downthetubes features material
commissioned for this web site along with material originally published in
the fanzine Eagle Flies Again.
NEW BRITISH COMICS COLLECTIONS AVAIALBLE NOW...
This is the first Dan Dare collection I've edited for Titan Books, comprising work by Frank Hampson, Frank Bellamy and Don Harley.
Superb World War 1 strip first published in Battle and another collection edited by me for Titan
downthetubes
features
PAYING TRIBUTE: Here's Johnny Pat Mills looks back at the career of the extraordinarily
talented John Hicklenton, who sadly passed away on Friday 19th March
2010
LATEST
INTERVIEW: Paul
Cornell: Hanging with the Captain
First published: 22 December 2009
Matt Badham conducted the following interview
with novelist, comics and TV writer Paul Cornell in 2008, as research material
for an article about Captain Britain that subsequently appeared in the
Judge Dredd Megazine.
Although various quotes
were used in that article, this is the first time that the full transcript
has seen the light of day (a highly edited version did previously appear
in Tripwire magazine).
Insomnia
Publications Managing Editor Crawford Coutts
First published 21 September 2009
Insomina Publications is fast becoming something of a rising star in the UK indie
publishing press, with graphic novels such as Cancertown and
the upcoming Burke & Hare just some of its
well-received titles. As the company prepares to launch its much-anticipated
Vigil range - graphic novels re-telling the events, lives and stories of famous
men and women - David Hailwood chats with with Crawford Coutts, Insomnia Publications
Managing Director...
• British
Comics on Film 9/3/08, last updated 24/10/08: American superheroes
such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman and others may well grab the headlines
today, but British heroes have proven no slouches when it comes to
grabbing the celluloid. Jeremy Briggs (with help from Steve Holland,
Graeme Neil Reid, Richard Sheaf and Lew Stringer and some additional
research by John Freeman) delivers a hopefully useful list...
• Up and Coming
2007
First posted 7/12/06: As 2006 drew to a close
and we look back on another inventive and successful year for British talent,
I wondered who British creatives thought were "up and coming" for
2007.
An appeal on various comic boards including Comics International and
EFA Yahoo groups confirmed some of my thoughts and turned up several
talents I'd not heard of...
• Battler Britton
Returns First published on Comic
World News on Wednesday, April 12 2006
Garth Ennis and Colin Wilson talk about the Wildstorm updating of the classic
IPC air ace.
DAN DARE
• Dan Dare Recalled
First published 20/5/07: Ian Wheeler outlines the history of one of Britain's
most fondly-remembered space heroes...
• The
Lost Dan Dare First published in Eagle Flies Again #7
Revealed: ATV's attempt to bring Dan Dare to the small screen
• Dan
Dare: Yesterday's Hero Returns First Published 21/11/07: Yesterday's hero is back. Everyone's favourite
space adventurer, Dan Dare, returned in a new action-packed series from
Virgin Comics and top creative team Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine in November
2007. Matthew Badham caught up with the Ennis and Erskine to find
out how they interpreted Dare for the new millennium and what this
very British hero means to them...
GARTH
• The Return of Garth First published: 31 August 2008: In August 2008, after a long gestation
period, adventure hero Garth returned
to British newspaper The Mirror - albeit,
for now, only on the publication's web site. Here, artist Huw-J talks to
John Freeman about the new strip and his many plans for the character's
ongoing revival...
ROY OF THE ROVERS
• Roy of the Rovers
Mike Gent charts the history of one of Britain's
most popular football comics characters...
Features:
Comics Titles
• British
Comics: 2004AD
A guide to the state of British Comics in 2004, published on Comic
World News Adventure Comics
• Falklands
25: Operation Corporate in Comics
9/4/07: 25 years ago, Britain was at war over
islands in the South Atlantic many Britons had never heard of – and
some at the time even thought were part of the Shetlands. Jeremy
Briggs examines the comics that featured the 1982 Falklands conflict
between Britain and Argentina...
COMMANDO
• The
Ten Year Veteran
First posted 11/3/07: "He's in a hurry. Be
careful here.” That frankly unpromising utterance was writer
Sean Blair's first line of dialogue in what this year will be a decade's
worth of anonymous work for that great British institution, Commando
Picture Library.
DOCTOR WHO
•
A Cold Day At Marvel UK: Doctor Who Comic Memories
First published 16/5/09:
Panini UK released its
first collection of Doctor Who strips featuring
the Seventh Doctor, played on TV by Sylvester McCoy, in May 2009.
Here, creators who worked on the strips featured in A Cold Day in
Hell,
edited by Richard Starkings (who was interviewed for the collection), remember
their contribution to the Time Lord's enduring comics mythos...
•
This is an extended
version of material provided for the collection, including comments from
Simon Furman and material cut for space reasons.
RED
DAGGER
• Graphic Novels by Any Other Name
First posted 15 July 2007: Jeremy Briggs probes
the mystery of DC Thomson's little known title Red
Dagger, and wonders why the company isn't publishing
something similar today...
SPIKE
• Comic
Companion: Spike
By the earlier 1980s, when Spike was
launched, the number of boys weekly titles published by D C Thomson was
on the wane. Jeremy Briggs delivers
this overview of the title, and a guide to its stories...
SPACESHIP
AWAY
• Spaceship Away!
Information about the superb licensed Dan Dare
Fanzine
STARBLAZER
• Starblazer: From the Command Deck First posted July 2009
Starblazer editor Bill McLoughlin charts the
history of DC Thomson's much-loved SF digest...
• Blazing
through the secrecy
First posted May 2006: Jeremy Briggs ponders
DC Thomson's secretive nature about its creators diown the years, and explores
the secrets of its science fiction title Starblazer, whose creators included
a young Grant Morrison and artist Ian Kennedy...
• Starblazer:
Behind the Lines
First posted June 2006
Writer Ray Aspden reveals his approach to writing Starblazer
• Victor:
Remembering Heroes
7/5/08: There was a time not that long ago when British boy's comics
celebrated the heroism of British and Commonwealth servicemen. Jeremy
Briggs takes a look back at how British comics once celebrated them...
Humour
Comics
• The
Story of Cor!!
Posted 15/2/07: Mike Gent takes a trip back to the 1970s and remembers
just one of many IPC humour titles...
• Toxic
Turns 50
Posted August 2005: Egmont's TOXIC comic,
which sells around 50,000 copies or more every issue every fortnight
in the UK, will be celebrating its 50th issue when it's released
on 31 August 2005. John Freeman caught up with editor Matt Yeo to
talk to him about the title's origins and future plans...
• 100
Not Out: TOXIC's latest milestone
Posted August 2007: Happy stinky birthday, TOXIC!
On 29 August 2007, Egmont's TOXIC
Magazine celebrated its 100th issue, a milestone for any comic but
even more so for a newstand title in today's fraught and often unstable
British comics world. IAN WHEELER caught up with editor Matt Yeo to probe
him about the title...
2006
• Comics Expo
Bristol 2006
First published 17/5/06: Alan Woollcombe reports on the Comic Expo,
feeling a little jaded by the experience...
2007 • Kidnapping
Edinburgh
First published 7/3/07: Jeremy Briggs reports on how a new comics
adaptation of Robert Louis Stevens classic novel took Scotland's capital
by storm in February 2007...
• Happy
Birthday, 2000AD!
7/5/07: Matthew Badham and David Baillie went to the 2000AD 30 year
birthday bash last month. They're just beginning to remember what the
hell happened...
• Comics
Expo Bristol 2007
First published 20/5/07: Every year, comic fans and creators invade
Bristol for three days as it plays host to the annual Comics Expo. Down
the Tubes asked Matthew Badham, David Baillie and Leon Hewitt to report
back on this year's event...
• The
Aesthetics of Trash - Academic Conference
On 28-29 August 2007, various academics and non-academics gathered
in Manchester to discuss animation and comics at an academic conference
held at the Manchester Metropolitan University. JENNI SCOTT of Caption was
one of those asked to present a paper. She shares her thoughts about
the event, below while MATTHEW
(That Small Press Guy) BADHAM also offers his views on the occasion.
• Brodie's
Law Exhibition 2007
22/11/07: David Baillie reports on a special event marking another
high point for one of Britain's top independent comics...
• No Barcodes 2008
13/6/08: David Baillie reports on the recent indie
event held in Camden Market, London
• Let's Do The Timewarp Again...
4/8/08: CAPTION,
if you aren't aware, is a long-running comics festival dedicated to the
British independent and small comics press -- and also the longest running
comics festival in Britain by many years. A week before the 2008 'Timewarp'
themed event, Andrew Luke ran some questions around CAPTION regulars
from early days to recent times...
• Bristol Comics Festival 2009 First published 16/5/09:
Even if you weren't there,
you've probably heard by now that due to the knock on effects of the
global credit crunchie this year's Bristol Comics Expo was a slightly
reduced affair. This might seem a shame, especially given that this was
the event's tenth birthday, but David Bailie reveals smaller
is sometimes better...
• Preserving And Presenting Our Comics Heritage First Published: 26/1/09
John Birch works for the National Library of
Scotland located in Edinburgh, one of the UK's five legal deposit libraries,
and curated their successful Local Heroes exhibition covering comics
and graphic novels. He gives Jeremy Briggs
the benefit of his experience in organising this exhibition and its related
events, as well as the legal requirements regarding archiving small press
comics and fanzines for the nation.
Comics
Writers
• Comics
Writers Leah Moore and John Reppion
First published 7/2/07
In the first part of an extended feature marking the release of the
Albion collection from Titan
Books (hot on the heels of Wildstorm's
edition in December 2006), John Freeman talks to writers Leah Moore and
John Reppion about the story.
Image: Liverpool Echo/Eddie
Barford
• Leah
Moore and John Reppion: Adventures in Wonderland First published 23rd August 2009 Leah Moore and John Reppion are the husband and wife writing team
behind Doctor Who: The Whispering
Gallery, The
Complete Dracula and Albion.
In this exclusive interview with Matt Badham for downthetubes,
they talk about their career so far, their work for the British
small press comics scene and the joys of Twitter...
• Tribute: Fred Baker
16/6/08: Writer and former Tiger and New
Eagle editor Barrie Tomlinson pays tribute to Fred Baker, one
of British comics unsung heroes, who died in June 2008
• G.I.
Handley: Rise of the Writer First Published: 21 August 2009
Edinburgh based writer Ferg Handley has written for a wide range of
British comics since the mid-1990s covering subjects as diverse as
football, war and superheroes. With the recent launch of the UK tie-in
comic GI Joe for which Ferg
writes the comic strip, Jeremy Briggs spoke to him about this new title
as well as the rest of his varied career.
• Jenny
McDade: Creating Tammy
First published 24 October 2008: comics writer Jenny McDade reveals how
she got her job working for one of Britain's best-selling girls' titles
ever... (Feature compiled with thanks to Dave Roach)
Comics Artists
• Tribute:
Massimo Belardinelli 1938 - 2007 by Pat Mills
First published: 18/4/07
Massimo Bellardinelli was not
just a good comic artist, he had that extra something. 2000AD co-creator
Pat Mills pays tribute to a legdn with a divine spark.
• Interview:
Rufus Dayglo: The Adventures of Tank Boy First published 28 July 2009
Based on an interview conducted last year, Matthew Badham talks to London-based
Comic book artist Rufus
Dayglo, whose credits include drawing
stuff for IDW Comics in the US and 2000AD in
the UK. He's the artist on the new Tank
Girl, drawn Judge Dredd and Low
Life – and is a mine of information about British comics and has
some fascinating insights into creating comics and applying yourself to
the comic freelance way of life...
• Interview:
Steve English
First published: 15/11/07
in 2007, cartoonist Steve English, creator
of Madd Science and Peter's
Cat, started contributing comics to mobile comics service ROK
Comics -- and won the $10,000 prize in the company's 2007 Humour
Competition. It's one more milestone in the career of the artist, as
Jeremy Briggs discovered...
• Interview:
Garen Ewing
First published on Comic World News
Garen Ewing is a British illustrator and designer working in both digital
and print media whose award-winning comic strip, Rainbow Orchid has
earned this talented creator high praise and a huge following world-wide – last
October, the web site netted an incredible 60,000 hits in the just two
days. John Freeman caught up with this busy creator to find out more
about the strip and his plans for its future…
• Interview:
Jon Haward
First published March 2008
The Classcial Comics project to make literature contemporary
and relevant through comics is ambitious, but has received high praise
educators and actors, including Royal Shakespeare Company fellow and Star
Trek icon Patrick Stewart. On
the launch of the second Classical Comics project, Macbeth,
John Freeman caught up with accomplished British comics artist Jon Haward
(pictured here with Alan Grant) to talk to him about his work on the
project -- an adaptation which includes all the scenes featuring the
witches and their controlling goddess, Hecate -- and his varied career...
• Tribute: Here's
Johnny First published 1st April 2010
Pat Mills looks back
at the career of the extraordinarily talented John Hicklenton, who
sadly passed away on Friday 19th March 2010
• Interview:
Comics Artist David Lloyd
First published August 2006: David Lloyd talks about his gangster graphic
novel published by Dark Horse - Kickback
• Interview:
Frank Quitely
First published 14 May 2008: When
top Scottish comics creator made an appearance at Scotland's National
Library in April 2008, Brian D Morgan was on hand to report what he had
to say about his approach to drawing comics for downtheubes...
• Interview:
Artist Shane Oakley
First published 23/2/07: Shane talks about his career, the Albion project
and future plans
•
Interview: Keith
Page: Raiding the Past and Future First published 16 April 2009: Keith
Page is one of the regular interior and cover artists on DC Thomson’s Commando as
well as writing and illustrating the Dan Dare prequel Rocket
Pilot in Spaceship
Away.
As a part-time artist he worked on 2000AD,
Dan Dare and TV
Comic annuals before
going full time illustrating Thunderbirds and
Stingray in The
Sunday Times. Jeremy Briggs
talks to Keith about his varied career for downthetubes... • See also: Keith Page Stripography
• Interview:
Artist John Ridgway
An online version of a 2003 interview first published
in the fanzine Eagle Flies Again #8
John Ridgway has drawn some of Britain's most popular comic characters
including Dan Dare for Eagle, Doctor
Who for Marvel UK and, currently, the Commando comics
for DC Thomson, producing the colour and 3D models for Hal
Starr for Spaceship
Away with Sydney Jordan. He also worked on Head
Shot, an episode produced for the series Black
Museum for 2000AD.
• Interview:
Cartoonist Lew Stringer
Published on Comic World News, 5 April 2005
An interview with the Viz and TOXIC cartoonist Lew
Stringer, whose collection of superhero satire, "Brickman Begins",
is published by Active Images.
• Tribute: Mike Western
• Mike Western
Remembered
23/5/08: Ian Wheeler pays tribute to the late, great comics artist, who
died in May 2008. With additional information courtesy of Steve Holland
• Tributes to Mike Western
From comics creators including John Wagner, Barrie Tomlinson, Dez Skinn,
Rufus Dayglo and others
ROK Comic Creators Short interviews with contributors to the UK-based comics
to mobile service, ROK Comics, run by downthetubes editor John Freeman.
Questions compiled by David Hailwood.
• Artist
Josh Alves
First Published 10/3/08
Josh Alves is a Graphic
Designer/ Cartoonist/ Stand-up Comedian residing in the very green and
mostly cold state of Maine, who's been adapting his one frame Tastes
Like Chicken cartoons into three frame ROK Comics for mobile. His
work has appeared on DC Comics Zuda service and in many other places,
with plenty more projects in the way...
• Writer Michael Colbert
First Published: 11/3/08
Los Angeles-based features and comics author Michael (Mike)
Colbert is the creator of the critically-acclaimed SF comic Crazy
Mary, one of several strips not only appearing on ROK Comcs but
also being translated into Chinese for ROK Comics China. He says his
first memory is seeing Star Wars and his writing influences
include Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, and Douglas Adams.
• Artist
Paul Harrison-Davies
First published 9/3/08
British indie artist, whose work
includes strips for the first Mammoth
Book of Best New Manga, AccentUK's Zombies and Robots (released
May 2008) anthologies and several small press titles
• Artist David Fletcher
First Published 11/3/08
New Zealand cartoonist David Fletcher claims that for the
last twenty years he's been pretending to work from home
as a comic strip, drawing a daily strip called The
Politician and several weekly strips including The TV
Kids which appears in the TV
Guide. His cartoons
are syndicated to Europe, Britain, Africa,Malaysia, Australia and
New Zealand.
People still keep asking him when is he going to get a proper job...
• Artist Mychailo Kazybrid
First published 9/3/08
Mychailo draws The Do Do Man for ROK Comics, but his career began way
back in 1975...
• Writer Ben Tinsley
First published 14/3/08
Ben Tinsley, publisher of Wham Bang Comics and president
of WBC Entertainment is a journalist with nearly 20 years of experience
Tinsley writes for, edits and publishes the comics in his small line.
His 13-year-old son Jake is the creator and writer of the 12-year-old
shaman superhero Night Owl, Wham Bang Comics' flagship character, and
the pair are in the process of creating a children's book based on the
character...
• Artist Dave Windett
First published 9/3/08 Dave Windett has
been with ROK Comics since its initial testing, providing character designs
for the Creator Tool and working on other ROK projects. He has worked
for a huge range of publishers during his varied career and is one of
the few British artists to have drawn for Bongo's Simpsons
Comics.
• Writer John Freeman
First published 9/3/08
John Freeman is Managing Editor of ROK Comics
• Insomnia
Publications Managing Editor Crawford Coutts
Interview by David Hailwood, First published 21 September 2009
Insomina Publications is fast becoming something of a rising star in the UK indie
publishing press, with graphic novels such as Cancertown and
the upcoming Burke & Hare just some of its
well-received titles.
• DFC
Publisher David Fickling
First published 17 September 2008: Earlier
this year, David Fickling Books and Random House launched The
DFC, a new weekly comic in the UK, the first of its kind in terms
of the levels of originated, new characters for many years. Publisher
David Fickling chat
about the comic, his love of comics and plans for so much more than just
one new comic...
• The (Comic) Art of War: Warhammer
Monthly Editor Christian Dunn
First published 14 january 2009: In 2008, Matthew Badham interviewed
Christian Dunn, ex-editor of Warhammer Monthly,
for an article about the comic published in the
Judge Dredd Megazine. Although he used
several quotes from Christian in the finished article, there was still
a lot of material from his interview left unused. It seemed a shame to
waste his answers and so, with Christian’s consent, we've finally (with
apologies to both Matthew and Christian for the delay) posted those unused
answers here at downthetubes.
• DC Thomson Editor Bill
Graham
First published 2 April 2008: Jeremy Briggs talks
to Bill Graham, editor of past titles such as Starblazer (profiled
here) and Spike (read the
companion feature) and many more, on his long and
varied career with D C Thomson and his current involvement with their
comic strips for Wendy.
• Ned
Hartley: Legends from Titan Towers
First published 8 April 2007: Who says British comics are dead? Certainly
not the staff of Titan Magazines and Panini UK,who are filling the newsagents
shelves with their publications. True, a lot of the material is reprinted from
US comics, but the strips are lovingly repackaged for a British audience in beautifully
printed collector's editions, in full colour with quality card covers. IAN
WHEELER reports...
• Commando Editor
Calum Laird
First published 8 April 2008: First published in
1961 Commando is Britain's last war comic. As the
title approaches issue 4100 in 2008, Jeremy Briggs talked to new editor
Calum Laird, who joined DC Thomson in 1979, on the recent changes he
has made and the growth in Commando related tie-ins...
• War of Words: An interview with Calum Laird
First published on downthtubes 24 August 2008:
In December of 2007 Matt Badham was fortunate enough to interview Calum
Laird as research for an article about writing. The interview includes
tips on pitching to various DC Thomson titles such as The Dandy,
Beano and general advice on pitching to comics editors
that we think is really useful.
• Commando Editor George Low 13/9/07: September 2007 saw a major change at DC Thomson
with the retirement of long-serving but, perhaps, little-known editor
of Commando George Low, who joined the company from school and has
worked on the digest title ever since. downthetubes caught
up with George to ask him about himself, Commando and the
title's future...
•
DC Thomson Editor and Writer Bill McLoughlin
First Published 27 June 2008:
Jeremy Briggs talks to DC Thomson writer and editor,
Bill McLoughlin, whose career has covered text based story papers, as well
as the comic strip humour, adventure and digest titles and who, at a time
when more old DCT material is available in book form than for many years,
now works for their Syndication Department.
• DC Thomson Commado Chief Sub Editor Scott Montgomery First published 20 November 2008: In 1992
Scott Montgomery was at the Glasgow Comics Convention listening to
writer Alan Grant as he gave advice on how to get into comics. Today,
Scott is chief sub-editor on DC Thomson's Commando comic
having previously worked on TheDandy and
having written for as diverse companies as Rebellion, Marvel UK and
BBC Radio. Jeremy Briggs talks to Scott about the wide range of periodicals
that he has worked on, as well as his radio work and his first novel,
and finds out just what Alan Grant's advice at GLASCAC was.
• Publisher
Andrew Sumner
Published on Comic World News, 4 February 2005
Andrew Sumner at IPC Media has been instrumental in getting revivals
of some British comics characters via Wildstorm's Albionand Titan Books
Spider and Steel Claw colections off the ground. A huge comics fan, Andrew's
worked in magazine publishing for over 18 years.
• Albion
Man: Andrew Sumner
First Published 12/2/07
An interview with Andrew Sumner about the success of Wildstorm's
revival of many IPC characters.
• Writer, Editor and Publisher Richard Starkings
Published on Comic World News, 19 May 2005
With the imminent and eagerly-awaited arrival of a new issue of Active
Images' Hip Flask in comic stores, it seemed like as good a time as any
to talk to one of our most successful comics exports, letterer and publisher
Richard Starkings.
• Illustrator,
Writer and Editor Steve
White
Also published on Comic
World News, 13 December
2005
Titan launches its Wallace & Gromit
Comic on 29 September 2005, tying in with Aardman
Animations first Wallace & Gromit
feature film, Curse of the Were-rabbit,
which opens in October. John Freeman found out more about the new title
from editor Steve White, who also edits SpongeBob Squarepants for the
company, as well as other editorial duties.
• Editor Russell Willis
First Published 13 September 2008: Russell Willis produced and published
a number on important underground cartoon magazines in the 1980s. He
moved to Tokyo in the early 1990's where he now runs a web based publishing
company in Tokyo. UK underground cartoonist, Simon
Mackie, who also lived in Tokyo in the early to mid 1990's, recently
met up with Russell in Tokyo where they talked about Russell's involvement
with the UK comics underground two and a half decades ago...
PAYING TRIBUTE: Here's Johnny
• 
• 
• 
