Panel Borders: War - The Human Cost

Continuing radio show Panel Borders month about War Comics, they will broadcast a final panel discussion recorded at the 'Comics and Conflicts' conference at the Imperial War Museum in August tonight.

Alex Fitch chairs a discussion on 'The personal and the political' as the publisher and two of the contributing artists - Sean Duffield, Daniel Locke and Ben Naylor - talk about their anthology War: The Human Cost.

They are also joined on stage by writer Eileen Cassavetti and cartoonist Francesca Cassavetti who published her mother's wartime journal Philip and Helen in comic book format.

• Panel Borders: War - The Human Cost airs at 5.00pm, Thursday 22nd September, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

(Please note: this is the penultimate episode of Panel Borders to be broadcast on a Thursday evening, before the show moves to Sunday nights from October)

Comics and Conflicts Conference schedule published

Conference Poster designed by Pete Stanbury

The full schedule for the Comics and Conflicts Conference, which will be held on 19-20th August, 2011 at the Imperial War Museum in London aimed at comics scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts has now been published.

As we previously reported, the conference speakers and guests include Charley's War co-creator Pat Mills; Martin Barker and Roger Sabin on Doonesbury; Garth Ennis (Troubled Souls, War Stories) and Francesca Cassavetti (Fabtoons).

The Conference has been organised by Alex Fitch (presenter of Panel Borders, the UK’s only weekly broadcast radio show about comics), Ariel Kahn (Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Roehampton University) and ComICA director Paul Gravett.

The Comics and Conflicts events form part of a Children’s literature festival being held from 13-21st August 2011, which accompanies the Imperial War Museum’s new exhibition Once Upon A Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children.

For more information about the exhibition and the festival visit the Imperial War Museum web site.


Here’s a run down of the two days of events:

Friday 19th August:
9.00am – War Comics Conference opens; coffee and registration
10.00am –Introductory talk by Martin Barker and Roger Sabin about the depiction of war in the Gary Trudeau’s comic strip, Doonesbury
11.00am – Choice of parallel sessions: Representing Trauma (Chair, Ariel Kahn) / Ethnicity, Nationalism and Representation (Chair, Paul Gravett)
12.20pm – Lunch
1.20pm – Panel on The Image and Reality of War: (Chair, Garth Ennis) featuring ILEX book editor Tim Pilcher, Darin Jensen, Isabelle Delorme
2.40pm – choice of parallel sessions: Form and Content: (Chair, Roger Sabin) / Conflict and Ideology: (Chair, Alex Fitch)
4.00pm – Coffee break
4.20pm – In conversation with Pat Mills, from Charley’s War to Ayatollah’s Son followed by signing
6.00pm – Close
Please note: ticket cost for the entire day is £30.00 / Students £15.00 including Pat Mills talk or £6 for Mills talk only.

Saturday 20th August

10.30am – Celebrated Canadian artist David Collier talks about his work, followed by comic making master class at noon (separate ticket).  David was inspired to become a cartoonist by Robert Crumb, who published his first comic. He is the author and illustrator of Chimo, which depicts his decision to re-enlist in the Canadian army and go through basic training again at age 40. David has been creating since his first tenure in the army, when he drew strips and discovered his talent for the biathlon in which he has competed nationally. There will be a signing after this event.


11.30am Artists and publishers discuss Trauma and Conflict (Chair, Paul Gravett) with Danish artist Mikkel Sommer, writer and illustrator of Obsolete, and Adrian Searle, the publisher of Dougie’s War, plus artist Dave Turbitt.

2.00pm Artists and publishers discuss The Personal and the Political (Chair, Alex Fitch) with Francesca Cassavetti and her mother, Eileen Cassavetti talking about the latter’s wartime diary which Francesca has published as a comic; joined by Sean Duffield, publisher of War – the Human Cost plus contributing artists Dan Locke and Ben Naylor. There will be a signing after this event.

3.00pm In Conversation with Garth Ennis – from Troubled Souls to Battlefields; a rare UK appearance by the writer, followed by signing

4.30pm Film Screening: Comics go to War, directed by Mark Daniels. This fascinating documentary directed by Mark Daniels looks at the work of artist who are either born into conflict, or engage with it as journalists. Artists whose work is discussed include Joe Sacco, author of two books about the Middle East (Palestine, Footsteps In Gaza) and several from the former Yugoslavia. Greg Cook documented his experiences in Iraq. Keiji Nakazawa was a young boy when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, an experience he depicts in his celebrated manga Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen). Zeina Abirached’s comic Le Jeu des Hirondelles describes her childhood during the civil war in Lebanon. In her award-winning Persepolis Marjane Satrapi gives compelling insights into life in Iran before, during and after the Islamic Revolution.

All Saturday events are £6 / the film screening is free.

• The Conference takes place at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ. Nearest tube: Lambeth North (Bakerloo) / Elephant and Castle (Northern line, City Branch) / Southwark (Jubilee).  Book tickets at http://wartime.iwm.org.uk

War: The Human Cost anthology still on sale

A page from "A Tale of Two Faces"
by Sean Duffield & Nelson Evergreen
- a current story about nuclear weapons
and the double-talk of politicians

I didn't get the chance to plug War: The Human Cost, a 260-page anthology and 21 track music CD when it came out earlier in the year, but let's make up for it now.

Four and a half years in the making, part funded via support generated through Indie Go Go to get the final donations, the book features 74 contributers from 19 countries, including some big names and lots of upcoming talent. £1 of every book sold goes to Campaign Against Arms Trade (www.caat.org.uk) and it's on sale now for the special price of only £10 for facebook users, £11.99 elsewhere.

The book is the work of Sean Duffield of Brighton-based comics creator group Paper Tiger Comix.

The comic strips include well researched stories from around the world such as Tibet, Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine, which cover everything from human rights struggles, war veterans and Post Traumatic Dtress Disorder, political imprisonment and torture, child soldiers, refugees /asylum seekers, peace campaigns, the arms trade, corruption/ conflicts of interest, military spending, propaganda to humour and satire.

Contributors, who have all donated their work comprise the cream of underground and international talent and well known respected artists from the comics world such as Spain's Rodriguez (Ché: The illustrated Biography), Peter Kuper (World War 3 Illustrated/ Speechless), Alexsandar Zograf (Regards from Serbia), Lawrence Elwick, Nelson Evergreen, Ulli Lust (Warburger), Mazen Kerbaj, Ben Jennings (The Guardian), Alejandro Alvarez (The Bush Junta), Paul O'Connell, Dr Parsons, Abu Mahjoob and many others.

Some of the stories are more historical, going back to previous generations (Vietnam, World War 2, Spanish Civil War etc) and the very personal/ moving stories of those involved.

"My motivation behind creating this project was to put together a work which would help raise money for worthy causes," he explains, "but also to provide the reader with an educational and engaging collection of comics, art and illustrated factual and pieces surrounding themes of war, but from an emotional and humanitarian angle.

Think of it like a WikiLeaks; getting the real stories out there, but with mostly personal accounts and emotive art."

The CD features well known artists who support the project, such as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Sly and Robbie, DJ Spooky, Blue King Brown, Zion Train, The Levellers, Big Youth and Twilight Dub Circus, The Groove Corporation and many more.

• Samples of the work featured in the project can be found on Paper Tiger Comix Facebook page and MySpace page

Charity comics project hopes to count the cost of war

"Caging the Snow Lion" by Sean Duffield and Lawrence Elwick, just one of many comics in the War: The Human Cost book. It tells the remarkable true story of Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan Monk imprisoned and tortured for 33 years

Brighton-based comics creator group Paper Tiger Comix has raised £3500 towards the publication of its mammoth War: The Human Cost book and CD non-profit anthology, and needs just £500 to make it the project, some four years in the planning, a reality.

Publishing underground and alternative comix since early 2004, Sean, the book's editor says he has been putting this mammoth project over the last four years, and is appealing for help to raise the last bit of cash to get it out for the world to see. 

War: The Human Cost will consist of a 260 page perfect bound book, and a 21-track music CD compilation on themes of war and peace. Its publication will raise money and and awareness for Campaign Against the Arms Trade (www.caat.org.uk), as well as raising awareness of campaign groups such as War On Want and Amnesty International and Hero Rats (training African rats to safely sniff out landmines).

Priced at just £12, £1 from every book and CD sold will go to CAAT and all the other proceeds will go to the Community Arts Project/Paper Tiger Comix.

"The work is more or less finished, as is the majority of the fund raising," says the book's editor, Sean Duffield. "It’s just the raising of the remainder of money for the project which is left." He's using the fund raising project site Indie Go Go to get the final donations and anyone who donates just £5.00 will get a 50% discount off the price of the book and CD when it comes out.

A page from "A Tale of Two Faces"
by Sean Duffield & Nelson Evergreen
- a current story about nuclear weapons
and the double-talk of politicians

The comic strips include well researched stories from around the world such as Tibet, Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine, which cover everything from human rights struggles, war veterans and Post Traumatic Dtress Disorder, political imprisonment and torture, child soldiers, refugees /asylum seekers, peace campaigns, the arms trade, corruption/ conflicts of interest, military spending, propaganda to humour and satire.

Contributors, who have all donated their work comprise the cream of underground and international talent from 17 countries and well known respected artists from the comics world such as Spain's Rodriguez (Ché: The illustrated Biography), Peter Kuper (World War 3 Illustrated/ Speechless), Alexsandar Zograf (Regards from Serbia), Lawrence Elwick, Nelson Evergreen, Ulli Lust (Warburger), Mazen Kerbaj, Ben Jennings (The Guardian), Alejandro Alvarez (The Bush Junta), Paul O'Connell, Dr Parsons, Abu Mahjoob and many others.

Some of the stories are more historical, going back to previous generations (Vietnam, World War 2, Spanish Civil War etc) and the very personal/ moving stories of those involved.

"My motivation behind creating this project was to put together a work which would help raise money for worthy causes," he explains, "but also to provide the reader with an educational and engaging collection of comics, art and illustrated factual and pieces surrounding themes of war, but from an emotional and humanitarian angle.

Think of it like a WikiLeaks; getting the real stories out there, but with mostly personal accounts and emotive art."

With so much conflict in the world, the contributions to War: The Human Cost expose the surrounding complex issues on why humans go to war, and the very real universal cost that it entails. It also looks at the more positive stories to come out of war and suffering and those creating practical alternatives to the destruction it causes.

'The Soldier' by Hannes Pasqualini.
A tale about becoming the thing you
fear the most

"I contacted many people, commissioned work and also allowed for open submissions from comic artists, writers, illustrators and musicians," Sean says of the project's beginnings. "I was astounded by the response.

"I received over 800 pages of work from artists from 24 countries, with some amazing, heartfelt and well-researched work. I’ve now edited that down to a much smaller and better book, and am just working on my own last three contributions to this work.

"The aim is to bring people together, and look at the causes and effects of war. I believe, that it is through understanding, real-life stories, solid journalism, and allowing different voices to be represented, that we can work against fear, propaganda and warmongering, and lessen the dehumanisation and ‘us and them’ mentality that is whipped up around the world by various leaders/ groups to create conflict, exploitation  and hate."

The CD features well known artists who support the project, such as Michael Franti and Spearhead, Sly and Robbie, DJ Spooky, Blue King Brown, Zion Train, The Levellers, Big Youth and Twilight Dub Circus, The Groove Corporation and many more.

So far the project has raised £3450 externally, and Sean himself has £1500 into the project, and  raised another £1750 via some wonderful sponsors, contributers, and by putting on two benefit gigs.

Donations start from £5 ($8.00 US). "The smallest donation helps!" says Sean.

• You can support this project via www.indiegogo.com/WAR-The-Human-Cost-Book-CD-Project

• Samples of the work featured in the project can be found on Paper Tiger Comix Facebook page and MySpace page