The long-running Marvel Fact Files, available through most UK newsagents, turns its attention back on Marvel UK (and more) with Issue 149 later this month, having last given the British versions of the US publisher’s heroes back in Issue 97, released… Read More ›
downthetubes News
British comic and creator news, book news, media news. If it’s news, it’s here.
Southport Goes Shojo (Shojo Manga, that is)
A stunning shojo exhibition hits Southport, Lancashire on Saturday, offering an amazing display of art. It’s the first major exhibition of Japanese girls’ manga to tour the UK, presented in association with the Kyoto International Manga Museum, some of it seen at the… Read More ›
Doctor Who Adventures – Back for the New Year with New Who stories!
It’s a new year and you can recover from the January blues with the latest edition of the greatest comic this side of the Medusa Cascade as Doctor Who Adventures Issue Ten hits the shops on 7th January! BIG IN JAPAN James… Read More ›
London’s House of Illustration to host “Comix Creatrix: 100 Women Making Comics” exhibition
London’s House of Illustration to host “Comix Creatrix: 100 Women Making Comics” exhibition from next month, running until May. The Kings Cross-based venue will offer visitor the opportunity to explore the world of comics through original artwork by one hundred women… Read More ›
Sneak Preview and Review: Good Cop, Bad Cop: Casebook 3 by Jim Alexander and Aaron Murphy
Written by Jim Alexander Art by Aaron Murphy Art Assist by Chris Twydell Production and Lettering by Jim Campbell Edited by Ed Murphy Cover art by Luke Cooper Publisher: Planet Jimbot The Story: A balaclava clad man with a bit… Read More ›
Graphic Shakespeare Competition Launched
A new Graphic Shakespeare Competition has just been launched as part of the activities surrounding the Elsinore Conference: Shakespeare the Next 400 Years in Denmark this April. The competition is open to comics creators worldwide and challenges creators to bring their own… Read More ›
Desert Island Dix: The Globe at Hay probes “Klaxon” graphic novel co-creator
The Globe at Hay will be picking the mind of cartoonist Dix later this month, whose dark humour is often found in his cartoon work, and will make for a fascinating desert island picks night. Dix, vicar’s son from deepest darkest Wales, is a freelance illustrator,… Read More ›
Missing In Action: Marvel UK’s “Zip” anthology
Marvel UK published a huge number of anthology titles down the years, starting with Mighty World of Marvel in the early 1970s through to Overkill in the 1990s – but one that got away in the company’s final years was Zip,… Read More ›
Something For the New Year: New Comics On Sale This Week – Dan Dare and Dreaming Eagles!
As 2015 draws to a close, top writer Garth Ennis seems to have taken over the US comic release list this week, but of all the titles on sale, I think Dreaming Eagles #1 from much-talked-about publisher Aftershock Comics is well… Read More ›
2Tone Comics in Hebden Bridge and other Comic Creators Count the Cost of Christmas Storms
Fans of independent comic shop 2 Tone Comics in Hebden Bridge have rallied to help owners Mandy and Tom after the store was devastated by flooding over Christmas, wreaking havoc on many businesses in the Yorkshire town. The store is one… Read More ›
The Awesome Comics Podcast End of Year Special – A White Riot of Comics Goodness!
It’s been a fantastic year for the world of small press comics, and what would the last Awesome Comics Podcast of the year be if there wasn’t a talk about some of the highlights of the year that was 2015? There are… Read More ›
ARGH! Comics Need You! Or Rather, Bay TV Liverpool Need You For a TV Show About Comics…
Can you laugh out loud while someone drones on for hours and hours about bloomin’ comic books? If so, Bay TV Liverpool want you to be part of the audience at Liverpool’s Central Library on Saturday 30th January 2016. You will witness the… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Drawing The Beano
In Drawing The Beano, the latest Panel Borders podcast, Alex Fitch talks to writers / artists Laura Howell and Hunt Emerson who have contributed a number of strips to The Beano since 2002, including “Little Plum”, “Ratz”, “Minnie the Minx”… Read More ›
Starblazer remembered by legendary comic artist Enrique “Quique” Alcatena
DC Thomson’s 1970’s Starblazer – “Science Fiction Adventure in Pictures” – is remembered by Enrique “Quique” Alcatena in a new Spanish-language documentary titled, simply, Alacatena, directed by Diego Arandojo. Enrique “Quique” Alcatena is regarded as one of Argentina’s most prestigious cartoonists who also drew several… Read More ›
Missing in Action: Marvel UK’s “Just William” Project
A comics company lives or dies by its catalogue, and back in the 1980s and 1990s Marvel UK, like others, was always considering new ideas from editors. Some fell at outline stage, such as my proposed roleplaying game magazine (suggested following… Read More ›
Commando Closes 2015 With Four Cracking Comics
Closing out 2015, here are the last issues of DC Thomson’s Commando (Issues 4875 – 4978) for the year, with the next release scheduled for 14th January 2016. These four issues are on sale in all good newsagents on Thursday 31st… Read More ›
Hachette Launches “Draw The Marvel Way” Part Work in January
Hachette, the British publisher of titles such as Doctor Who: The Complete History and Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection is to launch How To Draw The Marvel Way on 6th January in all good newsagents. The part work – evocative… Read More ›
Artists Wanted to help bring “Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail” to Dundee
A major art project inspired by the Sunday Post‘s “Oor Wullie” will take over Dundee next summer – and the project is still looking for artists to be involved. Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail is a major public arts event that… Read More ›
Christmas Fun’n’Games From Tesco
Over on his Blimey comics history blog, Lew Stringer has been running his now traditional Christmas Comics feature showing the Christmas covers from the comics of yesteryear. We aren’t about to try to compete with Lew but did think that… Read More ›
The British Comics Industry: Looking Back on 2015, Looking Forward to 2016
With the festive season upon us and 2015 racing to a close, over on Comic Book Resources, staff writer and comics retailer Brian Hibbs, in an article titled “Tilting at Windmills: Trouble on the Horizon?“notes we’re in an extremely odd… Read More ›