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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Dan Dare at 60: Merchandise Update
With the Eagle and its best-remembered character Dan Dare celebrating a 60th birthday this month, fans will be pleased to hear that several items are either in development or already on sale now to mark the event. • The collectable… Read More ›
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downthetubes John Freeman at Sci-Fi-London
A quick reminder of two panels I’ll be appearing on tomorrow (Saturday 1st May) at Sci-Fi-London… 60 Years of Dan Dare A panel on 60 years of the lantern jawed space pilot. Alex Fitch will be talking to: Garry Leach,… Read More ›
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ConceptArt launches Female Form Course
This coming Sunday, ace illustrators web site ConceptArt.Org, who kindly helped promote my original appeal for artists for SciFi Art Now, will begin a new round of live streaming classes with a very beautiful program on the art of the… Read More ›
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Paper Science II launch
(With thanks to Alex Fitch): As part of Free Comics Day on Saturday 1st May, We are Words + Pictures will be launching their new, free newspaper format comic Paper Science II at Orbital Comics, 8 Great Newport Street, London… Read More ›
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Losers on My Radio!
Concluding their month long look at the crossover between comics and film, Resonance FM broadcasts Strip! – The Art of The Losers this evening. Alex Fitch interviews Jock, the main illustrator of The Losers by Andy Diggle, the 32 issue… Read More ›
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Inker Appeal from Ex Astris comic creator
Bill Storie – my colleague and co-creator of the Ex Astris science fiction strip we’re producing – has too much work on his plate at the moment and he’s looking for a reliable UK-based inker to work with him. “There just… Read More ›
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IlluXcon Artists Line Up gathers pace
The third annual IlluXCon symposium whose guests include SciFi Art Now contributors Bob Eggleton and Patrick Jones, will take place in Altoona, Pennsylvania in the United States on November 11-14, 2010. As the only convention exclusively dedicated to fantastic art,… Read More ›
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Destinauts arrives online
Comic creator Ian Hewett, who’s also behind the mediablog Dystopian Fuschia, has just launched a free web comic, Destinauts. The comics opens with a mysterious object falling to Earth, crashing in the small town of Calendering… Five years later, and… Read More ›
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More Screaming Artists Wanted!
Back from the Depths, a group of horror comic fans inspired by the fondly-remembered but short-lived British title Scream! needs your blood… Creative blood, that is: the group is looking for artists and contributors for the new Back from the… Read More ›
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London MCM Expo prepares for comics invasion
The Comic Village at the upcoming London MCM Expo is looking more like a metropolis, with hundreds of fantastic creators already signed up for the 29-30 May show – including a visit from former Marvel UK editor in chief Richard… Read More ›
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Hammer Films Bray Studios Faces Demolition
Bray Studios – considered the spiritual home of cult British films and the home of Hammer Film Productions for years – could be turned flattened and turned into homes, unless a new campaign to save it succeeds. Earlier this month,… Read More ›
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Glory Be! creator joins Who actors for Harlow Sci-Fi weekend
Writer and artist David C Hill will be attending the renowned Comic Book & Sci-Fi Weekend at the Harvey Centre in Harlow, Essex to sign copies of his esteemed yet off-beat comic, Glory Be! – and is offering fans the… Read More ›
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VV Brown’s City of Abacus launches in May
downthetubes readers may be familiar with the music or modelling work of British singer-songwriter and model VV Brown, whose single releases include “Shark In The Water” and “Crying Blood”. But what you might not know is that she’s also a… Read More ›
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Visual treats included in latest Writers of the Future collection
The 25th anniversary coffee table edition for the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future (www.writersofthefuture.com) will feature a year by year pictorial overview of its winners with sidebars highlighting those whose careers continued to blossom. Publishers say the… Read More ›
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New Commandos Hit the News Stand
The latest four Commandos from DC Thomson, on sale one week earlier than is traditional, are available now from all good newsagents… Commando 4287: Guided MissileStory: Bernard Gregg Inside art: Vila Cover art: Ian Kennedy Over the Austrian mountains in… Read More ›
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Shrewsbury gears up for magical cartoon mayhem!
The Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival 2010 takes place this coming weekend (22nd – 25th April) and this year’s theme is Magic, Myth and Mystery. This wonderful Festival offers unique opportunities to see artists at work: 20 of them on huge… Read More ›
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Time’s Almost Up for There’s No Time Like the Present
Part 12 of Paul Rainey’s comic, or serialised ‘graphic novel’, There’s No Time Like The Present is now available priced £2.50. “It’s an exciting issue because it’s the penultimate part to the story that I began back in 2004,” says… Read More ›
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New Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer story released
Following the release of Star Tigers Chapter One at the beginning of the year, Doctor Who fan film makers Altered Vistas have just announced the DVD not-for-profit release of Chapter Two: With Friends Like These, based on the classic Doctor… Read More ›
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60 Years of Eagle Celebrated
Eagle Society member Phil Daniels has posted the first part of his video report on the 60th Anniversary of the Eagle in Southport on youtube. (The whole video will be split into at least three parts). “The Eagle was the… Read More ›
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Vaughn to Jonathan Ross’ Turf
Various web sites have picke up on the information that Turf, the prohibition-era mash-up of gangsters, vampires and aliens written by TV presenter Jonathan Ross and drawn by Tommy Lee Edwards for Image Comics may be headed to the big… Read More ›