to the MCM Expo for their invite to the Michael Hogan junket).

For more info, please visit the home of this podcast at Sci-Fi London

Links: Official Sci-Fi channel website for Battlestar Galactica
Interview and notes by artist Gary Erskine on working on the new Dan Dare
Info on Dan Dare at the Virgin Comics blog
Listen to Alex and Duncan talk to Garth Ennis about his other work and to artists John McCrea, Doug Braithwaite and Glenn Fabry about working with the writer

In association with:

Comics / Sci-Fi news:

Howard Hardiman

BADGER AT THE GREENWICH PICTURE HOUSE

Artwork from Howard Hardiman’s delightful small press comic Badger goes on display from Monday 1st of December at the Picture House Cinema in Greenwich for a month.

01/12/08 – 01/01/09, Greenwich Picture House, Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN, London

More info at www.picturehouses.co.uk
and www.cutebutsad.co.uk by the time the exhibtion goes up!

Howard will be a guest on tomorrow’s Strip! on Resonance FM…

DAVID LLOYD AT THE NEW END GALLERY, HAMPSTEAD

Kickback – an exhibtion of the sequential art of David Lloyd, including work from Night Raven, Kickback and V for Vendetta is the latest show at The New End Gallery in Hampstead following their current exhibition of Pink Floyd cover artist Storm Thorgerson. All the pages on display will be for sale…

Tues- Sun 04/12/08 – 23/12/08, New end gallery, 27 Carnegie House, Hampstead, London NW3 1JE

More info at www.newendgallery.com by the time the exhbition goes up (honestly, does no-one update their websites?)!

SUNDAY SHOCK THERAPY
SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER, Vibe Live, 2-6pm, FREE: To celebrate the publication of the winter issue of Electric Sheep we’ll be screening a double bill of outrageous Icelandic horror movies, the comic book-style vampire comedy Frostbite (2006) and the classic 50s monster movie Terror in the Midnight Sun (1959). For all those desperate to find eccentric, bizarre, funny, enchanting, beautiful and non-mass-produced Christmas presents, we’ll also have an alternative mini-Christmas market with a film books and DVDs stall from Cinéphilia, London Underground Comics, Where It’s At Is Where You Are records, Sophistikitten retro lingerie, and cakes!
The first 20 people in get a free copy of the new issue of Electric Sheep! You will also have the possibility of winning a year’s subscription to the magazine!

I’m ready for my close-up – OSS-117, Licence to kill
originally broadcast 06/11/08 on Resonance FM

Massively popular in France but fairly unknown in the UK are the adventures of OSS-117, a cold war secret agent who has appeared in 40 books over the last half century and half a dozen movies. With a new (spoof) version of the Gallic James Bond about to hit our screens, Alex Fitch talks to the director – Michel Hazanavicius – and Bonisseur girl – Bérénice Bejo – of Cairo: Nest of Spies / Le Caire nid d’espions. Although his code number and name seem strangely familiar, apparently 117 predates 007…

The home of this audio podcast which includes a variety of formats to download or stream is at www.archive.org…

Links: Wikipedia pages on the literary life of OSS-117 and Cairo: Nest of Spies
IMDb page on Cairo: Nest of Spies / Official movie website
Buy tickets to see Cairo: Nest of Spiesat the ICA

Panel Borders: Incredibly Strange Comics
An uncut version of a pair of interviews originally broadcast 06/11/08 as part of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

In the first of two belated Halloween specials, Alex Fitch talks to sequential art expert Paul Gravett about his new book “The Leather Nun And Other Incredibly Strange Comics” (sold in America with the even subtler title “Holy Sh*t! The World’s Weirdest Comic Books”) which looks at the weirder and more lurid examples of the genre and to Australian artist Ben Templesmith about his career so far, drawing comics such as the neo-noir title “Fell”, the Matrix inspired “Singularity 7″ and the popular vampire serial “30 days of night” which was adapted as a movie last year. Please note, this is an uncut show with very strong language!

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

Links:
Ben Templesmith - Ben’s blog and online gallery
Buy Ben’s books from www.cafepress.com and IDW Publishing
Wikipedia pages on Ben Templemsith and 30 days of night

Paul Gravett – Wikipedia page on Paul Gravett
Paul’s website
Review of Incredibly strange comics… by Richard Bruton
Listen to Alex’s previous interviews with Paul Gravett

Comics news: It’s nearly time for Paul Gravett’s annual ComICA festival which runs from 14th to 26th of November and includes talks by Art Spiegelman, Ian Rankin and Dave McKean and is on at the ICA and V and A museum in London. More info at paulgravett.com

This year’s festival also includes a special Comiket all day event hosted by London Underground Comics

Comiket logo

Before that, we have Handmade and Bound, which is an independent fair of affordable, handmade artists’ books, comics and zines. An ideal place to meet and buy the work of cutting edge small press creators such as Marc Ellerby, Sean Duffield and Jimi Gherkin…
Saturday 8 November 2008, St Aloysius Social Club, Phoenix Road, London NW1 (nearest tube Euston). 12-6pm. Free entry.
Evening entertainment 8pm-12am: DJs and bands, including The Slim Reaper and Her Magic Powers.
More info at www.handmadeandbound.com and at Jimi Gherkin’s blog…

Today on Resonance FM:

Strip!: Incredibly Strange Comics

In the first of two belated Halloween specials, Alex Fitch talks to sequential art expert Paul Gravett about his new book “The Leather Nun And Other Incredibly Strange Comics” (sold in America with the subtler title “Holy Sh*t! The World’s Weirdest Comic Books”) which looks at the weirder and more lurid examples of the genre and to Australian artist Ben Templesmith about his career so far, drawing comics such as the neo-noir title “Fell”, the Matrix inspired “Singularity 7″ and the popular vampire serial “30 days of night” which was adapted as a movie last year.

5pm 06/11/08, repeated 11.30pm 09/11/08 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

I’m ready for my close-up: OSS-117, Licence to kill

Massively popular in France but fairly unknown in the UK are the adventures of OSS-117, a cold war secret agent who has appeared in 40 books over the last half century and half a dozen movies. With a new (spoof) version of the Gallic James Bond about to hit our screens, Alex Fitch talks to the director – Michel Hazanavicius – and Bonisseur girl – Bérénice Bejo – of Cairo: Nest of Spies / Le Caire nid d’espions. Although his code number and name seem strangely familiar, apparently 117 predates 007…

10.30pm 06/11/08 repeated 5pm 07/11/08 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com

Links:
Ben Templesmith - Ben’s blog and online gallery
Buy Ben’s books from www.cafepress.com and IDW Publishing
Wikipedia pages on Ben Templemsith and 30 days of night

Paul Gravett – Wikipedia page on Paul Gravett
Paul’s website
Review of Incredibly strange comics… by Richard Bruton
Listen to Alex’s previous interviews with Paul Gravett

OSS-117 – Wikipedia pages on the literary life of OSS-117 and Cairo: Nest of Spies
IMDb page on Cairo: Nest of Spies / Official movie website
Buy tickets to see Cairo: Nest of Spiesat the ICA

Comics news: It’s nearly time for Paul Gravett’s annual ComICA festival which runs from 14th to 26th of November and includes talks by Art Spiegelman, Ian Rankin and Dave McKean and is on at the ICA and V & A museum in London. More info at paulgravett.com

This year’s festival also includes a special Comiket all day event hosted by London Underground Comics

Comiket logo

Before that, we have Handmade and Bound, which is an independent fair of affordable, handmade artists’ books, comics and zines. An ideal place to meet and buy the work of cutting edge small press creators such as Marc Ellerby, Sean Duffield and Jimi Gherkin…
Saturday 8 November 2008, St Aloysius Social Club, Phoenix Road, London NW1 (nearest tube Euston). 12-6pm. Free entry.
Evening entertainment 8pm-12am: DJs and bands, including The Slim Reaper and Her Magic Powers.
More info at www.handmadeandbound.com and at Jimi Gherkin’s blog…