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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British Comic Heroes Abroad: Dan Dare’s first Asian Publication Recalled
We’ve covered some of the reprints the original Dan Dare experienced across the globe in the past on downthetubes and Richard Sheaf wrote a detailed guide to many of them In the Titan Dare collection, Safari in Space. But until… Read More ›
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Celebrate 2000AD – Or Else! (In a new art competition, that is…)
Every month, fans of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic have the chance to win a 2000AD graphic novel by entering a themed art competition inspired by the long-running SF weekly. The theme for February 2017 is, unsurprisingly, “Celebrating 40 Years of… Read More ›
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Sneak Peek: Fighting Fantasy’s “Freeway Fighter” Returns As All-New Comic
Spinning out of the legendary Fighting Fantasy series of game books created by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson in 1982, the post-apocalyptic Freeway Fighter distinguished itself by deviating from the usual mix of orcs, goblins and cave-trolls. Now it’s back… Read More ›
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Beyond Dredd and Watchmen: The Art of John Higgins
Beyond Dredd and Watchmen: The Art of John Higgins, opening at Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery 10th March 2017, is the first major retrospective of the work of Liverpool-born artist. John Higgins found global success as a comic book artist, colourist and… Read More ›
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Egmont Publishing celebrates strong ABC performance for children’s titles
Following up on our report on the latest ABC sales figures for British comics, longtime comics publisher Egmont Publishing UK – which last year sold its classic comics archive to 2000AD publisher Rebellion – is celebrating strong ABC performance, just… Read More ›
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King Kong, wartime Beanos and banned Oz comics – quite a selection in latest ComPal comic auction!
The latest Compalcomics online auction has just launched and offers a fantastic selection of wartime Beanos, pre-war Mickey Mouse Weeklies and copies of Glasgow / Northern Looking Glass, considered the world’s first “comic”, published in Glasgow in 1825. Plus, there’s the chance… Read More ›
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DC Thomson celebrates as Beano sales figures climb in a difficult market
We reported on the latest ABC circulation figures for British news stand comics earlier today, and we can now reveal that Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson is delighted the Beano, 110% Gaming along with other titles No.1 and The Scots Magazine are celebrating… Read More ›
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Brian Bolland “Joker” Statue added to DC Designer Series
Straight from the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke, acclaimed artist Brian Bolland’s rendition of The Joker gets the Designer Series treatment. Bolland’s version of the Clown Prince of Crime is one of the most iconic, recognisable renditions… Read More ›
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Beyond 2000AD Exhibition Opens at London’s Orbital Comics Tomorrow
A special exhibition that charts the phenomenal influence of 2000AD on global pop culture opens in London tomorrow. BEYOND 2000AD: The Wider Cultural Impact Of The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic exhibition opens at the UK’s only Eisner Award-winning comic store, Orbital… Read More ›
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Big Finish and Hitch Hiker’s producer Dirk Maggs get Best Drama Audie award nominations
Big Finish – creators of many much-acclaimed Doctor Who audio adventures and more – and Dirk Maggs, well known for his “Audio Movies” approach to Audio drama, have nominations for Best Drama in the 2017 Audie Awards. One is The… Read More ›
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Campfire’s Beatles Graphic Novel gets Liverpool launch this weekend
A new graphic telling of the Fab Four’s story – The Beatles: All Our Yesterdays – gets its launch at Write Blend bookshop in South Road, Waterloo in Liverpool on Friday 10th February 2017. Written by Jason Quinn, drawn by… Read More ›
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Front Line Thieves and Lost Legionnaires – new Commando comics on sale this week
Here’s the intel on this week’s Commando comics releases from DC Thomson (Issues 4991 – 4994), on sale in all good newsagents from Thursday 9th February 2017 and various digital platforms… We note the title is heading rapidly toward its… Read More ›
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Something For The Weekend: Time To Celebrate 40 years of 2000AD!
Squaxx dek Thargo will be out in force celebrating 40 Years of 2000AD in London this weekend – so how could we not mark this momentous event in this week’s British comic and creator-focused new comics round up with a… Read More ›
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New Iron Fist trailer from Netflix reveals more of series characters and plot
Netflix has just released another teaser for Iron Fist, its latest Marvel Comics-inspired series. If it’s as good as Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, the subscription service will have another great show to encourage comic fans to watch –… Read More ›
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Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula Issue #1 – Extended Art Preview Unearthed!
Titan Comics has just revealed the covers and an extended art preview from Anno Dracula #1 – an all-new comic mini-series based on the best selling Anno Dracula novels, written by creator Kim Newman with art by Paul McCaffrey, coloured by Kevin Enhart…. Read More ›
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One for 2000AD and Dan Dare fans: Let’s Go To Mars! Game Launched
A graphic adventure game focusing on the exploration of Mars has been launched by the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, which should appeal to fans of most SF comics or books – of all ages. The app, Let’s Go To… Read More ›
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“Jeff Hawke Junior” Collected At Last by Jeff Hawke Fan Club
Just published by the Jeff Hawke Fan Club and available to members is this collection of Jeff Hawke Jnr., containing all the Jeff Hawke strips from Junior Express weekly. The 128 page book is the same large format as the Club’s COSMOS magazine… Read More ›
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Exclusive Extract – Read Em and Weep Book One: Serial Killer by Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill
With the 40th Anniversary 2000AD celebration this weekend in London, we’re delighted to bring you this extract from Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill’s new novel, published by Millsverse Books, set in the wold of 1970s comics publishing… Be advised this extract is… Read More ›
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John Wagner to ‘revive’ the Dark Judges with new story ‘Dominion’ for Judge Dredd Megazine
Writer John Wagner (Judge Dredd, A History of Violence) and Nick Percival (Clive Barker’s Hellraiser) are to follow up 2015’s chilling Dark Justice with a new story featuring the infamous Dark Judges. An Alien-style race-against-time Dark Justice saw undead alien… Read More ›