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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BBC’s Culture Show Celebrates 30 Years Of Viz
It almost sounds like a headline that the staff of Viz made it up for their comic but BBC2’s Culture Show travelled to Gateshead for the Tuesday 3 March programme. While there, as well as taking in Yoko Ono’s exhibition… Read More ›
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176 Festival Secrets Revealed!
Those comic-creating, no-holds-barred devils at London Underground Comics are back for 2009 with an epic event at London’s fantastic 176 Art Gallery in Chalk Farm on Saturday 27th June, from 12 Midday until 7.00pm. Playing host to over 40 creators… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing, 2nd March 2009 – New TV21 Collections and more
• The Century 21 hardbacks — TV Century 21 and Lady Penelope comic collections lovingly put together by British publisher Reynolds & Hearn (see news story) featuring art by the likes of Frank Bellamy, Mike Noble and others — are… Read More ›
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Tales of the Buddha: A Wasted Gem (Among Others!)
Classical Comics and Panini artist Jon Haward has a new blog, Haward Art House, where he’s posting many a splendid piece of art from his burgeoning and impressive portfolio, including this cartoon featuring his “Tales of the Buddha” character that… Read More ›
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Space Age Exhibition on Tour
You know how these things happen when you’re surfing the ‘net. While researching some imagery for a comic strip I’m working on with Ross Dearsley, completely by fortuitous accident I came across information about a touring exhibition organised by the… Read More ›
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Crikey! scores with new Creator Interviews
The ninth issue of British comics magazine Crikey! is on sale now in all good comic shops and via its web site (www.crikeyuk.co.uk), featuring interviews with Enrique Romero on his Axa and Modesty Blaise newspaper strips, V for Vendetta and… Read More ›
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Young Gods Arrive for Seconds
The second part of Orang Utan Comics sci-fi action/adventure comic Young Gods is now available free online via the digital publishing site myebook.com. “We’ve had a great response to the release of Part One and interest in the book is… Read More ›
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Can Yuo Tell Who It is, Yet?
This is a fun little app: jigsawplanet lets you upload an image — in this case, a spread from a 1970s Doctor Who strip from Countdown — and turn it into a virtual jigsaw. You’re then timed as you try… Read More ›
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Off Topic: Goodbye Colorado
• Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.This is nothing to do with comics, and yet everything to do with all those who have ever worked in any creative medium. As someone who has written and edited news for over… Read More ›
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Draw the World Together gets a Makeover
Draw the World Together, an organisation of creatives who have been raising huge amounts of money for street children around the world for the past four years, aiding the work done by the UK based charity EveryChild, has a new… Read More ›
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Best of Bulldog Finally Released
Jason Cobley has finally released his mammoth trade paperback colection, The Greatest Adventures of Captain Winston Bulldog, featuring the ‘greatest hits’ of his much-acclaimed indie title BAM, ranging from issue 1 all the way through to issue 28, covering something… Read More ›
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Small Press Idol Launched
US Comics fans have launched Small Press Idol via Facebook, an event not tied to the USA if you’re interested in getting involved. “It’s International, this is an internet event,” says organiser Ian Shires, “not tied to a physical location.”… Read More ›
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2D or not 2D?
A quick reminder that 2D, the Northern Ireland Comics Festival, returns from 4th – 6th June this year in Derry / Londonderry, featuring some of the most creative comic talent around. The Festival will take place between The Verbal Arts… Read More ›
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Texeira Painting Commission List Opens
Mark Texeira has long been one of the best to bring fine art painting to the sequential art world, book covers, galleries and more. Now, it’s just been announced, with the last of his painting commissions out the door, that… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 27 February 2009
• Taking place this weekend in Scotland is D-Con, at Dundee Student Union. Looks like a manga and anime-oriented event judging from the line-up, which is perhaps why we’ve only just got to hear about it. Special Guests include Naniiebim,… Read More ›
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Star Trek Magazine Collected
Titan Magazines has digitized early issues of its first ongoing licensed title Star Trek Magazine, making them available for the first time on CD-ROM. The issues, all edited by John Freeman, contain the first 24 issues of Star Trek Monthly… Read More ›
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Watching the Watchmen at Borders
Borders UK has teamed up with Titan Books to bring fans two chances to meet Watchmen artist and co-creator Dave Gibbons, with an in-store signing at Borders Islington on 12th March from 7.30pm and another at Borders Glasgow on 14th… Read More ›
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Talking Up Tabella
There’s a sense of fun to the output of new British publisher Tabella (www.tabella.co.uk), which was was set up last year by husband and wife Kevin and Julia Quinn. By fun, I don’t mean their range is humorous, although some,… Read More ›
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Kez and Luke Collected
Recently arrived at the downthetubes lair is a copy of The Adventures of Kez and Luke by TOXIC Comic sub-editor Luke Paton, a collection of strips published first published online. The drawings comprise simple stick figures throughout but there’s some… Read More ›
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Marvel Europe Collection Released
Out now from Marvel US is Marvel Europe, a collection of strips by some of Europe’s top creators from native European Marvel titles such as Panini’s Spectacular Spider-Man. The trade comes with a cover by Staz Johnson and James Offredi…. Read More ›