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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Missing in Action: Marvel UK’s “Just William” Project
A comics company lives or dies by its catalogue, and back in the 1980s and 1990s Marvel UK, like others, was always considering new ideas from editors. Some fell at outline stage, such as my proposed roleplaying game magazine (suggested following… Read More ›
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Commando Closes 2015 With Four Cracking Comics
Closing out 2015, here are the last issues of DC Thomson’s Commando (Issues 4875 – 4978) for the year, with the next release scheduled for 14th January 2016. These four issues are on sale in all good newsagents on Thursday 31st… Read More ›
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Hachette Launches “Draw The Marvel Way” Part Work in January
Hachette, the British publisher of titles such as Doctor Who: The Complete History and Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection is to launch How To Draw The Marvel Way on 6th January in all good newsagents. The part work – evocative… Read More ›
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Artists Wanted to help bring “Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail” to Dundee
A major art project inspired by the Sunday Post‘s “Oor Wullie” will take over Dundee next summer – and the project is still looking for artists to be involved. Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail is a major public arts event that… Read More ›
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In Review: Asterix and the Missing Scroll
Written by Jean-Yves Ferri Art by Didier Conrad Original title: Le Papyrus de César Published by: Les Éditions Albert René UK Publisher: Orion Children’s Books Out: Now The Book: Julius Caesar has finished writing the history of his campaigns in Gaul. His publisher, Libellus… Read More ›
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The British Comics Industry: Looking Back on 2015, Looking Forward to 2016
With the festive season upon us and 2015 racing to a close, over on Comic Book Resources, staff writer and comics retailer Brian Hibbs, in an article titled “Tilting at Windmills: Trouble on the Horizon?“notes we’re in an extremely odd… Read More ›
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Something for the Weekend: US Comics (and more) on sale 23rd December 2015
It’s Christmas, so time to dash out for some last-minute stocking fillers for the comic fans in your family! This week, my top pick this week, along with the latest issues of 2000AD, Arcadia, Batman 66 Meets The Man From U.N.C.L.E. #1,… Read More ›
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Marvel UK Heroes Lost in Action: Officer Outbody by Glenn Dakin and Ross Dearsley
A Marvel UK character that fell foul of the company’s implosion in the 1990s
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Doctor Who creators recall their “Embarrassing Moments” for Paul Cornell
Ace author Paul Cornell has a terrific blog packed not only with news about his work – a new episode (#7) of his podcast, The Cornell Collective is out now, for example – but some wonderful posts on things Doctor Who and more…. Read More ›
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Pitch In for Perlin! GoFundMe Appeal Launched for veteran Marvel artist
Veteran US artist Don Perlin – perhaps best known for his work on Marvel’s Ghost Rider, The Defenders and Transformers – recently had surgery to stop bleeding in his head. Writer and editor Clifford Meth, who has previously led successful… Read More ›
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Titan Comics Reveals Heroes Reborn “Godsend” mini-series variant covers
Titan Comics have just revealed their variant covers from their all-new forthcoming mini-series Heroes: Godsend written by Heroes Reborn scriptwriter Joey Falco and with art from Roy Allan Martinez (Immortal Iron Fist). This five-part story arc, launching in March 2016,… Read More ›
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Comic Crowdfunding Spotlight: Joe Matthews “A Christmas Carol”
Christmas 2015 may be fast approaching, but cartoonist Joe Matthews is already planning for 2016 – by trying raise funds to publish a very personal graphic novel; his own adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, working with David McCluskey… Read More ›
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An All-New “Garth” Story Continues the Mirror Hero’s Original Adventures
It’s been many years since the last official new Garth adventure appeared in the Britain’s national Daily Mirror but his many fans still hanker for his return – and now an unofficial continuation of the character, written and drawn by Bill Storie,… Read More ›
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Celebrating the Genius of Ken Reid at Christmas
Over on this always-entertaining blog about British comics, cartoonist Lew Stringer has posted a number of terrific Christmas strips drawn by the wonderful Ken Reid. You’ll have seen some of the pages before on Lew’s blog over the years but others… Read More ›
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Awesome Comics Podcast Episode 25: A Creating Comics Adventure!
As Tony Esmond couldn’t make it this week (he’s busy helping Santa’s elves, apparently), it’s just Vince Hunt and Dan Butcher holding the fort on this week’s Amazing Comics Podcast, and they spend it cooking up a storm with lots of… Read More ›
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IDW announces Al Williamson’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Artist’s Edition
The legendary late artist Al Williamson’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back stories have been collected in the award-winning Artist’s Edition format by US publisher IDW, to be released in April 2016. Al Williamson is an artist much admired by comic creators worldwide and, back… Read More ›
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Freaks, Heroes and Horrors, Good Grief! A Dastardly Digital Bundle of Comics Now On Sale
Following up on my plug earlier today for 100% Biodegradable Issue 11, there’s a fab “Freaks, Heroes and Horrors Bundle” on offer from four ace independent publishers on the digital platform Drivethrucomics – and it’s bigger than ever this time around. Offering… Read More ›
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100% Biodegradable Issue 11: All Action, All New and Out Now for Christmas!
Issue 11 of the digital anthology 100% Biodegradable is out now on Drivethru (Comicsy and ComiXology release to follow soon), sporting a rather lovely cover from Andrew Hartmann and Charlie Hogg, to complement the “Moby Douche” strip written by the… Read More ›
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Road to Perdition and Doctor Who artist Richard Piers Rayner interviewed
The latest episode of Jeremy Bement’s Doctor Who Panel to Panel podcast features an interview with Road to Perdition and Doctor Who artist Richard Piers Rayner, along with its usual selection of news items and a review of Titan Comics 2015 Doctor Who Holiday Special, a… Read More ›
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Radio 4 re-broadcasts “Eagle” documentary
Available now on BBC iPlayer for about a month is the Radio 4 documentary Eagle: The Space Age Weekly, hosted by Sir Tim Rice and includes author Philip Pullman amongst the guests, as well as the voices of Marcus Morris… Read More ›