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.
-
Dead Zone, 4400 Cancelled
Ausiello reports that the USA Network has cancelled The Dead Zone and The 4400, bothof which have aired their last episodes. 4400 creator and Executive Producer Scott Peters confirmed the cancellation on a message posted on the official 4400 Web… Read More ›
-
More on those Dan Dare sales figures…
Earlier today, I posted news of Dan Dare #1’s strong sales in the UK and a round up of just some of the reviews I found about the title (which have apparently astonished some Dan Dare fans who didn’t like… Read More ›
-
In Space No One Can Hear You Build…
If the Forbidden Lego book hasn’t sparked your imagination for something to do with the kids’ Lego once they have become bored with it after Christmas, maybe this website will give you a few ideas. Lego Sci-Fi has Lego representations… Read More ›
-
Dan Dare UK Sales Success, Review Round Up
** Warning! Potential spoilers in the comments on this post!** UK sales of the first issue of Virgin’s new Dan Dare have made the title one of the most requested and most difficult to find in the run up to… Read More ›
-
My Wife Left Me…
Before the sublime Doctor Who: Blink, before the gory Jekyll, before his two consecutive Hugo awards for new Doctor Who episodes, before even the four seasons of Coupling, Steven Moffat wrote two seasons of a little gem of a sitcom… Read More ›
-
In Review: Cosmogenesis
Just released by Clown Press and available via amazon.co.uk, Waterstones and other good bookshops is Adam Grose and Tony Suleri’s epic Cosmogenesis, a fully revised and updated version of the sprawling, magnificent space epic these two British creators have been… Read More ›
-
One for those of us working in publishing…
– and advertising, marketing, promotions etc. etc. For the record, we of course don’t know any pubisher or anyone in advertising who behaves like this. (Do you?). This mashup was conceived, written and produced by World Wide Wadio (“an All-Star… Read More ›
-
For More Action And Adventure
While former Commando editor George Low continues with the Carlton (and SevenOaks) Commando reprint books, new Commando editor Calum Laird has made his mark on DC Thomson’s official website for the comic. The site has be given a revamp with… Read More ›
-
Daily Telegraph Doctor Who Story
Paul Cornell’s Doctor Who short story for Christmas, The Hopes and Fears of All the Years will be appearing in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday 22 December, and then on the Telegraph’s website, www.telegraph.co.uk. “There are some lovely illustrations by… Read More ›
-
Rumble in the Jungle!
(Report originally posted by Richard Sheaf) Two of Carlton’s Commando collections currently available have now been produced in alternative covers by Ian Kennedy. Fetaured here are the two Anzacs at War and the True Brit covers… There’s also a new… Read More ›
-
Forbidden Lego
A book showing children how to make guns out of LEGO is causing parents to have fits as it climbs the list of must-have Christmas presents. Forbidden Lego, written by two former employees of the Danish plastic-brick firm, Ulrik Pilegaard… Read More ›
-
Eagle Times launches blog
-
The future of newspapers?
(With thanks to the Daily Cartoonist for the link): American editorial cartoonist Ted Rall has recently written a three-part column on the future of the newspaper industry. • Part IAs big newspapers and magazines start giving away their content “violating… Read More ›
-
Should Have Been Christmas Number One…
Well this, or Shaun the Sheep…
-
Infinite Accquisitions
In a marriage of SF makers, independent British television producer Impossible Pictures, makers of Prehistoric Park and Primeval for ITV has acquired the Manchester-based animation company Firestep. The acquisition expands Impossible Pictures’ operations outside of London and the company says… Read More ›
-
More Spider-Man from Panini
US comics site Newsarama has just posted an interview with Panini’s Ed Hammond, editor of Spectacular Spider-Man and reprint editor of Marvel Pocketbooks, interviewing him about their UK range of Marvel reprints. Spectacular Spider-Man is reprinted in a number of… Read More ›
-
An Embuggerance: Terry Pratchett has Alzheimers
Possibly the best sellling fantasy novelist ever and certainly Britain’s biggest selling author until J.K. Rowling, Terry Prachett has announced he is suffering from a rare case of early onset Alzheimer’s. The news has come to his millions of fans,… Read More ›
-
Eisner Awards 2008 – Includes web comics
Submissions are now being accepted for consideration by the judges for the 2008 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards. Publishers wanting to submit entries should send one copy each of the comics or books and include a cover letter indicating what… Read More ›
-
Hammer Stills Exhbition at BFI
Hammer Films, now in revival with plans to launch a 20 episode version of Beyond the Rave on its MySpace site, became synnonymous with horror. Yet the company produced a wide range of films including comedies, period costume adventures, psychological… Read More ›
-
Journeyman Cancelled?
(Updated 12 December 2007, 11 August 2008): NBC will air the twelfth, final produced episode of Journeyman on Wednesday 19 December at 10.00 pm ET/PT in the US. It’s currently screening on Sky One in the UK. Broadcast reported 12… Read More ›
