Author Archives
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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Paramount Pictures rejoins “London Resort:” Theme Park project
Paramount Pictures has reignited plans for The London Resort – Britain’s largest ever theme park in Kent, after signing a new deal with the project. The studio was first announced as the project’s main sponsor back in 2014, but after… Read More ›
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Mixam Prints Multi-Record Breaking Kickstarter Book “How to THINK When You DRAW Volume Two”
Watford based printer Mixam UK Ltd has exploded into the Kickstarter market by printing the Etherington Brothers’ multi-record breaking book How to THINK When You DRAW Volume 2. The £477,000 ($623,000) Kickstarter project, funded by 7,199 backers, smashed records to… Read More ›
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Bam! Comic Art & Zine Fair coming soon to Bath
To celebrate Small Press Day on the 13th July in the UK, there’s another event on the day in the heart of Bath with 30 plus independent creators of comics, zines, art and more. The Bam! Comic Art & Zine Fair will be… Read More ›
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Are your ready for Small Press Day 2019?
Small Press Day 2019 looks set to be the best celebration yet of the British independent comic press and micro publishers from its dedicated team of organisers. In 2016 an idea born on Twitter led to a series of nationwide… Read More ›
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Comic Madness at Macc-Pow in Macclesfield! – Lakes Festival Podcast reveals all…
This week’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival Podcast leads with a report from the fourth Macc-Pow comic con, held in Macclesfield on Saturday 22nd June 2019, organised by regular Festival guest, writer, artist and publisher Marc Jackson. The event attracted… Read More ›
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Must have bandes dessinées for your bookshelf, by artist Keith Page
Charlotte Corday and Dan Dare artist Keith Page picks out some of his favourite bandes dessinées… Anyone who has visited a French comics shop will be aware of the vast and bewildering varieties of books displayed. Here are a few… Read More ›
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“Third World War” collection due in 2020
The definitive collection of Third World War, a powerful tale of of global capitalism, rebellion and exploitation created by Pat Mills and the late Carlos Ezquerra. A ground-breaking story, “Third World War” first appeared in the anthology title Crisis, the… Read More ›
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Striker: The Final Whistle special announced, ending strip’s 34-year run
The final episode of the long-running comic strip Striker will be featured in a commemorative 52-page collectors’ edition of the comic, Striker: The Final Whistle. At least 33 pages of The Final Whistle will be all-new comic strips, picking up… Read More ›
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Tom of Finland Centenary exhibition announced as part of this year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival 2019 is to celebrate the forthcoming 100th anniversary of the birth of Tom of Finland (born Touko Laaksonen), the world’s best loved queer artist, comics creator and gay icon with a special exhibition in… Read More ›
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Crowdfunding Spotlight: Advent Comics’ Tenth Anniversary anthology, Facets
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, US indie publisher Advent Comics has launched a Kickstarter to publish a 100-page anthology, Facets to mark the occasion – and, like many smaller comics companies across the globe, makes no bones about how it sees… Read More ›
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Nick Abadzis faces Doctor Who: Panel to Panel probe
Episode #111 of Doctor Who: Panel to Panel, the great Doctor Who comics-focused podcast by Jeremy Bement, is live and offers a great chat with award-winning comics writer and artist Nick Abadzis. Nick Abadzis’ epic run on Titan Comics’ Tenth… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: Inspired by Autobiography
In an episode of the comics radio show Panel Borders looking at how personal experience can inform the content of graphic novels, Alex Fitch talks to cartoonist Ian Williams about his books The Bad Doctor and The Lady Doctor. Plus, guest presenter Philippa Perry discusses The Book of Sarah with its author, artist Sarah Lightman, about the book’s mix of fine art drawings and diary entries.
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“Penalty” Football Card Game box art by John Armstrong on eBay
“Penalty“, a football-inspired Pepys card game was invented by Ernesto Scola of Milan, working with a team of twelve specialists who took five years including playing 18,000 trial games to develop the game. It was first published on the continent… Read More ›
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John Patrick Reynolds offers new limited edition “Dennis the Menace” print
Screen printer John Patrick Reynolds is offering a new limited edition print of Dennis the Menace, based on an which first appeared in an edition of The Beano annual in the 1960s – and has inspired other similar illustrations of the character since
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US technology company Megahoot ramps up comics plans, appoints Lawrence White Chief Creative Officer
Megahoot “MEGA”, a US-based blockchain technology, Cybersecurity and smart technology company, has appointed writer, artist and publisher Lawrence White as its company’s Chief Creative Officer “CCO” who will lead all creative efforts for MEGA’s online and print graphic novels, online gaming platforms, brand collateral for the company’s film, TV and comic book projects
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WebFind: Exploring the Barnes Museum of Cinematography, St Ives, Cornwall in the 1970s
The Barnes Collection is a collection of film apparatus and ephemera relating to pioneering Victorian filmmakers from Brighton and Hove. It was purchased by Hove Museum & Art Gallery in 1997 with money from the Headley Trust and the Friends of Hove Museum. The… Read More ›
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Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure game launches this Autumn
Global video games publisher Outright Games has announced a forthcoming console and PC-gaming experience set in the wondrous, prehistoric, universe of the Ice Age film franchise from Blue Sky Studios, Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure. Based on the blockbuster film… Read More ›
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School’s Out Forever, Rebellion’s first in-house movie project, gets greenlit
Rebellion, owners of 2000AD, recently announced its first in-house projects that will use the company’s new studio space near Oxford. Post-apocalyptic thriller School’s Out Forever will be shot there and on location, followed by several projects based on Rebellion’s comic… Read More ›
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Does Aces Weekly Volume 40 see the debut of a new heroine – Siriana?
Aces Weekly Volume 40 offers surprise selection box of the light and the dark, the hard and the soft, and the nutty in one digital anthology, with strips by Jok LP, Rodolfo Santullo, David Leach, Roberto Corroto Cuadrado, Anthony Zicari,… Read More ›
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London set to go LEGO crazy at London Film & Comic Con, London Brick Festival
Celebrate all things LEGO at the London Brick Festival, returning 22nd September 2019