ROK Comics Creator Interviews Online

By John Freeman on March 11, 2008

Several interviews with creators of UK-based comics to mobile service ROK Comics, have been posted on the downthetubes.net main site. The questions were compiled by David Hailwood.

• Artist Josh Alves
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…

• Michael Colbert
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.

• Artist Paul Harrison-Davies
9/3/08: Paul is a modest but accomplished comics artist popular in British indie circles, whose work has been published in the Mammoth Book of Best New Manga. His upcoming strip for Accent Press’ Robots anthology, “MY Robot!” has been adapted into a ROK Comic series.

• Artist Rich Diesslin
Rich Diesslin is the creator and cartoonist of the KNOTS or Not (or KNOTS) scouting cartoons and a cartoonist for the London’s Times Cartoons. He is the author and cartoonist of The Cartoon Gospel of John and The Cartoon Ten Commandments.

• Artist David Fletcher
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
8/3/08: Mychailo draws The Do Do Man for ROK Comics, but his career began way back in 1975…

• Artist John Maybury
John Maybury, editor of the Comic Creators Guild annuals, is one of a small number of comics artist utilising ROK Comics for its ‘mature readers’ strand, reformatting his cult indie character Space Babe for mobile. John describes The Erotic Adventures of Space Babe 113 as “a naughty SF comedy”. Too right…

• Publisher Ben Tinsley
Publisher of Wham Bang Comics and president of WBC Entertainment, a journalist with nearly 20 years of experience. Tinsley writes for, edits and publishes the comics in his small line.

• Artist Dave Windett
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
Managing Editor of ROK Comics and writer of The Really Heavy Greatcoat and Ex Astris.

About the Author
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John Freeman

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.