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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Tickets go on sale for the first Lakes International Comic Art Festival
Grandville by Bryan Talbot Tickets for the first Lakes International Comic Art Festival, which will feature top talent from both sides of the Atlantic including Kurt Busiek, Ed Brubaker, Bryan Talbot and Jose Munoz, go on sale on Monday (13th… Read More ›
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STRIP Magazine Issue 2 on sale for IPad now, print edition in newsagents tomorrow
Slightly ahead of its print release, the digital edition of STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine #2 is now on sale for iPad in the iTunes store. The print edition goes on sale in newsagents across the UK from tomorrow (Friday)…. Read More ›
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Team MOBILE #3 audio comic on sale now from iTunes
The Team MOBILE #3 audio comic from ROK Comics is now on sale in the iTunes store for Apple devices. The adventures of Team M.O.B.I.L.E. continue! They are the undesirables, the no-hopers, misfits… the teenagers who don’t fit in, who… Read More ›
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downthetubes.net: Main Site Closed, for now
Owing to rising costs – in part, it appears, due to a dramatic rise in “hot linking” to images on the site, which results in excess bandwidth charges of £50 per month – we have been forced to temporarily close… Read More ›
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Breaking talent to be showcased at Kendal-based comic art festival’s Clock Tower
Some of the UK’s best emerging and established comic art talent will be showcasing their skills at the specially-dedicated Comics Clock Tower venue as part of Kendal’s The Lakes International Comic Art Festival in October, rubbing shoulders with the likes… Read More ›
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Comica Festival’s Bank Holiday 2 for 1 deal on upcoming MangaAsia event
London-based Comica Festival and Asia House are offering a Bank Holiday Weekend Special of 2 for 1 (i.e. buy one, get one free!) on the pass for all three talks at Comica MangAsia on Saturday May 18th, if you book… Read More ›
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Geek Retreat coffee shop opens in Glasgow
Cafe culture meets comic book geekery in Geek Retreat, the new Glasgow hang out for those who like their coffee served with a side of superheroes, which opens tomorrow, on Free Comic Book Day (4th May). Geek Retreat is a… Read More ›
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Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer, returns…
Well, all right, that headline is a little misleading. I’m not talking about new stories (although there have been some, find out more below…). Rather, the release of Doctor Who: Nemesis of the Daleks, a Seventh Doctor comic collection from… Read More ›
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Gatehouse, Windett unleash "Lazarus Lemming"
Lazarus Lemming is the top special secret agent of Department X, the covert government agency that investigates eXtraordinary happenings worldwide. When the world’s cows are kidnapped to steal their farts, or all the citizens of Transylvania are turned into mindless… Read More ›
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Lakes International Comic Art Festival announces full guest list
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival has now announced the full line up for the event which will run from 18-20th October in Kendal, Cumbria. 15 new guests are being revealed today. These are on top of the 37 guests… Read More ›
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Paragon 13 – pulp action adventure from cover to cover!
Issue 13 of the long running acclaimed British anthology comic Paragon is on sale now. With a great cover by Bhuna, read Oor Ganesh – the Hindu god (as if drawn by Dudley Watkins!); the further adventures of Jikan –… Read More ›
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Malta Comic Con 2013 Annoounced
Malta Con organisers Wicked Comics have just announced the 2013 show will run the weekend of Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December at St. James Cavalier Valletta. The guest list has yet to be revealed, but, says Chris Le… Read More ›
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TRIPWIRE kicks off its 21st birthday celebrations
May is a busy month for the British independent media magazine TRIPWIRE. Despite not hitting the kickstarter target for TRIPWIRE 21, its planned 21st anniversary special, publisher and editor-in-chief Joel Meadows tells us he’s putting the book out anyway. The… Read More ›
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Marvel Heroes game makers announce Iron Man weekend as film breaks UK box office records
Marking the launch of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 movie, which opened in the UK last week in advance of the US release and has broken box office records (taking £11.4 million in its opening weekend), game maker Gazillion Entertainment will… Read More ›
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Radio interviews with Tim Pilcher, Graham Rawle and Paul Magrs
Book List: Celebrating Ephemera Starting a new series of the bimonthly show on books, Alex Fitch talks to three authors whose work celebrates ephemera and pop culture detritus. ‘Graphic Novelist’ Graham Rawle discusses his latest novel The Card, which follows… Read More ›
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Comic Creator Interview: David Hine on adapting “The Man Who Laughs”
David Hine has had an illustrious career in comics, both as artist and writer, working on a diverse range of comics since his debut in the 1980s on titles such as Crisis. He’s currently finishing the first arc of Storm… Read More ›
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Duncan Fegredo back on Hellboy – Midnight Circus launches in October
Following up on a collaboration which spanned multiple series, leading up to Mike Mignola’s return to both writing and drawing his beloved demon, British artist Duncan Fegredo will return to tell a story about a young Hellboy’s first brush with… Read More ›