Author Archives
A life-long comic fan, specialising mainly in UK adventure comics, Colin did his very best to support his passion for the comics of his youth, Commandos (still going!) and any small press that interested him. Sadly, Colin passed in March 2021, an invaluable downthetubes team member, much missed by us all
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In Review: The Art of Ian Kennedy
When it comes to legendary British comics artist Ian Kennedy, I am not sure if I come into the superfan or the superstalker category, but if anything features his art, you are guaranteed that I will have more than a… Read More ›
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Ron Smith – A Personal Tribute by Colin Noble
My appreciation of comic artist Ron Smith, who died earlier this week, is lifelong. His passing is a great loss to the British comics industry, and our community… On the afternoon of Wednesday 2nd October 1974, I was feeling a bit… Read More ›
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In Review: Dave – Death of the Cosmic Oddity
By Richard Pester Out: Now The Book: Everyone has a story to tell, this is the continuing story of ‘Dave’. Like all of us, he tries to make sense of his life, memories of a turbulent past bring both tragedy and… Read More ›
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Collecting Comics: The Strange Case of the War Comic Cover “Twins”
Richard Sheaf and I recently investigated the way British war comics used to re-use cover art, and this article reveals how two British comic companies used the same art on different titles… For those of you familiar with my Nothing… Read More ›
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In Review: Illustrators Special 2 – War Is Hell
For those of you that are aware of the Book Palace, you will hopefully also be aware of their in-house imprint which publishes Illustrators, a beautiful produced quarterly magazine dedicated to enhancing our knowledge of all things dealing with comics. … Read More ›
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In Review: Generation Gun #1
Written by John Farman Art by Will Pickering Publisher: Vital Publishing Disclaimer: Do not read if you are either American, Conservative, Pro-Gun, Pro-Choice, read the Daily Mail or really dislike anyone disagreeing with your opinions. I admit that I am… Read More ›
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In Review: The Brexit Comic
Why Don’t You..? was a popular kids’ show back in the 1970s and 1980s and the main gist was to encourage kids to switch off the TV and go and do something less boring instead. Well, that ethos seems to… Read More ›
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When Kennedy’s Collide: the Commando work of Cam and Ian Kennedy
When it comes to staying power, it is hard to come up with a better definition than comic artist Ian Kennedy’s career. Ably supported by his family, Ian has delighted generations of comic fans since he went freelance in the 1950s…. Read More ›
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Commando Collectors gather for second Swapmeet
Colin Noble reports on the second Commando Swapmeet organised by Andy Yates, which took place last weekend. These events focus entirely aimed on British comics and the emphasis is on DC Thomson’s war title, Commando, the longest running picture library… Read More ›
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In Review and Pictures: Edinburgh’s Capital Sci-Fi Con 2018
Capital Sci-Fi Con was back in Edinburgh this weekend (3rd to 4th February 2018) with a line-up that included Doctor Who stars Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, alongside comics guests such as Nick Brokenshire, Gary Erskine, Tanya Roberts and John… Read More ›