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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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 ›
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Strip!: Ed Pinsent and Fast Fiction
Continuing comic book publishing month on his Strip! radio show on London-based art radio station Resonance FM, Alex Fitch talks to comics creator Ed Pinsent, the second editor of the 1980s small press anthology Fast Fiction which was a ground… Read More ›
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In Review: New British Comics
Last month we gave a quick plug for 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. The book has been self-published… Read More ›
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Dave McKean Retrospective in Scotland
Dalmuir Library, Scotland is hosting a retrospective of artist Dave McKean’s work until 30th May. This free exhibition in the Library’s Backdoor Gallery, part of the Booked! Festival which inclues appearances by SF writers Ian McLeod and Iain M. Banks,… Read More ›
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Smart Wins TOXIC Poll
Jamie Smart has won the TOXIC Crazy Comic Poll
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Tube Surfing: 22 April 2009
It’s been a busy couple of weeks so our quick round ups of British comics news here have been a bit lacking. My apologies. • The reason things have been scant here is down to the soft launch of weirdandbeard.com,… Read More ›
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Adlard, Reppion and Moore Interviewed
Along with its usual mix of great comic strips, the new issue of Judge Dredd Megazine (Issue 283) contains two articles by downthetubes contributor Matthew Badham
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Absolute V for Vendetta Previewed
Top comics artist David Lloyd, creator of Kickback, has been sharing some of the newly-coloured ‘bridging pages’ for the upcoming Absolute V For Vendetta, due for release in August. “For those of you who are only familiar with V in… Read More ›
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Robot Steel Alien
Robot Steel Alien Originally uploaded by JohnFreeman. This was just one of several stunning steel sculptures created by the folk at RobotSteel.com on view at The Gadget Show at the NEC Birmingham this weekend. Based in Ireland, RoboSteel designs and… Read More ›
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Ackerman Auction in May
Hot on the heels of the upcoming Battlestar Galactica auction (see this news story I wrote for weirdand beard.com) comes news of another major scifi and fantasy auction event, this time from Profiles in History who will offer over 1100… Read More ›
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2nd Leeds Zombie Film Festival Approaches
Sunday 26 April sees the second Leeds Zombie Film Festival. Held at the Cottage Road Cinema in the Headingly region of the city from 12 noon to 12 midnight, full day passes (available from the box office on the day… Read More ›
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Comic Boom on Panel Borders
Continuing their month long look at comic book publishing Panel Borders Alex Fitch and Duncan Nott talk to Mark Waid, the editor-in-chief of US publisher Boom! Studios for this week’s Strip! radio show on Resonance FM. A relatively new comic… Read More ›
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Tripwire’s Wild Adventure
2009 is a banner year for the publishers of British comics and fantasy magazine Tripwire. Following hot on the heels of the success of its Superhero Special in March (reviewed here on downthtubes), they’re now locked and loaded with the… Read More ›
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Keith Page: Raiding the Past and Future
Comics artist Keith Page, co-creator of the mobile strip Charlotte Corday, is one of the regular interior and cover artists on British publisher DC Thomson’s Commando as well as writing and illustrating the Dan Dare prequel Rocket Pilot in comics… Read More ›