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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Thunderbirds: End Of The Road
Redan’s Thunderbirds comic has been cancelled with the current issue 89 being the last. The final issue comes with a free gift of a water pistol. With no repeats of the Thunderbirds series on British terrestrial television screens for some… Read More ›
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Spider-Man: Agent of SHIELD
The latest issue of Panini UK’s Spectacular Spider-Man, #162, brings Peter Parker’s search for information on his parents to Edinburgh. In Local Hero, writer Ferg Handley and penciller Andie Tong have Spidey swinging through the Edinburgh skyline trying to find… Read More ›
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IDW Goes Junior
Perhaps taking a leaf from UK Publishers such as Titan and Panini, US comics house IDW, best known as a publisher of horror, action, and SF comic books including Star Trek and Doctor Who, is launching a kid’s division titled… Read More ›
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Primeval: Less Pants
Primeval actress and and former SClub 7star Hannah Spearritt has put a stop to “panty scenes” in the show’s second season. The actress, who plays reptile expert Abby Maitland in the ITV1 drama (but spent much of the first episode… Read More ›
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Jeff Hawke’s Cosmos
The latest issue of Jeff Hawke’s Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 2, is now available. Bill Rudling’s 72 page A4 fanzine continues to provide full length reprinted Jeff Hawke stories from the Daily Express newspaper. The cover comes from The Helping… Read More ›
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Billy’s Birthday
A belated tribute to the first Doctor of Doctor Who, William Hartnell. Had he lived, this fine actor would would have been 100 on Tuesday, 8th January. Born in London on 8th January 1908, Hartnell began acting professionally in 1924… Read More ›
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MamTor Music
Not content with publishing some pretty cutting edge comics in the past few years, UK Publisher MamTor, run by my old mucker artist Liam McCormack Sharp (you’ll remmber him as now has its own music divsion via amazingtunes.com. “Mamtor” is… Read More ›
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Get Wasted!
Comics writer Alan Grant (Batman, Judge Dredd) wants you to get Wasted! Grant is one of the big names behind Wasted, a new independent comic. It’s Earth’s new comic-book for today’s Youth gone wild!* Wasted features a cracking cover from… Read More ›
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Who writer Gary Russell Interviewed
With a new Doctor Who comic book on its way from IDW Publishing (and reprints of the Marvel UK/Panini Who strips already on sale only in the US via the company), comics site Broken Frontier has an interview with its… Read More ›
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Best Videos of 2007?
It’s the time of year for “Best of..” lists and a look back at highlights of 2007, and here at downthetubes we thought our readers might be interested on what made it into the animated “all star” highlights over at… Read More ›
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New Journey to the Centre of the Earth
RHI Entertainment, makers of TV dramas such as Earthsea, Flash Gordon, Tin Man and Pandemic, have produced a new version of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth as a two-hour telefilm which Jeremy Briggs tells me has… Read More ›
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In Memoriam: Marion Van Der Voort
I’m sorry to have to pass on the sad news of the death of Marion Van Der Voort. Marion, with her husband Richard, ran the At The Sign Of The Dragon bookshop in London for many years and regularly took… Read More ›
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Spectacular Spider-Man sneak peek
Here’s a nifty looking Electro versus Spider-Man page that will open a new story by Ferg Handley running in Panini UK’s Spectacular Spider-Man #166, on sale in a few months. Pencils are by John Royle, inks by Lee Townsend and… Read More ›
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Wake Up Cat
Often mis-titled ‘Wake Up Cat’, this bitter sweet but very funny animation (especially if you have cats) is by English animator Simon Tofield a friend sent me recently is actually titled ‘Cat Man Do’. Tofield works for animation company Tandem… Read More ›
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Peckerwood Competition
If you’re interested in winning a copy of UK publisher Ablaze Media‘s latest graphic novel, Peckerwood: 24 Minutes, the company has teamed up with the good folks over at Memorabilia, who are giving away five copies of this majestic piece… Read More ›
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Primeval books from Titan
Titan Books will be making a new foray into fiction with the launch of a series of originated novels based on the hit ITV prime time TV series from Impossible Pictures, Primeval, which starts airing its second season on ITV… Read More ›
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Bond girl cast
British newcomer Gemma Arterton, currently in cinemas as one of the girls of St. Trinians, has been cast as the Bond girl for the latest installment of the James Bond franchise now filming in London. Her RADA profile lists he… Read More ›
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Comics, Fantasy boost UK Box Office success
Animation, superheroes and fantasy films helped make 2007 a record year for the UK film box office, according to figures released this week – and several films are on course for a 2008 roll out may make this year another… Read More ›
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Who’s Superman?
Who will play Superman? Rumour has it that while Brandon Routh, the actor who played the Man of Steel in Warner Bros. Superman Returns, won’t star in the studio’s live action movie adaptation of another DC Comics property, Justice League,… Read More ›
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Heart of Empire Online
The whole of the first chapter of Bryan Talbot’s stunning story Heart of Empire is now online for free! Taken from the CD-ROM, the “Director’s cut” of Heart of Empire, the online promotional version includes every page in its original… Read More ›