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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Pride Illustrated at Foyles
Illustrators, cartoonists and artists gathered in London yesterday to discuss graphic literature and queer culture as part of Pride London, for an event chaired by comics expert Paul Gravett. The line up at the event, held at Foyles book shop,… Read More ›
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Combat Colin: The New Brickman
Brickman is dead and there’s a new Brickman patrolling Guffon City – ex-Marvel UK hero of the 1980s, Combat Colin! The bobble-hatted bucaneer ditches the bobble hat for a black cowl and cape in US publisher Active Images Elephantmen #20… Read More ›
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Eagle Times Volume 22 Number Two – Summer 2009
Following up on our brief mention for the latest issue of Eagle Times (Volume 22 Number Two) yesterday, here’s the full details for the issue. The cover story is a look at the nature artwork of Tom Adams, nowadays best known for… Read More ›
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Blink Twice Battle to Save Mankind!
All right, all right — we admit we did a bit of a double take when we got this piece of hyperbole in our mailbox — surely even for those plucky Etherington Brothers, the creators of Monkey Nuts, Moon and… Read More ›
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Ex Astris: Homecoming on myebook
In addition to publication of Ex Astris on ROK Comics and Clickwheel.net, a web version Ex: Astris Homecoming, a 10-page strip which first appeared in the British comic in Bulletproof Comics #2, is now available via myebook. This standalone story,… Read More ›
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2009 Harvey Award Nominees Announced
The 2009 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced with the release of the final ballot, presented by the Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con, with British creators Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely among the honoured nomimees…. Read More ›
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Tube Surfing, 30 June 2008: Baxendale, Bernice Summerfield and Graveyards!
• (via FPI): Leo Baxendale features in The Times today, recalling the early 1950s and his first approaches to DC Thomson, them taking on Little Plum, Minnie the Minx then the immortal Bash Street Kids. More details and links over… Read More ›
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More Who Comics Mythos Leaps to Audio Adventures
Stockbridge – an English village created for the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip – will feature in a new trilogy of audio adventures from Big Finish. To date, Stockbridge has featured in the strips The Tides of Time, The Stockbridge… Read More ›
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Hard Lessons in Self Publishing
How many people publishing their own comics have posed themselves the question “If only I knew when I started my web comic what I know now”? Well, Andrew John Standish, creator of the web comic Psychodialetical, certainly has. But if… Read More ›
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Summer Edition 2009 in Dublin This Weekend
(via poopsheet and BugPowder); Summer Edition 2009, the first event of its kind in Dublin, is a free, day long fair where over 30 exhibitors from across the spectrum of artist’s books, comics and zines will get together to showcase… Read More ›
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Adventure Comes To… Kirkcaldy
In these downbeat times, it’s rare to have something to celebrate – especially the opening of a new comic shop. But that’s exactly what’s just happened north of the border. Kingdom of Adventure, which opened complete with a visit from… Read More ›
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Razorjack Special Editions Released
Limited edition book publisher Foruli Publications has just published two very special box sets of John Higgins’ graphic novel Razorjack, recently released in paperback by revived publisher Com.X. In Razorjack, a trio of college kids inadvertently create an unstable nexus… Read More ›
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Tripwire Annual 2009 UK Only
Bad news for the publishers of ace comics and cult magazine Tripwire, whose 2009 Annual has been hit by distribution that mean the issue is not being carried by Diamond US. “We got hit by the benchmark,” says editor-in-chief Joel… Read More ›
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Furman Turns Japanese!
After years of writing Transformers stories for the UK and US, writer Simon Furman has finally broken into one of the most notoriously difficult comic markets: Japan. This is no small achievement: very few Westerners have broken into the world… Read More ›
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Cameron’s A-Z of Awesomeness
(via FPI Blog); Neill Cameron is hard at work on his latest project: The A-Z of Awesomeness. Well into its stride (he’s just delivered “Nina and the Neurons Neutralising the Ninky-Nonk with Nitrogen”, it was originally inspired by Garen Ewing’s… Read More ›
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Comics Artist In Residence at the V&A
(via ComicBitsonline): Award-winning comics artist and animator Karin Rubins, whose work includes the indie mini-series Dark, Urban Beasts and Tales by Ghost Light, takes up her post as Comics Artist in Residence at London’s prestigious V&A Museum next week. Working… Read More ›
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Temple APA Issue 4 Online
The indie British creators group known as the Temple APA has just released the fourth issue of their ‘portfolio’ comic, available free in hi-res PDF format from their Forum here. Intended as a digital showcase of British comic writers and… Read More ›
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In Review: Cancertown
While regular downthetubes readers are well aware there are plenty of “graphic novels” on the market, they also know many are actually collections of monthly comics, better known as “trade paperbacks”, perhaps complemented by additional material such as pin ups… Read More ›
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In Review: Wasted #2 – Back With Bite!
The second issue of Bad Press’ adult humour anthology mag Wasted is on sale now, cranking up the quality several more notches on its launch issue with some terrific strips from a wide range of creators that include Alan Grant,… Read More ›