Author Archives

• DC Thomson’s Heritage Brands Editor Gordon Tait Talks Buckets, War and Reprints

  By Jeremy Briggs on December 11, 2018

  

  As the new Heritage Brands Editor at DC Thomson, replacing Kirsten Murray who inaugurated the role, Gordon Tait brings a great depth of knowledge and experience to the position that includes editorship of 104 issues of Commando a year plus… Read More ›

• Commando’s commemoration of the Great War Armistice concludes with the final two Weekes’ War stories

  By Jeremy Briggs on November 29, 2018

  

  Commando has been running World War One stories for the duration of November in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice which stopped the fighting. The highlight of this has been the sequence of five connected stories under the… Read More ›

• British Comics Swap Meet in Fife This Coming Weekend

  By Jeremy Briggs on September 24, 2018

  

  After this last weekend with two of the largest UK comics events, Thought Bubble in Leeds and MCM Scotland in Glasgow, next weekend 29-30 September 2018 one of the smallest UK comics events will be happening in Lochore in Fife…. Read More ›

• Comics @ Borders Book Festival 2018

  By Jeremy Briggs on June 3, 2018

  

  The Borders Book Festival in the Scottish town of Melrose, perhaps best known for its Abbey and the Melrose Sevens rugby tournament, is not a literature festival that normally covers comics in any great depth but that has changed this… Read More ›

• Glenrothes Comic Con returns to the Rothes Halls next Saturday – 9 June 2018

  By Jeremy Briggs on June 2, 2018

  

  Last year Fife Council put on the inaugural Glenrothes Comic Con in the town’s Rothes Halls with artist Gary Erskine as the event’s Creative Director. Gary’s participation ensured that the event was a truly comics flavoured comic con and the organiser’s… Read More ›

• Words From Beyond: Lady Penelope Artist Frank Langford Part 2 – Andersonic Quotes

  By Jeremy Briggs on April 10, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  In the first part of this Words From Beyond feature on artist Frank Langford we reprinted a rare interview with him from Tardis fanzine dated February 1976. For this second part we begin with a selection of quotes from Andersonic fanzine dated… Read More ›

• Words From Beyond: Lady Penelope Artist Frank Langford Part 1 – Tardis Interview

  By Jeremy Briggs on April 9, 2018 • ( 1 )

  

  Frank Langford is a familiar name when it comes to comics having illustrated fan favourites like Thunderbirds’ Lady Penelope in the 1960s and BBC TV’s Doctor Who in the 1970s, yet when Gordon Blows interviewed him in the third issue… Read More ›

• Comics @ Aye Write!: Glasgow’s Book Festival 2018

  By Jeremy Briggs on February 11, 2018

  

  The Glasgow book festival Aye Write!  has announced its line-up for 2018 and as usual it includes a selection of comics events. These all take place in either the Mitchell Library or the CCA in central Glasgow over the weekend of… Read More ›

• Crowdfunding Spotlight: Steven Ingram’s “Left” on Kickstarter

  By Jeremy Briggs on January 29, 2018

  

  Artist and writer Steven Ingram has been making comics for over 10 years and since 2013 he has been self publishing Left which tells the story of Sam, a girl who is trying to keep away from a cult she was a member of… Read More ›

• Airfix artist Roy Cross “Swift” covers on eBay

  By Jeremy Briggs on December 24, 2017

  

  Four lovely covers for Swift, the younger readers stablemate to Eagle, are currently on offer on eBay (at eye-watering prices). Published in 1962, they’re all by artist Roy Cross who’s perhaps best known for his work illustrating Airfix Model box… Read More ›

• Luck Of The Legion: Selem Raschid’s Return – Another Forgotten Eagle Play

  By Jeremy Briggs on July 25, 2017 • ( 1 )

  

  After the recent discovery of a forgotten Dan Dare stage play that ran in London’s Half Moon Theatre in 1972, covered in Spaceship Away issue 42 and here on downthetubes , comes the realisation that there was another play featuring… Read More ›

• In Review: MULP – Sceptre Of The Sun Issue 4

  By Jeremy Briggs on July 24, 2017

  

  Writer Matt Gibbs and artist Sara Dunkerton return with the penultimate episode of their globe spanning 1930s adventure MULP: Sceptre Of The Sun. This mousey take on Indiana Jones has been a favourite here on downthetubes from the beginning and as… Read More ›

• Crowdfunding Spotlight: The Penned Guin Presents – To Coldly Go

  By Jeremy Briggs on July 22, 2017

  

  Back in January we spotlighted The Penned Guin Treasury Edition, a thick A4 collected edition of some 500 of writer/artist Alan Henderson’s humorous penguin strips which was crowdfunded on Kickstarter to over 250% of its target. The completed book was… Read More ›

• Sneak Peek: MULP – Sceptre Of The Sun Issue 4 by Matt Gibbs and Sara Dunkerton

  By Jeremy Briggs on July 17, 2017 • ( 1 )

  

  Writer Matt Gibbs and artist Sara Dunkerton’s anthropomorphic rodent adventurers return in the penultimate issue of MULP: Spectre Of The Sun. Published by Improper Books, MULP issue 4 was launched at the Cardiff Independent Comic Expo on Saturday 8 July and will… Read More ›

• Comic Book Guys Shop Hosts Belfast’s First Small Press Day

  By Jeremy Briggs on July 7, 2017

  

  Belfast sees its first Small Press Day on Saturday 8 July 2017 as part of the country-wide celebration of micro and self-publishers. Comic Book Guys will host sketches, signings and talks in their brand new shop at 130 Great Victoria… Read More ›

• Heath Robinson Museum Announces 2017 Design Competition

  By Jeremy Briggs on July 5, 2017

  

  The new Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner Memorial Park, London is dedicated to the work of the famous illustrator W Heath Robinson. William Heath Robinson is an artist whose work, whether in his well known humorous drawings or his illustrations… Read More ›

• Comics @ Edinburgh International Book Festival 2017

  By Jeremy Briggs on June 20, 2017

  

  Tickets go on sale today for events at the largest literary festival in the world, the Edinburgh International Book Festival which this year runs in the Scottish capital from 12 to 28 August. As ever BookFest has a selection of… Read More ›

• In Review: 60 Years Of Andy Capp Exhibition In Hartlepool

  By Jeremy Briggs on June 19, 2017

  

  We have mentioned it here on downthetubes before but, now that the 60 Years Of Andy Capp exhibition has opened at the Museum Of Hartlepool, it is worth mentioning again because it is an excellent, and completely free, exhibition. Artist… Read More ›

• Wonderlands UK Graphic Novel Expo Returns to Sunderland in June

  By Jeremy Briggs on May 17, 2017

  

  The Wonderlands UK Graphic Novel Expo is returning to the University of Sunderland City Space building on Saturday 3 June 2017. Running from 10am to 5pm it will feature its usual selection of talks, panels, workshops and a Publisher’s Hall of… Read More ›

• New Glenrothes Comic Con Adds Even More Comics Guests

  By Jeremy Briggs on May 10, 2017

  

  The new Glenrothes Comic Con which is taking place in the Rothes Halls at the town’s Kingdom Shopping Centre on Saturday 10 June 2017 has announced yet more comics guests. Given that the artistic director of the event is artist Gary… Read More ›