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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In Review: Giant Clam Comics
Back in the 1980s, there was a short-lived British comics fanzine called SCAN, edited by me and designed by Matthew Bingham, who went on to work on proper magazines like FHM, but I’ve lost track of him these days. Its… Read More ›
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Furman Talks Revenge!
There’s still a month to go in the UK before Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens in cinemas here (19th June), but the first part of US publisher IDW’s comic adaptation, written by Transformers supremo Simon Furman, is on sale… Read More ›
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CancerTown Signings Announced
Cy Dethan, writer of Insomnia Publications new graphic novel Cancertown, has revealed several signings are planned for the book, which features art by Stephen Downey, colours by Melanie Cook and letters by Nic Wilkinson. The first to be announced are:… Read More ›
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Dan Abnett Video Q&As on YouTube
Comics writer Dan Abnett has been having great fun with a series of video question and answer sessions compiled by Adelie High. This one, titles “From Ghostbusters to Triumff” – there are several which include questions about his work on… Read More ›
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In Review: Erotic Comics Volume 2
Picking up from where the international best-selling Erotic Comics: A Graphic History (Volume 1) left off, Ilex Press released Volume 2 by Tim Pilcher earlier this year, revealing how European, American and Asian artists have explored the possibility of the… Read More ›
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Tony Lee Podcast on SciFiPulse
Today’s podcast from Ian Cullen’s cult web site SciFiPulse.net features an exclusive interview with comic writer Tony Lee, who talks about his career and his latest graphic novel, Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Harker, which is being published by Markosia. The book… Read More ›
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Pullman, Rowling part of books "Influential Elite"
The DFC comic writer and award-winning author Philip Pullman and fantasy author JK Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, have been listed as two of the UK book trade’s elite, in a definitive list published by The Bookseller magazine. Called The… Read More ›
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Signed Star Trek Klingons Art on eBay
One of my ‘day’ jobs is reviewing Star Trek comics for Titan’s Star Trek Magazine – and I was recently thrilled to see US artist JK Woodward’s work grace the latest IDW-published Star Trek: Klingons title. I first came across… Read More ›
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Tales from the Mindverse
Comic creator and Temple APA member Paul Eldridge has recently compiled a collection of the strips that he originally created on mobile comic creation service ROK Comics. Tales from my Mindverse contains strips created using the ROK Comics creator tool… Read More ›
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Sherlock Holmes Battles Mr. Hyde!
Well, not exactly, but nothing would surprise me after seeing the trailer for the Robert Downey Jr. version of the detective… No, this item is a plug for Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the latest radio… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: Thursday 21 May
• ComicBitsOnline is wondering why Britain’s biggest comic publisher has not been nominated for an Eagle Award — and it’s not DC Thomson, Panini or Titan but Cinebooks Ltd., which now publishes some 40 top quality comic albums a year… Read More ›
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Future Shocks Re-Worked for iPhones
For the first time ever, a selection of Alan Moore’s earliest comic-strip creations Future Shocks from 2000AD are now available globally via the Apple iTunes App Store. Alan cut his teeth writing comics for Marvel UK and on this series… Read More ›
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Harker: Grumpy Cop on the Loose
One thing I missed about not getting to this year’s Bristol Comic Expo was the chance to catch up with writer Roger Gibson and artist Vincent Danks, the team from York-based Ariel Press, who always have a gem of a… Read More ›
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Fireball XL5 Special Edition DVD Announced
Fireball XL5 Special,Edition on its way!
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New Hi8us Comic Scheme Launched
If you’re 16 plus, with a passion for comic art and live in the West Midlands, then Hi8us Midlands’ latest free comic art scheme, called Comix, could be for you. Applications for the competitive scheme, are now being accepted for… Read More ›
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Commando Webbing: 20 May 2009
• After all the talk over the last four months about the new set of Ramsey’s Raiders stories in Commando, the current batch of issues on sale includes the latest in another long-running Commando series: the H-Boat stories, written by… Read More ›
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City of Heroes Sketchbook Auctioned
Draw the World Together, an organisation created to unite arts communities in providing possibilities for children who live in communities where they do not have the opportunity for basic healthcare and education, is auctioning a limited edition City of Heroes… Read More ›
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Captain Britain Cancelled
Marvel has cancelled Captain Britain and MI:13 with #15, writer Paul Cornell reports. “As you may have noticed, there’s no solicitation today for #16 of Captain Britain and MI-13,” he notes on his blog. “That, unfortunately, is because #15 is… Read More ›
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Commando Hits The Beach!
Thinking of hitting the beach this summer? Why not go Commando? Nearly 50 years after it first invaded British news-stands, DC Thomson’s pocket digest title Commando celebrates the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June 2009 with the publication… Read More ›
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Is The Dandy the World’s Oldest Comic?
Mooching through some piles of old comics over the weekend, one of our readers noticed a 2007 issue of The Dandy (Issue 3007) proudly proclaimed the title was now a “record breaking longest running comic ever!” Thanks to The Dandy‘s… Read More ›