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.
-
Channel 4 launched The Thrill Electric web and mobile comic
Channel 4 Education has announced details of its launch of The Thrill Electric – a 10-part enhanced comic series written by Leah Moore and John Reppion, designed by Emma Vieceli, illustrated by the all-female comic book studio Windflower and produced… Read More ›
-
STRIP Magazine launch set for 2nd November
Read Read Strip Magazine Issue Zero Read Strip Magazine Issue 1 – Sneak Preview STRIP Magazine Issue 1 will now be on sale in UK comic shops from 2nd November. Diamond Comics have confirmed delivery of the delayed shipment from… Read More ›
-
Guest Post: Challenging Attitudes towards Comics
Paul Register Paul Register is a school librarian at Ecclesfield School, Sheffield and organiser of the Stan Lee Excelsior Award for graphic novels and manga aimed at 11-16 year olds created in partnership with the Stan Lee Foundation, dediciated to… Read More ›
-
In Review: Eagles Over The Western Front Volume 3
Steve Holland’s Bear Alley Books brings the World War One story of Royal Flying Corps pilot Harry Hawkes to a conclusion in Eagles Over The Western Front Volume 3. It is 1917 and America has entered the war but for… Read More ›
-
2000AD launches ‘Creator Interviews’ ebook
2000AD has launched its first ebook collection of interviews with some of the biggest names in the comic book industry. This first collection includes a three-part interview with the co-creator of Judge Dredd, Carlos Ezquerra, as well as pieces on… Read More ›
-
Classics Illustrated on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 FM are broadcasting a 30 minute documentary looking at seventy years of the American comicbook series Classics Illustrated on Tuesday 25 October 2011 at 1130. As the first issue, The Three Musketeers, was originally published in October… Read More ›
-
Dundee Commando exhibition open
A quick reminder about the Commando exhibition in Dundee Jeremy Briggs gave an advance plug for last month, which has now opened, in advance of Dundee Comics Day on 30th October. Marking the 50th anniversary of Commando, It’s in the… Read More ›
-
Charley takes on Hitler in latest collection of classic war comic
Charley’s War: Hitler’s Youth, the eighth volume of the classic World War One comic strip by Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun, first published in Battle Picture Weekly, is now on sale from Titan Books, although the official publication date is… Read More ›
-
Wear your red (or white) poppy with pride on Remembrance Day
Remembrance Sunday falls on 13th November and across the world, services and events have been arranged, with the public being urged to take the time to remember all who died for their country in the two World Wars and… Read More ›
-
STRIP Magazine’s courier curse strikes again
Courier problems have hit STRIP Magazine again, meaning the planned launch date had to be pushed back. STRIP Magazine is printed in Bosnia and shipped from there. After problems with Strip Zero earlier in the year it was shipped earlier… Read More ›
-
Demoncon2 finalises line up with plenty of web comic creators
(With thanks to The Grinning Man, Maidstone): The line up for Demoncon2, taking place in Maidstone in November, is now pretty much finalised and includes comic creators such as Garen Ewing and Dan Boultwood on the guest list, along with… Read More ›
-
Back from the depths…
My apologies for the lack of posts over the past week (and special thanks to Jeremy Briggs for stepping up to the plate). Unfortunately, my computer had a hard drive failure (now fixed thanks to Ubertechs in Lancaster) which meant… Read More ›
-
Private Eye marks 50th anniversary with special issue
Issue 1300 of Private Eye, on sale 26th October, will be a special issue marking its 50th birthday. This landmark event for the magazine – which has always featured cartoons and comic strips satirising British life and politics – is… Read More ›
-
A Choice Of New Who Sketches Up For Grabs
Scotch Corner artist Graeme Neil Reid is running a competition over on his I Got No Work Done Today Because… blog to win one of three new Doctor Who colour sketches that he has been displaying over the last week…. Read More ›
-
Newcastle Gets The Canny Comic Con
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne has long had a regular comic mart to go with its branches of Travelling Man and Forbidden Planet, but it has apparently been some fifteen years since it has had a big comics event. Small Press Big Mouth-er Stacey… Read More ›
-
Pat Mills Talks Charley’s War At The Tank Museum
Having already given talks this year on Charley’s War at the Imperial War Museum in London and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, writer and editor Pat Mills continues to discuss his World War One character at the The Tank Museum… Read More ›
-
John Ryan Artwork Exhibition in Rye
Two characters that were created for the first issue of Eagle comic in April 1950 have entered the British public’s collective consciousness. The first is Eagle’s most well known character, the spaceman Dan Dare, but the other, whilst well known,… Read More ›
-
Commando Raids Estonia
Commando may be best known for its one-off stories but it has run quite a few series over the years with recurring characters and situations. Perhaps the best known, mainly due to the sheer number of issues they have been… Read More ›