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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DC Comics vamps up its digital titles, will British publishers follow their lead?
DC Entertainment has just unveiled two new digital innovations today that the company says will take its comics to “the next level of interactivity” – DC2, a new initiative that layers dynamic artwork onto digital comic panels, adding a new level… Read More ›
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Manga Jiman Competition returns
The Embassy of Japan in the UK is once again launching their manga-writing competition, MANGA JIMAN 2013, with fantastic prizes up for grabs. Now in its 7th year, MANGA-JIMAN can be translated as ‘having pride in manga’ and the Embassy… Read More ›
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Don’t Panic! It’s All Change for Commando
It's all change for Commando as DC Thomson unveil the first set to feature new-style gatefold-out covers, as the title's price rises to £2 per issue. “Over the last two years we've been listening to our readers’ thoughts about Commando… Read More ›
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Beware of Dinosaurs: Forbidden Planet Chronos Commandos Signing announced
Comic creator and illustrator Stuart Jennett will be launching his new comic Chronos Commandos #1 at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore on Wednesday 10th July (6 – 7.00pm) When the Allies and Nazis develop time-diving technology that could see the… Read More ›
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Digital Dandy Issue 9 Now Available
Bertie Buncle’s Chemical Uncle has uncovered a new scientific formula! It’s… DD9 (D + D + D x C + G + DtvV) x iTAS + GP + d.com = FUN For any non-mad scientists out there, that means… Digital… Read More ›
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Fight My Monster joins BeanoMax – Beano strip to follow in August
DC Thomson has announced that a strip based on digital trading card game Fight My Monster will appear in The Beano for the first time in its Saturday 3rd August issue, alongside Dennis and Gnasher, The Bash Street Kids and… Read More ›
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Batman: Arkham Origins – Official Trailer
[embedplusvideo height=”309″ width=”500″ standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/9pnK8akbd2M?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=9pnK8akbd2M&width=500&height=309&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=¬es=” id=”ep7121″ /] Here’s an impressive-looking trailer from Batman: Arkham Origins, the next installment in the blockbuster “Batman: Arkham” videogame franchise whic goes on sale in the UK in October. Developed by WB Games Montréal, the… Read More ›
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Alternative Press at London’s No Dark Places Festival this weekend
Alternative Press are bringing the Small Press to No Dark Places, the DIY music festival tomorow (1st June 2013) in London. From 11am – 5pm, artists will be exhibiting and selling their self published comix, zines, book arts, and prints,… Read More ›
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Middlesbrough Literary Festival hosts "Mini Comic Con"
Middlesbrough will host a Mini Comic Con on Saturday 22nd June as part of the fifth Middlesbrough Literary Festival , which begins on Saturday 15th June. The ethos of the Middlesbrough Literary Festival is to celebrate the word in all… Read More ›
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Medicine and Comics merge for unusual conference
Ethics Under Cover is an interdisciplinary conference in July in Brighton, intended to appeal to a wide audience, including healthcare professionals, comics creators, students, academic scholars, comics enthusiasts and various stakeholder groups. The meeting, organised by Brighton and Sussex Medical… Read More ›
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Mars Attacks – Your Wallet!
IDW Limited has announced plans for interstellar domination of your wallets this week, beginning with the Mars Attacks: Attack from Space Limited-Edition Hardcover. The book collects the first five issues of the popular IDW comic series drawn by top talent… Read More ›
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In Review: Peter Pan by by Régis Loisel
by Régis Loisel Out: Now (UK and Europe only) Publisher: Soaring Penguin The Book: Before he became Peter Pan, before his arrival to Neverland, he was a boy fighting for survival. Born into the suburbs of harsh, Dickensian London, to… Read More ›
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10 Questions: Russell Willis, publisher of SEQUENTIAL and Panel Nine
Russell Willis – Publisher of Panel Nine I’ve known Russell Willis since the 1980s, first encountering him at the Fast Fiction stall run by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury at the now-legendary Westminster Comic Marts when he was publishing INFINITY,… Read More ›
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WebFinds: Wonderfully Vulgar, an online exhibition of British Comics
Early comics merchandise: an Ally Sloper greeting card from 1890 (with thanks to Norman Boyd and Kevin Carpenter): It was a surprize to me too – but British Comics do turn up in the strangest of places – but none… Read More ›
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Elephantmen storm 2D Festival as new issue debuts
With the brilliant 2D Festival on this weekend in Northern Ireland, here’s a quick plug for the latest issue of Richard Starkings Elephantmen. Issue 48, with art from Axel Medellin and a cover by the ever brilliant Boo Cookoffers the seventh… Read More ›
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Six-Gun Gorilla comics inspired by British pulp hero in the pipeline
Two comics projects inspired by an obscure British Pulp hero published by DC Thomson the 1930s are in the works, illustrating, perhaps, the potential pitfalls of reviving “Golden Age” heroes in the public domain. Six-Gun Gorilla was published in Wizard,… Read More ›
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Complete Zenith Collection finally on its way from 2000AD
2000AD is to publish a complete – if strictly limited – collection of Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell’s ground-breaking superhero series Zenith for the first time in December. The 2000AD marketing team have been teasing fans with the possibility of… Read More ›
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Gary Northfield’s TeenyTinySaurs storm Gosh!
Excellent childrens’ books illustrator and Phoenix-contributor Gary Northfield has released The Terrible Tales of the TeenyTinySaurs, a delightful new kid’s book from Walker Books – and Gosh London are celebrating it with a launch party on Friday 31st May. Is it… Read More ›