The Prying Eyes of Britain

By John Freeman on 27 April 2007

Since I’m in a ranty and probably overly paranoid mood, did you know that here in Britain, government agents still have the right to enter your house to enter your house and search for materials used to produce “horror comics”?

The powers are just part of a much wider law first introduced in 1955 to combat the perceived menace of horror comics imported into the UK from America, and is, according to CBS reporter Larry Miller, one of more than 250 reasons the state can use to enter your house.

Combined with other laws, it means the British have become one of the world’s most officially spied upon people, and what the record number of closed circuit TV cameras don’t catch outside, the house invading inspectors will inside…

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as 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.