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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Have some Sympathy for the Devil
For more than 15 years, Russian rogue Nikolai Dante has fought, thieved and loved his way through life in the 27th Century. 2000AD has always bred a different kind of hero and brought the world a different way of telling… Read More ›
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Hello Kitty magazine storms supermarket shelves
Egmont UK’s new Hello Kitty title looks set to be another hit for the company, with blanket distribution for the new monthly title across UK supermarkets. Launched earlier this month, sales of the 36-page, £2.99 title aimed at five to… Read More ›
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Free Beanos for Scottish school kids
Bet English school kids will be gnashing their teeth… over on the Wacky Comics blog, George Shiers reports DC Thomson is working with Scottish Business in the Community and will be giving away 370,000 free Beano comics to every single… Read More ›
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Guardian continues British Comics coverage in wake of Dandy news
National newspaper The Guardian is continued its coverage of British comics — specifically, the future of The Dandy — throughout last week, with key writer Jacqueline Rayner stepping up to champion the lost world of girls comics like Misty and… Read More ›
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2012 London International Creative Competition extends deadline for entries
The London International Creative Competition is inviting all visual artists to submit their creative work for inclusion in the London Creative Awards, which has a top prize of £2000. The artwork is juried by a board of internationally esteemed artists,… Read More ›
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London International Creative Competition extends deadline for entries
The London International Creative Competition is inviting all visual artists to submit their creative work for inclusion in the London Creative Awards, which has a top prize of £2000. The artwork is juried by a board of internationally esteemed artists,… Read More ›
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Doctor Who / The Dandy / Elephantmen in discussion on the radio
Squeezing in a trio of radio appearances on 104.4 FM and elsewhere before Resonance FM runs a three week repeat schedule while the studio is refurbished, Alex Fitch is covering a variety of subjects over the weekend… Clear Spot: Out… Read More ›
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The Dandy’s digital move: media reaction
The news of The Dandy‘s move to digital publication has prompted a huge flurry of news stories across various news media outlets. While most simply parrotted the official announcement made by DC Thomson about their plans (some playing up claims… Read More ›
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Mike Carey first announced major guest for Malta Comic Con 2012
Wicked Comics the organisers of the annual Malta Comic Convention and the promoters of comic culture world wide, has announced British comic creator Mike Carey as their first guest to the forthcoming Malta Comic Con which this year is going… Read More ›
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Dandy to go digital, says DC Thomson
DC Thomson have just tweeted their official statement regarding the fate of The Dandy – and as expected for weeks, it’s not good news for fans of the print edition, with the comic ending its physical existence (bar annuals)… Read More ›
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Mike the Knight – Immediate Media’s latest kids title
Immediate Media is to launch Mike the Knight magazine on 29th August 2012, an educational children’s title aimed at children aged 3-5 years, based on the hugely popular CBeebies TV programme of the same name. This new title – joining… Read More ›
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‘Little Death’ gets London launch
In case you haven’t heard, Soaring Penguin Press is holding a launch party for its latest book, Little Death, the creation of Thomas Kriebaum. Originally published in Germany and Austria as kleiner Tod, the book has sold well and is… Read More ›
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Cancertown creeps back to scare readers again
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STRIP Digital Issue 5 available for iPad
The digital edition of STRIP Magazine #5, published digitally by ROK Comics on behalf of Print Media, is now on sale from iTunes for £1.99. This digital edition of the anthology comic features many of the stories that appear… Read More ›
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Ultimate Spider-Man huge UK ratings success for Disney XD
While British comic publishers may be feeling the future is rather bleak, with rumours of The Dandy‘s impending closure providing a major news story for media outlets as diverse as Radio 4, ITN News and Al Jazera this week, comic… Read More ›
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Dundee Comics Prize competition returns with superhero theme
In 1944 The Dandy introduced a home-grown British superhero – The Amazing Mr X, who appeared in 14 instalments between 1944 and 1945. Drawn by DC Thomson staff artist Jack Glass, the The Amazing Mr X made a brief reappearance… Read More ›
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Asterix game in the works
A new browser-based game based on the hugely popular Asterix series created by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny is in the works. Already one of the best-known comic series in the world with thousands of UK fans, the new browser-based… Read More ›
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Is it all over for The Dandy?
Desperate Dan by Jamie Smart, who comments on the title’s possible demise on his blog here National newspaper The Guardian has reported that DC Thomson may be considering an end to The Dandy, with its sales slipping away despite numerous… Read More ›

