Roger Leloup’s tales of the adventures of Yoko Tsuno, a female Japanese electronics engineer, began in Spirou magazine in 1970 and while set in the modern day they can veer between full on science-fiction and more realistic straight adventure. The… Read More ›
British Comics – Books
In Review: Valerian and Laureline – The City of Shifting Waters
The biggest science fiction comic strip in the French language world is not, as you might think, Barbarella but rather a series called Valerian and Laureline. Running for over 40 years it has reached a total of more than 20… Read More ›
Grandville, Manga Shakespeare shortlisted for Children’s Book Awards
Much to the author’s surprize, Bryan Talbot’s cracking steampunk-inspired graphic novel Grandville has been shortlisted for a Sheffield Children’s Book Award in the awards new graphic novel category, one of five titles topping a list of favourite comics based on… Read More ›
In Review: The Scorpion – The Holy Valley
Adventurer, womaniser, swordsman, thief, swindler, arrogantly self assured of his own survival, with blood ties to one of the most important people on the planet, and a woman whom he both hates and desires, and who appears to reciprocate those… Read More ›
In Review: The Art of Pho
By Julian HanshawPublisher: Jonathan CapeISBN: 9780224089845Out: 1st July 2010 The Book: The noodle soup called pho is the national dish of Vietnam. When Little Blue – having been dropped by a mysterious man with a red car and being told… Read More ›
In Review: IR$ – The Corrupter
The Corrupter is the second and final part of the IR$ story begun in Silica, Inc. which was reviewed on downthetubes when it was published earlier in the year. That first book left the reader wondering about a red haired… Read More ›
In Review: Largo Winch – See Venice… And Die
Largo Winch is the Eagle Award nominated series that follows the life, loves and tribulations of one of the richest men in the world. Written by Lady S, Thorgal and XIII’s Jean Van Hamme and illustrated by Philippe Francq, the… Read More ›
Competition: Win a Rude Britannia Book!
Marking the launch of the Rude Britannia Exhibition at the Tate, downthetubes has THREE copies of the tie-in book – Rude Britannia: British Comic Art by Martin Myrone, Tim Batchelor and Cedar Lewisohn – to give away! Comic art –… Read More ›
In Review: Thorgal – The Master Of The Mountains
Writer Jean Van Hamme may be more familiar to us for his contemporary thrillers such as Lady S, Largo Winch and XIII with Largo Winch having been turned into a movie and XIII into a mini series, but he has… Read More ›
In Review: Pandora’s Box – Gluttony
The third of the Pandora’s Box series of individual but themed stories based on the seven deadly sins, it was inevitable that Gluttony would concentrate on food. The book takes the BSE and vCJD scares of recent years and sets… Read More ›
Hairsine delivers "Masked" cover
Top artist Trevor Hairsine has provided the cover to a new superhero short story anthology edited by my friend and ace SF book editor Lou Anders, who used to work for me on Star Trek Magazine and Babylon 5 Magazine…. Read More ›
In Review: Good Dog, Bad Dog
It was the first of the DFC Library books to be released and Good Dog, Bad Dog is perhaps the most complete book of the three released so far. Written and illustrated by Dave Shelton, this is a fun ride… Read More ›
In Review: The Spider Moon
The Spider Moon is the last of the first batch of books from the new DFC Library range, written and illustrated by Kate Brown it is set in a manga styled fantasy land of islands floating not just in the… Read More ›
In Review: Mezolith Book 1
The DFC, the subscription-only anthology comic that ran for some 10 months in 2008 and early 2009, was always seen as a breeding ground for graphic novel compilations of its stories and so it’s good to see the comic tales… Read More ›
In Review: Clifton – Jade
Colonel Sir Harold Wilberforce Clifton, former RAF pilot, former British spy, current Scout leader and not a grumpy person, as he would rather grumpily tell you, first appeared in the Begian edition of Tintin magazine in 1959 with the same… Read More ›
Dying to be dead? Forbidden Planet has the answer…
The top comics and specialist store Forbidden Planet London is offering horror fans an exclusive opportunity to win your own gruesome demise in John Meaney’s (Thomas Blackthorne’s) next Angry Robot title – or to get your hands on a gorgeous… Read More ›
New Biography of Showbiz Legend Lew Grade
A new biography of British media entrepeneur Lew Grade – without whom shows such as Thunderbirds, UFO and The Muppets might never have been made – is to be published by Aurum Press next month. All My Shows are Great… Read More ›
Terry-Thomas Bio Released in Paperback
The first biography of comedian Terry-Thomas – considered by some to be the inspiration for Captain Britain villain Mad Jim Jaspers and who made frequent British comics appearances – has just been released in paperback by Aurum Press, also publishers… Read More ›
Ray Harryhausen at Forbidden Planet in October
Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton will be signing An Animated Life at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 24th October between 1 – 2pm. The last great animator before the introduction of CGI, Ray’s… Read More ›
Angry Robot UK Launch in October
It’s a brand-fusion to reinvent science fiction in the UK, a union that may yet shake London to the core. Forbidden Planet London will be hosting the official UK Launch of Angry Robot Books on Saturday 10th October at the… Read More ›