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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Comic Creator Q&A: Indie Publisher David Robertson
downthetubes caught up with busy, enthusiastic experimental creator David Roberson of Fred Egg Comics just before Christmas to talk to him about his work…
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In Review: Combat Colin Issue 3 by Lew Stringer
A review of Combat Colin #3, the latest collection of madcap strips by Lew Stringer from the pages of Marvel UK’s Transformers comic first published in 1989 and early 1990
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Lakes Festival Podcast Looks back on 2018
We may already be enjoying a big Happy New Year already resplendent with inexplicable outrage over new pastry-based products from Greggs, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to look back at 2018, a great year in the world of… Read More ›
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Panel to Panel: Dan Slott talks Doctor Who, Freefall Warriors in the spotlight
Episode #107 of the excellent Doctor Who: Panel to Panel is live – and leads with Marvel Comics writer Dan Slott (Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four) chatting with podcast host Jeremy Bement about Doctor Who comics, history, the current season and… Read More ›
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Red Range returns in “Pirates of Fireworld”
Ace independent US publisher It’s Alive! has announced that Keith Lansdale, the writer who recently brought you The X-Files and Creepy stories, will unleash his imagination on the historical and somewhat Steampunk world his father, Joe R. Lansdale, created in… Read More ›
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New book lifts the lid on cream of Soviet satire
A new book delving into one of the best-known examples of Soviet satire has just been published by the University Press of Mississippi. Graphic Satire in the Soviet Union: Krokodil’s Political Cartoons by John Etty lifts the lid on Krokodil, which offered some extraordinary cartoon art within a hugely propagandistic publication
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Sneak Peek: Rad Erwank & Conspiracy Dog by Łukasz Kowalczuk, Kek-W and Jack Teagle
Rad Erwank & Conspiracy Dog is an utterly bonkers 48-page black and white comic available to pre-order now from Diamond or direct from US publisher Alternative Comics. It’s scripted by Łukasz Kowalczuk and 2000AD‘s Kek-W, with art by Jack Teagle… Read More ›
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Black Max soars again in New Year 2000AD
Legendary British comics villain Black Max returned to the news stand in 2000AD last year – with some of his early adventures in Thunder and Lion from the 1970s also collected – but this week, he’s the weekly title’s cover… Read More ›
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“Mansion of Madness” studio revived?
Last year, comic creators Lee Robson and Dan Hill, working with ace designer and writer Andi Ewington and others, released the horror anthology Mansion of Madness, featuring stories from some of the best and brightest creators in the comics world… Read More ›
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Latest Astonishing Spider-Man is … Carnage!
Astonishing Spider-Man Volume 7 #17 is still on sale in the UK from Panini, available from all good newsagents – or on subscription. Price £4.50 for 76 arachnid action-packed pages, this Issue, released last month includes: Venomverse continues! Carnage is… Read More ›
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Comic Art Auction Spotlight: Sam Glanzman’s “Haunted Tank”
Leave it to Sam Glanzman, championship realist among DC’s war-comics crew, to capture an essence of heroism-under-fire in the simplest of short-story vignettes for G.I. Combat #280. In this complete three-page Story, “Prize Shot”, published by DC Comics in 1985,… Read More ›
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WebFind: Look and Learn, Treasure illustrations galore from Holloway Fine Art
Quite by chance, I came across the eBay page Holloway Fine Art, which is offering hundreds of artworks from classic annuals, books magazines such as Look and Learn and Treasure, including 1980s Famous Five illustrations by Leslie Branton. Also on… Read More ›
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Dundee lecturer Chris Murray investigates “The British Superhero” (and a Marvelman book you should read, too)
We’re not entirely sure how The British Superhero by the University of Dundee’s Chris Murray slipped under our radar when the University of Mississippi Press published it back in 2017, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t plug it now,… Read More ›
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Journey Planet helps revive ground-breaking 1960s comic zine Heroes Unlimited for one last outing
Forty-nine years in the waiting and the making, Journey Planet recently published Heroes Unlimited #8, an incredible zine of fantastic proportions and wonderful content that bookends the publication that helped kickstart British comics fandom in the 1960s. In December 1966,… Read More ›
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Do comics still inspire future scientists and engineers?
Here’s a curiosity from the days of the original Eagle, comic, released around 1959 – an Eagle Presents British European Airways supplement given away with the title, which prompted me to wonder if the comics of today still inspire readers… Read More ›
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It’s Ice Cold in the new Commando Comics, on sale now!
Brand new Commando – Issues 5187 – 5190 – are on sale now in all good newsagents from DC Thomson, featuring icy escapes in the Russian wilderness, furious fights alongside the Red Devils, night-vision missions in the Iraqi desert – and… Read More ›
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Titan Magazines British DC Comics titles cease publication
Titan Magazines has announced that it will no longer be publishing its licensed DC Comics range in the UK. All titles on sale now in newsagents are the final issues. The company sent a brief email to subscribers of its… Read More ›
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Season’s Greetings!
Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas! John Freeman
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Crowdfunding Campaign promotion tips from “Killtopia” creator Dave Cook
Dave Cook – the writer of cyberpunk graphic novel Killtopia – recently offered some great creating comics tips on planning the promotion of your crowdfunding campaign on his Twitter, which he has kindly given us permission to repost on downthetubes…. Read More ›
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Portsmouth comic Con to host first ever Tripwire Awards
For over twenty-five years, Tripwire has been championing US and UK comics first in print and, since 2015, on the web. For the second Portsmouth Comic Con, taking place 4th-5th May 2019, Tripwire will be launching The Tripwire Awards, an… Read More ›