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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Annuals now arriving thick and fast in bookshops, including Rupert the Bear
We’re clearly heading for Christmas – and yes, we know it’s only the end of July! – with a further round of annuals set to hit book shops and online stores across the UK over the next few days, including… Read More ›
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“The Broons” enlisted for £10K Sunday Post giveaway competition
Publisher DC Thomson enlisted their long-running comic characters The Broons in a ground-breaking £10,000 competition for readers of The Sunday Post utilising cutting-edge digital printing. Using new technology from DC Thomson’s Discovery Print arm in Dundee, an instant giveaway voucher… Read More ›
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Guardian newspaper launches #OpenComics project
The Guardian Witness has launched its #OpenComics call out, which aims is to get creators of all skill levels to share comics you’ve created that reveal the personal and political untold stories from around the world. Here’s the details in full from… Read More ›
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Free “Spineless” Comic released with 20,000 copy print run
I recently received a copy of Spineless comic from Lydia Wysocki at Applied Comics – a free comic put out under the Newcastle Science Comic banner about invertebrates published in partnership with the Spineless exhibition at Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle this summer. The exhibition and comic… Read More ›
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Jim Alexander, Will Pickering signing at Forbidden Planet Glasgow
Comics writer and publisher Jim Alexander and artist Will Pickering are signing at Forbidden Planet Glasgow this Thursday. Jim is a stalwart of DC, Marvel, 2000AD and many more and of course runs the Planet Jimbot independent comics publishing house. Two of his strips, “King’s… Read More ›
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In Review: Futurequake Issue 27
Creators: Various Publisher: Futurequake Press Out: Now The Book: FutureQuake is back! The finest talents in the small press are here again to save you from boredom. Where else in the printed world can you get this much variety for… Read More ›
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First official Roald Dahl story-inspired app launched: Twit or Miss
Children’s writer Roald Dahl‘s disgustingly memorable The Twits are the first of his characters to star in a new app – and their habits are just as yucky as ever. Today sees the launch of Roald Dahl’s Twit or Miss,… Read More ›
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Sneak Peek: Surface Tension Issue Three
Next Wednesday (29th July 2015) sees the release of Surface Tension #3: the defining chapter of the new creator-owned eco-horror fable from writer/artist Jay Gunn, who we interviewed here recently about the book and his career in games and comics. The corals activate… Read More ›
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“Wish You Were Here” – comic artists re-imagine the Lake District – ahead of Comic Art Festival
The Lake District National Park is England’s largest covering 229,200 hectares of land with 16 large lakes and more than 200 fells. Beatrix Potter, Alfred Heaton Cooper, Arthur Ransome, JMW Turner, and William Wordsworth were just a few of the famous names inspired… Read More ›
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Halfpenny Dreadful Comic Publishing – punk pulp fiction from Mike Knowles
Halfpenny Dreadful Comic Publishing – the brainchild of veteran comics writer Mike Knowles – is seeking aspiring writers and artists who might enjoy producing punk pulp fiction. Mike has been a published writer/artist for over 30-years working mainly in comics, (DC Thomson… Read More ›
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Something for the Weekend (22nd July 2015) – A little 2000AD for the weekend, folks?
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. Prize-winning British cartoonist Julian Hanshaw makes his US debut this week with the… Read More ›
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Every Doctor (Who) Has His Thursday…
The latest Doctor Who Magazine (Issue 489) is on sale tomorrow and we’ve detailed the issues’ full run down below. It includes the first part of a new 12-page comics strip, “Spirits of the Jungle” by Jonathan Morris, illustrated… Read More ›
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Rachael Smith’s “The Rabbit” graphic novel launches in September
Comic creator Rachael Smith and the Avery Hill Publishing crew will be launching The Rabbit, Rachel’s second graphic novel, at Manchester’s Travelling Man comic shop on Friday 28th August and London’s Orbital Comics on Friday 11th September 2015. Following her debut, critically acclaimed graphic… Read More ›
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Judgement Comes to Cardiff! (Judge Dredd judgement, that is)
Judgement in Cardiff, a unique exhibition of Judge Dredd art comes to Cardiff next month – the work of a duo known as Caped in Case who commissioned David Roach to draw the event’s promotional poster. The exhibition brings together some of… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: Bruce Mutard – from The Bunker to The Sacrifice
Continuing a month of shows about Australasian comics, Alex Fitch talks to Melbourne cartoonist Bruce Mutard about his career so far, from his first graphic novel The Bunker to experimental comics such as Alice in Nomansland, and working on a sequel to his… Read More ›
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Sapphire & Steel Competition: Nigel “Spleenal” Auchterlounie joins the fun
Recent news of a possible return to our screens of the spooky Sapphire & Steel prompted various comic artists to pipe up that they’d love to draw a new comic based on the show, so we’re challenging our readers to do… Read More ›
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Wart horror comic continues, last round of crowdfunding permitting…
Comic creators Chris Welsh and Ammar Al-Chalabi are closing fast on their modest Kickstarter to fund WART Book Three at the moment, so we thought we’d give him a deserved plug to hopefully help him gain full backing. In January, he successfully funded books One… Read More ›
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In Review: Panel Borders: Crowd-Funded Comics
A train journey to the Lakes afforded me the chance to listen to this terrific episode of the Resonance FM ’Panel Borders‘ podcast about the positives and negatives of crowd funding your comic projects. This show concluded a month… Read More ›
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John Ridgway Interviewed for Doctor Who Panel to Panel Podcast
Veteran comic artist John Ridgway, still drawing issues of Commando but perhaps best known for his work on 2000AD, Doctor Who Magazine and DC Comics Hellblazer, is the guest on the latest Doctor Who: Panel to Panel podcast. A true Doctor Who comics legend,… Read More ›
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Warren Ellis: “Read Comics. All comics. And then cut them open…”
Comic creator Warren Ellis – author of Trees, Injection, Ministry of Space and whose fanzines I bought back in the 1980s when we met at the Westminster Comic Mart days, publishes an entertaining weekly newsletter, Orbital Operations (subscribe here), covering all… Read More ›