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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In Review: The Tripwire Annual 2008
Review by John Freeman Joel Meadows has edited and designed Tripwire since 1992, and, as editor of the magazine and a freelance journalist for newspapers such as The Times, The Indpendent and various other titles, has interviewed almost everyone of… Read More ›
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Comic Timing at Harrods!
Check out this fantastic comics exhibition at Harrods
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Abracadabra! It’s Shaun the Sheep
Baa! Another bunch of great woolly adventures for Shaun, Bitzer, Shirley and the flock, not to mention those troublesome pigs is about to be released on DVD, as they go looking for more sheep thrills. The shear delights in this… Read More ›
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Dreaming Up The DFC: An Interview with Publisher David Fickling
Earlier this year, David Fickling Books and Random House launched The DFC, a new weekly comic in the UK, the first of its kind in terms of the levels of originated, new characters for many years. Packed to the gunnels… Read More ›
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Beano, Dandy Too PC?
Euan Kerr, former editor of The Beano, has hit out at the current content of the comic and the Dandy arguing they have become too politically correct. In an article in the Telegraph, picking up on a report in Scotland… Read More ›
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In Memoriam: Pink Floyd’s Richard Wright
I was sorry to hear that founding Pink Floyd member and keyboardist Richard Wright has died at the age of 65 after losing a short struggle with cancer. Wright performed with the legendary rock outfit from their very early beginnings… Read More ›
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Etherington Brothers ‘Go Nuts!’
After a summer spent diligently producing page after page of comic book nonsense in their Bristol studio, the Etherington Brothers, creators of strips such Monkey Nuts and Malcolm Magic are about to begin an frenetic End of Year appearance schedule,… Read More ›
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Doctor Who DVD Files Magazine "Market Tested"
Last month, we reported on a new Doctor Who magazine in development from part works publishers GE Fabbri, publishers of the Doctor Who magazine Battles in Time and magazine-video titles such as Ronnie Barker, Charmed and Stargate SG-1. Although GE… Read More ›
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Secrets of Ceres joins Spaceship Away
A bit of shameless self-promotion: I’m delighted to report that Secrets of Ceres, the first part of a new SF strip drawn by Mike Nicoll and written by me, John Freeman, will feature in the next issue of the Dan… Read More ›
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Silverfin Graphic Novel announced
(with thanks to Reuben Willmott): Penguin Books will publish a graphic novel version of Charlie Higson’s first Young James Bond story, Silverfin, in October. Drawn by 2000AD‘s Kev Walker, the story begins with James Bond’s first day at Eton, and… Read More ›
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Black Boar Goes Gothic
Dave Hitchcock, the man behind Black Boar Press and highly acclaimed indie comics such as Whitechapel Freak and Springheeled Jack, is about to self publish another newspaper/comic called Gothic. “It will include some of my short stories from way back,”… Read More ›
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End of the Road for Flick and Jube
Simon Mackie’s ace Flick and Jube web comic, published over on DrunkDuck (along with several more of his comics such as Dr Ballard The Golem Rises and Bikini Blow Up, is finally complete. “Now to try and find a publisher,”… Read More ›
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To Infinity and… er, Japan!
Russell Willis produced and published a number on important underground cartoon magazines in the 1980s including Infinity, which included interviews with creators such as Alan Moore, Posy Simmonds and David Lloyd and later issues of The Alternative Headmaster’s Bulletin. He… Read More ›
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To Infinity and… er, Japan! An interview with Russell Willis
Russell Willis produced and published a number on important underground cartoon magazines in the 1980s. He moved to Tokyo in the early 1990’s where he now runs a web based publishing company in Tokyo. UK underground cartoonist, Simon Mackie, who… Read More ›
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Comics International Goes Ape!
In the latest issue of Europe’s comics industry trade paper, which goes on sale week beginning 29 September, writer Karl Kesel, artist Ramon Bachs and editor Steve Wacker talk exclusively to Comics International about making monkeys out of superheroes in… Read More ›
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ROK Comics Now Free
Marking a major change in its distribution model almost all the comics on the comics-to-mobile service ROK Comics (www.rokcomics.com) are now Free To View on the web. After experimenting with various sales techniques since its launch last year, ROK Comics… Read More ›
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Fighting back against the Internet…
Never let it be said that the French lag behind when it comes to technological advances. The Times reports today that instead of turning wholeheartedly to the internet as a way of saving the dwindling popularity of newspapers in Paris,… Read More ›
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New Chernobyl-inspired Game goes on sale
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, a nifty looking First Person Shooter inspired by the 2007 Shadow of Chernobyl release, should now be on sale in your local games shops from Koch Media — and we liked the imagery so much we decided… Read More ›
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Crunch Time for TinTin Fans
Fans of Tin Tin, be warned: if you run a a fan site devoted to the Belgian cartoon hero, you could end up receiving a cease and desist letter, similar to the kind of litigious heavy handedness meted out by… Read More ›
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Kick Ass Top 2009 Movie
Never mind Watchmen or Wolverine: 2000AD and Marvel Comics writer Mark Millar is convinced that the upoming movie Kick Ass, based on his Marvel comic series, which was drawn by John Romita Jr and is due for a hardcover colection… Read More ›