2018 was a busy year was a busy year for inventive Newcastle upon Tyne-based comics provocateurs Applied Comics Etc. – and its driving force, Lydia Wysocki, has been hinting of major things to come this year
Creating Comics
Articles on creating comics, how tos, reference information and more
Creator Spotlight: Peyo, Gifted Creator of The Smurfs
Pierre Culliford (known as Peyo) was born in Brussels in 1928. He was forced to work for a living from the age of 15, first as a projectionist in a cinema, followed by a stint in a cartoon studio. When the… Read More ›
Creating Comics: Awesome Comics Podcast interviews Alterna Comics founder Peter Simeti
This week the Awesome Comics Podcast team are joined by the founder and publisher of Alterna Comics, Peter Simeti, to talk about his journey in comics and what the publisher are trying to achieve in the modern publishing world. Founded… Read More ›
Second Illustrator’s Survey seeks to snapshot UK illustration industry
The second annual Illustrator’s Survey is live, backed this year by Hire an Illustrator. The survey is the brainchild of artist Ben O’Brien – and anyone who worked in commercial illustration in 2018 is being asked to please fill in the… Read More ›
Creating Comics: The Making of Commando Comic cover No. 5193 – ‘Cold Steel’
Graeme Neil Reid recently joined the star studded list of cover artists for DC Thomson’s anthology – a list that includes Ian Kennedy, Neil Roberts and many, many more. Here, he outlines how he created his most recent cover for… Read More ›
Awesome Comics Podcast Episode 183 – Looking forward to the Year Ahead
It’s the first show of 2019, and the Awesome Comics Podcast team – Dan Butcher, Tony Esmond and Vince Hunt – talk about what they and the listeners are looking forward to in indie comics in the coming months. There… Read More ›
Comic Creator Q&A: Indie Publisher David Robertson
downthetubes caught up with busy, enthusiastic experimental creator David Roberson of Fred Egg Comics just before Christmas to talk to him about his work…
Lakes Festival Podcast Looks back on 2018
We may already be enjoying a big Happy New Year already resplendent with inexplicable outrage over new pastry-based products from Greggs, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to look back at 2018, a great year in the world of… Read More ›
Clean Living! How Britain’s “Arrow” comic helped promote healthy teeth in the 1960s
I recently came across copies of a 1960s promotional comic, Gibbs Ivory Castle Arrow, which had a roster of creators that’s as impressive as regular comics of the period such as Eagle – including Captain Pugwash creator John Ryan and John… Read More ›
Crowdfunding Campaign promotion tips from “Killtopia” creator Dave Cook
Dave Cook – the writer of cyberpunk graphic novel Killtopia – recently offered some great creating comics tips on planning the promotion of your crowdfunding campaign on his Twitter, which he has kindly given us permission to repost on downthetubes…. Read More ›
In Praise of… comic artist and illustrator Jean-Claude Mézières
Award-winning French comics artist and illustrator Jean-Claude Mézières is the co-creator of Valérian and Laureline with Pierre Christin, the popular, long-running science fiction comics series published in English by Cinebook that has influenced many science fiction and fantasy films, including… Read More ›
Cooking Up a Storm – Comics-Inspired Recipes and Books
Comics that may make you hungry..l
DC Thomson’s Heritage Brands Editor Gordon Tait Talks Buckets, War and Reprints
As the new Heritage Brands Editor at DC Thomson, replacing Kirsten Murray who inaugurated the role, Gordon Tait brings a great depth of knowledge and experience to the position that includes editorship of 104 issues of Commando a year plus… Read More ›
Master in Comics: An Interview with Beano artist David Sutherland
Check out this fantastic interview with a BEANO legend
Striker comic battles for second round of crowdfunding
We’re almost at the end of the first 12 weekly Striker comics – and the team behind the project are back on Kickstarter to raise funds for issues 13 to 24. This time around, they’re chasing a target of £45,000… Read More ›
Unbound’s graphic novels Commissioning Editor Lizzie Kaye latest Festival Podcast guest
The latest Lakes International Comic Art Festival Podcast co-hosted by Ian Loxam and Nikki Bates features an exclusive interview with crowdfunding publisher Unbound‘s comics and graphic novels Commissioning Editor, Lizzie Kaye. Unbound launched one of their latest graphic novels, Reel Love by Owen Michael Johnson, at this… Read More ›
In Review: Dave – Death of the Cosmic Oddity
By Richard Pester Out: Now The Book: Everyone has a story to tell, this is the continuing story of ‘Dave’. Like all of us, he tries to make sense of his life, memories of a turbulent past bring both tragedy and… Read More ›
Rare Al Williamson interview resurfaces thanks to Classic UK Comic Zines archive site
An influential 1960s Irish fan publication offering a fascinating interview with artist Al Williamson has just been added to the brilliant Classic UK Comic Zines archive site run by David Hathaway-Price
Comic Book Masters: Cover Artist Giorgio De Gaspari
Italian artist Giorgio De Gaspari may be an artist unfamiliar to many downthetubes readers, but throughout the 1960s his cover art thrilled many a young comic reader of British digest titles such as Thriller Picture Library and War Picture Library…. Read More ›
Revealed – The Dan Dare Radio Luxembourg Comic Strips by Philip Harbottle
Regular readers of downthetubes will know we recently presented a rare “Lost Episode” from Radio Luxembourg‘s 1950s serial The Adventures of Dan Dare, with the permission of the Dan Dare Corporation. Its presentation, along with the previous discovery of other episodes, prompted… Read More ›