Panel Borders radio show on The Phoenix / new British Horror Films

Panel Borders: The Phoenix

In the first of a new series of Panel Borders, we start a month of shows looking at comic book anthologies with a recording of a panel discussion of the children's comic The Phoenix. Creators Daniel Hartwell (writer: ‘Pirates of the Pangaea’), Neill Cameron (artist: ‘Pirates of the Pangaea’, Adam Murphy (‘Corpse Talk’), Robin Etherington (writer: ‘Long Gone Don’) and Patrice Aggs ('Blimpville') discuss creating serialised comics for children and how the title rose from the ashes of The DFC - hosted by David O'Connell and recorded live at Caption Festival, Oxford.

8pm, Sunday 16th September 2012, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

I'm ready for my close-up: Home Invasions

With unfortunately apposite timing, following the case of burglars being shot in a Leicestershire break-in at the start of this month, Alex Fitch interviews the directors of two new British horror films that deal with supernatural home invasions and their consequences. Oliver S. Milburn discusses his debut film The Harsh Light of Day which looks at a home owner's Faustian deal with a vampire to get revenge on the thieves who broke into his home and murdered his wife, and Pat Holden talks about his new movie When the lights went out, starring Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead) and produced by Bil Bungar (Moon), and dramatises the story of the 1966 haunting and subsequent exorcism of a semi-detached house in Pontefract.

When the lights went out was released in cinemas on 14th September and The Harsh Light of Day is released on DVD on 1st October - whenthelightswentout.com / www.harshlightofday.com

11.30pm, Tuesday 18th September, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Caption 2012 - The Countdown Begins...

Limited Edition Caption T-Shirt available now, ordering details below

 This year's Caption small press and comics festival in Oxford is only 17 days away!

Guests include: Hannah Berry, Richy K. Chandler, Jade Sarson, David O’Connell, Al Davison, Hunt Emerson, Patrice Aggs, Robin Etherington, Woodrow Phoenix, Darryl Cunningham and Nicola Streeten.

Saturday 18 August

Doors open 10 a.m. Bar open from 10 for coffee, 12 for drinks.

12:00. PANEL: Good, Clean, Knockabout Fun! Publisher Tony Bennett joins artists Hunt Emerson ('Lady Chatterly's lover'), Krent Able ('Big Book Of Mischief') and Brick ('Depresso') to talk about 32 years of the controversial British comics company.

13:30. WORKSHOP with Al Davison. ‘The Alchemist's Easel: a rough guide to drawing the unconscious’

14:30. PANEL: Shedding Light on the Dark Art of Editing Comics. Woodrow Phoenix ('Nelson'), Corinne Pearlman (Myriad), John Anderson (Soaring Penquin) and Hannah Berry (First Fictions judge) discuss editing and commissioning comics and graphic novels.

16:30. PANEL: Myriad Editions. Myriad commissioning editor Corinne Pearlman discusses the output of the company alongside Woodrow Phoenix ('Rumble Strip'), Darryl Cunningham ('Science Tales'), Nicola Streeten ('Billy, Me & You') and Gareth Brookes ('The Black Project').

21:00. QUIZ by Tony Hitchman, ‘Dangerous when wet!’

Doors close 23:00

Sunday 19 August

Doors open 10 a.m. Bar open from 10 for coffee, 12 for drinks.

11.00. BOOK GROUP: Comic Gosh!p Book Club (escaping from London) discuss Maus (Art Spiegelman) & My Cardboard Life (Philippa Rice). Try to (re)read one or both of these before the informal discussion in the bar, so you can join in!

12:30. PANEL: Playing in Someone Else’s Sandbox. Cartoonists discuss the benefits of working on creator owned vs. pre-existing characters, featuring Richy Chandler ('Wallace & Grommit' in The Sun) , David Baillie (via video! - Russian 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'), Charles Cutting ('The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter') and Robin Etherington ('The Phoenix' / 'Transformers').

14.00. PANEL: The Phoenix - A Gallimaufry of Graphical Goodness. Daniel Hartwell (writer, ‘Pirates of the Pangaea’), Neill Cameron (artist, ‘Pirates of the Pangaea’), Adam Murphy (‘Corpse Talk’), Robin Etherington (writer, ‘Long Gone Don’), Patrice Aggs ('Blimpville') discuss year two of the popular British kids comic.

15.30. PANEL: America is not the Only Fruit. Manga influenced (and Manga Jiman shortlisted) small press creators Rebecca Burgess, Sarah Burgess, Jade Sarson and Joe Morgan discuss looking outside Anglo-American comics for inspiration with David O'Connell (Tozo, the public servant).

Doors Close 17:00

The website - www.caption.org - includes info on how to order the limited edition T-Shirt designed by Sarah MacIntyre, pictured above, which you can pre-order and pick up at Caption. Also, exclusively available at the event is the Caption 2012 programme featuring a brand new jam comic - 'How I spent my summer holiday' - by Hannah Berry (see above), Richy K. Chandler, Brick and more...

• Caption: 18th / 19th August 2012, East Oxford Community Centre, Cowley, Oxford OX4 1DD (Near to St. Clements 'Oxford Tube' stop)

Etherington Brothers announce new project and bargain book sale

Those wacky Etherington Brothers - whose work includes strips for Titan's Transformers comic, The DFC and more - are offering a limited one week only 20% off deal on collections of their own creator-owned material, which are available via Print on Demand service Lulu.com.

"You're gonna have to move fast to take advantage of this one," enthuses Robin Etherington. "We're offering you 20% off El sketchbook Lorenzo Deluxe collection and/or Malcolm Magic Big Kahuna Collection until 1st August 2010.

"That's a massive £4.99 off the sketchbook alone! Just go here, choose the books you want and enter the code "TWIST" at checkout to make your lovely big saving! You're welcome!"

The boys are clearly in a generous mood thanks to just signing a deal to produce a series of Etherington Brothers illustrated novel series - a project that has been in development for a while.

"Like every creative endeavour, it has taken time to mould this project into the perfect vehicle to satisfy our comic and storytelling sensibilities," says Robin.

"We set out to create a series that we'd have been desperate to read as young boys and our fantastic editor David Fickling has been instrumental throughout the process. It's an absolute delight to team up with David and Random House again and follow Monkey Nuts and Baggage with the first two titles from our forthcoming (ongoing) children's series.

"The books be jam-packed with action and adventure," he enthuses, "and filled with page after page of illustrative wonder courtesy of Lorenzo's scribbling paw."

The boys many fans need not worry that this new project means they have turned their back on the world of comics. "Not in the slightest!" says Robin.

"This is an exciting undertaking for our little studio but the fun of sequential storytelling is in our blood. As such these books will contain more than their fare share of speech bubbles and comic panels!"

• Check out the Etherington Brothers latest news via www.studioblinktwice.com

All New UK Comic for Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Upcoming issues of Titan Magazines Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic are to include all-new comic strip stories specially created for the title.

The new-look 32-page comic, on sale from 12th November, will include a self-contained eight-page mini-story in every four-weekly issue and feature tales written by Spider-Man and former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco, Robin Etherington (Monsters vs. Aliens, Monkeynuts) and SF novelist and Disney Comics writer Rik Hoskin. The strips will be drawn by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artist Andrés Ponce and comic newcomer Tanya Roberts.

As well as a brand new action-packed comic story every issue, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic wil also include its usual mix of puzzles, posters, competitions, news, fun facts about all your favourite Clone Wars characters and more.

"It's not just The Clone Wars TV show that's moving into a thrilling new era with the bounty hunter-filled season two," commented editor Andrew James, "with our great new format and awesome new comic strip, there's never been a more exciting time to be a Clone Wars comic fan."

• More info and exclusive sneak peeks will feature on www.titancomicsuk.com