Time for a quick step back in time to the early 1990s, courtesy of artist Richard Piers Rayner, who found this great piece of art featuring Marvel UK’s Dark Angel giving The Punisher a friendly peck. Richard’s first work for… Read More ›
Comic Creator Spotlight
MancsterCon back in August
The MancsterCon Independent Sequential Art Convention returns to Manchester in August, following a successful three day event last year filled with screenings, talks and workshops, cosplay catwalks and a host of local comic artists. Taking place from 8th –… Read More ›
Writers & Artists Present: Getting Published: Which Route Do I Take?
There’s a conference on self-publishing in London in July that, while focusing on the written word, might be of interest to any comic creator who is releasing their own work direct. Writers & Artists Present: Getting Published: Which Route Do… Read More ›
Doctor Who meets Thunderbirds!
… Well, sort of! This stunning Daleks versus Rock Snakes image by Tony Luke features Doctor Who‘s top enemy and the deadly silicon-based life forms Zero X encountered on Mars in the film Thunderbirds are Go. The art is a private commission, inspired… Read More ›
Art Hero: An interview with Daniel Clifford
I’ve been talking to Daniel Clifford about his work and his collaborations and fascinating sounding workshops, and I’m sharing the resulting interview here and the ace Forbidden International blog. Born in South Shields in 1986, writer and educator Daniel Clifford, who has… Read More ›
Taking the Widdershins route: An interview with web comic creator Kate Ashwin
Regular readers of downthetubes will recall that earlier this week we plugged an upcoming Laydeez do Comics event in Leeds, which prompted me to follow the links to the creator sites, just to check they were correct more than… Read More ›
Behind the Scenes: Creating Sally Heathcote: Suffragette
Out this week from publisher Jonathan Cape is is Sally Heathcote: Suffragette, marvellous historical graphic novel created by Mary and Bryan Talbot and Kate Charlesworth which I enthused about in our early review here. Sally Heathcote: Suffragette is a… Read More ›
Scotland’s Robert the Bruce celebrated in new comic
A new comic book, King Robert the Bruce and the Wars of Independence, is now available to order directly from the King Robert the Bruce educational web site. The web site, developed by staff and students at Fife College, celebrates Dunfermline’s historic… Read More ›
A Different Type of Star – Rejuvenating DC Thomson’s Red Star for a New Era
General Jumbo, The Smasher and Supercats are just some of the classic British heroes back in print right now, thanks to a team of Scottish comic creators, DC Thomson and Comic Heroes magazine. As we previously reported, The Glasgow League of Writers has teamed up with publisher DC… Read More ›
OFF LIFE magazine announces live London #QuickDraw event
To help launch the brand new House of Illustration gallery in London’s Kings Cross, the OFF LIFE team – makers of the free street comic distributed in London and Bristol – are holding a free #QuickDraw event in April. “Every… Read More ›
Glasgow comic makers documentary released
Independent film maker and director John Wilson has just released Independent Comics: Glasgow a short documentary exploring comic book writers based in Glasgow on YouTube, filmed in various locations and featuring interviews with Team Girl Comic‘s MJ Wallace and Roachwell creator… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Ben Katchor, architectural strips
Concluding a month of shows about comics and graphic novels drawn from elements of real life on British comics radio show Panel Borders, Alex Fitch talks to award winning American cartoonist Ben Katchor about his weekly newspaper strips on tourism… Read More ›
Look Out, Britain! Psycho Gran is Back!
Psycho Gran is back – and Titan Comics think they’ve got her! Little do those poor darlings down in that there London know how dangerous this much-loved silver surfer character really is… and the things she gets up to! … Read More ›
GHOSTS set to haunt London’s Orbital Comics in April
A new British arts collective called GHOSTS has revealed plans to take over London this April, for a week-long underground comics exhibition. Featuring the work of seven writers and artists, the exhibition, called CULT, will be based on Orbital Comics… Read More ›
Jon Haward dares to draw the Mekon for new exhibition
Ace artist Jon Haward has been busy drawing Dan Dare and the Mekon for his “Childhood Icons” exhibition at the House Cafe in Saint Benedict Street, Norwich. Jon was one of the artists on Dan Dare for New Eagle but… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Room for Love
Continuing a month of shows on Britain’s only regular on air comics show Panel Borders about comics and graphic novels which present ‘slices of life’ on the page, Alex Fitch talks to writer / artist Ilya about his latest graphic novel, Room… Read More ›
Creator Owned Day Return to promote indie comics
(with thanks to Stephen Downey): Creator Owned Day returns Wednesday 5th March 2014, this year’s event following two previous annual challenges that saw comic creators writing and drawing up new characters, readers celebrating their favourite creator-owned series and a trending topic on… Read More ›
Tom Plant’s “Sunshine Bay” – Every Bit as Good as People Say
On sale soon from The Beano and The Oldie cartoonist Tom Plant is Sunshine Bay: Not Half As Bad As People Say, two fantastiic, funny and beautifully drawn short stories based in the delightful seaside hellhole of the same name…. Read More ›
“Does Your Dad Draw for Roy of the Rovers?”
Antony Harding pays tribute to his father, Tony Harding, artist on “Roy of the Rovers”, “Twisty”, “Look Out for Lefty” and many more classic British football strips… During my school years, from time to time older kids would come… Read More ›
Lakes Festival choose not one, but two 24 Hour Comic Marathon artists
After a huge amount of deliberation, grinding of teeth, frustrated wails, and budget-nudging the Lakes International Comic Art Festival has announced that not one but two artists will be joining its first 24 Hour Comics Marathon – Joe Decie and… Read More ›