Author Archives

• In Review: Blake And Mortimer – SOS Meteors

  By Jeremy Briggs on 2 November 2009

  Originally published in 1959 as SOS Météores, this was the eighth of the, to date, eighteen Blake and Mortimer albums. However as Cinebook have been jumping around in the original publication order this is actually their sixth Blake and Mortimer… Read More ›

• Tube Surfing: Anderson events, Dan Dare Toys and a Cartoon Classroom update

  By Jeremy Briggs on 14 October 2009

  • Gerry Anderson official fan club Fanderson have announced they will be staging their first major convention for four years next year. TV21: Adventure in the 21st Century will be based at the Ramada Bristol City – the same venue… Read More ›

• Cinebook Hits 100

  By Jeremy Briggs on 1 October 2009

  British publishers of some top class European graphic albums Cinebook have just been celebrating the publication of their 100th book – and not just any book, since it’s the newest instalment of adventure series Blake and Mortimer, published in English… Read More ›

• In Review: Great British Fantasy Comic Book Heroes

  By Jeremy Briggs on 10 September 2009

  During the Second World War, with imported resources costing ships and lives, paper was one of the many things that came under the ration. In Britain comics were not a wartime priority and publishers had to cancel some titles while… Read More ›

• Gaiman And Rankin On BBC2 On Wednesday

  By Jeremy Briggs on 24 August 2009

  As the Edinburgh International Book Festival continues this week under canvas in the Scottish capital’s Charlotte Square Gardens, BBC2’s Edinburgh Festival Show will feature a taster of what was one of the best BookFest events of last week. Fantasy author… Read More ›

• In Review: Scarlattine Teatro’s Manolibera

  By Jeremy Briggs on 20 August 2009

  Clare Walters, the original director of The Ballad of Halo Jones stage play, reviews Manolibera, a comics-inpsired show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe… Manolibera is a very charming and ingenious show. A technician is called in to operate a slideshow… Read More ›

• In Review: Papyrus – The Rameses’ Revenge

  By Jeremy Briggs on 17 August 2009

  From the futuristic Aldebaran via the contemporary Lady S to Biggles flying in World War II skies, downthetubes’ reviews of Cinebook graphic novels have been moving backwards through time and the theme continues with the Papyrus book, The Rameses’ Revenge…. Read More ›

• Comics @ Edinburgh BookFest

  By Jeremy Briggs on 7 August 2009

  With only a week to go before the start of this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival it seems that the comics related events have proved to be exceedingly popular. So popular in fact that the majority of them are already… Read More ›

• Matters of Convention – We are Family: A conversation with Vicky Stonebridge

  By Jeremy Briggs on 31 July 2009

  Continuing our series of interviews with British comic convention organisers, for this fourth instalment, Matthew Badham chatted to Vicky Stonebridge, the co-organiser, alongside Richmond Clements, of Hi-Ex!, a convention held in Inverness, Scotland, regularly reviewed on downthetubes by Jeremy Briggs…. Read More ›

• Moon Landing: T Plus 4 Days – Splashdown

  By Jeremy Briggs on 24 July 2009

  

  Of the 365 feet of Apollo Saturn V that launched on 16th July, only the 11-foot high Command Module, Columbia, returned to Earth where it safely splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean

• Moon Landing: T Plus 3 Days – The Future

  By Jeremy Briggs on 23 July 2009

  

  As the Apollo 11 Command Service Module covered the quarter of a million miles back from the Moon back to the Earth, NASA had big plans for the Moon

• Moon Landing: T Plus 2 Days – The Return Trip Begins

  By Jeremy Briggs on 22 July 2009

  

  It was actually 21st July that Apollo 11’s return to Earth began. Armstrong and Aldrin spent less than three hours walking on the Moon

• Moon Landing: T Plus 1 Day – First Footsteps

  By Jeremy Briggs on 21 July 2009

  

  Americans would have us believe that Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the Moon on 20 July 1969 because they saw it happen in their late evening

• Moon Landing: T Minus 0 Days – The Eagle Has Landed

  By Jeremy Briggs on 20 July 2009

  

  Forty years ago today, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin boarded the Lunar Module, Eagle, and undocked from the Command Service Module, Columbia

• Moon Landing: T Minus 1 Days – What Could Go Wrong

  By Jeremy Briggs on 19 July 2009

  

  Forty years ago today, the crew of Apollo 11 were almost at the Moon with their mission progressing smoothly

• Moon Landing: T Minus 2 Days – The Spacecraft

  By Jeremy Briggs on 18 July 2009

  

  Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 and its crew were at the half way stage in their journey from Earth orbit to lunar orbit in their Command Service Module, Columbia

• Moon Landing: T Minus 3 Days – Mission Overview

  By Jeremy Briggs on 17 July 2009

  

  Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 and its crew were on the first day of their journey from Earth orbit to lunar orbit

• Moon Landing: T Minus 4 Days – Launch

  By Jeremy Briggs on 16 July 2009

  

  Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 and its crew of three blasted off from Pad 39A at Cape Canaveral…

• Moon Landing: T Minus 5 Days – Predicting The Date

  By Jeremy Briggs on 15 July 2009 • ( 1 )

  

  40 years ago today, the three astronauts making up the crew of Apollo 11 were preparing for launch…

• Photo Review: Starblazer Exhibition

  By Jeremy Briggs on 8 July 2009

  

  Opened as part of the Dundee Literary Festival Comics Day on Sunday 28th June 2009, Dundee University’s Lamb Gallery is currently displaying a selection of artwork from DC Thomson’s Starblazer digest in an exhibition curated by Matthew Jarron. Starblazer was… Read More ›