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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Markosia to publish Henry Fint art book
(via ECBT2000AD and Cy Dethan): Markosia will be publishing Broadcast, The TV Doodles of Henry Flint later this year. The book will contain about 100 pieces of all new artwork from Henry, best known for his work on 2000AD, Vertigo… Read More ›
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Comics In Northern Ireland
With the good news of the return of 2D, Northern Ireland’s Comics Festival, for its fifth year in the Verbal Arts Centre in Londonderry at the beginning of June, perhaps it is an appropriate time to take a look at… Read More ›
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10thology project to debut at Cardiff comic expo
The Cardiff International Comic Expo takes place at the end of this month – and with it, the launch of 10thology, an exciting looking comics project featuring a host of top Welsh comic creators, including Mike Collins, Si Wyatt and… Read More ›
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"It’s… Jokes" is latest Signature Publishing title for kids
Signature Publishing, whose titles include Dinosaur King and Dinomite, are to release It’s… Jokes magazine later this month. The new magazine is the fourth in their successful “It’s…” series, aimed at 5 to 10 year olds and, say the publishers,… Read More ›
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Skyjack to launch Moshi Monsters title
Skyjack Publishing, the company behind their own title, Megaton and who have also packaged comics such as Ben 10 for Egmont, launch a new UK monthly magazine, Moshi Monsters, later this month. Based on the hugely popular online game that… Read More ›
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Classic British Comics Abroad: Dan Dare and more, in Yugoslavia
A quick look at popular British comic characters abroad
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‘Next Blog’ brings news of John Watkiss latest work
This is one of those ‘lucky finds’ on the Web, courtesy of Blogger’s ‘Next Blog’ button. In the past, these often used to throw up random spam sites, but it seems Google has been cataloguing their blogs, so clicking ‘Next… Read More ›
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2D 2011: Brush Strokes In Stroke City
2D, held at the Verbal Arts Centre in Londonderry, is the UK’s most westerly comics convention and for the last four years it has been the largest comics event in Northern Ireland if not the whole island of Ireland. This… Read More ›
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SciFi Art Now Creator Interview: Graeme Neil Reid
About two years ago, Graeme Neil Reid went full time as an illustrator after having produced work part time and in conjunction with his job in the marketing and advertising industries for over 15 years. “These days I spend every… Read More ›
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Classic British Superheroes reprinted
Black Tower Adventure Volume 1 Following up on our recent story about classic British comics reprinted (now an expanded standalone page here) The Black Tower Gold Collection – the brainchild of Terry Hooper, who edits the ComicBitsOnline web site – … Read More ›
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Adam Eterno art on sale on eBay
Three pages of Adam Eterno art by Solano Lopez are currently on sale on eBay. All three pieces are from the Peter Hansen IPC Archive Collection, who bought IPC’s entire archive of art some years back, and are all from… Read More ›
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The Quest – First Colour Promotional Image
© 2011 John Freeman and Smuzz (SMS) Time for some gratuitous self promotion for The Quest, a comics project I’m working on with ace artist Smuzz (whose credits include 2000AD and Interzone). Here’s a terrific promotional image for The Quest,… Read More ›
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The Quest – First Colour Promotional Image
Smuzz has just delivered this terrific promotional image for The Quest, which will feature in STRIP Magazine later this year. There’s still a lot of work to be done – 12 pages are drawn so far, and I’m about… Read More ›
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War Comics On Tour In Scotland
On a day of protests to keep UK libraries open we are pleased to bring you a positive library story. In early December 2010 Carnoustie Library opened an exhibition of war comics that was due to run of the entire… Read More ›
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Great British Comics Reprinted – a quick round up
Despite the recent release of Johnny Red Volume 1 by Titan Books, it seems there are plenty of British comics fans who are totally unaware that attempts are being made to republish a lot of our classic comic material. Johnny… Read More ›
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Johnny Red Flies again
Titan Books has released the first volume Johnny Red featuring art by Charley’s War co-creator Joe Colquhoun. Johnny Red is just the latest British comics collection from Titan Books, whose other reprints include Charley’s War of course, James Bond, Modesty… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: Trina Robbins’ Underground Comix
Starting a month of shows about female comic book creators, the Panel Borders radio show and podcast will present a talk recorded at ‘Laydeez do Comics’ in September 2010 this week. Edited and introduced by Alex Fitch, veteran ‘Underground Comix’… Read More ›
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Graphic novel celebrates the life of world’s first spaceman, Yuri Gagarin
Artist Andrew King and writer Piers Bizony have launched Yuri’s Day, a new comic graphic novel dedicated to the first man in space, celebrating both his story and the origin of the Soviet space program. Now, the Moscow Times, a… Read More ›
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Effects director Shaun Whittacker-Cook interviewed in new Andersonic
Issue 11 of the ace Gerry Anderson fanzine Andersonic is now available via the publication’s website and features a new interview with former Century 21 SFX director Shaun Whittacker-Cook in which he discusses his time working at Century 21 on… Read More ›