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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Eagle Award 2007 Nominations Launched
Nominations are now being invited for this year’s Eagle Awards, the British comics awards. You can designate your 2007 favourites in 30 different categories at www.eagleawards.co.uk. We’re delighted to report that downthetubes is one of the comic web sites already… Read More ›
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Alistair Reynolds Signing News
SF author Alastair Reynolds will be signing his new book, House of Suns at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 12th April 1-2pm Alastair’s first novel Revelation Space was published in 2000 and was… Read More ›
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Artist Jon Haward Interviewed
The Classical Comics project to make literature contemporary and relevant through comics is ambitious, but has received high praise educators and actors, including Royal Shakespeare Company fellow and Star Trek icon Patrick Stewart.On the launch of the second Classical Comics… Read More ›
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Bleathman’s Thunderbirds Art on EBay
Illustrator Graham Bleathman is offering two of his original Thunderbirds paintings via ebay, both original ‘never before published’ signed colour paintings. • Thunderbird 1 (see right) features the scout ship for the International Rescue organisation over Tracy Island • Thunderbird… Read More ›
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Steve Whitaker’s Funeral
Here are the details of Steve Whitaker’s funeral, who died last month (see related story): 3.15pmWednesday 12th March Bedford Crematorium104 Norse Road,Bedford,Bedfordshire,MK41 0RL Telephone: 01234 353701 (See bottom of post for map) “Collective memory” websites devoted to Steve:• Jellytown: community.livejournal.com/jellytown•… Read More ›
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Commando – Wall Of Death
The Commando website is continuing their on-line adaptation of Commando issue 221 Wall of Death. This was first published on 26 July 1966 and was then priced at one shilling. The electronic version is free and is currently up to… Read More ›
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Edinburgh Is Reading Jekyll And Hyde
Previously mentioned here on Down The Tubes, the 2008 One Book – One Edinburgh citywide reading campaign is now in full swing. After the success of Kidnapped in 2007, this year’s book is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case Of Dr… Read More ›
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TV21 Dalek Art Up For Sale
Among the many British comics-related lots on offer in the current Comic Book Auction, which ends next week, is a real gem for Doctor Who and artist Ron Turner fans alike — a page of artwork from The Daleks, which… Read More ›
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Let’s Do the Timewarp…
Now it can be told… Attendees at the UK indie comic press event Caption 2007: Dreams & Nightmares were given a prophetic dream of the theme for Caption 2008. And the dream came true. Caption 2008 is Caption Timewarp. It… Read More ›
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Women in Comics
(with thanks to Matthew Badham): With the opening of the Live Lines Exhibtion in Richmond, Bridgeen Gillespie has an article in the PDF-delivered Verbal Magazine this week, revealing why comics aren’t just for boys anymore – if they ever were,… Read More ›
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Make Mine Marvel UK!
Great news about an exciting book for a Marvel UK fans!
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¿Hay vida en Marte?
Or, is there Life on Mars? BBC Worldwide inked its first scripted format sale ever in Spain in a new agreement for Life on Mars, with television and media company Antena 3. The Spanish version will be produced as an… Read More ›
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Here come the Robots…
British independent publisher Accent Press are about to launch Robots, another beast of a book in the tradition of their previous anthology, Zombies, released last year. At 204 pages it features many new, emerging and established talents including Paul Harrison… Read More ›
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Zombies – Review by David Hailwood
With the rapidly-approaching arrival of Accent Press Robots anthology (see news story), David Hailwood kindly provides downthetubes with a review of last year’s collection, Zombies… As a good friend of mine once said ‘Zombies are in many ways like skinheads…. Read More ›
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Subscribe to a … T-Shirt?
Here’s a weird one, but so wacky it’s worthy of mention. Subscriptions, it seems, are no longer limited to comics and magazines – you can now subscribe to a t-shirt. And over 2500 people already have. T-post is described by… Read More ›
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China Now! Comics Exhibition
China Now, the UK’s largest ever festival of Chinese culture, has announced the first ever major exhibition in Britain to explore Manhua – the powerful narrative art form of comics and graphic novels in China – and will include the… Read More ›
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House of Usher Sale
Brilliant comics artist Shane Oakley is currently selling; three pages from The Fall of the House of Usher at £55 each, which includes p&p and a signed print. More details and imagery on his blog, where you can also find… Read More ›
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Steve Whitaker: Online Memorial Site Launched
A livejournal gommunity and a flickr group devoted to the late, already-much missed artist and colourist Steve Whitaker, who died last week (see related story), have now been launched. “If you were a pal or admirer of Steve and his… Read More ›
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Doctor Who Experiment
Purely for research purposes of course, given that ROK Comics, which I edit, has a comic creator too, I had a go at using the BBC’s Doctor Who Comic Maker. Have to say I wasn’t 100 per cent impressed: the… Read More ›
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DFC – Ask The Editor
I’m interviewing the editor of new, originated, British comic DFC for downthetubes.net to tie in with the launch of the title, so if you have any questions you’d like to ask, fire them my way asap. Needless to say, this… Read More ›