Cartoonist and illustrator Tillie Walden is the latest guest of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival Podcast, a comics creator with a track record of producing some amazing books, including The End of Summer, released in 2015 by Avery Hill Publishing and… Read More ›
downthetubes News
British comic and creator news, book news, media news. If it’s news, it’s here.
Beano creators hit back at media sniping as comic hits 80, buoyed by success of new “Dennis and Gnasher” TV show
Just after Christmas, perhaps because they’d been drinking too much mulled wine while reading this year’s top-selling Beano annual, some of Britain’s national media got into one of its occasional “comics aren’t what they used to be” funks. Specifically, with… Read More ›
In Review: 2000AD Prog 2063
Wrapped in a cover from Neil Roberts, 2000AD Prog 2063 hits all good newsagents, comic shops and digital platforms today, Wednesday 10th January 2018. This week’s favourite dialogue? Got to be Fly-Trap’s “My tendrils… they’re throbbing!”. Yes, much in demand… Read More ›
Kamikaze conjurors and bickering air-duo bail outs! New Commando comics on sale this week
Here’s the intel on the latest Commando war comics from DC Thomson (Issues 5087-5090), on sale in newsagents and various digital platforms this Thursday, 11th January 2018. Buckle up and get ready for evading raiders in the Kenyan bush, bickering… Read More ›
Titan Comics “Lost Fleet – Corsair” by novels author Jack Campbell draws to a close – a preview, and a thank you
Tomorrow (10th January 2018) sees the release of Lost Fleet – Corsair #5 in comic shops and digital platforms, the final issue in what will hopefully be the first in a series of tales based on the best-selling Lost Fleet… Read More ›
Buster’s bonkers adventure tale “Von Hoffman’s Invasion” collected
Mad scientists, giant monsters, and courageous saboteurs! That’s the one line “pitch” with which 2000AD publishers Rebellion are promoting their Treasury of British Comics collection of the Jet and Buster strip “Von Hoffman’s Invasion” – and it sums this crazy… Read More ›
Dan Dare – Raumschiffpilot! That’s Dan Dare in German to you – plus, “Jesus von Nazareth”, too
Dan Dare has a long tradition of reprint in other languages, so it’s no surprise, perhaps, to discover that the early adventures of the Eagle character had an outing in two volumes in German in the late 1980s – Dan Dare,… Read More ›
In Review: The Devil in Disguise Issue One
Written by Matt Garvey Art by Robert Ahmad The Story: This opens on a man named Nate snoozing in a tube train carriage, a briefcase on his lap and an umbrella at his side. He is woken by the moans… Read More ›
Inspiring Art: Ernest Chiriacka
Ernest Chiriacka (1913-2010) is internationally known as an impressionistic painter of dramatic Western moods and the American landscape. He is one of few fine artists that successfully made the leap from illustration, leaving behind a large commercial legacy including pulp… Read More ›
In Review: “Tomorrow” by Jack Lothian and Garry Mac
Written by Jack Lothian Art by Garry Mac Colours, design and lettering by Sha Nazir and Kirsty Hunter Flatting by Greg Watt 51 pages – Full Colour – Published by BHP Comics The Story: This is a book that opens… Read More ›
Sneak Peek: “The Three Rooms in Valerie’s Head”, exploring relationships and memory
The Three Rooms in Valerie’s Head, a new graphic novel by David Gaffney and Dan Berry explores relationships, memory, loneliness and obsession in a darkly humorous way – and debuts very soon, published by US publisher Top Shelf. The project,… Read More ›
In Memoriam: TV Century 21 and Battle Comic Artist Jim Watson
We’re sorry to report the recent passing of comic artist British comic artist Jim Watson, perhaps best known for his work on TV Century 21 during the 1960s and his strips for DC Thomson’s Commando and Warlord, and the Fleetway title,… Read More ›
Wow! Retracted – A crazed delight from David Robertson
Wow! Retracted is the latest title from Dundee-based Fred Egg Comics – and if you’ve previously bought any of this quirky indie publisher’s books… then be prepared for even more quirkiness! LeadIng with plenty of head-scratching, brain-teasing strips from writer-artist… Read More ›
Jim Baikie: A Stripography (and some Musical Notes)
Here’s a guide to comics artist Jim Baikie’s comics career, including his lesser known British girls’ comic work, revealing his huge contribution to many titles. Jim died in December 2017; you can read our obituary here and an Appreciation by Alan Moore… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Music and Comics
In a pair of interviews recorded in front of a live audience, Panel Borders investigates the work of a trio of creators who have an interest in combining music and comic book art. At Thought Bubble Festival, Alex Fitch talks… Read More ›
In Review – Read Em and Weep Book Two – Goodnight, John-Boy
Written by Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill Available through Amazon on Kindle and Paperback See also: Read Em and Weep Book One – Serial Killer The Story: The Geek Detective is back! Now comic book editor and armchair serial killer,… Read More ›
When Batman got Knocked Off – and encountered British comics “The Spider” along the way!
In the first of a series of articles, publisher, comics creator and historian of Tamil comics King Viswa reveals some disturbing and bizarre instances of comics copyright theft by a Tamil comics publisher… Research and documents prove that the first… Read More ›
In Memoriam: Comic Artist Jim Baikie
We’re sorry to report the passing of Eisner Award-winning Scottish comic artist Jim Baikie, perhaps best known to many downthetubes readers as co-creator of 2000AD’s alien-on-the-run, Skizz. He enjoyed a career in comics that began with work for girls titles in the 1960s that would go on to encompass “Charlie’s Angels” and “Terrahawks” for Look-In, 2000AD and superhero work in the United States. He was also a much in demand artist beyond the comics medium
Happy New Year from Score ‘n’ Roar star “Nipper”, who lives on – in Croatia! (and football comics are on the ‘keepy up’, too)
2018 has begun with a a reminder from 2000AD publisher Rebellion that Roy of the Rovers, one of the major British comic characters they now own, is returning (as we reported last September). But Roy isn’t the only football comic… Read More ›
Cheeky comic “Dummy” unearthed on eBay: but what changed in the planning before print?
As time has gone by, I have become more and more interested in how British comics were pitched, created and got to that crucial first issue where I, as a kid, would go “Ooh!” and fork out my hard earned… Read More ›