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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Eagle Times Volume 22 Number One
The latest issue of Eagle Times (Volume 22, Number One) is available now from the Eagle Society. Spring 2009 contents Operation Saturn – but not as we know it. Details of Frank Hampson’s original 1952 story outline for Dan Dare’s… Read More ›
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DFC Strips Continue Online
Sadly, today, Friday 27 March 2009, sees the last issue of David Fickling’s innovative weekly subscription-only comic – The DFC – at least in its current form. Despite its demise — unless Random House have found a buyer — there… Read More ›
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Alan Moore’s Unpublished Big Numbers #3 Discovered on eBay
Comics collector Pádraig Ó Méalóid and documenter of Alan Moore‘s prestigious career has turned up a remarkable find — art for Big Numbers #3 — on eBay. Big Numbers is an unfinished comic book series by Moore and artist Bill… Read More ›
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The Trouble with Twitter…
(With thanks to Ron Callari) You can catch SuperNews!, which this sketch is part of, on the CurrentTV website at this link: http://current.com/topics/76254232/supernews/new/0.htm
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Diggle Signs For Marvel
As rumoured a couple of weeks back, former 2000AD editor and top writer Andy Diggle has signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics and will soon begin a run on Daredevil, and a Hawkeye mini series, Dark Reign: Hawkeye, starts… Read More ›
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Alex Maleev Strips
Classic heroes month continues on Alex Fitch’s radio show and podcast Strip!, which airs on London’d Resonance FM, with a look at the red-suited vigilante Daredevil – blind lawyer by day and superhero by night, soon to be written by… Read More ›
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In Review: Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens Adapted by Jen Green Art: John Stokes Colourist: Jason Cardy The tale of Pip, Miss Havisham, and the spiteful Estella, retold with fresh enthusiasm… No, you haven’t been transported to an alternate dimension where downthetubes reviews literary… Read More ›
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Jackie: New Collection
(With thanks to Jeremy Briggs): News of Egmont’s Comic Specials prompts us to mention this new collection of material from Jackie magazine, which was published by D C Thomson & Co Ltd. Launched in 1964 at the height of Beatlemania,… Read More ›
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Comics Theme Park Opens in Kuwait
A new theme park based on comic book series The 99, which has featured work by British artists John Royle and John McCrea, has opened at the Slayel Al-Jahra Resort in Jahra, Kuwait. Based on the Teshkeel Comics’ comic of… Read More ›
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Phantom Fleet Appears
Officially on sale this week is Dan Dare: Phantom Fleet from Titan Books, the latest in the company’s high quality collections of the classic Eagle comic character. First published in 1958 and written by Frank Hampson and Allan Stranks with… Read More ›
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Striptacular New Comic at The Thing…
We plugged the UK Web and Minicomix Thing 2009 in Mile End, London this weekend earlier this week, but one comic to look out for there will be Francesca Cassavetti‘s Striptacular, a 36-page comic featuring nine brand spanking new strips,… Read More ›
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Grand Adventures from Wallace & Gromit
Model citizens Wallace & Gromit have appeared on screen and in comics, and now they’re back once again in a game: this time in Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, a new game series debuting today at www.telltalegames.com. “Fright of the… Read More ›
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Egmont Revives Summer Special Tradition
(Updated 30 March) Back in the good old days of British comics, eager readers of titles such as Valiant, Battle, Buster, Roy of the Rovers and others didn’t just enjoy their weekly publication; sales and distribution models of one off… Read More ›
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Comix Web Thing This Week
A quick reminder that the UK Comix Web Thing takes place this coming Saturday (28th March ) at the Great Hall, Queen Mary University, Mile End, London. The event, which has been running since 2004, includes panel discussions, a drawing… Read More ›
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Smuggling Vacation Sequel Live
Day of the Deal, Jason Wilson‘s follow up to his enjoyable but controversial drug smuggling adventure Smuggling Vacation, is now being serialised online. The story will be published in print in October. Between now and print day, the entire new… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 23 March 2009
• Artist Rob Davis recently posted an interesting article about his work for Roy of the Rovers Monthly when it relaunched in late 1993. Davis had previously worked on the short-lived comic Glory Glory for Tundra UK with Stuart Green,… Read More ›
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TOXIC Comic Supplement Cover: Sneek Peek!
The TOXIC Comic Supplement we trailed back in February, featuring work from a host of great creators, will go on sale in the UK news stand title on sale 1 April: here’s the cover, courtesy of Egmont, who have also… Read More ›
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More Moore: Book and Magazine Collector 306
Just as the hullabaloo over the Watchmen movie was dying down and you thought that you could take a breather from it, the latest issue of Book and Magazine Collector jumps back on the band wagon. Well almost. To tie-in… Read More ›
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Can DFC Readers Save Their Comic?
A group of readers of the Random House subscription-only comic The DFC are trying to raise funds to stage a ‘subscriber’ buy-out of the title and have launched a blog to chart the progress of the campaign at: savethedfc.blogspot.com If… Read More ›
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How to Paint Rorschach
A bit late to the table with this one, but what with trips to London and the ramping up of the first of several new web sites during the day, I’ve been a bit sidetracked – apologies! The April issue… Read More ›