Reality Check: Living in Byzantium

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Reality Check: Living in Byzantium

In a panel discussion recorded at SCI-FI-LONDON, Alex Fitch talks to producer Stephen Woolley, writer Moira Buffini and star Daniel Mays about the new British vampire movie Byzantium, directed by Neil Jordan, which depicts the back story and current lives of a pair of female vampires living in modern day Hastings. (Byzantium is released in the UK on 31st May). (Originally broadcast 24th May 2013 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Still from Byzantium by Neil Jordan

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com

Links: Official film website
Info about the screening at SCI-FI-LONDON

Recommended events:

Image Duplicator at Orbital Comics

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely? This show brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans.

Take Back the Art!

16th May – 31st May 2013, Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA
More info: http://www.orbitalcomics.com/image-duplicator16052013-to-31052013

Science Museum lates: Que(e)rying the hero’s journey

As part of this month’s Science Museum Lates event which tackles the subject of sexuality in science, Journalist Alex Fitch looks at representations of gays and lesbians in speculative fiction. SF is a genre often inclusive of LGBT characters amongst its depictions of the alien ‘other’, from Lucian of Samosata’sTrue History (2nd century AD) to the changing sexuality of pop culture icons – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Green Lantern – in the present day.

19.30, 20.15, 21.00pm, Science Museum, Exhibition Rd South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD
(Doors open 18.45)
More info at http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/events

Gosh! Comics Signings

Jaime Hernandez is coming to town to do a talk at BD and Comics Passion Festival (http://www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk) — about comics, inspiration, creative process and his punk rock girls, Maggie and Hopey and the rest of them, from the very excellent, much-loved Love & Rockets — and Gosh! are feeling pretty lucky right now because he’s coming to the shop too.

For two hours on Wednesday the 29th of May (the day before the talk) Jaime will be signing comics including his latest graphic novel God and Science – Return of the Ti-Girls at our signing table. And you are invited, obviously.

Wednesday, 29th of May, 5pm – 7pm

Gary Northfield not only has a new book out, but he has a new book out about dinosaurs which is even better. You’ll know Gary’s work if you read Derek the Sheep back when he was in the Beano, or maybe you know his stuff from The Phoenix, or maybe you stared at him while he drew Rupert the Bear in Gosh!’s window on Free Comic Book Day. In any case, you are invited to drink beer (or juice if you’re wee) at the launch party of Gary Northfield’s Terrible Tales of the Teenytinysaurs!

Friday, 31st of May, 7pm -9pm

Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street
Soho, London. W1F 0DR