Reality Check: Space Odysseys

Celebrating Sci-Fi programming at the BFI and Brighton’s Cine-City festival, Alex Fitch talks to writer / actor Graham Duff (Nebulous)about the Cine-City performance of ‘They – A sequence of unease’ adapted from a surrealist novel by author Kay Dick. Alex also chats to broadcaster and author Matthew Sweet about the new BFI print of 2001 – A Space Odyssey, with an extract from his recent Q and A about the film, featuring Keir Dullea, broadcast 2nd December 2014 on BBC Radio 3. (With thanks to BBC Arts)

Cover of They by Kay Dick / Foredown Tower, Portslade / Still from 2001 / Keir Dullea at the BFI

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: BBC Arts and Free Thinking websites
Info about the BFI Fear and Wonder season
Info about the They performance at Cine-City
Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Matthew Sweet
Graham Duff’s website and Doctor Who audio play

More download formats: archive.org/details/RealityCheckSpaceOdysseys

Electric Sheep podcast: Terry Gilliam and Ted Kotcheff, The Fright Theorem

Alex Fitch talks to Ted Kotcheff, the director of a ‘lost’ cult classic – Wake in Fright (1971) – and to Terry Gilliam, director of another cult title in the making, The Zero Theorum (2014). Fitch and Kotcheff discuss how Wake was recovered by its editor, how it depicts issues of masculinity in crisis and has an unreliable narrator. Gilliam, in an extract from the London Film Festival Q and A, talks about how his new film responds to issues of NSA spying, continues his strand of casting actors against type, and represents a ‘full fat’ viewing experience!

Stills from Wake in Fright and The Zero Theorem

Visit www.archive.org, for more info + formats to stream / download.

Links: Wikipedia pages on Wake in Fright and The Zero Theorem
Electric Sheep Magazine reviews of Wake in Fright and The Zero Theorem
Official Wake in Fright and The Zero Theorem websites

Recommended events:

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 at SCI-FI-LONDON

The MST3K all nighter is a regular attraction of SCI-FI-LONDON (The London International Science Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival), and this year the festival would like to bring along two of the actors from the series to ‘riff’ in person at the film screenings. Dr. Forrester and Frank’s appearance will hopefully be funded by an indiegog campaign where you can also purchase a signed Cinematic Titanic DVD by the duo.

More info here / festival website

W.A.S.P. 2014

This year’s Web Artist Swap Project is in full swing with the likes of Rebecca Burgess, Richy K. Chandler, Francesca Dare, Zarina Liew, David O’Connell, Jade Sarson, Nicola Streeten, Paul Shinn and many more taking turns in drawing each others’ webcomics.
Find out more by going to www.tempolush.com/wasp

British Comics Month at Gosh!

Special events celebrating British Comics are taking place throughout March at Gosh! Comics in Soho, London. These include:

Selfmade Hero Spring Party, featuring ILYA, Mark Stafford, and Reinhard Kleist, Friday, the 7th of March, from 7pm to 9pm. Also, from the 3rd through to the 9th of March, customers will be able to get 25% off all Selfmade Hero books!

Great Beast Comics Spring Party, featuring Adam Cadwell, Marc Ellerby, Robert Ball, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, Dan Berry, John Riordan, Dan Cox, John Cei Douglas, and Isabel Greenberg. Friday, the 14th of March, from 7pm to 9pm.

LUKE PEARSON’S HILDA AND THE BLACK HOUND SIGNING & LAUNCH DAY, Saturday, the 15th of March, with the all-ages signing running from 2pm to 3pm and the launch party running, as per usual, from 7pm to 9pm. From the 10th through to the 16th of March, customers will be able to get 25% off all NoBrow and Flying Eye books!

BLANK SLATE TALK at Process, the monthly event where working and aspiring comics artists and writers get together and talk about their work process. As part of British Comics Month, March is Blank Slate themed affair, with Darryl Cunningham, Joe Decie and Lizz Lunney all talking about their own comics-making methods, chaired by Woodrow Phoenix. Friday, March 21st, and run from 7.30pm to 9pm. From the 17th through to the 23rd of March, customers will be able to get 25% off of all Blank Slate books!

HELLBOY DAY: Dark Horse is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Mike Mignola’s creation and at Gosh!, they have all British Hellboy creators under one roof! Laurence Campbell, Duncan Fegredo, and Mick McMahon will be in to sign plus an exclusive print to come soon! Hellboy Day takes place on Saturday, March the 22nd, and the signing runs from 2pm to 3pm.

2000AD SIGNING: Dan Abnett, Tom Eglington, Simon Coleby, Simon Davis and Smudge will be here in sign PROG 1874 issue – billed as a jumping-on point for new readers! Wednesday, March 26th, and runs from 6pm to 7pm. From the 24th through to the 30th of March, customers will be able to get 25% off all Rebellion titles!

KATE EVANS’ BUMP LAUNCH PARTY: a book all about the ins-and-outs and gooey details of conception, pregnancy, and birthing. The launch party takes place on Friday, March 28th, and runs from 7pm to 9pm. There will be drinks!

ALAN MOORE and KEVIN O’NEILL SIGNING copies of Nemo: Roses Of Berlin, out from Knockabout. Due to the sheer volume of demand at this events, Alan and Kevin will only be able to sign four items per person, and only books in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series – that way, everyone has a chance to have a chat as well as getting their LOEG books signed! Look out for a special release on the day, too. The signing takes place on Saturday, March the 29th, and will be running from 2pm to 6pm. It is advised to get there early, as the queue tends grow to huge proportions and often has to be capped!

More info at www.goshlondon.com / Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London W1F 0DR

Reality Check: John dies at the End of the Quest for the Game Child

Alex Fitch talks to director Don Coscarelli about his new film John Dies at the End, a slacker-apocalypse comedy with guest appearances by Paul Giamatti, Doug Jones and Clancy Brown. Also, in a Q and A recorded ate last year’s SCI-FI-LONDON, youtube phenomenon Stuart Ashen and director Riyad Barmania discuss their movie Ashens and the Quest for the Game Child.

Stills from Ashens and the Quest for the Game Child / John Dies at the End

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: More info about John Dies at the End at www.johndies.com
Stuart Ashen’s youtube channel
Watch full length movie Ashens and the Quest for the Game Child

Electric Sheep Magazine podcast: Brian Yuzna and the horror of Society

Electric Sheep Magazine assistant editor Alex Fitch talks to film maker Brian Yuzna about his work, from his memorable debut as producer of Stuart Gordon’s Re-animator, his underrated satire of 1980s American preppy culture Society and later career making sequels to such franchises as Return of the Living Dead and Silent Night, Deadly Night. Recorded at the University of Brighton, Spring 2013, in conjunction with Cine-Excess Festival.

Four films by Brian Yuzna

Cine-Excess VII is taking place at Birmingham MAC from 15th-17th November with guests including French filmmaker Catherine Breillat (Romance / Anatomy of Hell) and Italian auteur Francesco Barilli (The Perfume of the Lady in Black / Pensione paura)

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Brian Yuzna biography on Re-animator website
Cine Excess website
Listen to Alex’s interview with Re-animator director Stuart Gordon
Listen to Electric Sheep Magazine editor Virginie Selavy’s interview with Cine-Excess organiser Xavier Mendik

Recommended Events:

Comica Festival 2013

This year’s London Comica Festival is in its last week and events include:

Poles ApART: New Polish Comics & Graphic Novels
Twelve of the most important current comics creators from Poland in their first UK show.
Where: Windows Gallery, Central Saint Martins, N1C 4AA
When: October 31 to November 16, 2013

Hyper-Pop Workshop
Step into the shoes of Pop artists like Roy Lichtenstein & make your own comic-book stories…
Where: Garden Room, Barbican Centre, Silk St, EC2Y 8DS
When: November 16, 2013 10am-5.30pm

Reframe: Perspectives on Europe through Comics
Comics by nine artists from Algeria, Turkey & UK explore our contemporary attitudes to Europe.
Where: Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3GA
When: October 23 to November 22, 2013

More info at www.comicafestival.com

Gosh! Comics signings and events

The Image Triple Signing with Brandon Graham, Fiona Staples, and Eric Stephenson

Together with Thought Bubble, we proudly present a BEHEMOTH of a signing – featuring three of Image Comics’ biggest and brightest. Join us on the Friday, the 22nd of November, and meet Brandon Graham (Prophet, King City), Fiona Staples (Saga), and Eric Stephenson (Nowhere Men).

Friday November 22nd, from 5pm to 7pm

Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá Signing

For our second event in conjunction with November’s Leeds Thought Bubble Festival, we bring you the remarkably talented Brazilian comic-creator-twin-duo, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá! You’ll know them from their lovely artwork on The Umbrella Academy (written by Gerard Way) and the Casanova series (written by Matt Fraction), and most importantly from their collaborative effort, Daytripper, a beautiful book about death and family which is a consistent bestseller.

Wednesday November 27th, from 5pm to 7pm

Jeffrey Brown in conversation with Marc Ellerby

A legend of autobiographical comics, Jeffrey started out by self-publishing his first book, Clumsy (James Kochalka’s favourite graphic novel), which grabbed an enormous amount of attention from both cartoonists and comics fans, not to mention the attention of future publisher Chris Staros at Top Shelf. After Clumsy, he produced a whole series of heartfelt chronicles about his life and relationships, with the occasional absurdist superhero parody thrown in…
Here to talk to the man himself is Marc Ellerby, one of the most well-known names on the UK indie comics scene.

November 28th from 7.30pm until 9.00pm

Windowpane 2 and Breakdown Press Launch Party

Breakdown Press is a new London-based comics publisher dedicated to printing the work of original and exciting contemporary cartoonists. Having released Windowpane by Joe Kessler at last year’s Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival to great critical acclaim, Breakdown will be returning to the newly reinstated Comic Arts Brooklyn as well as Thought Bubble festival with Windowpane 2 and a raft of other exciting new releases.

Friday, 29 November 2013 from 7pm to 9pm

Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London, W1F 0DR

Panel Borders: Mute, Glenn Fabry

Continuing a month of shows looking at horror and fantasy comics, Alex Fitch talks to comic book artist and illustrator Glenn Fabry about his graphic novel adaptation of Duncan Jones’ yet to be filmed sequel to Moon, a Philip K Dick style drama called Mute. Glenn discusses the differences between illustrating adaptions of film scripts and regular comics, his collaboration with Steve Niles on the horror serial Lot 13, drawing Garth Ennis’ “funniest script” for The Authority: Kev, and his plans for more personal work in the future. Recorded in front of a live audience at Cartoon County, Brighton, Summer 2013. Originally broadcast Monday 14th October 2013, on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

Art from Mute by Duncan Jones, More Kev by Garth Ennis, Lot 13 by Steve Niles, illustrated by Glenn Fabry

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: More info about Glenn Fabry’s work at www.glennfabry.co.uk
Discover Cartoon County at www.cartooncounty.com
Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Glenn

Recommended Events:

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is modelled on the European comic festivals rather than comic conventions that UK audiences are more familiar with.

The aim is create an ‘en fete’ atmosphere, making the whole town part of the festival. There will be a much bigger emphasis on the range of talks, special live drawing events, workshops, films, exhibitions and a kids’ zone. Some of the events, including the exhibitions and the kids’ zone will also be free.

There will be The Comics Clock Tower – in Kendal Town Hall, where people will be able to buy comics and where authors and artists will be signing copies of their work. It will be smaller than at most comic conventions and will focus on writers, artists and publishers who are pioneers of a new wave of innovators in the field of comics and graphic storytelling.

We will be kicking off on Friday evening, 18th October and running until teatime on Sunday 20th. The programme will feature around 30 events of different styles and scales including meet the creators (presentations, live drawings and interviews), panel discussions and a few quirky events too. Alongside this there will be a film programme, exhibitions, workshops, our version of a marketplace/artists’ alley and a dedicated kids’ zone……and more

Guests include: Charlie Adlard, Steve Bell, Hannah Berry, Gareth Brookes, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Stephen Collins, Darryl Cunningham, Rob Davis, Al Davison, Andy Diggle, Glyn Dillon, Pete Doherty, Hannah Eaton, Hunt Emerson, Carlos Ezquerra, Duncan Fegredo, Karrie Fransman, Simon Fraser, Katie Green, Isabel Greenberg, Steven Harris, David Hine, Ilya, David Lloyd, Robbie Morrison, Jose Muñoz, Luke Pearson, Ivan Petrus, Sean Phillips, Gary and Warren Pleece, Trina Robbins, Joe Sacco, Gilbert Shelton, Posy Simmonds, Nicola Streeten, Bryan and Mary Talbot, John Wagner and Oscar Zarate…

18th-20th October, Brewery Arts Centre and environs?, 122A Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4HE

More info at: www.comicartfestival.com

Join the Web Artists Swap Project 2014

Following 2013’s successful Web Artists Swap Project (WASP) where webcomic creators swapped strips to raise awareness of online comics, including work by Nich Angell, Zarina Liew and Naniiebim, project originator Richy K. Chandler is inviting web cartoonists to join the planning of next year’s WASP event.
Get involved via www.tempolush.com before the end of October 2013…

Reality Check: Vanishing Brightness

To coincide with this weekend’s Oktoberfest, we have a pair of QandAs from the Spring SCI-FI-LONDON festival, in which Alex Fitch talks to the directors of a couple of the more cerebral SF films that screened at the Stratford Picturehouse. Kristina Buozyte discusses her erotic techno thriller Vanishing Waves in which a scientist travels into the mind of a coma patient to try and revive her consciousness. Also Shezad Dawood talks about his feature film Piercing Brightness where cultures and alien encounters collide in an elliptical film shot on the streets of Preston, Lancashire.

Stills from Piercing Brightness and Vanishing Waves

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: Piercing Brightness tumblr
Vanishing Waves website
Listen to Alex’s previous interview with Shezad Dawood
Listen to Virgine Selavy (ELectric Sheep Magazine) interview with Kristina Buozyte

Recommended Events:

SCI-FI-LONDON Oktoberfest 2013

This autumn’s mini Science Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival takes place from 11th – 13th October 2013 at Stratford Picture House, Stratford, East London. Premieres include The Battery, Haunter, The Colony, The Machine, Battle of the Damned and Rewind This. Retro screenings include new prints of Tokyo Fist, Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Ikarie XB-1, themed allnighters include anime, X-Com and MST3K marathons and a second chance to see the Spring SCI-FI-LONDON film of the festival, Channelling.
A highlight of the festival is a rare chance to see the feature debut of youtube phenomenon Stuart Ashen in Ashens and the Quest for the GameChild with a Q and A after the screening with the star, plus an all day symposium about spaceship construction at The Crystal, Royal Victoria Docks E16 1GB

Screenings take place at Stratford Picture House, London E15 1BX

Full programme at www.sci-fi-london.com

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is modelled on the European comic festivals rather than comic conventions that UK audiences are more familiar with.

The aim is create an ‘en fete’ atmosphere, making the whole town part of the festival. There will be a much bigger emphasis on the range of talks, special live drawing events, workshops, films, exhibitions and a kids’ zone. Some of the events, including the exhibitions and the kids’ zone will also be free.

There will be The Comics Clock Tower – in Kendal Town Hall, where people will be able to buy comics and where authors and artists will be signing copies of their work. It will be smaller than at most comic conventions and will focus on writers, artists and publishers who are pioneers of a new wave of innovators in the field of comics and graphic storytelling.

We will be kicking off on Friday evening, 18th October and running until teatime on Sunday 20th. The programme will feature around 30 events of different styles and scales including meet the creators (presentations, live drawings and interviews), panel discussions and a few quirky events too. Alongside this there will be a film programme, exhibitions, workshops, our version of a marketplace/artists’ alley and a dedicated kids’ zone……and more

Guests include: Charlie Adlard, Steve Bell, Hannah Berry, Gareth Brookes, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Stephen Collins, Darryl Cunningham, Rob Davis, Al Davison, Andy Diggle, Glyn Dillon, Pete Doherty, Hannah Eaton, Hunt Emerson, Carlos Ezquerra, Duncan Fegredo, Karrie Fransman, Simon Fraser, Katie Green, Isabel Greenberg, Steven Harris, David Hine, Ilya, David Lloyd, Robbie Morrison, Jose Muñoz, Luke Pearson, Ivan Petrus, Sean Phillips, Gary and Warren Pleece, Trina Robbins, Joe Sacco, Gilbert Shelton, Posy Simmonds, Nicola Streeten, Bryan and Mary Talbot, John Wagner and Oscar Zarate…

18th-20th October, Brewery Arts Centre and environs?, 122A Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4HE

More info at: www.comicartfestival.com

Join the Web Artists Swap Project 2014

Following 2013’s successful Web Artists Swap Project (WASP) where webcomic creators swapped strips to raise awareness of online comics, including work by Nich Angell, Zarina Liew and Naniiebim, project originator Richy K. Chandler is inviting web cartoonists to join the planning of next year’s WASP event.
Get involved via www.tempolush.com before the end of October 2013…

Panel Borders: Nic Roeg and Sandy Lieberson – filmmakers talk comics

Concluding a month of shows on the presence of comics in the Victoria and Albert museum, Alex Fitch talks to two filmmakers who are regular attendees at Ian Rakoff’s comic book lectures at the V and A. Acclaimed film director Nic Roeg discusses his interest in comics and museum culture, how he nearly directed the 1980 adaptation of Flash Gordon and why the BBC wouldn’t let him choose Desert Island Discs for Radio 4?s Cultural Exchange. American Producer Sandy Lieberson, who worked with Roeg on Performance, talks about his love of classic newspaper strips, distinctions between high and low art and his involvement in The Magic Roundabout movie, Dougal and the Blue Cat. Originally broadcast Monday 30th September 2013, on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

Pastiche of Performance poster featuring Nic Roeg and Sandy Lieberson

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

Nic Roeg’s memoir The World is Ever Changing is released in paperback October 13th and Ian Rakoff’s next lecture on comic books at the V&A takes place at 1pm in the Hochhauser Auditorium on October 2nd

Links: Info about The World is Ever Changing
Info about the comic book collections in the National Art Library / Victoria and Albert Museum
Search the National Art Library catalogue
Ian Rakoff’s blog

Recommended Events:

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is modelled on the European comic festivals rather than comic conventions that UK audiences are more familiar with.

The aim is create an ‘en fete’ atmosphere, making the whole town part of the festival. There will be a much bigger emphasis on the range of talks, special live drawing events, workshops, films, exhibitions and a kids’ zone. Some of the events, including the exhibitions and the kids’ zone will also be free.

There will be The Comics Clock Tower – in Kendal Town Hall, where people will be able to buy comics and where authors and artists will be signing copies of their work. It will be smaller than at most comic conventions and will focus on writers, artists and publishers who are pioneers of a new wave of innovators in the field of comics and graphic storytelling.

We will be kicking off on Friday evening, 18th October and running until teatime on Sunday 20th. The programme will feature around 30 events of different styles and scales including meet the creators (presentations, live drawings and interviews), panel discussions and a few quirky events too. Alongside this there will be a film programme, exhibitions, workshops, our version of a marketplace/artists’ alley and a dedicated kids’ zone……and more

Guests include: Charlie Adlard, Steve Bell, Hannah Berry, Gareth Brookes, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Stephen Collins, Darryl Cunningham, Rob Davis, Al Davison, Andy Diggle, Glyn Dillon, Pete Doherty, Hannah Eaton, Hunt Emerson, Carlos Ezquerra, Duncan Fegredo, Karrie Fransman, Simon Fraser, Katie Green, Isabel Greenberg, Steven Harris, David Hine, Ilya, David Lloyd, Robbie Morrison, Jose Muñoz, Luke Pearson, Ivan Petrus, Sean Phillips, Gary and Warren Pleece, Trina Robbins, Joe Sacco, Gilbert Shelton, Posy Simmonds, Nicola Streeten, Bryan and Mary Talbot, John Wagner and Oscar Zarate…

18th-20th October, Brewery Arts Centre and environs?, 122A Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4HE

More info at: www.comicartfestival.com

I’m ready for my close-up: Spike Lee on crowdfunding

In a special episode of I’m ready for my close-up, Alex Fitch talks to American film maker Spike Lee about his Kickstarter campaign to fund a new movie about ‘blood addiction’ (which ends on August 21st). They also discuss his forthcoming remake of Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy, Lee’s thoughts on blaxplotation films such as Blacula and the director’s continuing enjoyment of being a film tutor.

Originally broadcast: Friday 16th August 2013, Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

Still of Spike Lee from Kickstarter campaign video + an example of what his new film is not about

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Spike Lee Kickstarter campaign
40 Acres Filmworks website
Listen to Alex’s interview with original Oldboy director Park Chan Wook

Recommended Events:

Caption Festival, Oxford

The longest running British comic book festival, now in its 21st year returns to the East Oxford Community Centre, off Cowley Road. Guests include Rian Hughes (Dan Dare), Andrzej Klimowski (Stanis?aw Lem’s Robot…), Danusia Schebal (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde graphic novel), Al Davison (Doctor Who comics), Paul Collicutt (The Murder Mile), Vicky Stonebridge (Dogbreath), Karen Rubins (Victoria and Albert Museum comic artist in residence), Ian Rakoff (V & A comics lecturer, writer “The Prisoner: Welcome to Harmony”) and Charles Cutting (The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter), Glenn Fabry (Preacher) and many more.

August 24th / 25th, East Oxford Community Centre, 44 Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1DD

The weekend includes panel discussions, workshops, a book group, quiz and much more. Tickets: £6/day or £10 for the weekend.

More info here: www.caption.org

Edinburgh Book Fest and Stripped festival

This year’s Edinburgh Book Fest starts on 10th August 2013 with guests including Cerys Matthews, Ben Aaronovitch, Lauren Beukes, Roy Hattersley, Oliver James, Ken MacLeod, Alexander McCall Smith and many more. Within the festival there is also a dedicated graphic novels weekend – Stripped on August 24th / 25th – with guests including Kieron Gillen, Melinda Gebbie, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison and Hanny Berry.

Tickets and more info here: www.edbookfest.co.uk

Steadman @77 exhibition

The Cartoon Museum is proud to present a selection of Ralp Steadman’s iconic cartoons to celebrate his 77th birthday. To accompany the exhibition there is a programme of events and talks, including Anita O’Brien discussing the use of the weird in Steadman’s work – 3rd September, 6.30pm

Exhibition continues until Autumn 2013, more info at http://cartoonmuseum.org

The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH

Electric Sheep Magazine podcast: Reconstructing Nightbreed

To coincide with its tour of America, in a panel discussion recorded in Welwyn Garden City, actors Simon Bamford (Ohnaka) and Nick Vince (Kinski) plus restoration producer Russell Cherrington and restoration editor Jimmy Johnson discuss the reconstruction of the director’s cut of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, which is being presented at various venues to help fund a high definition print. The panel discuss the edits imposed on Barker by the studio, the disappointment felt by many regarding the bowdlerised version released in 1990 and how with the help of various formats and sources, a reedit of all the existing footage was mounted to restore the film to its original version.

Cast publicity shot from Nightbreed

Nightbreed: the Cabal Cut will be screening in various venues across America during Summer and Autumn 2013, with an additional Australian showing in Melbourne in August. More info at http://www.occupymidian.com/screenings. Originally broadcast 26th July 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London)

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Occupy Midian website
Info on a new Nightbreed short story collection

Recommended Events:

Myriad Books on the Beach: Graphic Novel Show and Tell

Join Alex Fitch of Resonance FM with Myriad graphic authors for a show and tell of their favourite graphic novel beach reads.

As part of ‘Myriad Books on the Beach’ series for Brighton’s Big Screen, Alex Fitch will be joined by Kate Evans (The Food of Love), Nye Wright (Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park) and Hannah Eaton (Naming Monsters).

Brighton’s Big Screen is the country’s only open-air, free, beachfront cinema, situated next to Brighton Pier and the Wheel. Back for a second year, Brighton’s Big Screen will showcase sporting events including the World Athletics Championships and both recent box office hits and movie classics. In association with the Big Screen, Myriad are running a series of events throughout the summer: ‘Myriad Books on the Beach’.

Wednesday 7th August, 2013, 3.30 – 5pm

Location: East of Brighton Pier (near the Brighton Wheel), Marine Parade, BN2 1TB

For more information about the screen and a full list of events and screenings, visit the Brighton’s Big Screen website.

Caption Festival, Oxford

The longest running British comic book festival, now in its 21st year returns to the East Oxford Community Centre, off Cowley Road. Guests include Rian Hughes (Dan Dare), Andrzej Klimowski (Stanis?aw Lem’s Robot…), Danusia Schebal (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde graphic novel), Al Davison (Doctor Who comics), Paul Collicutt (The Murder Mile), Vicky Stonebridge (Dogbreath), Karen Rubins (Victoria & Albert Museum comic artist in residence), Ian Rakoff (V & A comics lecturer, writer “The Prisoner: Welcome to Harmony”) and Charles Cutting (The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter), Glenn Fabry (Preacher) and many more.

August 24th / 25th, East Oxford Community Centre, 44 Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1DD

The weekend includes panel discussions, workshops, a book group, quiz and much more. Tickets: £6/day or £10 for the weekend.

More info here: www.caption.org

Edinburgh Book Fest and Stripped festival

This year’s Edinburgh Book Fest starts on 10th August 2013 with guests including Cerys Matthews, Ben Aaronovitch, Lauren Beukes, Roy Hattersley, Oliver James, Ken MacLeod, Alexander McCall Smith and many more. Within the festival there is also a dedicated graphic novels weekend – Stripped on August 24th / 25th – with guests including Kieron Gillen, Melinda Gebbie, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison and Hanny Berry.

Tickets and more info here: www.edbookfest.co.uk

Orbital comics exhibition – Cats and comics

Some at Orbital claim this forthcoming exhibition is a combination of two of the best things ever (cats and comics!). The exhibition features some of the top names in alternative comics with a whole lot of kitties too.

The show includes work by: Jeffrey Brown, Lucy Knisley, James Kochalka, Liz Prince, Sara McHenry, Gemma Correll, John Porcellino, Lizz Lunney, Dan Berry, Rus Hudda, Sara Lindo, Yasmine Surovec, Seo Kim, and Martin Tomsky.

July 13th – August 12th 2013

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

More info: www.orbitalcomics.com

Steadman @77 exhibition

The Cartoon Museum is proud to present a selection of Ralp Steadman’s iconic cartoons to celebrate his 77th birthday. To accompany the exhibition there is a programme of events and talks, including Anita O’Brien discussing the use of the weird in Steadman’s work – 3rd September, 6.30pm

Exhibition continues until Autumn 2013, more info at http://cartoonmuseum.org

The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH

Electric Sheep Magazine Podcast: The Last Horror Movie Actor

Ahead of the release of his new film The Seasoning House, Alex Fitch talks to actor Kevin Howarth about his career so far, from his memorable lead role in The Last Horror Movie (2003) to his forthcoming zombie action movie GallowWalkers with Wesley Snipes. Kevin talks about resisting his typecasting as a horror film actor, working as a voice artist on video games and the experiences of working with make-up Paul Hyett on various projects before the latter turned director on The Seasoning House.

Kevin Howarth in The Last Horror Movie, The Seasoning House, GallowWalkers

The Seasoning House is released 21st June 2013 in UK cities by Kaleidoscope Entertainment, more info: www.theseasoninghouse.com

Visit www.archive.org, for more info and formats you can stream / download.

Links: Official film website
Profile on www.rottentomatoes.com

Recommended Events:

Typex at ELCAF

As part of this year’s East London Comics Art Fair, Alex Fitch talks to Dutch cartoonist Typex about his excellent graphic novel on the life and works of Rembrandt.

More info: hwww.elcaf.co.uk / www.better.org.uk/leisure/york-hall-leisure-centre

12.30pm, Saturday 22nd June, ELCAF, York Hall, 5 Old Ford Rd London E2 9PJ (nearest train: Cambridge Heath / nearest tube: Bethnal Green)

Rob Davis at The Cervantes Institute

As part of The Cervantes Institute’s Spanish Culture open day, Alex Fitch is talking to cartoonist Rob Davis about his two volume graphic novel adaptation of Don Quixote for Self Made Hero.

More info: http://londres.cervantes.es / download programme

4pm, The Cervantes Institute, 102 Eaton Square, London SW1W 9AN (Nearest tube / train station: Victoria)

David Shenton Exhibition

These Foolish Things: Shenton’s cartoons are often camp but they’re not just camp, and they’re not that awful apolitical offensive camp, but a light, knowing, meaningful camp; their first task is to entertain and to make the audience laugh – and often they do much more because the liberation politics that informs his work means that with the laugh there is an acerbic point – a wry observation on how we live or a satirical comment about society and a wider political context, contained in the lives and musings of plausible and likeable characters. Or sometimes it’s just a silly joke.

1 June to 27 July 2013

Space Station 65 Gallery, Building One, 373 Kennington Road, London SE11 4PS

More info: www.spacestationsixtyfive.com

DrownTown Launch Party and Signing

2000AD alumni Robbie Morrison (Nikolai Dante) and Jim Murray (Batman / Judge Dredd) have embarked on a fully-painted epic set in a flooded futuristic London and are launching the first volume at Gosh with a party and art exhibition!

It’s all happening on Friday the 21st of June, from 7pm until 9pm at which point everything will probably move on to the pub down the road. There’s no need to RSVP but if you’d like to reserve a book feel free to ask. Published by Jonathan Cape, the book is a £12.99 hardcover and if you can’t make it on the night but would like a signed/dedicated copy anyway, send us an email to [email protected]

7pm, Friday 21st June
Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, London, W10DR

More info: www.goshlondon.com

Reality Check: Living in Byzantium

In a panel discussion recorded at SCI-FI-LONDON, Alex Fitch talks to producer Stephen Woolley, writer Moira Buffini and star Daniel Mays about the new British vampire movie Byzantium, directed by Neil Jordan, which depicts the back story and current lives of a pair of female vampires living in modern day Hastings. (Byzantium is released in the UK on 31st May). (Originally broadcast 24th May 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Still from Byzantium by Neil Jordan

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: Official film website
Info about the screening at SCI-FI-LONDON

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-duplicator16052013-to-31052013

Science Museum lates: Que(e)rying the hero’s journey

As part of this month’s Science Museum Lates event which tackles the subject of sexuality in science, Journalist Alex Fitch looks at representations of gays and lesbians in speculative fiction. SF is a genre often inclusive of LGBT characters amongst its depictions of the alien ‘other’, from Lucian of Samosata’sTrue History (2nd century AD) to the changing sexuality of pop culture icons – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Green Lantern – in the present day.

19.30, 20.15, 21.00pm, Science Museum, Exhibition Rd South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD
(Doors open 18.45)
More info at http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/events

Gosh! Comics Signings

Jaime Hernandez is coming to town to do a talk at BD and Comics Passion Festival (http://www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk) — about comics, inspiration, creative process and his punk rock girls, Maggie and Hopey and the rest of them, from the very excellent, much-loved Love & Rockets — and Gosh! are feeling pretty lucky right now because he’s coming to the shop too.

For two hours on Wednesday the 29th of May (the day before the talk) Jaime will be signing comics including his latest graphic novel God and Science – Return of the Ti-Girls at our signing table. And you are invited, obviously.

Wednesday, 29th of May, 5pm – 7pm

Gary Northfield not only has a new book out, but he has a new book out about dinosaurs which is even better. You’ll know Gary’s work if you read Derek the Sheep back when he was in the Beano, or maybe you know his stuff from The Phoenix, or maybe you stared at him while he drew Rupert the Bear in Gosh!’s window on Free Comic Book Day. In any case, you are invited to drink beer (or juice if you’re wee) at the launch party of Gary Northfield’s Terrible Tales of the Teenytinysaurs!

Friday, 31st of May, 7pm -9pm

Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street
Soho, London. W1F 0DR