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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New Birmingham Comic Con announced
(via Paul Birch at Speech Balloons): Birmingham is to host 2011 B.C., an all-new comic convention on Saturday 27th August. Reporting for the Birmingham Mail’s Speech Balloons coulmn, Paul Birch reports the new day and-a-half event of 2011 B.C. is… Read More ›
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Tripwire back in Diamond Distributors Previews catalogue
(with thanks to Joel Meadows): After a gap of two years, ace comic and media magazine Tripwire will be available to order from Diamond US in Previews. If you go to page 351 of Previews May 2011, you can order… Read More ›
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Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it
Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it is the British Library’s first exhibition to explore science fiction through literature, film, illustration and sound and opens next month, running until September. The Library tells us “it… Read More ›
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Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it
Ray Bradbury’s ‘A Sound of Thunder’, first published in Collier’s Weekly, 28 June 1952, illustrated by Frederick Siebel. Copyright © The Estate of Frederick Siebel. One of the images featuring in the Out of this World exhibition at the British… Read More ›
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In Review: Dreams and Everyday Life
Dreams and Everyday Life by Aviv Ratzin Publisher: Tabella Publishing Out: Now The Book: Dreams and everyday life is about ‘the important things’ in life. Not careers, health, wealth, or social status, but rather the innumerable everyday, human situations and… Read More ›
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Doctor Who’s Elizabeth Sladen dies aged just 63
The Seventh Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip‘Train-Flight’, published in Issue 159 – 161. Elisabeth Sladen was paid the princely sum of £40 per issue as an ‘appearance fee’. Story by Andrew Donkin and… Read More ›
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Holy Mustard, Batman! It’s a competition
Batman Live Opening Put on your apron, dust off your mixing bowls: it’s competition time and National Family Week is looking for a cooking hero – who could win a VIP pass to the Batman Live Arena show when it… Read More ›
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Writing Commando: The Blank Page Always Kicks My Ass
Matt Badham wrote “Deserter!”, a story for DC Thomson’s Commando title back in 2008, which has just been published in Issue 4385 – giving you some idea how long some scripts can take to get into print. Here, Matt outlines… Read More ›
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Hellblazing! 25 Years of John Constantine
Hellblazer writer Jamie Delano will be making a rare public appearance in the UK this weekend at in London. For those who don’t already know, John Constantine: Hellblazer, published by DC Comics, centres on a magus who investigates occult crimes,… Read More ›
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Blank Slate to release complete ‘Hugo Tate’
(via Nick Abadzis and Forbidden Planet International): I missed this great news last week but make no apologies for plugging now. Comic creator Nick Abadzis has announced Blank Slate Books will be publishing a collection of his hugely popular strip… Read More ›
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In Review: The Boys – Highland Laddie
The Boys: Highland LaddieWriter : Garth Ennis Artist: John McCreaCollecting issues #1-6 of the Highland Laddie series, along with a complete cover gallery.by Darick RobertsonOut: 22nd April 2011 (Titan edition) The Book: Mind reeling from recent events in The Boys… Read More ›
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Jeff Hawke’s Cosmos Vol 6 No 3 Now Available
The new issue of Jeff Hawke’s Cosmos has just been released with its usual selection of complete stories from artist Sydney Jordan’s Daily Express strip, detailed background notes on the strips themselves as well as other articles. Volume 6 Number… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: Weddings, Selling, Voting and Recovery
At the time of writing the royal wedding is less than two weeks away and Markosia’s Kate and William: A Very Public Love Story written by Bleeding Cool’s Rich Johnston and illustrated by Mike Collins (on the bride’s side) and… Read More ›
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Eagle Times Enters Its 24th Year Of Publication (Volume 24, Number One)
Eagle Times, the journal of the Eagle Society, reaches its 24th year of publication (Volume 24, Number One) with three articles on British artists – from original Eagle, cutaway artist Hubert Redmill and the rather better known Brian Lewis, plus… Read More ›
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Countdown to Comics Launch Pad Begins
2000AD editor Matt Smith, photographed at Bristol UK Comics Festival, 2004, holding a copy of small press comic FutureQuake Add a Caption Save CaptionCancel This summer, a unique event takes place at The Studio, Birmingham, bringing together seasoned professionals and… Read More ›
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Darkie’s Mob joins Titan’s ‘Battle’ line-up
After a long wait, Titan Books has published a full, uncensored collection of Darkie’s Mob, John Wagner and Mike Western’s hard-hitting Far East World War 2 adventure, first published in Battle Picture Weekly. In the hellish, humid jungles of Burma,… Read More ›
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Panel Borders: Spring Conventions – revealing nore about Sprit of Hope
Continuing radio show and podcast Panel Borders‘ month of shows about anthologies and collectives, they have a trio of interviews recorded at two recent comic book conventions in London. Recorded at Kapow!, Islington Design Centre (April 2011): Alex Fitch talks… Read More ›
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Myriad Editions announces First Graphic Novel Competition
Scouting through the large number of graphic novel publishers at the London Book Fair, I came across news of a graphic novel competition being run by Brighton-based publisher Myriad Editions, publishers of the brilliant Rumblestrip album by Woodrow Phoenix some… Read More ›
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London Book Fair maintains interest in graphic novels
The London Book Fair will again be promoting graphic novels tomorrow (13th April) with a seminar entield The Graphic Novel Renaissance, chaired by Paul Gravett. Has a “tipping point” been reached for graphic novels? Leading editors and publishers from the… Read More ›