Panel Borders: Junkyard Jack, Street Noise and Monster Fun!

By John Freeman on March 1, 2023

Today’s Panel Borders, Britain’s only on-air comics radio show, is titled “Junkyard Jack, Street Noise and Monster Fun” – a programme looking at comics for young audiences, and a young publisher looking to widen audiences.

Alex Fitch talks to editor Liz Frances about her imprint Street Noise Books, who publish a range of graphic novels about diversity and activism, and to Monster Fun artists Matt Baxter and Danny Noble about illustrating “Hire a Horror” and “Junkyard Jack” and “The Horse that Talked”.

Award-winning Street Noise make books that combine words and images in a powerful way, as in nonfiction graphic novels and memoirs. Their books have a radical, intersectional feminist, queer and inclusive vision, and seek to provide a platform for the voices of marginalized people.

Monster Fun, from 2000AD publishers Rebellion, is an all-new newsstand comic combining humour and adventure strips for a young audience, offering new takes on classic British comic characters, and introducing new ones, too.

• Panel Borders: Junkyard Jack, Street Noise and Monster Fun 5.30pm, Wednesday 1st March 2023, repeat broadcast 11am, Sunday 5th March 2022, Resonance 104.4 FM + DAB (London) / podcast after broadcast at panelborders.wordpress.com

John Freeman

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.