World Cup 1, Avoiding It, 1 It should have been easy to avoid the World Cup yesterday; but I actually found myself filling in the scores on the free Broadcast-provided wallchart. It was just like being an 11-year-old kid all… Read More ›
downthetubes News
World Cup 1, Avoiding It, 1
I felt really sorry for the teenager on the checkout at Sainsbury’s by the time we’d trekked its near deserted isles yesterday afternoon. He was missing the first England game. He’d missed the first goal. And when my wife asked… Read More ›
Avoiding the World Cup: Day Two
World Cup, 1, Avoiding it, nil. Wouldn’t you believe it, now it’s in my mailbox. I’ve just been sent a link to The Baarmy World Cup Sheep song, their version of “Land of Hope and Glory”. It’s bloody awful, frankly,… Read More ›
Avoiding the World Cup: Day One
Well, actually, that’s a lie, I’ve been trying to avoid it for weeks. But really, what’s all the fuss about? If I hear any more about Wayne ‘Shrek’ Rooney’s bloody meta tarsel I swear I’ll put a brick through the… Read More ›
Catching up with the past: how Igor Goldkind helped me get my break into the comic industry
Been busy this week — stuff for ROK Media (animation, mostly), Star Trek Magazine and some news items for downthetubes.net. One of these is mention for an interview on the 2000AD Review site with Igor Goldkind, who used to work… Read More ›
London Calling – Part Three
Walk in the park, breakfast at the Honest Sausage in Regent’s Park, lunch at the Richaux in St Johns Wood, where they have their own brand of tea bags and the three men on the next table are discussing £100… Read More ›
London Calling – Part Two
Explored Regent’s Park yesterday, blown away by the surrounding architecture and the sheer variety of wildlife, so many herons it’s amazing. Read an article in Daily Telegraph later suggesting grey squirrels may be responsible for predation on song birds eggs…. Read More ›
London Calling May 2006 – Part One
Old entry added, Saturday 27 May 2006: Holiday weekend – various parties and a West End show, which is an unusual event for us. Journey ok on train to London. Marvelled as gran succeeded in marshaling five kids successfully from… Read More ›
I think I’ll take the stairs
Inspired by the human cannonball of circus fame (or some super heroes, perhaps), US defence researchers have patented a device to fire police officers, fire-fighters or special forces to the top of a five-storey building, New Scientist reported earlier this… Read More ›
Jeff Anderson Heads for the Riddler’s Fayre
British comics artist Jeff Anderson, whose work on the critically acclaimed Lion Graphic Bible earned him and writer Mike Maddox a prestigious Angouleme award in 2000, is busy at work on a new project — a five-part graphic novel from Highland Books…. Read More ›
Striker Goes Down
(Updated 10/5/05):The UK’s weekly football comic Striker is to fold this week, on its 87th issue. Publisher Pete Nash broke the news in last week’s issue and in a letter to the title’s shareholders — many of them readers who… Read More ›
Barmy Comics from Barrow
Comics creator Dave Hughes, who lives in Barrow, has just sent me a hilarious collection of his comic strip tales titled The Immeasurable adventures of Gorky Park. Dave’s strange, spikey cartoon work, akin to Rugrats on acid, tells the bizarre… Read More ›
In Memoriam: Eagle comic editor Derek Lord
Former comics editor Derek Lord died at 10.10am on Thursday 23rd September 2004, having been rushed into hospital for an emergency operation for a perforated bowel. He was 77 years old. I’d known Derek for about five years – from… Read More ›
Yalikavak, Turkey 2004
Just back from our first ‘proper’ holiday in five years — Turkey again but this time it was Yalikavak on the Bodrum peninsula. Been to Cavus and Cappadocia in the past. We went with Manos, enduring the torture of… Read More ›
Shooting themselves in the foot
A warning to all freelance writers out there planning a trip to the US — get a visa! And you might want to think about praying, too, as it’s no guarantee of entry. I had a call from BlackRat yesterday… Read More ›
When is a transit not a transit?
OK, here’s a question about shared experience. If you couldn’t actually look directly at the transit of Venus yesterday (unless you wanted your eyes boiled or something), is there a difference between standing out in your garden with a pair… Read More ›
Marvel UK Memories
In and out from writing Beyblade and Dick Turtle for ToonTastic and editing RAF Magazine for Titan Magazines, I’ve been spending some time thinking about one past job as editor at Marvel UK (aka Marvel Comics UK) back in the 1990s. This… Read More ›
A Busy Week: Dick Turtle, RAF Magazine and More
It’s a weird life. This week has been a mix of hassling freelancers for copy and me being hassled for copy — one of those deadline crunch weeks. Beyblade Comic was Monday, Dick Turtle for Lucky Bag Comic was Wednesday,… Read More ›
Catching Up with Old Friends
Dropped in Lancaster’s John O’Gaunt on Market Street for lunch. They do something called a “late breakfast”. How late can a late breakfast be? Whatever. One of Lancaster’s few remaining decent pubs — it’s not tied to any brewery and… Read More ›
In Memoriam: Comic Artist and Writer Art Wetherell
We’re sorry to report that talented artist and writer Art Wetherell died on Christmas Day 2003, of a perforated stomach ulcer. He had many friends in the UK comic fraternity, and beyond, and will be much missed. Art’s credits include… Read More ›