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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Hammer Films launches ‘Print on Demand’ site
Hammer Films has launched an official print-on-demand online store today, featuring iconic UK quad artwork from legendary horror titles including The Mummy, One Million Years B.C. and The Devil Rides Out. The store features high-quality reproductions of UK quads from… Read More ›
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Merlin magazine will return – but no date set
Who will take on the Merlin tie-in magazine?
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PJ Holden signing in Belfast this Saturday
PJ Holden – artist on Strip Magazine‘s Black Ops Extreme – will be doing a signing at Forbidden Planet International Belfast (facebook link) this coming Saturday 3rd December between 1.00 and 3.00pm. In addition to Black Ops Extreme, PJ’s credits… Read More ›
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Mohawk Media announces Dick Turpin project
Publisher Mohawk Media has announced the release of a preview issue of its upcoming project, starring history’s most notorious masked highwayman, Dick Turpin. Not to be confused with Time Bomb Comics similar-sounding title (see news story), the issue is available… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: The Danger of Romance
Concluding a months of shows about genre in comics, Panel Borders Alex Fitch talks to writer and manga translator Sean Michael Wilson and lecturer and author Ian Rakoff about romance comics this Sunday. Sean is the editor of AX Volume… Read More ›
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In Review: Thought Bubble 2011
Comics writer Cy Dethan was one of many creators at this year’s Thought Bubble event in Leeds earlier this month and has kindly agreed to let us post his thoughts on the vent on downthetubes, first published on his own… Read More ›
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Beano, Dandy go digital via Apple’s ‘Newsstand’
DC Thomson have announced The Dandy and The Beano have just gone digital through Apple’s recently-launched Newsstand service, with The Beano currently in the Top Ten in the service’s charts First published in 1937 and 1938 respectively, the two national… Read More ›
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Raising Amy Signing Event In Edinburgh
“She’s armed, she’s dangerous, and she’s a proper Scottish ginger nutcase! Just be thankful she’s not yours!” is how Markosia describe Stref’s child character Amy who is about to appear in her first book Raising Amy: Born To Be Wild!… Read More ›
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Comic Creators And Cake In Edinburgh
Graphic Scotland is launching the first of a series of events in Edinburgh to bring together comics writers and artists. Comic Creators And Cake will take place in the Pulp Fiction bookshop on the evening of Wednesday 30 November 2011,… Read More ›
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Planet Replicas extends 2000AD merchandise line with new keyrings
Can’t find your Lawmaster keys? Keys to your hab have gone missing? Well, these problems are no more! Feel the envy of all of Mega City One with the first of a range of new, high-quality 2000AD keyrings from Planet… Read More ›
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In Review: Memorabilia NEC 2011
Comics and sci-fi merchandise aplenty were on sale at the Memorabilia event at the NEC Birmingham over the weekend of 19th and 20th November. An impressive range of guests from sci-fi and other classic programmes and films included Arthur Darvill… Read More ›
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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 ›
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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 ›
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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 ›
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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 ›
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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 ›
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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 ›
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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 ›
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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 ›