Regular downthetubes readers will recall The Marionette Unit, a creepy, scratch the back of your eyeballs work of gothic steampunk-driven horror we reviewed positively last year. Well, now the team behind the book – filmmakers Azhur Saleem and James Boyle –… Read More ›
Creating Comics
Articles on creating comics, how tos, reference information and more
In Praise Of: Commando artists Ian Kennedy and Carlos Pino
An Appreciation by former Commando editor Calum Laird There’s nothing like an anniversary – say, Commando’s 5000th issue, for example – to start your mind scrolling back through the years to days gone by. Nothing, except perhaps the combination of an… Read More ›
“Foyles x ELCAF” launched to create new Creative Spaces for Art and Comics across the UK
ELCAF 2017 has announced a brand new partnership with Foyles to support, celebrate and create new spaces for creativity across the UK. Foyles x ELCAF is a new collaboration, which sees the UK’s largest independent bookshop teaming up with the East London… Read More ›
Rodolphe Töpffer’s classic guide to the medium, “How to Create Graphic Novels”, re-published by Lakes International Comic Art Festival
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival has announced the publication of a special edition of How to Create Graphic Novels by Rodolphe Töpffer. First published in 1845, it was the first ever book on creating graphic novels, which has been translated, edited, and introduced by… Read More ›
Joe Sacco returns to London for inaugural “Queen Mary Conversation in Law and the Humanities”
Renowned comics journalist and graphic novelist Joe Sacco is back in the UK later this month, to present the inaugural Queen Mary Conversation in Law and the Humanities on Tuesday 21st March 2017 at Queen Mary, part of the prestigious… Read More ›
Awesome Comics Podcast Episode 88: Arthurian Legend in the Indies! (with artist Nick Brokenshire)
Episode 88 of the Awesome Comics Podcast hosted by Dan Butcher, Vince Hunt and Tony Esmond is now available! Featuring artist Nick Brokenshire and tons of hilarious comics talk… Nick is a cartoonist and illustrator from Scotland, who now lives in… Read More ›
Aces Weekly artist Mal Earl to host Digital Art event in Cumbria
Top artist and Aces Weekly artist Mal Earl is making a special appearance in his home county of Cumbria later this week, to talk about digital art and his many projects, ad a guest of the Egremont-based Florence Art Group. Over the… Read More ›
Wonder Woman artist Liam Sharp gets home city exhibition in Derby
Current Wonder Woman artist Liam Sharp is to be honoured in his home city of Derby with a special exhibition documenting his comics career later this year. Currently living and working in California, Derby-born writer and artist Liam Sharp is… Read More ›
Watch: Kicking it Old School – Talking British Comics at 2000AD’s 40 Years of Thrill-Power Festival
2000AD has posted a video of the panel called “Kicking it Old School” from last month’s 40 Years of Thrill-Power Festival (our feature on the event is here). Chaired by myself, the panel featured John Higgins, Ian Kennedy and Jesus… Read More ›
Awesome Comics Podcast Catch-Up! Listen to interviews with Jay Gunn, Susie Gander and more!
OK, I admit it – I’m well behind on the terrific Awesome Comics Podcast now. Again. So behind, key contributor and fellow DTT contributor Tony Esmond has threatened to get his cane out, and I’m not chancing that. So without further ado,… Read More ›
Comic Strip Revolution exhibition opens soon in Belgium
A “Comic Strip Revolution” exhibition at La Boverie, Liege, Belgium will present art from two game-changing French bande dessinée magazines, Métal Hurlant and (A SUIVRE) from 17th March to 11th June 2017. Showing more than 300 original drawings from French, Belgian,… Read More ›
Vaughn Bode’s Cobalt 60 returns in New Augmented Reality Graphic Novel by his son
Heavy Metal and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artist Mark Bodé is to launch a new graphic novel, based on one of his father Vaughn Bodé’s earliest works – the ground-breaking Cobalt 60. In the late 1960s, Vaughn Bodé was one of… Read More ›
Nick Abadzis talks Doctor Who for latest Panel to Panel podcast
Episode 72 of of Jeremy Bement‘s Doctor Who: Panel to Panel is up and features an interview with writer-artist Nick Abadzis. Nick, whose many credits also include Laika and Cora’s Breakfast, has been writing the adventures of the Tenth Doctor since… Read More ›
Utopia/Valhalla, rare comics fanzine featuring early work by teenage Alan Moore offered for £2700
Over on eBay, there’s an auction running for a comics fanzine published in 1970 – Utopia/Valhalla Issue One – with a starting bid of over £2700. Before anyone starts scrabbling in their attics for fading issues of Comic Media News,… Read More ›
Roy of the Rovers comic artist David Sque confirmed for Lancaster Comics Day – making a rare comics convention appearance
The Lancaster Comics Day team have announced the appearance of Roy of the Rovers comic artist David Sque at Lancaster Comics Day 2017 (Sunday 11th June), who will be at the event alongside ROTR editor Barrie Tomlinson. Both creators – like… Read More ›
Pick a Card, Any Card, it’s an Ace! (Aces Weekly, that is!)
Aces Weekly, the on-line comic magazine, founded in 2012 by David Lloyd and Bambos Georgiou, has announced the release of a set of collectable “trading cards”, which give purchasers access to volumes of the award winning publication. Each of the… Read More ›
Fifth Lakes International Comic Art Festival Line-Up Announced, Tickets On Sale Now
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival has announced its full guest list for this year’s Festival Weekend in Kendal (13th – 15th October 2017) – and it’s simply crammed with amazing guests, including Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragonés, Ryan North, Mariko Tamaki – and… Read More ›
British Comic Heroes Abroad: Dan Dare’s first Asian Publication Recalled
We’ve covered some of the reprints the original Dan Dare experienced across the globe in the past on downthetubes and Richard Sheaf wrote a detailed guide to many of them In the Titan Dare collection, Safari in Space. But until… Read More ›
New ComicPopUp Brighton revives indie comic creators cooperative ideas to sell comics
ComicPopUp Brighton is a new event happening on Saturday 13th May 2017, a one-day small-press/art comics shop that’s part of the Brighton Artists Open House Festival. Selling comics to comics readers and a whole new audience in a family-friendly pizza… Read More ›
From The Trenches: A Guest’s Eye View of True Believers Comic Festival 2017 by Jessica Martin
Comic creator Jessica Martin, one of many talents at the event, reveals how she’s now a “True Believer” after her trip to Cheltenham this weekend… On Saturday 5th February, I was a guest at the True Believers Comic Festival in… Read More ›