After a few months hiatus, science fiction authority Phil Harbottle has resumed his fascinating British Science Fiction-focused video series on YouTube. His series is now refocusing on newly published books and magazine stories arising from his activities as a literary agent.
Having completed his original objective, based on his book, Vultures of the Void: The Legacy, which was to tell the inside story on British science fiction publishing in the post-war decade, followed by explored the legacy for the main authors who had emerged (notably John Russell Fearn and EC Tubb) and his own involvement in their careers after he became a magazine editor and literary agent.
“So going forward, my future videos will be mainly based on newly published books and magazine stories arising from my activities as a literary agent,” he explains, revealing the current hiatus was largely due to his having simply taken several months out to write another book myself: The Multi-Man, a new literary biography of John Russell Fearn.
Phil began planning this new book back in 1988, when he first commissioned a Ron Turner cover for it. But he kept discovering more and more new pseudonyms and details of Fearn’s life.
“I wanted the book to be complete, so I kept putting it off until I could be sure I had discovered everything…”
Following the unexpected death of his friend, agent John Lawrence, whose book, The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner, has now been published in paperback by Telos Publishing, the hardcover now sold out, Phil, mindful of his own mortality, decided it was high time he completed The Multi-Man – and he has.
The fruits of more than 60 years of research, the book will be published by American publisher, Bold Venture Press, who have been publishing Phil’s clients for some time. However, such a large book will be a big undertaking for a small press, so the book will have to be done in stages, with publication in about a year’s time, in late 2026.
Phil’s video highlights, among other things, some of the excellent titles Bold Venture are currently putting out, beginning with the latest issue of their flagship magazine, Pulp Adventures #48, featuring a novelette, “The Last Secret Weapon,” by John Russell Fearn as its lead, one of his best stories. Phil charts the previous publishing history of the story, including as an adult 166-page paperback graphic novel in France, in 1974.
EC Tubb’s Pandora’s Box republished
Phil also brings us news of another classic Wildside reprint by E.C. Tubb, Pandora’s Box, in both paperback and hardcover editions that include the illustrative Ron Turner cover from its now scarce 1999 Gryphon Books edition, along with Phil’s introduction. The first edition was very limited, and Gary Lovisi’s stocks were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, so this new edition will be welcomed by all E.C. Tubb fans.
“Pandora’s Box is only the latest in a long line of classic Wildside Tubb reprints, in beautiful paper and hardcover editions. They are all available to order online from the publisher or from Amazon,” Phil notes. “I find it sad and unbelievable that no other booktuber has reported the existence of these great Tubb books, whilst boasting about their ‘book hauls’ of so-called ‘vintage’ books by authors who don’t possess a fraction of Tubb’s talents! Can anyone explain this?”
• Check out the latest episode of British Science Fiction (No. 78: Pulp Adventures Magazine) here
Philip Harbottle is a life-long science fiction fan, regarded as a world authority on the works of John Russell Fearn, whose credits encompass writing “Garth” for the Daily Mirror, and the “Golden Amazon” for Spaceship Away (adapting Fearn’s stories).
He’s also very kindly contributed a number of synopses of early “Garth” stories to downthetubes, which we are adding as time permits.
Back in the 1950s, he adapted some of the Radio Luxembourg Dan Dare radio shows into comics at a young age – the only record of some of these tales known to exist, since very few recordings survive.
• Subscribe to 1950s British Science Fiction YouTube Channel here
• The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner 320pp approx. Large format 11×8.5-format full colour hardback | ISBN 978-1845832353 | Check out our preview feature here
• Available to order direct from Telos Publishing | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | Available to US-based customers through Bud’s Comics and Art |
• Vultures of the Void: The Legacy by Philip Harbottle (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Philip Harbottle presents a fascinating guide to British science fiction publishing history
• Buy Across the Ages by John Russell Fearn, adapted into comics by Philip Harbottle here from Lulu
A vintage comic strip by Philip Harbottle, adapting John Russell Fearn’s much admired SF novel Across the Ages, has finally been published – some sixty years after the now renowned author and publisher drew it (Read our news item about this here)
• Books edited or published by Phil Harbottle on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Check out books by E.C. Tubb published by Wildside Press here
Pulp Adventures #48
Featuring a rare science-adventure novella by John Russell Fearn — originally published in 1941 and never reprinted until now! Plus, a special profile of author E.C. Tubb’s “Visiting Celebrity” and the woman who inspired the story!
FEATURE STORY
- Film Into Fiction (Introduction) by Philip Harbottle — The secrets behind one of John Russell Fearn’s greatest stories!
- Last Secret Weapon by John Russell Fearn — A device with great potential for good, but an evil man possessed it …
CLASSIC PULP FICTION
- Visiting Celebrity by E.C. Tubb — The brief celebrity visit couldn’t end soon enough for some colonists!
- Handfast by John Burke — A love beyond the grave — but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
- Death of An Artist by Shelley Smith — They didn’t appreciate his genius — but Murder might silence critics …
NEW PULP FICTION
- Mutiny by Dennis Kohler — Alien beings and the tide of a special battle … turning ….
- Light of Reason by Teel James Glenn — A confrontation of arch enemies … from the light and the dark!
PULP HISTORY / DEPARTMENTS
- Editorial by Rich Harvey — Opening night in New Jersey; John DeWalt is 2025 Munsey Award recipient.
- The Alehouse of Tomorrow by Philip Harbottle — Editor Bea Mahaffey caused quite a stir at a famous London pub.
- Alias Charles Grey by Philip Harbottle — E.C. Tubb adopted another name for an endrun around his publisher.
- Men of Action by Bryson Merrick — Three pulpish heroes led the Mens Adventure genre in the 1970s.
- Rough Edges (Book reviews) by James Reasoner
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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