Based in Lancaster, Northern England, John Freeman is a writer, editor and creative consultant – and publisher of the web site, downthetubes.net.
Launched in 1998, its focus initially devoted to British Comics creators, publishers and titles such as 2000AD and The Beano, the site also features news items on cult TV shows, film and other media as well as operating as a platform for Crucible Comic Press projects.
John works as a specialist PR advisor and copywriter for international comic organisations such as the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, working freelance for them since 2014, as well as successfully promoting local comic events, such as Lancaster Comics Day (www.lancastercomicsday.uk), which raised over £1000 for Lancaster Library.
In addition to promoting the Lakes Festival’s annual weekend of comics-inspired events, John also helps promote the organisation’s many other year round projects and events with many other local, national and international organisations. They launched the first International Comic Rights Market for UK creators and publishers in 2024.
He is currently editor of Titan Comics licensed Star Trek Explorer magazine, the latest iteration of Star Trek Magazine, a title he helped launch back in 1995. This is his third “tour of duty” on the magazine.
B7 Media
In 2015, he joined the team at B7 Media as creative consultant on their new Dan Dare Audio Adventures, a series inspired by the classic British comic hero first published in the British weekly Eagle in the 1950s, who has been reinvented on several occasions for succeeding generations.
B7 Media has since launched its own comics imprint, B7 Comics, and published a graphic novel, Hancock: The Lad Himself, a graphic novel biography about comedian Tony Hancock by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page; and launched Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies, the first aspect of a wider SF thriller project encompassing audio and other media, written by John, with art by Neil Edwards (Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spider-Man) and covers by Alex Ronald (2000AD).
Published Comics and Books
In addition to Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies, John’s current comics work includes developing projects for his own imprint, Crucible Comic Press, such as Strawjack with artist Keith Page, and the SF adventure strip Crucible, drawn by Smuzz (whose credits include 2000AD), lettered by Jim Campbell.
He also wrote Death Duty with Dave Hailwood, with art by Brett Burbridge, lettered by Ken Reynolds.
Past comic credits include Doctor Who, The Real Ghostbusters, Thundercats, Galaxy Rangers, Gene Dogs, Shadow Riders, Warheads, Judge Dredd Megazine (writing “Judge Karyn” and “Cabal”), “The Grand Tour” for Italy’s CJL publishing, various humour strips for Lucky Bag Comics, comics for business clients (including a still unpublished and scurrilous serial about the British Civil Service that runs to over 100 strips), and “Black Ops Extreme” and “King Cobra” for STRIP Magazine, the latter re-inventing Scottish publisher DC Thomson’s superhero character first created by 2000AD’s Ron Smith.
John’s career in comics began over 30 years ago as a writer for fanzines and The Science Service, his first professional work, drawn by Rian Hughes (re-published by Knockabout in Yesterday’s Tomorrows). He also wrote a long-running humour strip, “The Really Heavy Greatcoat”, drawn by Nick Miller, which began in 1987.
His first book, Sci-Fi Art Now, was published in 2010 by ILEX in the UK and Harper Collins in the US, a collection of some of the best in contemporary science fiction art by a wide range of creators that includes an introduction by the legendary Chris Foss.
Marvel UK and Titan Publishing
John began working in the comics industry proper at Marvel UK, first as designer and then editor of Doctor Who Magazine, working alongside Richard Starkings (now head honcho at Comicraft and the creator of Elephantmen), John Tomlinson and Dan Abnett.
Working with Paul Neary, he helped shape the 1992 “Genesis” project that saw the creation of Death’s Head II – Marvel’s most successful cyborg character – the Warheads and Motormouth and Killpower, penning some issues of those comics and working with Liam Sharp (co-founder of the digital comics publisher Madefire), Mike Collins, John Ridgway, Lee Sullivan, Charlie Adlard, Dave Taylor, Craig Huston, Bryan Hitch, Andy Lanning, Stuart Jennett, and many more fine British comic creators. He also edited the weekly anthology title, Overkill.
In 1995, after a brief period as a freelance writer, editor and Director of the Lancaster Literature Festival, he was appointed Managing Editor at Titan Magazines, helping the company develop a line of licensed titles including Star Trek Magazine, Star Wars Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine and the British incarnation of Simpsons Comics.
Virtual Worlds
After a successful and enjoyable time with Titan, he moved back to Lancaster and plunged into the world of digital publishing in 1999, creating the concept and characters for a virtual SF chat world, VZSciFi, while continuing to work in ‘traditional’ publishing as freelance editor of books and magazines, including Titan Books’ Dan Dare and Charley’s War collections. You can read an interview about the VZSciFi project here.
Audio Comics
John began working on ideas for digital comics delivered to mobile devices in 2002, but it was at ROK Comics, where he was an editor between 2009 and February 2016, that those ideas finally coalesced into mobile comic platform and a range of audio comics.
The company published a number of audio comics for mobile devices (Apple and Android) including Team M.O.B.I.L.E. and The Beatles Story, the latter written by Angus Allan and drawn by Arthur Ranson, first published in the British weekly Look-In in the 1980s.
Strip: The Adventure Comics Magazine
Between 2010 and 2014, he edited STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine on a freelance basis for Bosnian-based publishing house Print Media, as well as working on their graphic novel projects.
• You can find John online at www.downthetubes.net
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This page was last updated on Friday 3rd May 2024