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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Dandy – weekly no more
Over on the official DCT website there is confirmation of a recent rumour, yes the Dandy is going from being a weekly comic to a fortnightly one…. http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/subscriptions/default.asp?pageName=productDetails&productID=62 While the Dandy has been fortnightly before (during WWII) it’s a slippery… Read More ›
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More fantasy films on the way
Everyone seems to be chasing the next Harry Potter, and Warner Bros., who produce the box office-busting films (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix took in an estimated $44.2 million in its first full day in the US… Read More ›
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Tin Tin under fire again
I don’t understand why there’s all this sudden fuss about Tin Tin in the Congo from the Commission for Racial Equality. I’m all for racial equality, but it’s not as if this book has just gone on sale, and it’s… Read More ›
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Doug Marlette killed in car crash
The Pulitzer Prize-winning and sometimes controversial cartoonist Doug Marlette, who the Washington Post reports recently turned his incisive wit toward a budding career as a novelist, died on Tuesday 10 July in a car accident in Mississippi. Marlette, who was… Read More ›
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Art Attack TV show cancelled
Art Attack, the long-running children’s ITV show, has been cancelled after an 18 year run – which could be bad news for Panini UK’s tie-in magazine which has been a staple of the company’s line for a long time. UK… Read More ›
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New fantasy dramas on BBC3
BBC3 has just announced six new drama projects, two with comics and SF TV connections. Being Human, by Doctor Who and Torchwood writer Toby Whithouse, centres on three young flatmates – a vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf. Produced by… Read More ›
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James Reddington dies
I was very sad to hear of the death of British small press activist and Portent Comics activist James Reddington, who died last week aged, I’m told, just 28. I met him only a couple of times, but he came… Read More ›
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FAB Makeover
The new issue of Fanderson’s fanzine FAB, (Number 57), has just been released. With Chris Bentley’s retirement as editor, Fanderson have taken the opportunity to redesign the 56 page glossy colour A5 zine and bring in new features, intended to… Read More ›
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Omnivistascope Hat Trick
It has been available for a while, but SFX have just made Omnivistascope 3 their Fanzine Of The Month, giving Paul Scott’s big 78 page A4 zine a hat trick with each of the three issues receiving the title. His… Read More ›
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It’s grim being a writer
Well, that explains a lot… apparently, clinical depression and the prospect of a shortened lifespan are some of the joys successful scriptwriters are more likely to face, according to TV psychologist Raj Persaud. UK media magazine Broadcast reports that speaking… Read More ›
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Captain Jack Is Indestructible…
…you are not. Do not attempt to imitate him. With all this talk of “homage” in New Who perhaps one has been missed – the juvenile Face Of Boe himself. To misquote the voice over from the original Captain Scarlet… Read More ›
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Who’s bothered by homage?
There’s been plenty of debate about this elsewhere, much of it far more erudite than anything I could contribute. But now they’ve been drawn to my attention, I’d just like to say how much I’ve enjoyed spotting the television and… Read More ›
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Alice In USAland
Ansible 240 reports that the Dark Horse version of Bryan Talbot’s excellent Alice In Sunderland has been nominated in the Graphic Novels section of the American Quill Book Awards “the only televised literary prizes”. More details and a full listing… Read More ›
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Paul Gravett Interviewed
Web site Broken Frontier has published the first part of a detailed interview by Dave Hine with London-based freelance journalist, curator, lecturer, writer and broadcaster and comics guru Paul Gravett, one of the creators of the ground-breaking indie comics magazine… Read More ›
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Upcoming British Comic Collections
Just a quick look at a few of the titles that we can expect to see over the coming months… First up is Charley’s War Volume 4, subtitled “Blue’s Story”. Continuing the story of World War One, this time the… Read More ›
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The Super Six
Hard on the heels of 2D, the Northern Ireland Comics Festival in April, comes another Northern Ireland comics project, The Super Six, published by OFMDFMNI:CYPU. Okay, so it doesn’t quite trip off the tongue like IPC or DCT and I… Read More ›
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For Action And Adventure
Those who still labour until the mistaken belief that Commando only covers the Second World War could do worse than checking one of the latest issues. Commando 4015 : Wolves At War concludes the “Log Of The Lairds” sequence of… Read More ›
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ROK Comics seeks hot talent and offers $10K Prize
ROK Comics, the UK-based online and mobile phone creative aggregator and publisher of comics and cartoons have announced a competition with a prize of $10,000 (£5,000) for the best original comic strip or cartoon published it receives between now and… Read More ›
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Spaceship Away #12 blasts off
The latest issue of ace Dan Dare magazine Spaceship Away is now out. Spaceship Away costs £6.99 per issue for UK residents and £9.00 per issue for international subscribers, more details can be found here… http://spaceshipaway.org.uk/ Publisher Rod Barzilay had… Read More ›
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Silver Surfer hits big Wheel
As part of the publicity blitz for the new FF movie (“Rise of the Silver Surfer”) the London Eye was taken over by the Silver Surfer this week when he, literally, flew into it. This is the first time that… Read More ›