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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Temple APA Seeks Contributors
The Temple APA, one of Britain’s longest-running amateur comics communities (which has several professional-standard creators in its midst!) is looking for writers and artists to contribute to the new digital version of the Temple. The new version will be a… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 26 August 2008
• Bulletproof Comics #2, an anthology title of top comics talent, is now at the printers and will be available soon from the Bulletproof web site (www.bulletproofcomics.co.uk). It’s another 80-page beast of an issue, but this time around the title… Read More ›
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Marvel Heroes Turning Japanese
US publisher Marvel Comics is partnering with top Japanese animation studio Madhouse to create brand new characters inspired by the Marvel Universe for the Japanese market. Working closely with Marvel, Madhouse will produce cutting edge Japanese anime series based on… Read More ›
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In Pictures: Colin Baker’s Brief Encounter!
200 science fiction fans of all ages enjoyed a “Brief Encounter” with Doctor Who star Colin Baker this weekend on Carnforth railway station, Lancashire. When the event sold out – surprising even the organisers, Carnforth’s new TARDIS Shop – Colin’s… Read More ›
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War of Words: Comic Writing Tips
In December 2007 Matt Badham was fortunate enough to interview DC Thomson editor Calum Laird, currently editing Commando, as research for an article about writing. The interview includes tips on pitching to various DC Thomson titles such as The Dandy,… Read More ›
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Trripwire Returns!
Top comics magazine Tripwire returned to comic shop shelves this week with its eagerly-awaited second annual issue, an extravagant 144-page smorgasbord of pop culture content kicked off by an original Doctor Who cover painted by Tommy Lee Edwards. The magazine… Read More ›
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It’s Not Comics, But…
As a show of solidarity with the Dalai Lama and Tibet, 20 artists have come together to release a historic double album on the eve of the Beijing Olympics, The Art of Peace. These recordings – some original for the… Read More ›
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Murderdrome Comes to the iphone
Top British comic creators Al Ewing and PJ Holden have developed an iphone version of their new comics project Murderdrome. Find out more by watching the video below or visiting their blog. While comics on phones are not a new… Read More ›
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Alison Carroll is Tomb Raider
Meet Alison Carroll – actress, gymnast and arguably the greatest living embodiment of Lara Croft so far. There have been several memorable real-life incarnations of England’s first lady of adventure over the last decade, but few have managed to capture… Read More ›
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Exhibition celebrates the life of Beano cartoonist, Robert T Nixon
The life of cartoonist Robert T Nixon has been celebrated this summer
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TMNT: Back to the Sewer on its way to the UK
4Kids Entertainment has completed deals with several broadcasters, including CITV in the UK, for a new series based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, which celebrates its 25th anniversary next year. TMNT: Back to the Sewer will be launched… Read More ›
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In Memoriam: Pauline Baynes
by John Freeman I’ve just been catching up with some recent email and read that Pauline Baynes, whose illustrations gave life to Narnia, as well as appearing in books by J.R.R. Tolkien, Mary Norton, Richard Adams and countless others, passed… Read More ›
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British Comics Sales Down Again
• Bad news for British comics publishers. As reported over on Bear Alley by comics expert / writer Steve Holland, sales are down on almost every title (see table compiled by Steve), as much as 16 per cent in some… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 20 August 2008
• Comics artist Dave McKean was one of the guests at the very damp last night and despite the weather the event was sold out and went very, very well., according to Joe Gordon at Forbidden Planet International, who has… Read More ›
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MGM Options British online comic for TV series
Seizing an opportunity to leverage the current wave of popularity and notoriety surrounding the new digital graphic novel sensation The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore, MGM Domestic Television Distribution has acquired an option to develop the Factory Publishing property created,… Read More ›
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ITV Announces Zombie Invasion
by John Freeman ITV has announced a new one off zombie drama, Renaissance, which will star Kelly Brook (School for Seduction, Smallville) and Alan Dale (Ugly Betty, The OC, 24). The show is integrally linked to the second season of… Read More ›
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Under the Eagle Returns
by John Freeman Under the Eagle, a satirical play by comics writer and Torchwood script writer Andrew Cartmel, is to have another run in London. LS1 Productions will be staging the much-praised show at the White Bear on Kennington Road… Read More ›
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Garth Returns!
Sneaked onto the Daily Mirror web site with very little publicity is something pretty momentous for British comics fans — the return of the adventure strip Garth! Artist Huw-J called us earlier last week to tell us of its long-awaited… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 17 August 2008
• Warren Elllis notes the completion of the first book his ace online webcomic drawn by Paul Duffield, FreakAngels, which will be released as a nice cleaned-up print edition from Avatar Press in time for Christmas, in three flavours: hardback,… Read More ›
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Star Wars invades San Francisco…
… literally, it seems. Thanks to Frank Garcia for the link (via Gizmodo, Current – the original source, I think – and presurfer among others)…. Informed by the Bush Administration that a Rebel base is located in the heart of… Read More ›