We’re sorry to report the passing of Space Ace publisher, comic writer and artist’s agent John Lawrence, who sadly passed away in August, but whose death had only been announced publicly quite recently.
In a tribute from his family, they note John Frederick Lawrence was born at the Luton & Dunstable hospital to parents Gladys and John, the eldest of three sons. He met his wife, Rita, in 1964 and they went on to marry in 1967, and had two daughters, Julie and Angie.
John lived in Dunstable all his life, attending Northfields school, before studying book binding at the London School of Printing & Graphic Arts. He began his career at Waterlows, before going to work at De La Rue, where he remained for the rest of his working life, until he retired at 60.
John met artist Ron Turner, who is perhaps best known to comic fans for his work on “The Daleks“, a Doctor Who spinoff strip that ran in the weekly comic TV Century 21, in 1984. He soon began commissioning art from him, and from there became his agent, writing strips for him, and reissuing many of his older strips, often newly coloured and remastered by John Ridgway. His Space Ace series, regularly featured here on downthetubes, ran for 13 issues (2013-21), and Beyond: A Ron Turner Special a single issue (2021).
“John was a kind hearted, caring, family man, with a great sense of humour,” says the family. “From a young age, he was into art and science fiction and during his retirement went onto fulfil his passion for these interests by regularly painting and producing science fiction comics, something he became well known for within the science fiction world.
“He was once referred to by an artist he represented as ‘the’ John Lawrence. There is only one John Lawrence and he will be missed by all who knew him.”
“Growing up, I loved Ron Turner’s work, but that love was far outshone by John Lawrence’s devotion to the artist,” artist and writer Dave Gibbons tells downthetubes. “I didn’t know John very well but I have warm memories of the rare occasions we did meet over the years, either at conventions or at my studio. He was kind enough to share some his extensive Turner library with me and it was always a joy to bask in the enthusiasm he had for Turner’s art.
“I know how much he treasured the personal contact he had with Turner and the seemingly impossible chance to work with his boyhood hero. It was a fan’s dream come true and John did everything he could to keep the flame of Turner’s vision alive.
“A kindly, humorous man, I will remember John fondly.”
“I worked with John for almost ten years on Ron Turner’s ‘Nick Hazard’ and ‘Space Ace’,” says artist John Ridgway. “I never met him face to face, but I loved talking with him over the phone. We had many interesting chats and sometimes arguments about Ron’s work. John’s wife is named Rita, as is mine and it was amusing to send and receive Christmas cards ‘To John and Rita from John and Rita’.
“I hadn’t spoken to him for some months but he had been thinking of cobbling together another Space Ace book from several stories. It was a great shock to hear from his daughter that he had passed away. I miss him.”
Paying tribute, author and friend Philip Harbottle writes that he and John first became aware of each other in November 1980, when Philip chanced upon his article about artist Ron Turner in issue #11 of the fanzine, Golden Fun.
“I discovered that Turner, the regular book cover artist for my favourite author John Russell Fearn’s science fiction paperbacks in the 1950s, had been enjoying an equally impressive parallel career in the comics medium,” he told downthetubes. “I had been completely unaware of this, and, judging by his article, John Lawrence was himself unaware of the extent of Turner’s book career!
“We arranged to meet each other at a London books and comics fair, and found we shared the same outlook and enthusiasms. We decided to form a partnership, dedicated to the reprinting of Fearn’s stories, along with new Turner artwork.
“We maintained a regular and enthusiastic contact, helping each other to complete our respective collections of both Turner comics and book covers, working professionally together after 1984, when John became Turner’s agent, and I worked as a literary agent for Fearn and other writers. I revelled in the opportunity to write new comic strips for Turner to illustrate, and to create new Turner covers for books by Fearn and my other clients.
“The passing of John Lawrence is a devastating loss, not only to his family to whom he was devoted, but to the wider community of science fiction and comics fans, in which I include myself,” Philip continues. “John has been my staunch friend and colleague for the past four decades, during which time, working together promoting Ron Turner’s fantastic art, we have also managed to resurrect and sustain the careers and standing of authors John Russell Fearn and E.C. Tubb, many of whose books have been graced by Turner covers. And John himself, an indomitable champion for Ron Turner, succeeded magnificently in reviving and sustaining Turner’s own career as a science fiction artist.
“John’s wonderful biography of Turner, 50 Years of Fantastic Art (which no one else could have written) admirably captures the peerless talent and spirit of the artist. It also reveals John as his utterly tireless and dedicated friend.
“I am privileged to have been asked by John to help steer his book, completed shortly before he died, to publication by Telos Publishing, in 2024. It is the least I could do to repay my immense debt to him for his help in making many of my own dreams come true. It will surely be enjoyed by Turner’s – and John’s – legion of fans.
“Hopefully its publication will also drive John’s hope (and my own) to maintain Turner’s marvellous legacy, well into the future. There is still a wealth of material that needs to be collected in permanent form.”
Our sympathies to John’s family and friends at this time. John was always wonderful to work with, promoting his many projects and his work is much admired by the downthetubes team.
• John Lawrence, 10th September 1944 – 13th August 2023 | Leave tributes to John here
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Obituaries, Other Worlds, Science Fiction
What a sad loss. He was a great guy. Very Knowledgeable about all things Space Ace ( a somewhat forgotten early Dan Dare rival) and the superb artist Ron Turner. The 1950s was the start of the space age, something that still has a huge future ahead of it. Sadly the pioneers of this era are now thin on the ground. Gerald Edwards.
Thanks, Gerald. Yes, I’m afraid those involved in shaping some of our childhoods – their names then unknown to us – are becoming fewer by the day. But let’s take some solace in what riches they have left us.