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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Disruptor Beam Announces The Walking Dead: March to War Mobile Game
Disruptor Beam, a gaming company focused on bringing the world’s greatest entertainment franchises to mobile, has announced its plans to release a new story-driven multiplayer strategy game based on The Walking Dead. Under license from Skybound Entertainment and based on… Read More ›
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Sean Phillips’ Phono+Graphic Exhibition opens in Carlisle
The hugely successful Phono+Graphic exhibition curated by comics artist Sean Phillips arrives in Carlisle next week. Phono+Graphic is a collection (including some real rarities) of vinyl record sleeves designed by comic strip artists. The exhibition previewed at last year’s Lakes… Read More ›
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Holy Showcase! Dark Hall Mansion release stunning “Batman ’66” prints
Dark Hall Mansion has just launched its amazing officially licensed 2016 NY Comic Con “Batman ’66” editions by contemporary artists, Kode Abdo, aka BossLogic, and Orlando Arocena, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products on behalf of DC Entertainment. Kode… Read More ›
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Game of Thrones meets Walking Dead in new play “North Country”
A new play by a Lancaster University lecturer in creative writing explores the lives of three young people as they deal with the aftermath of a devastating plague. Playwright Tajinder Singh Hayer‘s new work North Country is performed by award-winning… Read More ›
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Something For the Weekend – Killer Dinosaurs in This Week’s New Comics in the UK (w/c 3rd October 2016)
Despite all the excitement of last week’s sell-out 2000AD prog 2000, don’t be thinking the team on the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic are resting on tier laurels! Prog 2001 offers a fine mix this issue, which includes a new Judge Dredd… Read More ›
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Midnight Missions and Pony Soldiers! New Commandos ride out
Here’s our regular intel on the latest issues of DC Thomson’s war comic Commando (Issues 4959 – 4962) – on sale from 6th October 2016 in all good newsagents and various digital platforms. By the way, our secret agents tell… Read More ›
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Enjoy a taste of the macabre with celebrated Lancaster author AS Chambers this Hallowe’en
A.S.Chambers, Lancaster’s master of the macabre (and one of Lancaster Comics Day’s most fervent supporters), will be making a special appearance at Lancaster Library this Hallowe’en weekend. On the 29th October he will be holding a one off event, where he will… Read More ›
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CBBC orders “Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!” from Beano Studios
Beano Studios, the business behind the relaunch of the Beano as a global entertainment network, is announcing its first TV commission, with the Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed series (52 x 11 minute episodes) due to air on CBBC in late… Read More ›
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Dr Gale, Mrs Peel, Tara King… We’re Needed – on New Avengers Posters!
Following the success of last year’s pop art featuring The Avengers John Steed and Mrs Peel, Art & Hue‘s collection has been expanded to include fellow spies Cathy Gale (played on screen by Honor Blackman) and Tara King (Linda Thorson) as… Read More ›
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Titan Comics Takes Manhattan!
This New York Comic-Con (6th – 9th October), Britain’s Titan Comics is bringing its largest-ever offering of thrilling debuts, NYCC variants and special appearances from a host of creators including Hard Case Crime founder Charles Ardai, novelist and Peepland writer Christa Faust, and comic writers Paul Cornell (The Third Doctor), Si Spurrier (The Eleventh… Read More ›
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Crowdfunding Spotlight: Mirabilis – Year of Wonders by Dave Morris and Leo Hartas
Many downthetubes readers will recall Mirabilis: Year of Wonders – a wonderful, beautifully written and realised graphic novel project by Dave Morris and Leo Hartas, which first debuted in The DFC and which Print Media Productions planned to publish as a series graphic albums. Sadly,… Read More ›
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By Gum! It’s Dan Dare (and Flamer Spry) at Woking’s Lightbox
As part of The Story of British Comics So Far exhibition at The Lightbox in Woking, Surrey, Peter Hampson, son of Dan Dare co-creator Frank Hampson, will be talking with Paul Gravett on Saturday 8th October 2016, straight after a day-long “Comiket” event produced in… Read More ›
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New Fantastic Beasts Posters and more launched as Harry Potter prequel film debut approaches
Fresh in stock ready for the Christmas rush, GB Posters offers a great range of posters, ready to hang collectable framed prints and other merchandise from this season’s biggest brands. The company says Pokemon and Suicide Squad have proved to be a… Read More ›
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Creating Comics: Steve Gregson and Matthew Simmons Go Galaxia!
Lancaster-based Steve Gregson and Matthew Simmons are two 1980s kids who grew older, but didn’t grow up. With a shared love of cartoons, comics and action figures the two decided to put their heads together to write a story about… Read More ›
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Lakes Festival “Windows Trail” Launched, Kendal comes alive with comics-inspired shop windows
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival‘s Windows on Comic Art Trail has just launched in Kendal in the run up to the weekend-long comics event. It’s a unique art trail, displayed in business windows across the town, and provides a fabulous opportunity for… Read More ›
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Guest Post: Five things I don’t wanna see in your indie superhero comic
Dan Butcher is the creator, artist and writer of the acclaimed British independent comic Vanguard, which can be read for free at VanguardComic.com. He’s also one of the hosts on the Awesome Comics Podcast. Here, he offers some thoughts on independent superhero… Read More ›
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“Football Earth” star joins Roy Race in bid for England Manager role
Following the announcement that comic hero Roy “Roy of the Rovers” Race has put his name forward to be considered for the next England manager, today Pet Guardiola has thrown his hat into the ring. Pet is one of the… Read More ›
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Awesome Comics Podcast Episode 65: Ryan K Lindsay (Deer Editor, Negative Space)
This week Ryan K Lindsay (Deer Editor, Negative Space) joins the Awesome Pod crew to talk about all things comics, from his working processes on his past books, the price of digital books, Michael Bay films and the importance of… Read More ›
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2000AD 2000 Sells Out, reprint in the works!
We’re delighted to relay information from Tharg’s droids to report an unprecedented moment in 2000AD’s long and illustrious history – the landmark 2,000th issue has sold out less than 48 hours after hitting shelves across the UK and Ireland – and, for the first… Read More ›
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Coming soon: Beano Christmas Special, annual available
(With thanks to Lew Stringer for the heads up): Hot on the heels of this week’s Beano revamp, look out in your local WHSmith not just for the 2017 Beano annual but this Beano Christmas Special, on sale soon. Featuring… Read More ›