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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Stardust on DVD
Neil Gaiman’s Stardust will be released on DVD in the UK next month (25th February), featuring a host of British talent in a spectacular and critically-acclaimed fantasy adventure from renowned director Matthew (Layer Cake) Vaughn. The film script, based on… Read More ›
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Torchwood Magazine on YouTube, Facebook
Titan Publishing’s Torchwood: The Official Magazine launched last week in the UK (and is already proving hard to find), which also includes 10 pages of original Torchwood comic strip fiction in each issue. The first issue is published in the… Read More ›
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IndieReview Revamped
The UK Indie Comic and Manga Community IndieReview.co.uk, established in late 2007, has undergone some major refurbishment ready for 2008. The Community aims to bring the work of UK Indie Comic/Manga talent to the attention of a wider public through… Read More ›
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Frak Those Toasters!
I don’t know much about Jo Storm’s Frak You! other than it is an unauthorised guide to the modern Battlestar Galactica TV series and so cannot use copyright photographs from the production. That said, I love the lateral thinking and… Read More ›
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Fat Man Previewed
(Warning: this post contains links to what may be perceived by some as ‘adult’ content): Thomas Cochrane and Alan Tanner’s’s The Fat Man graphic novel project has a brand new web site which features a massive 50 page preview of… Read More ›
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Thunderbirds 2005
Thunderbirds: IR, a missed opportunity
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101 Uses for a Mac: A Cat Toy
… this has got to be one of the daftest uses for a computer, period. Especially when three quarters of the way in, the cat almost bites through the power cord. I’d love to know how the owner planned to… Read More ›
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Charlotte Corday joins ROK Comics
A new adventure strip, Charlotte Corday of the Surete, drawn by top British comics artist Keith Page, is now being published on comics to mobile service ROK Comics. Keith’s current work includes Ramsey’s Raiders for DC Thomson’s Commando and other… Read More ›
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Commando Creators credited at last
As expected, DC Thomson’s Commando range now feature credits for their creators, part of a sweeping range of ongoing changes to the books which continue to sell well in UK newsagents and via subscription. DC Thomson long held back from… Read More ›
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Nicky Saxx, possibly Europe’s Last Newspaper Adventure Strip, Cancelled
Nicky Saxx – possibly the only originated adventure strip still existing in a European newspaper – was cancelled earlier this month
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Breaking into comics event this Saturday
Just a quick reminder that downthetubes and ROK Comics Managing Editor John Freeman is one of the guests at a Breaking Into Comics event in Leicester this Saturday, along with 2000AD editor Matt Smith and indie publisher Jay Eales. “Breaking… Read More ›
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Elton John’s Dan Dare recording unearthed
(via the Eagle Times blog): Way back in October 1975, Elton John recorded Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future), written by Bernie Taupin, for the Rock of the Westies album, a song lamenting that he won’t be joining Dan on… Read More ›
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Reg Bunn Profiled
Top British comics blog Bear Alley has just profiled the early work of Spider artist Reg Bunn, detailing what looks to be his first ever published work, Buck Jones, Outlaw!, which actually appeared in Australia initially, In issue 6 of… Read More ›
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Moore, Gebbie Signing at Gosh London
Writer and Shaman Alan Moore and artist Melinda Gebbie will be making a rare signing appearance at Gosh! in London on Saturday 2nd February from 2-5pm to sign copies of their book Lost Girls, so mark your calendars now. People… Read More ›
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Brendan McCarthy’s New Blog
(with thanks to Matthew Badham) Top comics artist, designer and illustrator Brendan McCarthy has a new blog, The Strangeness of Brendan McCarthy. The new blog includes storyboard artwork Brendan completed for Tim Burton’s new Sweeney Todd movie, which opens in… Read More ›
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Edinburgh Book Festival Comics Talk Now Online
(with thanks to Joe Gordon) Last August, the Edinburgh International Book Festival held its first ever events discussing graphic novels, with a major, hour-long discussion – entitled “Graphic Novels – Literature of Pulp Fiction” – held between three Scottish authors:… Read More ›
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Crash Competition
The Times Online are giving readers the chance to design the cover for a limited edition version of JG Ballard’s novel Crash – a brilliant chance for you to get a piece of your art published and on book shelves…. Read More ›
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New Horror Comic
Comic fans still mourning the loss of defunct UK horror comic Scream! might be interested in a new spooky comic, Locke & Key, coming soon from IDW, the US publisher responsible for the new Doctor Who titles. As it’s an… Read More ›
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Ferg Handley Signing In Edinburgh
Spider-Man and Commando writer Ferg Handley will be signing copies of the current issue of Panini UK’s Spectacular Spider-Man at Deadhead Comics in Edinburgh’s Candlemaker Row on Saturday 26 January from 2pm. As previously reported here on Down The Tubes… Read More ›
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JLA Shelved
Media web site Digital Spy, Variety and others sources are reporting the highly-anticipated Justice League of America movie has been shelved indefinitely. Warner Bros has allowed the cast’s contracts to expire because of difficulties over the screenplay and taxation issues,… Read More ›