Hannah Berry, Joe Decie and graphic designer George Hardie
Panel Borders, the monthly show about comics and graphic novels is back this week, celebrating the output of three artists associated with the City of Brighton and Hove. Alex Fitch talks to graphic novelists Hannah Berry, Joe Decie (whose graphic novel, Collecting Sticks, debuts this month) and graphic designer George Hardie about their work.
Coinciding with a career retrospective at University of Brighton Gallery, George Hardie discusses the influences of comics and sequential art on his illustrations and design work for clients such as Pink Floyd; at a conference on the Gothic at the University of Manchester, Hannah Berry talks about Adamtine, released in 2012, which depicts travellers on an evocative haunted train, and at Cartoon County, Brighton, Joe Decie talks about his first full length graphic novel Collecting Sticks, which will be published by Jonathan Cape on 13th April 2017.
A page from Adamtine by Hannah Berry
Hannah Berry is a comics creator, writer, illustrator and teacher. She has had two solo graphic novels published,Adamtine and Britten & Brülightly, and has contributed to numerous collaborative projects. Visit her blog and website here or follow her on Twitter @streakofpith
Around the comicking, she co-hosts the No YOU Hang Up podcast with Dan Berry: a very relaxed interview programme of sorts with creative guests and silly chitchat. Imagine Parkinson in his jimjams, telling bum jokes. She is an occasional tutor for the Arvon Foundation and one-time Online Writer in Residence for Booktrust.
Joe Decie is a cult favourite of the indie comics world. His autobiographical comics detail family life, often taking absurd or surreal twists and turns along the way. His graphic novel, Collecting Sticks is already attracting media attention pre-release, named as The Observer‘s Graphic Novel of the Month in March. Find him online at www.joedecie.com or follow him on Twitter: @joedecie
Collecting Sticks is a graphic novel about a family glamping trip. (It’s like camping, but much more expensive.) Loosely based on actual events, but sometimes veering unexpectedly into fantasy, the story plays with the challenges nature presents to city folk as they forage for berries, get stuck up a tree, make perilous encounters with stinging wildlife, compete to build the best fire and discover the importance of finding good sticks. Also, it rains. It’s about the human desire to get back to nature. Or to return to childhood and hit things with sticks.
George Hardie is an English graphic designer, illustrator and educator, best known for his work producing cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands with the British art design group Hipgnosis. His work includes the cover artwork for Led Zeppelin’s debut album, Led Zeppelin, as well as that for Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. Hardie has worked internationally both as a designer and illustrator.Since 1990, he has taught postgraduate students of graphic design at the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts. In 1994, Hardie became a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, for which he now serves as International Secretary. He retired in 2014.
• Panel Borders: Collecting Souls and Brighton Rock 5.30pm Wednesday 5th April, repeated 6am Sunday 9th April 2017, Resonance 104.4 FM and DAB (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Audio, British Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
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