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.
-
Sneek peek of 2000AD Lawgiver prop at National Space Centre’s BritSciFi event
TV legend Gerry Anderson is to join the crew of Leicester’s National Space Centre on 19th – 20th March for a celebration of British science fiction that also includes an appearance by Blake’s 7‘s Gareth Thomas and a sneek peek… Read More ›
-
David Pugh’s Slaine, Dan Dare art (and more) on sale for charity
Check out some fantastic original comic art by David Pugh
-
Roll Up for Roll Out with Furman, Senior and more this Sunday
Transformers comic writer and ace scripter in his own right Simon Furman, artists Geoff Senior, Andrew Wildman, John Higgins and Martin Griffiths be in Fordingbridge, Hampshire on Sunday (6th March), for All the Cool Stuff’s combined Transformers/Action Force mini-con(vention), Roll… Read More ›
-
Crucible: Truuglub Vanderpatz, the Daunting – Colour Notes
Here’s another of Smuzz’ wonderful colour guides we’ve bombarded poor Kris Carter with. This is the oddest member of the Expeditioners in our story…
-
Cesar to release Judge Dredd costume, ideal for would-be vigilantes
The new Judge Dredd costumefrom Cesar. Solid helmet and Lawgiver not included! Costumed vigilante “The Statesman” may be gaining press coverage battling intoxicated baddies and wannabe burglars on the streets of Birmingham, as reported by papers such as the Daily… Read More ›
-
Comics Grid web blog on the move
The Comics Grid, a collaborative, peer-edited and authored blog dedicated to comics scholarshiphas moved its website to www.comicsgrid.com Although the main focus of the Comics Grid is on the analysis of specific comics page layouts and panels, the site also… Read More ›
-
Comics Launchpad initiative kicks off to help British comic creators
Orgnaisers who brought us the British International Comic Show have announced Launch Pad, a one-day conference aimed at comic professionals, aspiring professionals and those with a serious interest in the business of making comics, promising it will be “an enlightening… Read More ›
-
Comics @ Edinburgh International Science Festival
Edinburgh’s many festivals often offer comics events but they do tend to happen during the Book Festival or the Film Festival so it is unusual to see something turn up at the Science Festival. This year Paul Collicutt, author and… Read More ›
-
Sci-Fi Art Now Creator Interview: Nelson Evergreen
Flight of the Cosmicby Nelson Evergreen Nelson Evergreen’s work is mainly geared towards childrens’ publishing, but he tells us he likes to do a fair bit of slightly more adult/peculiar small press comics stuff on the side. His more recent… Read More ›
-
WebFinds: Chris Weston, Movie Star
Today’s WebFind: ace British artist Chris Weston has re-plugged some ‘motion comics’ created to promote last year’s Book of Eli film directed by the Hughes brothers and starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. It looks like two comics were published,… Read More ›
-
The Image on the Sleeve May Not Necessarily Correspond with the Film
It isn’t often that we go eastern here on downthetubes and when we do it is normally manga or anime, so this is a little different. Maiti Jakku was a 13 episode live action TV series broadcast in Japan in… Read More ›
-
Colourist Kris Carter joins The Quest
I’m pleased to announce that ‘The Quest’ has a colourist – Kris Carter, whose work I saw on the new 10thology title, edited by Stuart Tipples, but who came recommended by my old friend Mike Collins. Based in South Wales,… Read More ›
-
View from the Trenches: the Cardiff Comic Expo
Time Bomb Comics publisher Steve Tanner kindly sent us a report on the Cardiff International Comic Expo, which included the launch of titles such as Stuart Tipples 10thology project and Barry Nugent’s Fallen Heroes… Fallen Heroes – one of several… Read More ›
-
Flesh returns to 2000AD in March
After more than 30 years, one of very first strips to appear in 2000AD is to return in blood-splattering, eon-spanning dinosaur-hunting glory. Dino-terror classic Flesh is to return to the weekly comic with Prog 1724, out on 9th March.Written by… Read More ›
-
GoCompare homages Dan Dare
The creators of those annoying Opera Singer insurance adverts for GoCompare.com have redeemed themselves, in part, with this clearly Dan Dare inspired plug for their services – complete with comic-style speech balloons, weird aliens and Space Fleet uniforms. ‘Gio Compario’… Read More ›
-
Motton’s Memories: An Interview with one of Dan Dare’s early writers
Thanks to a chance discovery on the Internet, downthetubes is pleased to be able to present a rare interview with comics writer David Motton, whose career spanned three decades of British comics publishing, but is probably best known for his… Read More ›
-
Print Media to publish Dave Morris and Leo Hartas Mirabilis project
Print Media Productions has announced it will be publishing hardcover editions of Mirabilis: Year of Wonders — a huge graphic novel project by Dave Morris and Leo Hartas, also available on iPad and soon to debut on digital platforms Graphic.ly… Read More ›