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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Marvel UK artist Pino Rinaldi provides cover for “Dark Rock Chronicles”
London-based independent book and comics publisher Diego Comics Publishing‘s latest title is Dark Rock Chronicles, a horror novel by Marco Guadalupi, featuring an awesome cover art by renowned illustrator Pino Rinaldi, well known for his Marvel comics work. This new English edition of… Read More ›
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Greek comic artist seeks to highlight country’s personal stories as crisis continues
How is Greece being affected by the ongoing financial crisis and the ongoing instability of its recently-re-elected government, still without a clear majority? Greek cartoonist Spiros Derveniotis hopes to cast an informative light on a dificult subject, told through the lives of… Read More ›
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New Roy of the Rovers merchandise on its way?
Richard Pink, the Managing Director of Licensing Agent and Brand Licensing company Pink Key Consulting, now handling the licensing of numerous Egmont UK brands including their “Classic Comics”, has big plans for the publishing company’s best-known vintage brand – Roy… Read More ›
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Doctor Who artist Martin Geraghty mind probed
The latest episode of Jeremy Bement’s Doctor Who: Panel to Panel podcast features a chat with longtime Doctor Who Magazine comic artist Martin Geraghty about all the Doctors, his 20 plus years with DWM and much more. Martin began drawing… Read More ›
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The Art Of The Graphic Novel: Adapted and Inspired
There has long been a tradition of comics and graphic novels adapting, or drawing inspiration from, well-known stories, and “The Art Of The Graphic Novel: Adapted and Inspired“, an exhibition that’s part of the Guernsey Literary Festival (on now, running… Read More ›
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2000AD Expands New Publishing Program With “Scarlet Traces” Deal
In a move indicating further expansion beyond its own well-established and much-loved titles, 2000AD has announced it has acquired the rights to Scarlet Traces by Ian Edginton and Matt “D’Israeli” Brooker. 2000AD has secured the global rights for the series,… Read More ›
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Lakes Festival Focus 2015: An Interview with Beano artist Zoom Rockman
Last year, in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, downthetubes brought you a number of interviews with creators attending the event – and we’re delighted to be able to run a series in the run up to their… Read More ›
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Peter Brookes Exhibition opens at Chris Beetles Gallery
An exhibition of over 150 cartons by The Times’ political cartoonist Peter Brookes has just opened today at London’s Chris Beetles Gallery. All of the satirical works are up for sale. Peter Brookes was born in Liverpool in 1943, the son of an RAF officer…. Read More ›
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Lakes Festival Focus 2015: Swedish comic artist and illustrator Mattias Adolfsson
Last year, in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, downthetubes brought you a number of interviews with creators attending the event – and we’re delighted to be able to run a series in the run up to their… Read More ›
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Something For The Weekend: British Comic Shop Releases (16th September 2015)
Here’s this week’s list of comics on sale now in comic shops across the UK. As usual, our list highlights the work of British creators and publishers. The top spot goes this week to Jem & The Holograms #7 from IDW… Read More ›
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Lakes Festival Focus 2015: An Interview with Comic Writer Kieron Gillen
Last year, in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, downthetubes brought you a number of interviews with creators attending the event – and we’re delighted to be able to run a series in the run up to their… Read More ›
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New Charlotte Corday serial begins today by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page
Over on the official Charlotte Corday web site, author and comic strip writer Stephen Walsh and Commando and Dan Dare artist Keith Page have just kicked off another fiction strand – a serialised text story, “Warp Wizard” revealing the early… Read More ›
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Black Knight’s return stirs Hulk Weekly memories
I’ll readily confess to woeful ignorance of modern Marvel continuity, but I was delighted to hear the news that the Black Knight is to get his own book – launching in November. I couldn’t help but hope, however, that writer… Read More ›
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London’s GOSH To Host “Wild’s End” Launch Party
Gosh, the fab comic shop based in London’s Berwick Street, will be hosting a Launch Party for Wild’s End Volume 1 with creators Dan Abnett and I.N.J Culbard, on Friday 2nd October. Published by Boom! Studios, Wild’s End offers a great new takes on classic science-fiction, and the creative… Read More ›
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Lew Stringer’s Brickman is Back!
Lew Stringer‘s seriously-stupid superhero Brickman is back after an equally stupidly-long absence from comics – and his creator has finally realised a long-held ambition to bring the character’s many fans a new comic packed with his wacky adventures. Brickman Returns!,… Read More ›
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Lakes Festival Focus 2015: An Interview with Visionary Storyteller Frank Santoro
Last year, in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, downthetubes brought you a number of interviews with creators attending the event – and we’re delighted to be able to run a series in the run up to their… Read More ›
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Abstract comic art re-interprets the work of 2000AD writer John Smith
‘After Smith’ is a new exhibition work opening in Germany today that re-interprets 10 pages of comics originally written by John Smith, and drawn by eight different artists as abstract works, as part of the ongoing ‘Intercorstal’ project created by Gareth A… Read More ›
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London’s Illustration Cupboard’s 3rd Annual Political Cartoon Exhibition open
Based in Bury Street, London, The Illustration Cupboard Gallery is hosting an exhibition of some of Britain’s finest political cartoonists: the Daily Telegraph’s Christian Adams, the late Punch cartoonist Albert Edgar Beard, the Financial Times cartoonist Jeremy Banks (better known as BANX) , The Week’s… Read More ›
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Something For The Weekend: British Comic Shop Releases (9th September 2015)
Here’s this week’s list of comics on sale now in comic shops across the UK. As usual, our list highlights the work of British creators and publishers. What’s not to like about Judge Dredd storming out of the latest cover… Read More ›
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Sneak Preview: Dead Vengeance #1 by Bill Morrison and Keith Champagne
Bill Morrison, Disney artist and cofounder of Bongo Comics with Matt Groening, and a headline guest at this year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival in October, has teamed with Dark Horse Comics and artist Keith Champagne for his first creator-owned… Read More ›