Edinburgh Napier University has announced a new MA course in creative writing aimed at aspiring computer games and graphic novel writers. The one-year postgraduate course, part of a range from the University’s School of Creative Industries, has been created by… Read More ›
Writing Comics
Tharg’s Head Revisited
In October 2008, occasional downthetubes contributor Matthew Badham interviewed freelance writer Andy Diggle (who is also the ex-editor of 2000AD). An edited 2000 word version of that interview was published in the February edition of the Judge Dredd Megazine. Now,… Read More ›
Tube Surfing: 20 February 2009
• Ben Templesmith has donated some art from IDW’s Doctor Who – The Whispering Gallery book to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund which they are currently auctioning off on eBay. The aution ends later today (Feb-20-09 15:00:00 PST) so… Read More ›
Northern Ireland’s Verbal Arts Centre Launches Comic Art Courses
The Verbal Arts Centre in Bishop St Within, Derry, has created a series of new, accredited Comic Art courses which will commence in September 2008. These short courses have been developed in response to the success of the various comic… Read More ›
Creating WebComics: A Brief Guide
In 2007, I was part of a panel at the Birmingham International Comic Show and there was plenty of advice offered on web comics creation, and I figured it was high time I shared some of it on downthetubes. Many… Read More ›
Ex Astris heads to Spaceship Away
A bit of self-promotion: artist Bill Stories (aka Mike Nicoll) is at work on a ten page Ex Astris strip of mine, “Homecoming” which will appear in black and white in UK Indie title Bulletproof #2, which is edited by… Read More ›
Digital Comics APA
The Temple APA is currently looking for contributors to its first Digital Comics Anthology, deadline 1st May 2008. For those who’ve never heard of the Temple (formerly titled ‘Temple of Heroes’), it’s the UK’s longest running comics anthology, whose membership… Read More ›
Comix Thing in London today
Just a quick reminder that today (22 March) sees the 5th UK web comix Thing, a gathering of the British and overseas small press en masse to present their wares and promote new work, at the Great Hall, Queen Mary… Read More ›
Cartoonist Jim Medway interviewed
downtheubes contributor Matthew Badham has just interviewed cartoonist Jim Medway, a self-published cartoonist whose comics might best be described as anthropomorphic, all-ages fun. He has recently been invited to pitch ideas to the new anthology comic from Random House, The… Read More ›
Paul Cornell Interviewed
British podcast producers Geek Syndicate have just released an epic 90 minute journey through time and space and into the mind of comics and TV writer Paul Cornell, whose credits include Doctor Who, Primeval, Wisdom, Robin Hood and a host… Read More ›
Edinburgh Book Festival Comics Talk Now Online
(with thanks to Joe Gordon) Last August, the Edinburgh International Book Festival held its first ever events discussing graphic novels, with a major, hour-long discussion – entitled “Graphic Novels – Literature of Pulp Fiction” – held between three Scottish authors:… Read More ›
What Editors Really Think
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been having an email discussion with a few creators about the Joy of Pitching — that dark art of trying to sell a script to an editor. For some years now, downtheubes has… Read More ›
‘Boring’ writer becomes bestseller
Actor, director and cult guru, Kevin Smith now has another accolade to add to his name, as astonishing sales of his new book My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith (out now from Titan Books) have made… Read More ›
Moore-Reppion: Radio Stars
This afternoon (Thursday, 27 September, 2007, 5.00pm BST) London and Web radio station Resonance FM will be broadcasting a telephone interview with Albion and Wild Girl writers Leah Moore and John Reppion. Leah Moore (daughter of Alan) and her husband… Read More ›
RedEye Re-scheduled, Donations Sought
The critically acclaimed Redeye 7 has been hit with a number of delays
It’s grim being a writer
Well, that explains a lot… apparently, clinical depression and the prospect of a shortened lifespan are some of the joys successful scriptwriters are more likely to face, according to TV psychologist Raj Persaud. UK media magazine Broadcast reports that speaking… Read More ›