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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Tomorrowland continues, guest starring… William Shakespeare?
Tomorrowland #2 is on sale today in all good comic shops from Titan Comics, continuing the music-led adventure from the Eisner award-winning writer of Wolverine: Origin and The Darkness. Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, DJs at the world-renowned Tomorrowland festival,… Read More ›
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Cape joins SEQUENTIAL digital comics project
SEQUENTIAL, the literary graphic novel app, have partnered with venerable publisher Jonathan Cape to make digital versions of Cape’s graphic novels available via Apple’s App Store. SEQUENTIAL is the new digital graphic novel storefront and reader, designed from the ground… Read More ›
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Titan Comics Tomorrowland #2 preview!
This coming Wednesday sees the release of Titan Comics Tomorrowland #2 in all good comic shops across the UK – and we've got some preview pages for you. Written by Paul Jenkins, the Eisner award-winning writer of Wolverine: Origin and… Read More ›
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Foyles Bookshop history retold in comics… big comics!
(via Paul Gravett): The history of Foyles, London’s famous bookshop and 2012 Bookseller of the Year, the location of many comic-related events down the years, has been illustrated by a stellar cast of graphic novel artists including Bryan Talbot, Hunt… Read More ›
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Steampunk from the South West: Arthur tries for his Shilling
An enthusiastic group of British creators have baneded together to source crowdfunding for Arthur Shilling, a new ongoing comic series blending steampunk and the paranormal set for release on the 21st September 2013 at the first Dev Con in Plymouth…. Read More ›
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CAPTION 21: Robots!
This weekend the East Oxford Community Centre is once again host to the comics festival Caption – and the event’s full schedule is detailed below. Creators from Oxford-based comics companies 2000AD and The Phoenix will be in attendance, and there… Read More ›
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Robbie Morrison – Taking Dante DrownTown
In advance of his appearance with artust Jim Murray tomorow (Saturday 24th) at Edinburgh BookFest’s Stripped weekend, for the latest Panel Border podcast Alex Fitch talks to Robbie Morrison about his career in comics so far, from his 15 year… Read More ›
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Doctor Who: Our Twelfth Doctor Art Challenge gathers pace
Find more photos like this on downthetubes Comics Forum Lee Sullivan – well known for his amazing Doctor Who art, but whose credits include Robococop and Judge Dredd – has kindly allowed us to add his first stab at drawing… Read More ›
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Bayford Lodge, once home to Frank Hampson, up for sale
Noted as a property of “special interest”, Bayford Lodge, once the home and studio of Frank Hampson, the co-creator of Eagle comic’s Dan Dare and Ladybird Books artist, is up for sale once again – for just under £1.5 million…. Read More ›
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Strontium Dog art, Beano Number One in latest Compal auction
The September 2013 auction at Compalcomics has just opened, offering almost 300 lots of both British and US comics, including Carlos Ezquerra Strontium Dog from his very first appearance in Starlord Issue 1 and a 1930s TV Boardman comic faturing… Read More ›
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As CLiNT breathes its last, what’s the future for British comics?
This month sees the demise of Mark Millar’s CLiNT, the initial announcement made via US comic site Comic Book Resources, prompting bemusement from comic news sites that more regularly cover comic titles on the British newsstand. (Even now, downthetubes has… Read More ›
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Holy Underwear, Batman! Diesel get personal
Clothing company Diesel has launched a new DC Comics Super Heroes intimate collection, under license from Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Inspired by the classic 1966 Batman television series – starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader – Warner believes that… Read More ›
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Stripped Festival offers early release of collected ‘Young Avengers’
Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s take on Marvel’s Young Avengers has been widely credited as one of the most innovative and exciting comic series of the year. Young Avengers Volume 1 – collecting the first five issues of the comic… Read More ›
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Crucible Colour Notes: Ardahl
We know we’re only a couple of episodes in, but we hope you like Ardahl. He’s a bit of a man of mystery – his origins obscure, known, perhaps, only to Truug… and perhaps even his old friend doesn’t know… Read More ›
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Other Worlds: Mike Carey’s City of Silk and Steel
Earlier this year, the Carey gang – Mike Carey, wife Linda and daughter Louise – saw the UK publication of City of Silk and Steel by Gollancz, a wonderful Arabian Nights-style novel I discovered quite by chance recently in Lancaster Library…. Read More ›
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London’s “GeekFest” pulls the crowds, Paul Cornell wins award for “London Falling”
More than 1500 “geeks” converged this weekend for Nine Worlds Geekfest, London’s first annual celebration of geek culture, which included talks from comic creators and SF authors, discussions, workshops, comedy and music dedicated to all things geeky, with many fans… Read More ›
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Scar Comics launches Kickstarter appeal for ‘Forgotten Planet’ project
In 2006, scientists announced Pluto was to be de-classified as a planet, and many felt a slight pang of disappointment as our Solar System lost its little Ice baby. But what if there was a darker reason behind this cosmic… Read More ›
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TOXIC comic sales up, but bad news for other news stand titles in latest ABCs
There’s good news and bad news for British news stand publishers lurking in the latest ABC sales figures for January – June 2103 for comics and related magazines, with some titles on sale in WH Smiths and other newsagents celebrating… Read More ›
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Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell, get set to spill the milk – tickets selling fast
If you are going to be in London on Tuesday 15th October 2013, you might want to buy tickets as soon as possible (since they’re selling fast) to go and see Neil Gaiman read the whole of Fortunately, The Milk…… Read More ›
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Christian Ward’s ‘Dead Cats’ exhibition at London’s Orbital Comics
(via Paul Gravett): London’s Orbital Comics Gallery near Leicester Square, London has just opened their latest exhibition of original comics art: ‘Dead Cats’ by Christian Ward. Spinning out of the much-lauded Infinite Vacation mini-series from Image comics (co-created by Christian… Read More ›