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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Comics-related PhD studentship offered at University of Leicester
The Department of Media and Communication at the University of Leicester has a PhD studentship available to potential students interested in working on projects about seriality and media texts. This can cover texts from film and television but also other… Read More ›
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Sweden’s Reset Media brings its “ROBOT” gaming magazine title to the UK
Swedish publisher Reset Media AB, which operates the world’s largest gaming site IGN, is to launch an English-language edition of ROBOT, a new monthly independent video games magazine for children on 20th June 2014. Already a huge success in… Read More ›
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Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No, it’s Kek-W and Shaky Kane’s “Cap’n Dinosaur”!
Writer Kek-W (2000AD, Rudy Rucker’s FLURB) and artist Shaky Kane (Bulletproof Coffin) take the law into their own hands and bring readers a complete, all-new, Cap’n Dinosaur tale in a one-shot comic published by US publisher Image Comics. An homage to the classic… Read More ›
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Peter Capaldi goes global to launch his reign as the Doctor
BBC Worldwide has announced that for the first time, the long-running series will hit the road to introduce Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor. On-screen companion Jenna Coleman and series Executive producer Steven Moffatt will be along for the ride (Steven only… Read More ›
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Doctor Who Adventures 347 – on sale now
The latest issue of Immediate Media’s BBC Doctor Who Adventures magazine is out now and comes with a free glow-in-the-dark Slitheen. It’s perfect for frights in the night! Inside the magazine there’s a Top 10 of Cyber scares –… Read More ›
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Doctor Who’s “Uncharted Journeys” mapped in new guide from Hasslein Books
Hasslein Books has announced the release of Lost in Time and Space: An Unofficial Guide to the Uncharted Journeys of Doctor Who, written by Matthew J Elliott. Doctor Who is a significant part of British pop-culture and a cult favourite worldwide…. Read More ›
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True Believers Awards Launched as revamped “Eagle Award” site vanishes
It looks like plans to revive the Eagle Awards have hit a snag, because an all-new comic award has just been announced – with the ceremony scheduled at the exactly same time at London Film and Comic Con as… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: Graphic Lives
Continuing a month looking at work of female comic book creators on British radio show Panel Borders, Alex Fitch talks to writers Sarah Laing and Dr. Mary Talbot about their graphic novels which mix biography and autobiography in an extract… Read More ›
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Lakes International Comic Art Festival Promotional Film released
Digital Story Engine, the company behind the terrific “Graphic Novel Man” documentary series about Bryan Talbot, have released a fantastic promotional video for Kendal’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival. The short film includes comments from Charlie Adlard, Bryan Talbot,… Read More ›
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Sneek Peek: Great War in Comics Exhibition, featuring “Charley’s War”, “White Death”
Marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, Kendal’s Abbot Hall Art Gallery (currently exhibiting an incredible exhibition on British Surrealism) and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival are bringing together for the first time the work… Read More ›
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Spinning strange and creepy yarns: Torsobear Kickstarter launched
Brett Uren and over twenty other comic creators, including Hal Laren, Cy Dethan and Kieran Squires have been beavering away on an intriguing-looking toy-on-toy crime anthology book the Aylesbury-based creator has conceived and is now seeking crowdfunding – Torsobear: Yarns… Read More ›
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Channel 5’s Milkshake! and Signature Publishing sign Magazine Deal
Channel 5 has awarded Signature Publishing the license to publish a magazine for the hugely popular and award winning children’s strand, Milkshake! This new and exciting monthly title, whose launch date has yet to be announced, will feature content and… Read More ›
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Creating Comics: Writer Rob Williams on ‘Ordinary’ and ‘The Royals’
Ian Cullen recently interviewed British comics writer Rob Williams for SciFiPulse.net and has kindly given us permission to re-post the interview here on downthetubes… British comic book writer Rob Williams latest endeavour is the creator-owned series Ordinary, drawn by D’Israeli… Read More ›
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Skyjack to launch new 100% Magazine next week
Skyjack Publishing, the company behind the hugely successful Moshi Monsters Magazine, launch a new title, 100% Magazine next week. Aimed at pre-teen children, every issue of 100% Magazine will be devoted to a single entertainment brand, TV show, or the… Read More ›
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Thunderbirds at 50 celebrations to kick off at Glastonbury Festival next year
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has announced it is launching the countdown to the 50th anniversary of Thunderbirds at next year’s Glastonbury Festival, where Charles Hazlewood’s All Star Collective will perform a set written by Barry Gray, the man behind much of the… Read More ›
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British Museum to host British Film Institute Science Fiction event
The British Film Institute’s science fiction blockbuster project “Days of Fear and Wonder” will blast off from the forecourt of the British Museum in spectacular style in August, with a trilogy of science fiction classics screening over three successive… Read More ›
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D-Day marked in new Commando tale
Here’s details on the latest issues of DC Thomson’s Commando, on sale from Thursday 5th June in UK newsagents and for digital devices. There’s another great-looking World War One story from Keith Page, while D-Day – which sees its 70th… Read More ›
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Creator Profile: Ken Barr
Artist Ken Barr, born in Scotland in 1933, is perhaps best known to downthetubes readers for his Commando covers, and has been working continuously for many years in the British graphics art industry. His innovative style and fresh perspective make… Read More ›
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Thunderbirds Tabletop Game in the works from Modiphius Entertainment
Game publishers Modiphius Entertainment, who recently took over the running of the long-running DragonMeet convention, have just announced a licensing deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment to develop a co-operative tabletop board game based on the classic 1960s’ television… Read More ›
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Manchester Children’s Book Festival announces Neville Johnson Comic Strip Competition
A trailblazer event for the biennial Manchester Children’s Book Festival (which takes place at the end of the month) will take place at Manchester Central Library tomorrow (Thursday 5th June), when novelist Curtis Jobling, creator of the globally successful Wereworld series, will be launching the… Read More ›