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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CBBC Revamps Short Form Animation Portal
The award-winning British channel CBBC has reinforced its commitment to British animation, announcing its online portal Cartoon Works is expanding to become a new destination to premiere short-form content from the UK animation industry. CBBC has also commissioned brand new… Read More ›
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Jonathan Ross Reveals His New Comic Title
In a podcast for top cult news site Geek Syndciate, the often controversial DJ and major celebrity comic fan Jonathan Ross (who has also even appeared in a few, such as The Beano!) has revealed the upcoming four issue mini… Read More ›
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Temple Seeks Drawing, Writing Devotees!
Just a quick reminder that there’s just under a month to go until the deadline for contributing to the next Temple (18th September), the e-comic of British small and indie press work that’s the brainchild of the Temple APA. Everyone’s… Read More ›
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Amazon, Uclick, Launch International Comic Strip Superstar Competition!
Amazon.com and Andrews McMeel Universal have announced the launch of the first Comic Strip Superstar, the international competition in search of the next popular comic strip artist. The winner will receive a publishing contract from Andrews McMeel Publishing, a $5,000… Read More ›
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Who Wants To Be A Zombie?
Rich McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott, the slightly unhinged creators of Insomnia Publications’ Damaged Goods, are currently on the prowl for victims… umm…I mean willing volunteers… to immortalise within the pages of the dark and twisted story The Bride. All you… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: Dave Gibbons, Digital Awards and Zombies!
downthetubes has been having some behind-the-scenes computer woes: we apologize for the lack of posts in recent days. We’re grateful to Jeremy Briggs for his review of Cinebooks’ Rameses’ Revenge. Digital Artist 2009 Masterclass #1 – Dave Gibbons from Intel… Read More ›
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Nick Abadzis Torchwood comic strip reaches finale
The latest Torchwood magazine, on sale tomorrow in the UK, features the final part of award-winning British comic book creator Nick Abadzis‘s story for the title. Abadzis, creator of the acclaimed graphic novel Laika and a contributor to The Times… Read More ›
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TOXIC Wednesday
The latest issue of Egmont UK’s TOXIC is on sale today in all good newsagents, with a cover promoting the new GI Joe film. This issue comes with four free gifts, cool Bakugan stickers, super disc blaster, funny photo frame… Read More ›
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Friday Fun: The New Iron Man
WebFind by Paul Eldridge: OK, we’d all thought of it, but look at the effort this Comic Con attendee went to! • more daft costumes, including this one, here on this French web site
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Matters of Convention – The Bristol Expo
Continuing our series of interviews with British comic convention organisers, for this fifth instalment Matthew Badham talks to longtime convention organizer Mike Allwood, the man tasked with the unenviable job of keeping Britain’s perhaps highest-profile annual comic convention, the Bristol… Read More ›
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In Review: The Rainbow Orchid
We plugged The Rainbow Orchid enthusiastically after its Foyles launch (see news story), but David Hailwood has just sent us this review, so here’s another plug for the book! The Plot: The Rainbow Orchid is an ambitious blend of classic… Read More ›
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Brits in Baltimore!
A small contingent British comic creators – including Wolverine: Origins artist Dougie Braithwaite – will be in Baltimore for the Baltimore Comic Con in October. The Baltimore Comic-Con staff tell us they’ve been busily working on arranging the Harvey Awards… Read More ›
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Alan Moore’s Hip Hop Collaboration
Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen writer and co-creator Alan Moore is collaborating on a new graphic novel project with art rap musician Doseone. Partly inspired by Radiohead’s deluxe version of In Rainbows, the Moore project, tentatively titled Unearthing, tries… Read More ›
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In Review: Bryan Talbot’s Grandville
by Bryan Talbot Publisher: Jonathan Cape Out: 15th October 2009 The Plot: Bryan Talbot’s most recent book, Alice in Sunderland, was hailed by The Guardian as one of the ten best graphic novels ever and acclaimed by critics all over… Read More ›
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Darabont Takes on The Walking Dead?
Writer director Frank Darabont – whose impressive credits include The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile – looks about to take on zombies currently being drawn by British artist Charlie Adlard for a new TV project. Variety reports cable network… Read More ›
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Unmask Corruption competition Launched
Corruption is both a cause of poverty and a barrier to overcoming it, and one of the most serious obstacles to eradicating poverty. Now, experimental youth initiative Ctrl.Alt.Shift – a community of self proclaimed “outspoken” individuals working to highlight corruption… Read More ›
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Review Round Up: Pasties, Khaki Shorts and Thief Takers!
Over the past couple of months several indie press folk have sent us comics for review and I have to apologize for being slow at publishing reviews of them. downthetubes remains a site created in spare time between paid work… Read More ›
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Warren Ellis’ Supergod debuts in October
Warren Ellis has been talking about his new Supergod project for Avatar Press, which launches in October. “I think of it as the third leg of a superhero-fiction trilogy, following Black Summer and No Hero,” he reveals on his web… Read More ›
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DC Thomson buys Friends Reunited
Via Forbidden Planet International and others: : Scottish publishing empire DC Thomson, home to long-loved titles like the Beano, Sunday Post and the Dandy among many other publications, has bought the Friends Reunited website through its subsidiary Brightsolid Limited. DCT… Read More ›
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Pat Mills Signing Announced
Top British comic writer Pat Mills will be signing copies of the English language release of the first volume of his Requiem Chevalier Vampire series at Forbidden Planet London next month. One of the founding fathers of 2000AD and a… Read More ›