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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The Aesthetics of Trash?
A major academic conference on comics and animation is to take place in Manchester in August, and a call has gone out for papers. Taking place from 28th – 29th August 2007 the event, titled The Aesthetics of Trash?: Reassessing… Read More ›
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Natural Born Thriller
You usually have to buy books, but not if it’s 2000AD creator Simon Spurrier’s debut novel Contract. The Times reported earlier this week that his tale of a morally repugnant yet charismatic hitman named Michael Point is being released free… Read More ›
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Yes to the Olympics – No to Arts cuts
Please forgive me. I’m having a rant. On the Number 10 Downing Street website there’s a petition up and running right now, which aims to stop the Chancellor using Arts and Heritage Lottery money to plug the funding gap in… Read More ›
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Life on Mars producers head for space
UK TV trade magazine Broadcast has reported that BBC1 aims to repeat the success of Life on Mars with a new high-concept series from Kudos set in space. In Outcasts, penned by Spooks writer Ben Richards (the series is known… Read More ›
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Fantastic Four, Spider-Man animation news
Cynopsis Kids! reports the first of 26 episodes of Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, a new mixed 2D and 3D animated half hour series, will premiere on the US Cartoon Network’s Toonami block on Saturday, 9 June 2007 at 9:30pm…. Read More ›
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Dan Dare, Space… Horse?
Hmm… I’m no betting man, aside from the ill-advised persistent belief/affliction that my numbers will come up on the lottery, but as a comics fan I am tempted by the news that there’s a horse called Dan Dare running at… Read More ›
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Addams Family heads to Broadway
Good news for Addams Family fans (which includes me). Variety reports that The Addams Family is on its way to Broadway, a new large-scale musical based on the cartoons of Charles Addams, aims to hit the Rialto in the 2009… Read More ›
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Buffy creator calls for equality
An author friend of mine sent me this moving piece by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator Joss Whedon, who is clearly appalled not just by real world tragedy but by a new film in distribution called Captivity. Joss’… Read More ›
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In Memoriam: Angus McBride
I’ve just heard that one of Britain’s best loved and one of the world’s most respected historical illustrators, Angus McBride, died on 15 May 2007 from a heart attack. He was 76. Angus McBride was one of the world’s most… Read More ›
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Rian Hughes Interview
With the imminent arrival of Yesterday’s Tomorrows in bookshops, collecting, among other things, Dare by Grant Morrison – a chilling reinterpretation of the Dan Dare story – and The Science Service by John Freeman (who?), Kenny Penman has been working… Read More ›
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Frank Miller to write, direct ‘Spirit’
Variety reports that Lionsgate has acquired US and UK distribution rights to a live adaptation of the classic Will Eisner comic The Spirit. Frank Miller wrote the script and will direct. The deal marks the start of a multipicture pact… Read More ›
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Eagle Award Winners 2007
Sourced via Joe Gordon’s Forbidden Planet International’s fab blog, who found them in turn over on the US comics news site Newsarama… Favourite Comics WriterWarren EllisDarn, I wish I kept all those fanzine he used to churn out in the… Read More ›
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Bristol Expo
Bristol provided its usual mix of weird weather (wet) and entertainment (Star Wars storm troopers, Batman a gorgeous Black Cat and a determined Batman who wandered from the main hall to the hotel despite torrential rain in costume). I don’t… Read More ›
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ROK Comics Launches
I’m very pleased to announce the launch of ROK Comics on Mobile, a new publishing solution enabling comics creators and publishers to syndicate their works to mobile phone users worldwide – and I’ve been given the task of being its… Read More ›
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Tank Girl’s welcome return
Over on blogcritics.org, Cameron Archer has posted a detailed review of the new Tank Girl from US publisher IDW. Those who remember Jamie “Gorillaz” Hewlett’s full on 1980s Deadline version of the character (Titan Books republished those strips some time… Read More ›
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Firefight in Iraq – Stunning animation
I’ve just been sent this link to this haunting depiction of firefight in Iraq, as seen through the eyes of U.S. Army Specialist Colby Buzzell. This segment is from Buzzell’s story Men in Black, part of a longer PBS documentary,… Read More ›
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Flash! (Waa Aah!)
The US SciFi Channel has announced that Eric Johnson will play the lead role of Flash Gordon in SciFi’s 22-episode “modern day retelling of the classic comic strip franchise.” This unofficial fan site for the actor, whose past genre credits… Read More ›
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Spider-Man rules the world
It might have had mixed reviews (“Fun factor nil”, sniffs The Guardian), but after a record-breaking US opening, Spider-Man 3 has now demolished the international box office record with nearly £114 million at 16,700 playdates in 105 countries in six… Read More ›
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David Beckham is… Ant Man!
Rumours of a movie based on Marvel’s Ant Man have been circulating for years, but they took a hilarious new twist this weekend. Genre fan Michael Gage decided the placement of an ad for David Beckham’s new scent in the… Read More ›
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Early Captain Britain appearances for sale
Another eBay auction, this time Marvel Super-Heroes issues from way back in 1981 in 1982, when Paul Neary was editor in chief at Marvel UK the first time around. The issues include one issue of Captain Britain written by Alan… Read More ›