The Really Heavy Greatcoat by myself and Lancaster-based artist Nick Miller was published fairly regularly for about 20 years, last featuring in Comics International (yes – it was that long ago, now!). The strip was published for many years in alternative Lancaster titles such as On The Beat and Off the Beat and online on downthetubes.net and virtual-lancaster.net.
When last seen in a regular strip, Kevin, the current owner of the Greatcoat – a talking garment with transcendentally dimensional pockets – was a student. He was clearly not postgraduate material so Nick and I reckon he’s in a bedsit in Skerton, Lancaster somewhere, eking out a life on benefits…
If anyone ever offered to pay us to write it, it might still be running today – but Nick still creates an annual Review of the Year, bless him!
• More by Nick at: http://teamsputnikblog.blogspot.com
• Greatcoat Review of the Year 2011
• Greatcoat Review of the Year 2010
• Greatcoat Review of the Year 2009
• Greatcoat Review of the Year 2008
• More Really Heavy Greatcoats on the original downthetubes web site
- About the Author
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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.
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