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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Horizon: The Fear continues Andrew Wildman’s rite of passage adventure
‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are’ – Anais Nin Comic creator Andrew Wildman very kindly sent me a copy of Horizon: The Fear, the second book in his HORIZON trilogy recently – what… Read More ›
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Accent UK’s “Thaddeus Mist” gains wider distribution
(With thanks to Owen Michael Johnson): Who On Earth Was Thaddeus Mist?, a terrific anthology book published by AccentUK to much praise last year, is now available on Amazon. At the funeral of her mysterious and eccentric husband, widow Zelda… Read More ›
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Angry Candy release new ‘West’ strip as part of “The Newspaper Strip Collection of Oscar Charles Drayton’
The Newspaper Strip Collection of Oscar Charles Drayton – featuring the latest West story The Train Leaves at Noon, alongside other faux-1970s newspaper strip-style stories from John Maybury, Colin Stanford, Arthur Goodman, and David Goodman – is now available to buy… Read More ›
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“Neil Gaiman’s Lost Tales” digital comic raises over £1200 for Malaria No More
Last week, SEQUENTIAL‘s Editorial Director, Chloe Pursey, was delighted to hand over a cheque for $2,000 to Malaria No More UK to help them fight malaria. This was the first tranche of the money publishers Panel Nine are raising by… Read More ›
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Jamie Hewlett backs Greenpeace Arctic campaign’s Christmas eCard promotion
It may be Christmas, but Santa’s worried about his home. With oil companies like Shell and Gazprom moving in to drill in the Arctic Ocean, his home at the North Pole is rapidly disappearing from under his feet. Soon, it… Read More ›
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Psylocke joins Marvel Heroes game line up, so where’s Captain Britain?
Psylocke – Captain Britain’s sister – is to join the line up of playable characters in the Marvel Heroes game in the near future, prompting many British fans to ask if Captain Britain is far behind. News of Betsy Braddock’s… Read More ›
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HeroicArt.com to remove comic art from sale after creator complaints
British-based company HeroicArt has removed a number of artworks for sale from its web site, after comic creators complaints that the work offered was based on their own. The company told downthtubes.net that two items – a “Hulk versus Thing”… Read More ›
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Saltire, Scotland’s superhero – competition to win first book launched
Diamondsteel Comics have launched a Facebook-based competition to promote their Scottish superhero, Saltire. To be in with a chance of winning one of ten free copies of their new Saltire Invasion graphic novel, just go to this facebook link and… Read More ›
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Kick-Ass 2 scene brought to life at London’s Rockwell House
Last weekend, fans of the Kick-Ass franchise celebrated the release of Kick-Ass 2 on Blu-ray and DVD at the Kick-Ass Comic Canv-Ass, re-creating writer and executive producer Mark Millar’s favourite scene from the superhero blockbuster. Comic book buffs and aspiring artists… Read More ›
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Christmas Cheer from Eagle Times (Volume 26 Number Four)
There’s a glorious Christmas-themed cover from artist Peter Jackson on the cover of the latest Eagle Times (Volume 26, Number Four), available now from the Eagle Society. Winter 2013 Contents An appreciation of the work of artist Peter Jackson, whose… Read More ›
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Marvel’s Revolutionary War – details of final limited series titles released
Marvel Comics has released covers for the last three titles in its Revolutionary War limited series, which re-introduces the Marvel UK characters first created back in the 1990s to the wider Marvel universe. Revolutionary War is set at an… Read More ›
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Actress Jessica Martin’s “It Girl” comic a warm up for longer graphic novel
Actress, singer, impressionist and now, comic creator Jessica Martin (whose screen credits include the Doctor Who story The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, but is perhaps best known as an impressionist and voice artist on Spitting Image, impersonating the voice… Read More ›
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Festive fun galore in the new Doctor Who Adventures
Doctor Who Adventures’ Christmas issue is packed with festive fun – and the digital features include a look at regular artist John Ross at work. The latest edition of the junior Doctor Who title from Immediate Media includes a preview… Read More ›
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Paul Gravett’s “Comics Art” named “Book of the Year”
Two top critics have made Paul Gravett‘s Comics Art their top choices of 2013, leaving the acclaimed comic author “really chuffed”. In The Observer, Rachel Cooke has picked Comics Art as one of her Graphic Books of The Year: “Those… Read More ›
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Have some vampires over for Christmas!
Chapter 4 of DC Comics‘ digital first Vampire Diaries series goes on sale today and features “Through a Glass Darkly” by Leah Moore and John Reppion, drawn by the hugely talented George Kambadais, who has posted two unused covers for… Read More ›
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New Dennis the Menace books and other Beano merchandise announced
DC Thomson is celebrating a busy year for The Beano‘s Dennis the Menace and Gnasher property as Penguin joins a raft of licensees with a planned range of children’s books and Golden Bear announces new toys. The new range of… Read More ›
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Paragon Issue 15 delivered in time for Christmas – what a great present!
A new issue of Paragon, one of Britain’s terrific independently published anthologies is out now, just in time for Christmas – 44 pages of wonderful comic strips wrapped in a Mike Mignola-inspired cover by Davey Candlish and Jim Cameron. It’s… Read More ›
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Doctor Who annual art, rare props to go under the hammer at Bonhams
Bonhams next Entertainment Memorabilia auction (taking place on Wednesday 18th December) hosts an enticing line-up that includes some fantastic Doctor Who items such as art from some of the series annuals by Paul Crompton and a number of props from… Read More ›
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Lost in Action: Marvel UK’ s Warhide
(Updated, added Carles comments): Meet Warhide, the world’s first skinned communist super hero. A Russian captured by the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, skinned, then coated in a liquid carbon skin that’s as strong as diamond, he was the surreal brainchild of… Read More ›
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Happy 60th Birthday, “Minnie the Minx”!
The Beano has dedicated its Christmas cover to the mischievous Minnie the Minx this week, to celebrate 60 years of the world’s wildest tom boy. Her solo appearance is a first in the comic’s history. The bumper Christmas issue goes… Read More ›