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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Andersonic Issue 7 is Go!
Stand by fir (fanzine) action!
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So Long To Scrye
More bad news in the niche magazine market with word via ICv2 that F&W Media has decided to end publication of Scrye magazine with its April 2009 issue (#131). Founded back in 1993, Scrye is the longest running periodical reporting… Read More ›
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New Mike Noble Art Highlight of latest Spaceship Away
On sale in all good comic shops soon is the latest issue of Rod Barzilay’s Spaceship Away comic magazine, featuring all-new comic strip starring the original Dan Dare and a variety of other SF strips including Rocket Pilot, written and… Read More ›
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Tales of Vanity and Vengeance!
US publisher Eureka Productions has just published its latest title, Graphic Classics: Oscar Wilde, featuring work by British comics creator Nick Miller, whose credits include football comic Rammie (see news story) and downthetubes very own Really Heavy Greatcoat. This Oscar… Read More ›
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Expecting Great Things from John Stokes
(with thanks to Jon Haward): Classical Comics, the British publisher adapting classic works of fiction into comics for both schools and general readers, has just published some pages form its latest project, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, on its web… Read More ›
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Monkeying about with Young Gods!
Ground-breaking British indie publisher Orang Utan Comics Studio have released the first part of their Young Gods Online Graphic Novel onto an unsuspecting world this week, aiming to bring the title to comics fans in new — and free —… Read More ›
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Brautigan Comic part of new Torpedo Quarterly
2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of American writer Richard Brautigan, whose best known works include his 1967 novel, Trout Fishing in America, his collection of poetry, The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster (1968), and his collection… Read More ›
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Time for a Little Music…
Ace comics artist and painter Chris Reynolds, creator of Mauretania Comics, kindly sent me a copy of trombonist and composer/arranger Mike Hext’s Mr OK, a new album for which Chris has provided the cover. Mike came to prominence after winning… Read More ›
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A Cartoon History of Here
Venues across northern Britain will play host to new performances of The Cartoon History of Here over the next few months, an event described as “a live-action cartoon” created by Yorkshire poet, broadcaster and comedian, Ian McMillan and several times… Read More ›
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Dangerous Ink interviews John M. Burns
(with thanks to Jay Eales): Cosmic Publishing, who also publish Comics International, have just released the first issue of the revamped, alternative arts magazine Dangerous Ink, which includes an interview with 2000AD and one time Modesty Blaise artist John M…. Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 30 January 2009
• British independent publisher FutureQuake Press have just released the latest issues of their brilliant anthology titles, FutureQuake and MangaQuake. FutureQuake #12 offers its usual mix of science fiction comics tales and boasts a cover by Eagle award-winning artist Declan… Read More ›
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Could New UK Laws Threaten Comic Collectors?
(with thanks to Leah Moore and John Reppion who mentioned The Bookseller article on this matter their blog). New laws designed to tackle extreme and child pornography could make owning mainstream comics like Batman or Judge Dredd illegal, campaigners claim…. Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 29 January 2009
• Dave Taylor has just posted this stunning teaser for a new Judge Dredd story, a four parter written by Ian Edginton. Look out for more soon on his blog. Dave’s one of several comics artists involved in the fab… Read More ›
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Coraline Game Released, New Trailer…
Games company D3Publisher, publishers of titles diverse as Shaun the Sheep and Ben 10: Alien Force (due for US launch February 2009) has released the Coraline videogame in the US for Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2. Based on Laika’s… Read More ›
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New Asterix Tales on the Way
One of the longest-running gags in the Asterix books, created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, has been given a revamped ‘origin story’ treatment in a new Asterix book, already on sale in France and due for release by Hodder… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 26 January 2009
• (with thanks to Chris Wasshuber): Who created Lucky Luke? The cowboy, published by Dargaud and the creation of Morris, has been a beloved fictitious cowboy in Europe for the past 60 years bringing joy and entertainment to many readers… Read More ›
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Preserving Our Comics Heritage
John Birch works for the National Library of Scotland located in Edinburgh, one of the UK’s five legal deposit libraries, and curated their successful Local Heroes exhibition covering comics and graphic novels last year. In an interview for downthtubes, he… Read More ›
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Rainbow Orchid Re-Mastered Update
Garen Ewing has updated fans on progress with his Rainbow Orchid collections, with the first volume of this critically-acclaimed indie strip now scheduled to be published by Egmont UK in August 2009. “ I have been working practically every minute… Read More ›
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Maw, Paw an’ PM Broon
While the UK comics community, and the national newspapers, may have made much of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s appearance in the first issue of Marvel’s Captain Britain and MI13, it is unlikely to have raised much interest in Number 10… Read More ›