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.
-
Blast from the Past: Dark Angel loves The Punisher!
Time for a quick step back in time to the early 1990s, courtesy of artist Richard Piers Rayner, who found this great piece of art featuring Marvel UK’s Dark Angel giving The Punisher a friendly peck. Richard’s first work for… Read More ›
-
New Commando war story continues World War One theme
The latest issues of Commando, on sale from today (8th May 2014) in all good newsagents and as digital editions for iPad and iPhone, again offer another tale set during World War One drawn by Keith Page and a range… Read More ›
-
MancsterCon back in August
The MancsterCon Independent Sequential Art Convention returns to Manchester in August, following a successful three day event last year filled with screenings, talks and workshops, cosplay catwalks and a host of local comic artists. Taking place from 8th –… Read More ›
-
Writers & Artists Present: Getting Published: Which Route Do I Take?
There’s a conference on self-publishing in London in July that, while focusing on the written word, might be of interest to any comic creator who is releasing their own work direct. Writers & Artists Present: Getting Published: Which Route Do… Read More ›
-
First Graphic Novel Winner to be announced at British Library
Myriad Editions have announced the shortlist for this year’s First Graphic Novel Competition and Paul Gravett will be hosting the Award Evening with the finalists and judges in the Conference Centre at the British Library on 23rd May, as part of the… Read More ›
-
Observer launches annual graphic short story competition with Jonathan Cape and Comica
The Observer launched the 2014 Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica graphic short story competition on Sunday. The winner will receive a cheque for £1,000 and the winning story will be published in the Observer New Review in November. Now in its seventh year, the… Read More ›
-
Doctor Who meets Thunderbirds!
… Well, sort of! This stunning Daleks versus Rock Snakes image by Tony Luke features Doctor Who‘s top enemy and the deadly silicon-based life forms Zero X encountered on Mars in the film Thunderbirds are Go. The art is a private commission, inspired… Read More ›
-
SelfMadeHero invades Canada!
As the massive Toronto-based TCAF prepares for its 2014 international celebration of comics and graphic novels, SelfMadeHero, the independent UK publisher of graphic novels, is attending with a number of its top creators from Britain and Europe. British… Read More ›
-
High praise for “On Dangerous Ground”, new Bannockburn Graphic Novel
A graphic novel produced to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, released by the National Trust for Scotland and written by Fiona Watson, illustrated by top independent comics creator Conor Boyle and lettered by Jim Campbell,… Read More ›
-
BBC News features ‘Comics Unmasked’ new British Library exhibition
Here’s Paul Gravett and academic Dave Huxley on BBC News this morning, talking comics and the Comics Unmasked exhibition at the British Library. Crisis, the Eagle and more got name checks (and there’s a vox pops sequence shot at… Read More ›
-
Markosia primes “Future Primitive” for digital, print release
Future Primitive is a new, “digital first” series set to launch from Markosia very soon, and based on the artwork and premise former Image and Marvel creator Kevin Gunstone sent over, featuring art by by rising Serbian talent Slobodan “Bobann” Jovanovic, we reckon… Read More ›
-
London’s ICA to celebrate work of Moomins creator Tove Jansson, comics to feature
Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Moomins creator Tove Jansson (1914 – 2001), London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts is to host an exhibition, starting in July, presenting original unseen photographs and material relating to her life and work,… Read More ›
-
Meet Marvin the Paranoid Android at the National Space Centre’s “Towel Day” celebrations
Are you a Hoopy Frood who really knows where your Towel is at? Then stick out a thumb and hitchhike your way to Britain’s National Space Centre in Leicester on 25th May for Towel Day. Strags welcome! Towel Day… Read More ›
-
Patreon funding helps bring a dark “Arabian Night” comic, SKAL, to life
Swedish-born comic artist and designer Jennie Gyllblad has just launched a new online graphic novel, SKAL, set in an Arabian-inspired desert fantasy world. “The Monastery feared Mushirah. They feared her so much that they threw her in a prison… Read More ›
-
Rats in (cool) Hats: MULP adventure comic gets set for debut
The first issue of MULP – an anthropomorphic comic book, a Pulp adventure set in a world of mice, by Matt Gibbs and Sara Dunkerton – goes on sale in a number of comic shops next week around the UK. The… Read More ›
-
Biodegradable anthology “Bundle” offered on DriveThru
Get this, it’s ace. Dave Hailwood and the rest of the team on the idnie British anthology 100% Biodegradeable sweated blood to bring this to you. No, really! Vampires love them. Now, in celebration of the imminent Free Comics Book Day,… Read More ›
-
ITV offers sneak peek of new Thunderbird 2
Nestling behind this new ITV Studios advertisement for the upcoming Thunderbirds Are Go on various web sites is a link to a mysterious web site – www.hi-secure.net The site plays a short looped video of a video camera trained on two steel… Read More ›
-
Taking the Widdershins route: An interview with web comic creator Kate Ashwin
Regular readers of downthetubes will recall that earlier this week we plugged an upcoming Laydeez do Comics event in Leeds, which prompted me to follow the links to the creator sites, just to check they were correct more than… Read More ›
-
Digital Reading Network announces first Symposium in June, includes digital comics discussion
The Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded Digital Reading Network will be hosting its first symposium on 19th June in the Executive Business Centre at Bournemouth University, and will include a number of comic-related panels.. All are welcome to attend this… Read More ›
-
New exhibition celebrates 25 years of Wallace & Gromit
A new Wallace & Gromit exhibition to celebrate 25 years of two of Britain’s best loved animated characters comes to Bristol’s M Shed Museum from 24th May 2014. Wallace & Gromit From the Drawing Board will run throughout the summer, inviting W&G… Read More ›