It’s annual time in UK newsagents and bookshops and one we think downthetubes readers will want to track down is Panini UK’s Marvel Heroes (2015), because in amongst reprints of the Marvel stories the company was once able to… Read More ›
downthetubes Comics News
Abnett and Culbard’s Wild’s End earns critical acclaim
Released last week by US publisher BOOM! Studios, Wild’s End #1, written by Dan Abnett with art and lettering by INJ Culbard, is gathering plenty of critical acclaim, and I hope it’s resulting in strong sales for this enjoyable anthropomorphic… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds
Opening a new season of radio show Panel Borders, Alex Fitch talks to Canadian cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley in the first of a two part interview about his work. This week Fitch and O’Malley discuss his new graphic novel… Read More ›
Happy Birthday, Mike Noble!
Legendary artist Mike Noble is 84 years old today. He’s one of the giants of British comics, the last survivor of that mighty triumvirate of artists who made Alan Fennell’s TV Century 21 weekly the newspaper of the future for… Read More ›
Lakes Festival exhibition line-up includes art by Doug Braithwaite, Oliver East, Metaphrog
With just a month to go before this year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival (17th – 19th October 2014), Kendal is already abuzz about comics as local galleries and businesses host a number of free comic-related exhibitions. While art by Festival… Read More ›
British Comic Shop Comic Releases (17th September 2014) – Cry freeeeeeedom!!
Here’s a list of comics – both US and UK releases – on sale in specialist UK comic shops from tomorrow, Wednesday 17th September 2014, courtesy of First Age Comics, Lancaster. We’ve picked out the titles published by British publishers in bold… Read More ›
Award-winning cartoonist Steve English “Football Earth” calendar released
If you’ve been in any branch of WH Smiths or a local supermarket of late it can’t have escaped your attention that retailers have launched their first forays in the 2014 Christmas Offensive – and that includes offerings of… Read More ›
Mauri Kunnas “Beatles with an ‘A'” from Knockabout is a cartoon delight
Knockabout Comics recently released Beatles With An ‘A’ by Mauri Kunnas, which is a wonderful re-telling the first beats of the Beatles’ career as only this legendary Finnish rock cartoonist could tell them. The book is filled with hilarious… Read More ›
At-TEN-Shun! Free indie street comic OFFLIFE reaches landmark issue
The British indie street mag OFFLIFE has reached something of a landmark with the publication of its tenth issue this week, available in print from the usual stockists in London and Bristol, and digitally from their web site. Here’s the… Read More ›
Star Trek fans urged to back campaign to collect British Star Trek comics
Star Trek comic fans are being urged to support a campaign to get all the rare British Star Trek comics – with all their wonderful idiosyncracies, such as Captain Kirk teaching gorilla men how to play football – collected. In recent years, IDW‘s Library of American Comics imprint… Read More ›
IPC Media re-branded as Time Inc. UK
It was the end of an era last week as Time Inc. announced that it is rebranding its wholly-owned UK publishing arm IPC Media – which owns a huge back list of comic characters and comics – to Time Inc…. Read More ›
Nottingham Comic Con guest list expands, huge exhibitor line-up planned
The second ever Nottingham Comic Con (previously known as Nerd Fest) on Saturday 4th October will be double the size of last year’s event, hosting 13 guests, over 150 exhibitor tables and live music. The event will also have the… Read More ›
Arabs at War and a Royal kidnap? Commando adventures continue
Here’s the details for DC Thomson’s Commando Issues 4739-4742, on sale from Thursday (11th September 2014) through newsagents, by subscription and for digital devices. Along with the usual full-length comic stories, Issue 4739 offers the chance to win a copy of… Read More ›
2014 Top Toy Brands announced, most have have tie-in comics in the UK
LIMA – the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association – has just revealed the nation’s favourite licensed toy brands among British children, with LEGO and Barbie taking the top spots on boys’ and girls’ lists of the most favoured toy… Read More ›
World War One poems brought to life through comics in “Above the Dreamless Dead”
Above the Dreamless Dead, out on 23rd September, is a splendid World War One trench poem anthology edited by Chris Duffy (Nursery Rhyme Comics, Fairy Tale Comics), published by First Second, which includes work by Hunt Emerson, Luke Pearson, Pat Mills and… Read More ›
The Beano launches mischievous new app
The Beano has launched the first in a series of new apps for fans of its characters, following in the fottsteps of Egmont’s TOXIC to reach its computer and device-savvy readership. The Dennis & Gnasher’s Prank Sticker app, available now for iPhone and… Read More ›
DC Thomson’s “Invisible Dick” revived (no tittering at the back!)
Two of Scotland’s top comic creators have revived DC Thomson’s classic character “Invisible Dick” whose adventures, when a name like that was more innocent and not, perhaps, considered hilarious, appeared in a number of titles across several decades, including… Read More ›
British Comic Shop Comic Releases (3rd September 2014) – Carpe Diem, The Void and more
Here’s a list of comics – both US and UK releases – on sale in specialist UK comic shops from tomorrow, Wednesday 3rd September 2014, courtesy of First Age Comics, Lancaster. We’ve picked out the titles published by British publishers in bold… Read More ›
Malta Comic Con 2014 offers a world-spanning guest line up
Malta’s Wicked Comics are clearly pulling out all the stops this year for their 2014 Malta Comic Con at the end of November, with a growing line-up of internationally renowned creators now announced. Here’s a run down of the most… Read More ›
Scotland’s biggest comic con back in Glasgow this weekend
Last year’s debut MCM Scotland Comic Con was the largest comic convention Scotland had ever seen – and this year’s show, this coming weekend (6-7th September 2014) is set to be even bigger according to its organisers with comic guests… Read More ›