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Wisconsin Public Radio

HEROES, ANTI-HEROES, AND REGULAR FOLKS

Program 07-07-15-A

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Everyone knows what comic books are about, right? But it's not all about people in long underwear hitting each other. Next time on To the Best of Our Knowledge, heroes, anti-heroes, and regular folks strutting their stuff in black and white

SEGMENT 1:

Austin Grossman design games and writes about comics. He's also the author of a novel called "Soon I Will Be Invincible." We hear produced excerpts from the book, and Grossman tells Jim Fleming that he tried to respect the comics conventions in his prose.

SEGMENT 2:

Douglas Wolk writes about comics and pop music for Salon, The Believer, The Washington Post and others, and is the author of a combination history and appreciation called "Reading Comics - How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean." Wolk tells Steve Paulson why comics became such a vital medium for individual artistic expression. Also, Ulli Lust is one of the new generation of comics artists publishing her own work, and the work of a collective of other young European artists, online. Steve Paulson spoke with her from her Berlin studio about why they made the move to cyberspace.

SEGMENT 3:

Roberta Gregory writes and draws the comic strip featuring the mis-adventures of Midge McCracken, AKA "Bitchy Bitch." Gregory tells Anne Strainchamps where the character came from and what the response to her has been. And we hear a dramatization of part of the series, which includes some profanity, all of which has been "bleeped" out. Nothing except the name of the character is heard in the piece. Also, Terry Moore has just concluded the fourteen year run of his series "Strangers in Paradise" which chronicled the lives or ordinary people. TTBOOK Technical Director Caryl Owen is a fan and talks with Terry Moore about doing comics about people who aren't super-heroes and what's coming next for him.

CD copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 07-07-15-A.

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Books:

Roberta Gregory, Life's a Bitch (Fatagraphics Books)
Austin Grossman, Soon I Will Be Invincible: a novel (Pantheon)
Terry Moore, Strangers in Paradise (Abstract Studio)
Douglas Wolk, Reading Comics - How Graphic Noels Work and What They Mean (Perseus Books/Da Capo Press)

Websites:

• http://www.electrocomics.com/english/catalog_engl.htm
• http://www.robertagregory.com/

• http://www.strangersinparadise.com/

Music:

• Original Soundtrack “Hamlet” Tracks 18, 6 & 13
  by Ennio Morricone Virgin 2-91600 (1990)

• “Heroes and Villains”
  The Beach Boys

• Egobone Etudes #s 6, 12, 18
  by Kai Pfeiffer

• “The Bitch is Back”
  Elton John

• Original Music by Terry Moore
  “Emma’s Storm”
  “I Dream of You”

• “Heroes”
  Heroes Symphony
  Phillip Glass

Distribution dates: week of 07/15/2007 - hour 1

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Questions and comments can be addressed to: flemingj@wpr.org

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