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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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 ›
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Tharg’s Head Revisited
In October 2008, occasional downthetubes contributor Matthew Badham interviewed freelance writer Andy Diggle (who is also the ex-editor of 2000AD). An edited 2000 word version of that interview was published in the February edition of the Judge Dredd Megazine. Now,… Read More ›
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Newspaper Cull in Manchester: Fighting Back
All right, this isn’t quite comics, but it’s definitely not good news if you’re a comics creator who’s ever used your local papers to promote events or projects like I have (our Morecambe Visitor kindly ran a two-page spread on… Read More ›
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Daleks Series That Never Was
The latest issue of Panini UK’s Doctor Who Magazine — alongside its usual as ever excellent coverage of the ongoing TV series — features some cracking illustrations by comics artist Brian Williamson that accompany a feature on a series spin-off… Read More ›
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In Review: Tripwire Superhero Special 2009
Editor and publisher Joel Meadows kindly sent us a copy of the Tripwire Superhero Special, which is now on sale in all good comic shops, Borders UK and Barnes & Noble in the US. Building on the fine work that… Read More ›
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The Last Word on Watchmen?
• Cartoon by Mal Clark
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‘Watchmensch’ Ships This Week
Rich Johnston and Simon Rohrmuller’s Watchmensch — a parody of a certain legendary graphic novel and recent blockbuster movie, as well as a trip through time to the beginnings of superhero comics — ships Wednesday 18th March in the USA… Read More ›
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Talbot Praises Insomnia’s CancerTown
To the delight of new British indie comics company Insomnia Publications, top British comics creator Bryan Talbot (The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, Alice in Sunderland) has written the foreword for their upcoming title Cancertown, written by Cy Dethan with art… Read More ›
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More Commandos Officially Available Online
(With thanks to Jeremy Briggs): DC Thomson’s official Commando web site has been updated again with another free to read strip and more giveaways to promote the popular digest title. Our sources at DC Thomson indicate the Commando web site… Read More ›
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Happy 50th Birthday, Mighty Moth!
(with thanks to “Ian”): The first appearance of “Mighty Moth”, the longest-running strip in Britain’s TV Comic was in Issue 384, dated week ending 14th March 1959. The strip ran every week until the title was cancelled in June 1984… Read More ›