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: 29 January 2009
• Dave Taylor has just posted this stunning teaser for a new Judge Dredd story, a four parter written by Ian Edginton. Look out for more soon on his blog. Dave’s one of several comics artists involved in the fab… Read More ›
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Coraline Game Released, New Trailer…
Games company D3Publisher, publishers of titles diverse as Shaun the Sheep and Ben 10: Alien Force (due for US launch February 2009) has released the Coraline videogame in the US for Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2. Based on Laika’s… Read More ›
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New Asterix Tales on the Way
One of the longest-running gags in the Asterix books, created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, has been given a revamped ‘origin story’ treatment in a new Asterix book, already on sale in France and due for release by Hodder… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 26 January 2009
• (with thanks to Chris Wasshuber): Who created Lucky Luke? The cowboy, published by Dargaud and the creation of Morris, has been a beloved fictitious cowboy in Europe for the past 60 years bringing joy and entertainment to many readers… Read More ›
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Preserving Our Comics Heritage
John Birch works for the National Library of Scotland located in Edinburgh, one of the UK’s five legal deposit libraries, and curated their successful Local Heroes exhibition covering comics and graphic novels last year. In an interview for downthtubes, he… Read More ›
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Rainbow Orchid Re-Mastered Update
Garen Ewing has updated fans on progress with his Rainbow Orchid collections, with the first volume of this critically-acclaimed indie strip now scheduled to be published by Egmont UK in August 2009. “ I have been working practically every minute… Read More ›
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Maw, Paw an’ PM Broon
While the UK comics community, and the national newspapers, may have made much of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s appearance in the first issue of Marvel’s Captain Britain and MI13, it is unlikely to have raised much interest in Number 10… Read More ›
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Complete Dracula Announced
US publisher Dynamite have announced the launch of The Complete Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, Leah Moore and John Reppion, with art by Colton Worley and covers by John Cassady. Issue 1 of the five-issue comic series will go on… Read More ›
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Birmingham Comic Show Revamped
British podcast and comics news site Geek Syndicate reports that after three successful conventions, The Birmingham International Comics Show is regenerating into The British International Comic Show. “This is simply to reflect how the show has become the UK’s largest… Read More ›
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Blam! Returns to Leicester
After a series of popular and well attended comics events last year (see report), Leicester Libraries have announced another Blam! event, this time with top comics expert Paul Gravett. Titled “More Than Words Can Say: What are comic books doing… Read More ›
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Frights on the Frontier!
The latest issue of the subscription-only weekly British comic The DFC features Jason Cobley and Andrew Wildman’s Frontier on the cover, as heroes Mitch and Daisy find themselves cornered by werewolves in the weird Wild West. “It’s an absolute privilege… Read More ›
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Kevin O’Neill Confirms Bristol Expo Appearance
Legendary British artist Kevin O’Neill (whose work includes Nemesis the Warlock for 2000AD and Marshal Law) has confirmed that he will come to Bristol to sign the first volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century, written by Alan Moore…. Read More ›
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Stacking the odds for Indie Magazines Success
Here’s an idea which some enterprising comics publisher, or comics distributor, might consider as a way to drum up interest in their full range of titles. The financial crisis will make 2009 a year of high innovation for independent magazines,… Read More ›
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Elephantmen Back on Track
Image Comics reports that, after a number of hiccups in the scheduling of Active Images Elephantmen in 2008, the creation of former Marvel UK staffer and all round good egg Richard Starkings, the book is back on track for 2009…. Read More ›
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Alternative Press Fair Shapes Up Nicely
With just two weeks to go, Jimi Gherkin, Comic creator and organiser of the The Alternative Press Fair 2009 in London on 1st February is shaping up nicely with a terrifi line up of creators scheduled to be part of… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 21 January 2009
• Comics Bulletin have run the first review of Thunderbolts #128, writen by Andy Diggle and drawn by Roberto de la Torre, on sale today in the US, which sees Black Widow and Ant-Man engaged in covert ops aboard Air… Read More ›
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Bostin Heroes seek an Artist
A British webcomic team is urgently seeking a new artist as it looks to begin its second story. “I’ve recently been writing a webcomic set in the West Midlands called Bostin Heroes,” Shropshire-based writer and small-press creator Matthew Craig tells… Read More ›
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Brit indie announces Thief-Taker General
British independent comics line Storm Comics (www.stormcomics.com), the brainchild of writer and artist Michael Crouch, was launched last May with a one-off sci-fi comic, Afterlife. Although interest has been good, judging by feedback from readers, sales have been slow. Not… Read More ›
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Bloomsbury publishes Twilight Zone in the UK
Due for release from Bloomsbury next month are the first four graphic novels in a series adapting episodes of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The work of artists from the Savannah College of… Read More ›
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ZineFest Focuses on Comics
Zine Fest, which takes place this Saturday in London, will include a new exhibition of women zinester’s comics, curated by Melanie Maddison, editor of the Leeds-based ‘zine Colouring Outside the Lines, which features interviews with contemporary female artists and illuminates… Read More ›