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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New British Comics Gets UK Distribution
UK Indie distributor Smallzone is now selling the first issue of New British Comics, an 80-page comics anthology featuring, 13 stories and 17 artists including Dave Thomson, Malcy Duff, Paul O’Connell and Rob Miller. Reviewed by us here last month,… Read More ›
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Muppets, Giant Cuboid Chickens and Other Weird Creatures
Starting an “adaptation and inspiration” month on the Strip! radio show on ResonanceFM, Alex Fitch and Robin Warren talk to two humour cartoonists – Roger Langridge and Hugh Raine (a.k.a. Shug) – about their work. As we’ve previously reported, Roger… Read More ›
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TOXIC Goes Star Trek
The latest issue of Egmont’s TOXIC – out today – comes with free Green Alien Ears and an Outer-space Water Blaster, capitalising on the hype for the new Star Trek film. (We remember Spock having green blood, but not green… Read More ›
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In Review: Western
Reviewed by David Hailwood Well, what can I say? The contributors to Accent UK’s latest anthology must’ve played some very bizarre games of Cowboys and Indians when they were children. In fact, I’m willing to bet their games had almost… Read More ›
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Major Alan Moore Interview Published
Alan Moore and interviewer Pádraig Ó Méalóid. Picture via Forbidden Planet International The Forbidden Planet International blog – earlier this week announced as one of the Top 50 blogs in the UK and the only comics blog in the list… Read More ›
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Maggie, Maggie, Maggie…
— Out, Out, Out! What’s that? She turned into a man and re-named herself Tony Blair? The cunning minx…
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Tube Surfing: 4 May 2009
• Over on Comic Book Resources, Brian Cronin has just completed a month of posting reviews of a different self-published comic book each day. Check out the archive of reviews here • Meanwhile, Matthew Badham has perhaps taken a leaf… Read More ›
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In Memoriam: Adrian Kermode
We’re sorry to report the death of British journalist and comics writer Adrian Kermode
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Comic Expo Countdown…
There’s just one week to go until the 2009 Bristol International Comic Expo (featuring the Small Press Expo) at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on 9th and 10th May 2009 (and Mercure Holland House Hotel (Sat 9th only) and whilst the… Read More ›
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Watchmen Gets DVD, Blu-Ray Date
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that Watchmen will be available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 27th July 2009. Directed by Zack Snyder (300), Watchmen is a based on the 1986-1987 comic book limited series Watchmen… Read More ›
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Who Gazes Upon The Watchmen? Chapter Two
At the beginning of April we reported that four pages of original Watchmen artwork by artist Dave Gibbons that had just sold on eBay, selling for between £4,058 and £5,600. Since then, three more pages have been sold. The first… Read More ›
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Strip!: Publishing a Blank Slate
Concluding comic book publishing month on radio show and podcast Strip!, Alex Fitch interviews Kenny Penman who runs Blank Slate Books, a new British publishing company that has been around for just under a year and have four books to… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 28 April 2009
• In his latest Lyin in the Gutters column, Rich Johnston reports Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch‘s Fantastic Four run for Marvel has had an altered schedule due to personal issues for both creators. The last double-sized edition, #569, has… Read More ›
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As Rainbow Orchid Preps for Print, Parts go Offline…
Garen Ewing’s full web version of his comic strip The Rainbow Orchid, is going to remain online for just one more week. “Book publication of volume one (Egmont UK) is set for 4 August 2009, so after the bank holiday… Read More ›
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Orang Utan Moves to Light Speed
British indie publisher Orang Utan Comics have just released two new comics, both available to order online – and which will be on sale at the Comics Expo in Bristol next month. FTL#1, available from Indyplanet, is the first issue… Read More ›
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Cold Day on Sale!
… Well, almost. I’ve just received an advance copy of Panini’s Doctor Who: A Cold Day in Hell collection which features strips from my period working on Doctor Who Magazine, as designer then editor. The Panini team have done the… Read More ›
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Mirabalis Continues Online
New episodes of Mirabilis, which ran in the dead-but-just-resting The DFC, have just been posted online: www.mirabilis-yearofwonders.com/Episodes.html The creation of Dave Morris and Leo Hartas, Mirabilis was originally intended to appear in episodic form in Random House’s weekly comic, before… Read More ›
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You Are The Law!
Licensed Judge Dredd belt buckles are now available to pre-order from Termight Replicas. This heavy buckle has been cast in zinc alloy and then gold plated with an enamelled flag on the front, and the results look impressive. The buckle… Read More ›
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Diggle’s Free Comic Book Day
Thunderbolts and Green Arrow writer Andy Diggle will be signing comics at Lancaster’s First Age Comics in the Assembly Rooms, King Street on Free Comic Book Day (Saturday 2nd May). The signing starts at 2.00pm. Andy’s credits also include Hellblazer,… Read More ›