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: 20 August 2008
• Comics artist Dave McKean was one of the guests at the very damp last night and despite the weather the event was sold out and went very, very well., according to Joe Gordon at Forbidden Planet International, who has… Read More ›
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MGM Options British online comic for TV series
Seizing an opportunity to leverage the current wave of popularity and notoriety surrounding the new digital graphic novel sensation The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore, MGM Domestic Television Distribution has acquired an option to develop the Factory Publishing property created,… Read More ›
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ITV Announces Zombie Invasion
by John Freeman ITV has announced a new one off zombie drama, Renaissance, which will star Kelly Brook (School for Seduction, Smallville) and Alan Dale (Ugly Betty, The OC, 24). The show is integrally linked to the second season of… Read More ›
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Under the Eagle Returns
by John Freeman Under the Eagle, a satirical play by comics writer and Torchwood script writer Andrew Cartmel, is to have another run in London. LS1 Productions will be staging the much-praised show at the White Bear on Kennington Road… Read More ›
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Garth Returns!
Sneaked onto the Daily Mirror web site with very little publicity is something pretty momentous for British comics fans — the return of the adventure strip Garth! Artist Huw-J called us earlier last week to tell us of its long-awaited… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 17 August 2008
• Warren Elllis notes the completion of the first book his ace online webcomic drawn by Paul Duffield, FreakAngels, which will be released as a nice cleaned-up print edition from Avatar Press in time for Christmas, in three flavours: hardback,… Read More ›
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Star Wars invades San Francisco…
… literally, it seems. Thanks to Frank Garcia for the link (via Gizmodo, Current – the original source, I think – and presurfer among others)…. Informed by the Bush Administration that a Rebel base is located in the heart of… Read More ›
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Scalpel! Glue! Paint! Coffee?
In the last few years the revitalised plastic kit manufacturer Airfix has been re-releasing some of their classic kits in addition to creating new ones on such modern subjects as Wallace And Gromit and new Doctor Who. After some years… Read More ›
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Festival Time In Edinburgh
As the Edinburgh Festivals kick into full swing for August 2008, there are several UK comics related items worth mentioning. After gingerly dipping their toes into the flood of graphic novels last year, the Edinburgh International Book Festival have made… Read More ›
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‘Watchmen’ Races Towards The Top Of The Amazon.Co.Uk Book Chart
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ ground-breaking Watchmen has raced towards the top of the Amazon.co.uk book chart as sales rise by over 3000% and excitement builds around 2009 film release. Its trailer is currently running before screenings of The Dark… Read More ›
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Revamp Vampirella!
Get ready to Vamp it up as Project: Rooftop, where cartoonists and illustrators bring their costume design skills to task in tribute to the superheroes and villains they’ve grown up with, joins forces with Harris Comics for their newest drawing… Read More ›
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Rare Anderson Comics up for auction
Copies of Lady Penelope — the comic created by the publishers of the best-selling TV Century 21 but aimed at girls — are just some of the rare items up for auction from British company Compalcomics this autumn. Bids will… Read More ›
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Tube Surfing: 12 August 2008
• (via Forbidden Planet International): The Observer, ComICA and Jonathan Cape have teamed up again this year for a second graphic short story competition following the success of the first such endeavour last year (which was won by Cathy Brighton’s… Read More ›
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Resonance FM Stands Up for Comics
(via Bugpowder): On Thursday 14th August at 5.00pm, Resonance FM will broadcast “Stand Up Comics: Music and Performance by Small Press Artists and Writers” as part of the weekly comics programme, ‘Strip’. Tune in for poetry, stories, music and dialogue,… Read More ›
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IndieReview Revamped
IndieReview, the UK indie comics and manga portal has had a new revamp, focusing on sharp dynamic content with lots of great images and up to date news from the world of comics. The team behind the site have also… Read More ›
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Fungus versus Arkwright!
Just a quick reminder that this Saturday (9th August) will see the the first ever, truly historical encounter, between Bryan Talbot and Raymond Briggs, two giants of the British graphic novel. The ComICA event starts at 2.30 at London’s ICA… Read More ›
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ROK Comics Launches New Competitions
ROK Comics has just announced the launch of not one but two great competitions – open to everyone using the ROK Comics comics-to-mobile service, so pass it on! Both offer the chance to win a top of the range Nokia… Read More ›
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James Bond Theme Spoof
Fun parody from one Joe Cornish, who would like to offer this song to the makers of the new James Bond movie ‘The Quantum of Solace’, entirely free, for use over the opening credits of their forthcoming movie. — with… Read More ›
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Doctor Who Part Work in the Offing
(with thanks to Jeremy Bentham and Tony Clark): Alerted by a posting on the web site of Blackpool’s Who shop, it seems plans are afoot to release a Doctor Who DVD Files Magazine. Part works publishers GE Fabbri, publishers of… Read More ›
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Doctor Who’s Brief Encounter!
Colin Baker, who played the Sixth Doctor Who in the 1980s, is visiting Carnforth, Lancashire for a special bank holiday event. Colin will meet and greet fans of the series at Carnforth Station‘s Doctor Who-themed shop ‘The Tardis’ on Monday,… Read More ›