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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US Comic, Graphic Novel Sales Down
Comics trade site ICV2 reports sales of periodical comics in the US declined in May – the fourth month sales have dropped in a row, posting a 6% drop compared with sales in May of 2007 when, led by the… Read More ›
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Comic Hero Season at BFI London
London’s BFI Southbank and BFI Max have just announced they will be teaming up this July and August for a big-screen extravaganza of films adapted from comics presenting the breadth and depth of the genre. The season is a strong… Read More ›
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In Memoriam: “Hot Shot Hamish” writer Fred Baker
Comics writer and editor Barrie Tomlinson has been in touch with sad news that prolific British comic script writer Fred Baker died earlier this month. He had been ill for some time with Alzheimer’s and died of pneumonia on 4th… Read More ›
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Fred Baker: A Tribute
Writer and former Tiger and New Eagle editor Barrie Tomlinson pays tribute to Fred Baker, one of British comics unsung heroes, who died on 4 June 2008. He had been ill for some time with Alzheimer’s and died of pneumonia…. Read More ›
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Hulk Goes Mobile
Marvel and Hands-On Mobile, producers of Guitar Hero and Iron Man for mobile phones, have released a new mobile game and personalization content around the latest big-screen adaptation of The Incredible Hulk, which has been getting positive reviews as a… Read More ›
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McCarthy, Parkhouse Signing Date Set
Jim McCarthy and Steve Parkhouse will be signing their new graphic novel Sex Pistols: The Graphic Biography at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 28th June 1-2pm. Jim McCarthy is an illustrator and comic… Read More ›
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Win Roy of the Rovers Books!
The UK’s teams may be missing out Euro 2008 this summer, but Titan Books is bringing football home with the publication of a new series of books collecting the comic strips of Britain’s most famous fantasy footballer: Roy Race. The… Read More ›
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Venal Muse Goes Online
(Via: Richard Bruton of Fictions): Small press artist Marc Ellerby has just made Venal Muse, his mini comic from 2006, available in its entirety online. ‘I drew this in late 2006, but I think it eventually came out around February… Read More ›
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BBC Online Archive Plan Details Announced
The BBC has announced plans to produce a web-page for every episode of every television show it has ever made, as part of an online archive that will span nearly eight decades of broadcasting history. “From Dixon of Dock Green… Read More ›
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Animated Adventures Exhibition in Leicester
Animated Adventures, featuring Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit, is now open at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester and runs until 12 October 2008. Visitors will get a behind-the-scenes look at how animators including Aardman – the film… Read More ›
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Weird Web Finds…
Most peculiar…
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Charlotte Corday: The Hampstead Horror
Here are the first two ‘chapters’ of a new Charlotte Corday story, The Hampstead Horror, created by Commando, New Eagle and Spaceship Away artist Keith Page specifically for ROK Comics, the mobile comics publisher. (Read more about the project here)…. Read More ›
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In Review: Comic Art Now
Almost every creative industry has its creative directory but comics seems to have missed the boat — until Comic Art Now. Edited by industry veteran Dez Skinn, this impressive a 200-page “comic art directory” has been published by HarperCollins Design… Read More ›
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Afterlife Released
After a year of long evenings after work, indie British comic creator Michael Crouch has finally produced Afterlife, a one-off science fiction tale. Afterlife is the story of a group of people on the distant Earth colony world of Nightfall…. Read More ›
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Tube Surfing : 7 June 2008
Gerry Anderson fanzine Andersonic, which is currently on issue 5, now has a related website. The site details the current and back issues and will eventually have a shop to allow the issues to be purchased direct. Issue 6 of… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing : Beano At 70
Book And Magazine Collector issue 296 has a 15 page article by Norman Wright and David Ashford to celebrate the 70 anniversary of the publication of the first issue of the Beano dated July 30 1938. The issue is available… Read More ›
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Commando Webbing
DC Thomson’s official Commando website have just completed their first web version of a Commando comic. Wall of Death was originally published in July 1966 in Commando issue 221, written by Redbridge and illustrated by Cortez. The website has formatted… Read More ›
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New Hammer and Carry On stamps from Royal Mail
2008 is the fiftieth anniversay of both Hammer’s classic Dracula movie and the Carry On films (although in the case of the latter you’d be forgiven for not knowing that giving the lack of fanfare over such a milestone!). To… Read More ›
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In Person – Ray Harryhausen In Edinburgh
There are few movie makers other than some actors and a few directors that could be said to have become legends in their own lifetime. Special effects creator Ray Harryhausen is one of those select few with his skeleton fight… Read More ›