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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2000AD, TV21 and Whoopee art offered in latest Compalcomics auction
Bionic Woman art for Look-In 13 by John Bolton. Lot details here There’s artwork and British comic rarities in the Spring 2011 auction at Compalcomics, which has just opened, including 2000AD art by Ron Smith and superb work by artists… Read More ›
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Happy Fifth Birthday, Panel Borders!
We plugged the latest Panel Borders show earlier today, but presenter and producer Alex Fitch has just let us know that yesterday marked his 5th anniversary of making programmes for Resonance FM in London, so here’s a look back at… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: Women of Caption
Concluding Women in Comics month on Panel Borders, Alex Fitch presents three interviews conducted at the small press comics convention Caption, held in Oxford last Summer. Selina Lock and Jeremy Day discuss the history of the convention, how it has… Read More ›
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2000AD Mongrol Figure on sale next week
(Updated 24/2/11): The first of a series of seven A.B.C Warriors action figures, Mongrol, goes on sale next Monday and should be available from your local classy toy retailer. Produced by 3A Toys, Mongrol is just one figure in a… Read More ›
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Farewell, Brigadier: Nicholas Courtney passes
We’re sorry to report the death of Nicholas Courtney, an actor probably best known to downthetubes readers as Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart in Doctor Who, after a long illness. He was 81. I met Nicholas Courtney many times during my editorship… Read More ›
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IDW’s Doctor Who Classics reaches Seventh Doctor era
The first issue of US comics publisher’s latest Doctor Who Classics volume went on sale earlier this month across the pond, featuring re-coloured Seventh Doctor stories by a slew of creators I’ve worked with down the years. The Seventh Doctor’s… Read More ›
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MCM Expo Reveals X-Men First Class Panel
X-Men: First Class writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz are to appear on a panel at the next MCM Expo London Comic Con at ExCel London on 27-29 May, show organisers have announced. A prequel to the popular superhero franchise… Read More ›
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Garth returns to the Mirror
(Updated, 23/2/11): National newspaper The Mirror has announced it will be reprinting some of the best of Garth stories featuring the time-travelling British hero who featured on its pages for over 50 years, and whose creators included Frank Bellamy and… Read More ›
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Andrew Wildman charts a new Horizon, seeking crowdfunding for comics project
After many months of preparation and deliberation, comic creator Andrew Wildman‘s official fundraising and pre-order campaign for his Horizon project has begun, using the crowdfunding web site indiegogo.com. The project focuses on the story of Ali, a 15 year old… Read More ›
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Broken Voice Comics ‘Shades’ jumps from digital to print edition
Comics creator David Berner has been publishing pages from his graphic novel Shades for some time as a webcomic, both at his own Broken Voice Comics website and at a number of other hosting sites. Last year, the artists, who include… Read More ›
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Writer seeks help on new British Horror Comics
Writer Philip Buchan is preparing an article about British horror comics for Scream horror magazine (not to be confused with the 1980s Fleetway comic of the same name) and is hoping comic creators will let him know about some of… Read More ›
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Comics NI: The 2D Collective
When we mentioned the date and guests details for the 2011 2D Comics Festival in Londonderry’s Verbal Arts Centre at the start of June, we also mentioned the group of small press creators from the city that go by the… Read More ›
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Crucible Design Work – Zingamy
Smuzz has just delivered some stunning colour guides for the main ‘Quest’ cast: I’ll post them here over the next few days or so. Here’s the first… © 2011 John Freeman and Smuzz
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A Decade Of Irish Comics Events
Having recently featured posts both on Comics In Northern Ireland and Scottish Comics Events, Belfast Comics organiser Paddy Brown has been in touch to effectively combine the two by pointing us in the direction of the Irish Comics Wiki. This… Read More ›
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Commando comic goes digital for 50th anniversary
Commando – now available on iPad and iPhone Along with the latest issues of Commando – which includes a reprint of an issue from 1970 drawn by now top 2000AD artist Cam Kennedy – comes news from DC Thomson that… Read More ›
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Comica Conversation: Lorenzo Mattotti and Dave McKean
On Saturday March 12th, mesmerising Italian maestro Lorenzo Mattotti makes a rare visit to London to discuss his career in comics and beyond, including his latest graphic novel Stigmata, translated by Fantagraphics, and his collaborations, from his animated terrors in… Read More ›
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Jody MacGregor’s ‘100 Comics to Read Before You Die’ reaches Top Ten
(with thanks to Dez Skinn for the tip off): Over the last few years, there has been a plethora of rushed and badly researched books on the top graphic novels, often too tightly focused onUS product. But writer Jody MacGregor… Read More ›
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Leeds Alternative Comics Fair back in March
The second Leeds Alternative Comics Fair takes place on the 19th March 2011, 12 noon-6pm, at A Nation of Shopkeepers bar (behind Leeds City Art Gallery). Steve Tillotson (banal pig comics) and Hugh “Shug” Raine (REET! Comics) are again to… Read More ›
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Manga @ Glasgow Film Festival
The Glasgow Film Festival has a considerable comics strand this year due to the presence of Mark Millar as a GFF Ambassador. The details of workshops, talks and screenings were originally mentioned on downthetubes here. One of the events listed… Read More ›
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Investigating the dark comedy of comics – a call for papers
A call has gone out for papers investigating the dark humour of comics, which will be presented at a one day event, the Bath Spa University Postgraduate Symposium in May at Corsham Court, Wiltshire, whose guests will include both academics… Read More ›