Author Archives

• WebFinds: Chris Weston, Movie Star

  By John Freeman on March 1, 2011

  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

  By John Freeman on March 1, 2011

  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

  By John Freeman on February 28, 2011

  

  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

  By John Freeman on February 28, 2011

  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

  By John Freeman on February 28, 2011

  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

  By John Freeman on February 28, 2011 • ( 1 )

  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 ›

• Commando Webbing: Ian Kennedy, Ken Barr and More Reprint Books

  By John Freeman on February 27, 2011

  It has been a while since we did a Commando Webbing and there is rather a lot to get through… Two weeks ago DC Thomson’s Dundee Courier ran an interview with Commando cover artist Ian Kennedy on his long career… Read More ›

• Motton’s Memories: An Interview with one of Dan Dare’s early writers

  By John Freeman on February 26, 2011

  

  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

  By John Freeman on February 25, 2011 • ( 2 )

  

  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 ›

• 2000AD, TV21 and Whoopee art offered in latest Compalcomics auction

  By John Freeman on February 25, 2011

  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 ›

• Happy Fifth Birthday, Panel Borders!

  By John Freeman on February 24, 2011

  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 ›

• Panel Borders: Women of Caption

  By John Freeman on February 24, 2011

  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 ›

• 2000AD Mongrol Figure on sale next week

  By John Freeman on February 23, 2011 • ( 1 )

  

  (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 ›

• Farewell, Brigadier: Nicholas Courtney passes

  By John Freeman on February 23, 2011

  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 ›

• IDW’s Doctor Who Classics reaches Seventh Doctor era

  By John Freeman on February 22, 2011

  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 ›

• MCM Expo Reveals X-Men First Class Panel

  By John Freeman on February 22, 2011

  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 ›

• Garth returns to the Mirror

  By John Freeman on February 19, 2011

  

  (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 ›

• Andrew Wildman charts a new Horizon, seeking crowdfunding for comics project

  By John Freeman on February 19, 2011

  

  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 ›

• Broken Voice Comics ‘Shades’ jumps from digital to print edition

  By John Freeman on February 19, 2011

  

  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 ›

• Writer seeks help on new British Horror Comics

  By John Freeman on February 19, 2011 • ( 2 )

  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 ›