Rocio draws the art of a slice-of-life webcomic called La Libreria (The Comic Shop, available in Spanish), written by Rafael Verdejo Roman. They have self-published a short compilation of extra material La Libreria, Recuerdos contrafácticos and are currently working on a short story for the second issue of an anthology of horror comics, El Posabirras del Mal, an image of which is shown here for the first time! Both are members of Neuh. Rocio can be reached on Twitter (@UnaToruNaranja) and more of her work can be seen on DeviantArt. Come and enjoy Rocio in conversation with Alex Fitch of Resonance FM at the Northern Lights, 6 Little East St, Brighton, BN1 1HT, from 6.30 - Q&A at 7.30pm. All welcome!

Just Getting Old… with Eliza Fricker

Our guest on Monday 25th July is Eliza Fricker who will be talking about her graphic memoir Just Getting Old. The book charts her family's experience of her mother's illness, and an almost fatal - but all too common - mis-diagnosis, which you just might be able to guess by the title.

The multi-talented Eliza is one half of the design team Baines and Fricker with husband Steve Baines. Their amazing work can be seen at www.bainesandfricker.net including designs for Silo restaurant in Brighton and Dowse gift shop in Hove. Eliza has also designed postcards and notebooks for Stanley James Press, plus various cushions and wallpapers for Liberty, Urban Outfitters and Heals. And she does a mean trick with hospital furniture.



Join us from 6.30pm on Monday 25 July at the Northern Lights, Little East Street, Brighton, BN1 1HT - interview by Alex Fitch starts at 7.30pm.

We have two guests tonight: the excellent and original Kripa Joshi, and the estimable and prize-winning Elena Vitagliano. They will be amiably interviewed by Alex Fitch of Panel Borders: do come and join us at the Northern Lights, 6 Little East Street, Brighton today Monday 6th June, from 6.30pm.
Kripa will be talking about her humourous Miss Moti comics and co-editing the 'Home' anthology, which helped raise funds for victims of the earthquake last autumn via Art Aid Nepal. More information about Kripa's work here. And you can Run and Fight for Your Dreams by finding out more about Elena Vitagliano here.

For this month's Cartoon County meeting we'll be back at Northern Lights, 6, Little East St, Brighton, having battled with too much furniture in the meeting room of the Iron Duke to make a reasonable meeting place out of it again. No-one expected this Waterloo of a situation – our previous use of the venue had been uncluttered by what looked like a surfeit of sturdy wooden tables from a rustic French restaurant. Napoleon would have been proud to see our defeat, and smiled at our retreat. But we live to fight another day!

So, back in more spacious circumstances – if not exclusive ones – we're beginning at 6.30 on Monday, April 25th, with the terrific Warwick Johnson Cadwell, with Alex Fitch's podcast chat for Resonance FM starting at around 7-7.30pm.

Warwick has illustrated for Kane Miller Books and Walker Books, plus many magazines like New Republic and Fortean Times. He's also had frequent appearances in The Guardian, and contributed to a variety of independent comics such as Birdsong, New British Comics, Solipsistic Pop and West. He collaborates on Derek Danger with Robert Ball, and he's been drawing Tank Girl for Titan. He's also working on his graphic novel Gungle for Blank Slate.

Another chance to take The Opportunity to get acquainted with the great graphic novel from Will Volley, who was our last guest speaker. Will is guest at the Beacon in Hastings on Friday 29 April, and will be interviewed about The Opportunity by the wonderful Erica Smith. Free, but for more info and booking details, check here. Erica's brand new book, co-authored with Jane Bentley, will be on sale: the Activity Guide to Brighton.

And also check out news of a Kickstarter for an anthology from the enterprising, Queenspark Books, who you may remember issued a Brighton-themed anthology last year.

We hope you'll take The Opportunity to join us at our next meeting, on Monday 4 April - the last Monday in the month (our usual fixture) of March being a Bank Holiday, we're moving it to the week after. Will Volley, who studied illustration at the University of Brighton, and was a Cartoon County regular in its early days, is now coming to be our guest on 4 April to talk about his debut graphic novel with local publisher Myriad. Not, as previously advertised, at the Northern Lights, but at The Iron Duke, 3 Waterloo Street, Brighton.

The Opportunity, a masterpiece of graphic noir, follows the trials of salesman Colin as he becomes a victim of his own positive thinking. As his sales team desert him in the face of impossible targets, we see Colin's grip on reality fading amid the rain-lashed estates of Hastings. Based on Will's own encounters within this unregulated industry, The Opportunity is a graphic version of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, and David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.

Keep that date: Monday 4 April from 6pm until late. Alex Fitch will be interviewing Will at 7.30pm, at The Iron Duke, 3 Waterloo Street, BN3 1AQ.