Panel Borders: Small Press Soundtracks

By John Freeman on May 26, 2011

Continuing radio show Panel Borders month of shows about the crossover between music and comics, Alex Fitch talks to the creators of a couple of small press publications which feature music in their stories and contain a soundtrack to listen to while you read the comic.

Writer Sam Gardner and contributing artist Lee O’Connor talk about Sioux Warrior, a new comic about a mysterious hero who is one part Sitting Bull and one part Phantom of the Opera and while enjoying his adventures, the reader is also serenaded by a sound chip built into the publication itself.

Alex also chats to Babak Ganjei about his graphic novel Hilarious Consequences, an irreverent but touching autobiographical book in which the author documents his travails in being a singer-songwriter and father while breaking the fourth wall in humorous asides to the reader; the book contains a compilation CD of tracks from Babak’s label, “Records Records Records Records”…

• Panel Borders: Small Press Soundtracks airs at 5pm, Thursday 26/05/11, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

• More about Sioux Warrior at: www.capefearcomics.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.