We will soon be interviewing British Comics artist Keith Page for a feature on downthetubes and would welcome questions about his career and work from fans.
Please send any questions to us by 31st January 2009 johnfreeman6-downthetubes@yahoo.co.uk – do not post them here.
For those not completely familiar with this accomplished artist, whose current projects include strips for Commando, Spaceship Away and his own strip, Charlotte Corday, still available on ROK Comics and now being added to Clickwheel, Keith offers this ‘potted history’ of his career to date… You can also check out his own blog at: keithpageukcomicsartist.blogspot.com
“I’d always wanted to draw comics,” Keith tells us, “and started taking drawings up to Farringdon Street to what later became IPC. Eventually I was put on to Pat Kelleher of the Temple Art Agency, then in Chancery Lane, and I started to get a few Annual stories of various types.
“I worked as an artist in my spare time for a number of years, doing a completely different day job. I gradually built up quite a wide variety of work including tv adaptations for TV Comic and Mighty Max for Marvel UK. Together with some newspaper and book illustration work, I also drew for now-forgotten IPC titles such as Supernaturals, Mask and Wildcat.
“I became a full time comics artist when the late Alan Fennell asked me to work on both the IPC Thunderbirds comic and the long-running Sunday Times feature which later included Stingray.
“When this work ended, Pat found out that George Low was looking for a new Commando artist. I was sent a script and fortunately they’ve kept coming ever since.
“Favourite artists include [Dan Dare creator] Frank Hampson, who I met a few times, Joe Colquhoun (Charley’s War), Geoff Campion and 1940’s US newspaper strip artist Milton Caniff. Also nowadays French artists Gibrat and Tardi.
“The work I’ve had the most fun drawing is my Charlotte Corday series, particularly the story written by Stephen Walsh which includes the 1950’s London V-Cars, or Vampire Squad.”
• Please send any questions to us by 31st January 2009 johnfreeman6-downthetubes@yahoo.co.uk – do not post them here.
- About the Author
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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.
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