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.
-
Brands With Influence to rep Egmont comics and characters
Brands With Influence, a merchandising and Intellectual Management company, has been appointed to represent Egmont UK’s archive of classic comic and magazine titles that includes Roy of The Rovers, Battle, Misty and Whizzer and Chips. The collection spans the 40… Read More ›
-
In Review: Rose Black – Demon Seed
Rose Black: Demon Seed is Rough Cut Comics’ newly released follow-up to their 2004 graphic novel Rose Black which told the story of a vampiric angel sent to earth some 600 years ago to battle evil on its own terms… Read More ›
-
Exclusive: Halo Jones stage play at the Lass O’Gowrie
Manchester’s Lass O’Gowrie pub – already famed for its comics and Doctor Who-related events – is staging Alan Moore and Ian Gibson’s The Ballad of Halo Jones as a fringe play in January next year. “It’s an adaptation of the… Read More ›
-
Vworp! Vworp Issue 2 on sale now. Just buy it
The second issue of the amazing Doctor Who fan magazine Vworp Vworp – a fanzine about the long-running and best-seling Doctor Who Magazine – is on sale now. Quite simply, if you are a fan of Doctor Who and Doctor… Read More ›
-
The Phoenix Issue Zero Via Waitrose
The first issue of the new Phoenix comic is due to come out on at the start of January 2012 however Waitrose supermarket customers are being given the change to get a sneak preview with a printed copy of the… Read More ›
-
Crazy comic-related Christmas presents: the Spider-Man Guitar
You know Christmas is on the way when we start getting PR for perhaps the stranger kinds of comics tie-in merchandise at downthetubes. Case in point? New guitars from Nevada Music featuring favourite Marvel Super Heroes including Wolverine, X-Men, Spiderman,… Read More ›
-
In Memoriam: Mick Anglo 1916 – 2011
Earlier this week Comic Bits Online broke the news of the passing of Mick Anglo, the British comics writer, artist, editor, and publisher, most famous for his association with the creation of the comic character Marvelman. Anglo died, aged 95… Read More ›
-
2000AD’s Thought Bubble portfolio session: a quick reminder
2000AD is heading north to Leeds for the annual Thought Bubble comic book convention, taking place at the Saviles Hall conference venue at Clarence Dock in Leeds. That’s right next to the Royal Armouries museum, on 19th and 20th November,… Read More ›
-
In Review: Commando 4443 – Killer In No-Man’s-Land
The batch of Commandos that are in the shops now, as well as including the reprint of the original Issue 2 from 50 years ago, also has two brand new stories set during the First World War. On the eleventh… Read More ›
-
Panel Borders: The Last Ride of the Western Heroes
Continuing the Panel Borders comic radio show’s month of programming about genre in comics, Alex Fitch talks to creators of small press and mainstream cowboy comics. In the 300th radio show that Alex Fitch has made for Resonance FM, he… Read More ›
-
Sale, Starkings, Hughes among Thought Bubble guest signings at Travelling Man
Hulk by Tim Sale The Travelling Man comic shops and Thought Bubble festival have just announced their line up of international comic superstars signing with at the store next week, as follows: Tim Sale, Richard Starkings and Gail SimoneTravelling Man… Read More ›
-
That Funny Little Man… Roy Newby exhibition announced
(with thanks to David Roach and Tim Pilcher) An exhibition by little-known artist Roy Newby, whose work over many decades included numerous comics, will go on show at Phoenix Place in Lewes, East Sussex, later this month. Roy’s work displays… Read More ›
-
Black Hearted Press to launch new titles at Thought Bubble
Comics writer Jim Alexander, whose credits include stories for 2000AD, DC and Marvel Comics and Metal Hurlant has been heavily involved with Glasgow-based publishers Black Hearted Press and is the writer on two new books that will be launched at… Read More ›
-
Mike Trim’s Airfix Paintings
After mentioning Airfix’s re-release of the Angel Interceptor kit from Gerry Anderson’s Captain Scarlet And the Mysterons TV series, we have another Airfix/Captain Scarlet cross-over to report but this time it is one of the behind the scenes team. Mike… Read More ›
-
Markosia’s mind-bending comic releases!
It’s not often you get to release a book that causes people to worry about reality and feel unstable after reading it – which is how I felt after reading one of them. It’s almost unthinkable, dangerous even, that you… Read More ›
-
Buy the Crucible Poster
Crucible: Promotional Art by ~theheavygreatcoat on deviantART If you were lucky enough to grab a copy of STRIP Magazine Issue Zero – it’s been distributed at various comic events and there’s a online version on Yudu – you can’t… Read More ›
-
Treating Comics Seriously – Belfast’s Linen Hall Library
As part of their Northern Ireland Political Collection Lunchtime Lecture series, this week Belfast’s prestigious Linen Hall Library will feature talks on comics and political cartoons. The Linen Hall Library, opposite Belfast’s City Hall, was founded in 1788 and is… Read More ›
-
Millar and McCrea Create A Blue Peter Superhero
The creator of Kick-Ass and Wanted creating a comic strip for the BBC children’s programme Blue Peter? As odd as it sounds writer Mark Millar visited the new Blue Peter studio in Manchester on 1 November along with STRIP Magazine… Read More ›
-
Alan and Steve Moore’s poetry goes online
One of the more obscure of Alan Moore‘s works is Technical Vocabularies, a poetry collection he and Steve Moore produced in 2004 in very limited numbers. Now, Alan and Steve have allowed Padraig O Méaloid to post it online on… Read More ›