downthetubes Features and Interview Index


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Features: General Articles

• British Comics on Film
9/3/08, last updated 24/10/08: American superheroes such as Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman and others may well grab the headlines today, but British heroes have proven no slouches when it comes to grabbing the celluloid. Jeremy Briggs (with help from Steve Holland, Graeme Neil Reid, Richard Sheaf and Lew Stringer and some additional research by John Freeman) delivers a hopefully useful list...

• Up and Coming 2007
First posted 7/12/06: As 2006 drew to a close and we look back on another inventive and successful year for British talent, I wondered who British creatives thought were "up and coming" for 2007.
An appeal on various comic boards including Comics International and EFA Yahoo groups confirmed some of my thoughts and turned up several talents I'd not heard of...

• Favourite Science Fiction
Comics creators rate their favourite SF comic strips

BATTLER BRITTON

• Battler Britton Returns
First published on Comic World News on Wednesday, April 12 2006
Garth Ennis and Colin Wilson talk about the Wildstorm updating of the classic IPC air ace.

DAN DARE

• Dan Dare Recalled
First published 20/5/07: Ian Wheeler outlines the history of one of Britain's most fondly-remembered space heroes...

• The Lost Dan Dare
First published in Eagle Flies Again #7
Revealed: ATV's attempt to bring Dan Dare to the small screen

• Dan Dare: Yesterday's Hero Returns
First Published 21/11/07: Yesterday's hero is back. Everyone's favourite space adventurer, Dan Dare, returned in a new action-packed series from Virgin Comics and top creative team Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine in November 2007. Matthew Badham caught up with the Ennis and Erskine to find out how they interpreted Dare for the new millennium and what this very British hero means to them...

GARTH

• The Return of Garth
First published: 31 August 2008: In August 2008, after a long gestation period, adventure hero Garth returned to British newspaper The Mirror - albeit, for now, only on the publication's web site. Here, artist Huw-J talks to John Freeman about the new strip and his many plans for the character's ongoing revival...

ROY OF THE ROVERS

• Roy of the Rovers
Mike Gent charts the history of one of Britain's most popular football comics characters...

• British Comics: 2004AD
A guide to the state of British Comics in 2004, published on Comic World News Adventure Comics

• Falklands 25: Operation Corporate in Comics
9/4/07: 25 years ago, Britain was at war over islands in the South Atlantic many Britons had never heard of – and some at the time even thought were part of the Shetlands. Jeremy Briggs examines the comics that featured the 1982 Falklands conflict between Britain and Argentina...

COMMANDO

The Condemned Men • The Ten Year Veteran
First posted 11/3/07: "He's in a hurry. Be careful here.” That frankly unpromising utterance was writer Sean Blair's first line of dialogue in what this year will be a decade's worth of anonymous work for that great British institution, Commando Picture Library.

DOCTOR WHO

• A Cold Day At Marvel UK: Doctor Who Comic Memories
First published 16/5/09: Panini UK released its first collection of Doctor Who strips featuring the Seventh Doctor, played on TV by Sylvester McCoy, in May 2009.
Here, creators who worked on the strips featured in A Cold Day in Hell, edited by Richard Starkings (who was interviewed for the collection), remember their contribution to the Time Lord's enduring comics mythos...
• This is an extended version of material provided for the collection, including comments from Simon Furman and material cut for space reasons.

RED DAGGER

• Graphic Novels by Any Other Name
First posted 15 July 2007: Jeremy Briggs probes the mystery of DC Thomson's little known title Red Dagger, and wonders why the company isn't publishing something similar today...

SPIKE

• Comic Companion: Spike
By the earlier 1980s, when Spike was launched, the number of boys weekly titles published by D C Thomson was on the wane. Jeremy Briggs delivers this overview of the title, and a guide to its stories...

SPACESHIP AWAY

• Spaceship Away!
Information about the superb licensed Dan Dare Fanzine

STARBLAZER

• Blazing through the secrecy
First posted May 2006: Jeremy Briggs ponders DC Thomson's secretive nature about its creators diown the years, and explores the secrets of its science fiction title Starblazer, whose creators included a young Grant Morrison and artist Ian Kennedy...
• Plus a checklist of every issue, including known creator credits

• Starblazer Abroad
A checklist of known foreign language reprints of Starblazer

• Starblazer: Behind the Lines
First posted June 2006
Writer Ray Aspden reveals his approach to writing Starblazer

TRANSFORMERS

• Transformers: Robots in Diguise
First published in Eagle Flies Again #7.

VICTOR

• Victor: Remembering Heroes
7/5/08: There was a time not that long ago when British boy's comics celebrated the heroism of British and Commonwealth servicemen. Jeremy Briggs takes a look back at how British comics once celebrated them...

Humour Comics

• The Story of Cor!!
Posted 15/2/07: Mike Gent takes a trip back to the 1970s and remembers just one of many IPC humour titles...

• Toxic Turns 50
Posted August 2005: Egmont's TOXIC comic, which sells around 50,000 copies or more every issue every fortnight in the UK, will be celebrating its 50th issue when it's released on 31 August 2005. John Freeman caught up with editor Matt Yeo to talk to him about the title's origins and future plans...

• 100 Not Out: TOXIC's latest milestone
Posted August 2007: Happy stinky birthday, TOXIC! On 29 August 2007, Egmont's TOXIC Magazine celebrated its 100th issue, a milestone for any comic but even more so for a newstand title in today's fraught and often unstable British comics world. IAN WHEELER caught up with editor Matt Yeo to probe him about the title...

Features: Creating Comics

• Breaking Into Comics
A guide to writing comic strips by John Freeman

• Going Freelance: Advice

• Creating WebComics: A Brief Guide

• Portfolio Presentation Tips

• Comics Facts and Figures

• Comics Links

2002
• Bristol Comics Festival May 2002
Includes pictures as well as a short report

2003
• Comic Award Winners 2003
• Raptus, Norway 2003

2006
• Comics Expo Bristol 2006
First published 17/5/06: Alan Woollcombe reports on the Comic Expo, feeling a little jaded by the experience...

2007
• Kidnapping Edinburgh
First published 7/3/07: Jeremy Briggs reports on how a new comics adaptation of Robert Louis Stevens classic novel took Scotland's capital by storm in February 2007...

• Happy Birthday, 2000AD!
7/5/07: Matthew Badham and David Baillie went to the 2000AD 30 year birthday bash last month. They're just beginning to remember what the hell happened...

• Comics Expo Bristol 2007
First published 20/5/07: Every year, comic fans and creators invade Bristol for three days as it plays host to the annual Comics Expo. Down the Tubes asked Matthew Badham, David Baillie and Leon Hewitt to report back on this year's event...

• Biff! Bam!! Crikey!!! Seeing New Worlds In Dundee
28/5/07: Jeremy Briggs reports on the Seeing New Worlds event in Dundee, Scotland, part of the Six Cities Design Festival

• The Aesthetics of Trash - Academic Conference
On 28-29 August 2007, various academics and non-academics gathered in Manchester to discuss animation and comics at an academic conference held at the Manchester Metropolitan University. JENNI SCOTT of Caption was one of those asked to present a paper. She shares her thoughts about the event, below while MATTHEW (That Small Press Guy) BADHAM also offers his views on the occasion.

• Birmingham International Comics Festival 2007 Report
October 2007: Report by Leon Hewitt

• Brodie's Law Exhibition 2007
22/11/07: David Baillie reports on a special event marking another high point for one of Britain's top independent comics...

2008
• Breaking into Comics, Leicester
First published 1/2/08 by John Freeman

• No Barcodes 2008
13/6/08: David Baillie reports on the recent indie event held in Camden Market, London

• Let's Do The Timewarp Again...
4/8/08: CAPTION, if you aren't aware, is a long-running comics festival dedicated to the British independent and small comics press -- and also the longest running comics festival in Britain by many years. A week before the 2008 'Timewarp' themed event, Andrew Luke ran some questions around CAPTION regulars from early days to recent times...

• Birmingham International Comic Show 2008
Leon Hewitt reports on a highly successful BICS held at the Thinktank, Millenium Point, Birmingham on 4-5 October

2009

• Bristol Comics Festival 2009
First published 16/5/09: Even if you weren't there, you've probably heard by now that due to the knock on effects of the global credit crunchie this year's Bristol Comics Expo was a slightly reduced affair. This might seem a shame, especially given that this was the event's tenth birthday, but David Bailie reveals smaller is sometimes better...

Reviews
• For more comics and book reviews, visit the downthetubes blog

2005
• Albion #1 • Picks 2005

2006
• Bristol Expo Fanzine Round Up • Picks 2006

2007
• Alice in Sunderland
• Bulletproof #1
• Transformers #1 (Titan)2008
• For more comics and book reviews, visit the downthetubes blog

• Preserving And Presenting Our Comics Heritage
First Published: 26/1/09
John Birch works for the National Library of Scotland located in Edinburgh, one of the UK's five legal deposit libraries, and curated their successful Local Heroes exhibition covering comics and graphic novels. He gives Jeremy Briggs the benefit of his experience in organising this exhibition and its related events, as well as the legal requirements regarding archiving small press comics and fanzines for the nation.

Comics Writers

• Comics Writers Leah Moore and John Reppion
First published 7/2/07
In the first part of an extended feature marking the release of the Albion collection from Titan Books (hot on the heels of Wildstorm's edition in December 2006), John Freeman talks to writers Leah Moore and John Reppion about the story.

• Tribute: Fred Baker
16/6/08: Writer and former Tiger and New Eagle editor Barrie Tomlinson pays tribute to Fred Baker, one of British comics unsung heroes, who died in June 2008

• Creating Tammy
First published 24 October 2008: comics writer Jenny McDade reveals how she got her job working for one of Britain's best-selling girls' titles ever... (Feature compiled with thanks to Dave Roach)

Comics Artists

• Massimo Belardinelli 1938 - 2007: A Tribute by Pat Mills
First published: 18/4/07
Massimo Bellardinelli was not just a good comic artist, he had that extra something. 2000AD co-creator Pat Mills pays tribute to a legdn with a divine spark.

Cartoonist Steve English at work. Picture by his wife. • Steve English
First published: 15/11/07
in 2007, cartoonist Steve English, creator of Madd Science and Peter's Cat, started contributing comics to mobile comics service ROK Comics -- and won the $10,000 prize in the company's 2007 Humour Competition. It's one more milestone in the career of the artist, as Jeremy Briggs discovered...

• Garen Ewing
Published on Comic World News
Garen Ewing is a British illustrator and designer working in both digital and print media whose award-winning comic strip, Rainbow Orchid has earned this talented creator high praise and a huge following world-wide – last October, the web site netted an incredible 60,000 hits in the just two days. John Freeman caught up with this busy creator to find out more about the strip and his plans for its future…

• Phil Gascoine: Interview and Tributes
First published January 2006
This interview with Phil by John Freeman, who sadly died in August 2007 after a short illness, was first published in the the British comics fanzine Eagle Flies Again. This page includes tributes to Phil from creators and friends.

Alan Grant and Jon Haward • Jon Haward
First published March 2008
The Classcial Comics project to make literature contemporary and relevant through comics is ambitious, but has received high praise educators and actors, including Royal Shakespeare Company fellow and Star Trek icon Patrick Stewart. On the launch of the second Classical Comics project, Macbeth, John Freeman caught up with accomplished British comics artist Jon Haward (pictured here with Alan Grant) to talk to him about his work on the project -- an adaptation which includes all the scenes featuring the witches and their controlling goddess, Hecate -- and his varied career...

• Comics Artist David Lloyd
First published August 2006: David Lloyd talks about his gangster graphic novel published by Dark Horse - Kickback

• Frank Quitely
First published 14 May 2008: When top Scottish comics creator made an appearance at Scotland's National Library in April 2008, Brian D Morgan was on hand to report what he had to say about his approach to drawing comics for downtheubes...

• Artist Shane Oakley
First published 23/2/07: Shane talks about his career, the Albion project and future plans

• Keith Page: Raiding the Past and Future
First published 16 April 2009: Keith Page is one of the regular interior and cover artists on DC Thomson’s Commando as well as writing and illustrating the Dan Dare prequel Rocket Pilot in Spaceship Away. As a part-time artist he worked on 2000AD, Dan Dare and TV Comic annuals before going full time illustrating Thunderbirds and Stingray in The Sunday Times. Jeremy Briggs talks to Keith about his varied career for downthetubes...
• See also: Keith Page Stripography

• Artist John Ridgway
An online version of a 2003 interview first published in the fanzine Eagle Flies Again #8
John Ridgway has drawn some of Britain's most popular comic characters including Dan Dare for Eagle, Doctor Who for Marvel UK and, currently, the Commando comics for DC Thomson, producing the colour and 3D models for Hal Starr for Spaceship Away with Sydney Jordan. He also worked on Head Shot, an episode produced for the series Black Museum for 2000AD.

• Cartoonist Lew Stringer
Published on Comic World News, 5 April 2005
An interview with the Viz and TOXIC cartoonist Lew Stringer, whose collection of superhero satire, "Brickman Begins", is published by Active Images.

• Artist in Sunderland: Bryan Talbot
30/3/07: In a special interview with one of Britain's top creators, Bryan Talbot outlines his new project, Alice in Sunderland to his son, Robyn... Read More...

Mike Western
• Mike Western Remembered
23/5/08: Ian Wheeler pays tribute to the late, great comics artist, who died in May 2008. With additional information courtesy of Steve Holland

• Tributes to Mike Western
From comics creators including John Wagner, Barrie Tomlinson, Dez Skinn, Rufus Dayglo and others

• Mike Western: Strip Samples
Examples of art by Mike Western

ROK Comic Creators
Short interviews with contributors to the UK-based comics to mobile service, ROK Comics, run by downthetubes editor John Freeman. Questions compiled by David Hailwood.

• Artist Josh Alves
First Published 10/3/08
Josh Alves is a Graphic Designer/ Cartoonist/ Stand-up Comedian residing in the very green and mostly cold state of Maine, who's been adapting his one frame Tastes Like Chicken cartoons into three frame ROK Comics for mobile. His work has appeared on DC Comics Zuda service and in many other places, with plenty more projects in the way...

• Writer Michael Colbert
First Published: 11/3/08
Los Angeles-based features and comics author Michael (Mike) Colbert is the creator of the critically-acclaimed SF comic Crazy Mary, one of several strips not only appearing on ROK Comcs but also being translated into Chinese for ROK Comics China. He says his first memory is seeing Star Wars and his writing influences include Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, and Douglas Adams.

• Artist Paul Harrison-Davies
First published 9/3/08
British indie artist, whose work includes strips for the first Mammoth Book of Best New Manga, AccentUK's Zombies and Robots (released May 2008) anthologies and several small press titles

• Artist Rich Diesslin
First published 14 March 2008
Rich Diesslin is the creator and cartoonist of the KNOTS or Not (or KNOTS) scouting cartoons and a cartoonist for the London's Times Cartoons. He is the author and cartoonist of The Cartoon Gospel of John and The Cartoon Ten Commandments.

• Artist David Fletcher
First Published 11/3/08
New Zealand cartoonist David Fletcher claims that for the last twenty years he's been pretending to work from home as a comic strip, drawing a daily strip called The Politician and several weekly strips including The TV Kids which appears in the TV Guide. His cartoons are syndicated to Europe, Britain, Africa,Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.
People still keep asking him when is he going to get a proper job...

• Artist Mychailo Kazybrid
First published 9/3/08
Mychailo draws The Do Do Man for ROK Comics, but his career began way back in 1975...

• Writer Ben Tinsley
First published 14/3/08
Ben Tinsley, publisher of Wham Bang Comics and president of WBC Entertainment is a journalist with nearly 20 years of experience Tinsley writes for, edits and publishes the comics in his small line. His 13-year-old son Jake is the creator and writer of the 12-year-old shaman superhero Night Owl, Wham Bang Comics' flagship character, and the pair are in the process of creating a children's book based on the character...

• Artist Dave Windett
First published 9/3/08
Dave Windett has been with ROK Comics since its initial testing, providing character designs for the Creator Tool and working on other ROK projects. He has worked for a huge range of publishers during his varied career and is one of the few British artists to have drawn for Bongo's Simpsons Comics.

• Writer John Freeman
First published 9/3/08
John Freeman is Managing Editor of ROK Comics

• Classics Illustrated Publisher/Editor Jeff Brooks
Interview by Ian Wheeler, First Published 9 October 2008:Classics Illustrated and Classic Illustrated Junior are back on the shelves of British booksellers and newsagents. Jeff Brooks, a collector and dealer of vintage CI issues, has re-launched the two titles through his company Classic Comic Store Ltd. and shares his thoughts on his new venture.

• DFC Publisher David Fickling
First published 17 September 2008: Earlier this year, David Fickling Books and Random House launched The DFC, a new weekly comic in the UK, the first of its kind in terms of the levels of originated, new characters for many years. Publisher David Fickling chat about the comic, his love of comics and plans for so much more than just one new comic...

• The (Comic) Art of War: Warhammer Monthly Editor Christian Dunn
First published 14 january 2009: In 2008, Matthew Badham interviewed Christian Dunn, ex-editor of Warhammer Monthly, for an article about the comic published in the Judge Dredd Megazine. Although he used several quotes from Christian in the finished article, there was still a lot of material from his interview left unused. It seemed a shame to waste his answers and so, with Christian’s consent, we've finally (with apologies to both Matthew and Christian for the delay) posted those unused answers here at downthetubes.

Bill Graham. Photo: Calum Laird.

• DC Thomson Editor Bill Graham
First published 2 April 2008: Jeremy Briggs talks to Bill Graham, editor of past titles such as Starblazer (profiled here) and Spike (read the companion feature) and many more, on his long and varied career with D C Thomson and his current involvement with their comic strips for Wendy.

• Ned Hartley: Legends from Titan Towers
First published 8 April 2007: Who says British comics are dead? Certainly not the staff of Titan Magazines and Panini UK,who are filling the newsagents shelves with their publications. True, a lot of the material is reprinted from US comics, but the strips are lovingly repackaged for a British audience in beautifully printed collector's editions, in full colour with quality card covers. IAN WHEELER reports...

• Commando Editor Calum Laird
First published 8 April 2008: First published in 1961 Commando is Britain's last war comic. As the title approaches issue 4100 in 2008, Jeremy Briggs talked to new editor Calum Laird, who joined DC Thomson in 1979, on the recent changes he has made and the growth in Commando related tie-ins...

• War of Words: An interview with Calum Laird
First published on downthtubes 24 August 2008: In December of 2007 Matt Badham was fortunate enough to interview Calum Laird as research for an article about writing. The interview includes tips on pitching to various DC Thomson titles such as The Dandy, Beano and general advice on pitching to comics editors that we think is really useful.

• Commando Editor George Low
13/9/07: September 2007 saw a major change at DC Thomson with the retirement of long-serving but, perhaps, little-known editor of Commando George Low, who joined the company from school and has worked on the digest title ever since. downthetubes caught up with George to ask him about himself, Commando and the title's future...

• DC Thomson Editor and Writer Bill McLoughlin
First Published 27 June 2008:
Jeremy Briggs talks to DC Thomson writer and editor, Bill McLoughlin, whose career has covered text based story papers, as well as the comic strip humour, adventure and digest titles and who, at a time when more old DCT material is available in book form than for many years, now works for their Syndication Department.

• DC Thomson Commado Chief Sub Editor Scott Montgomery
First published 20 November 2008: In 1992 Scott Montgomery was at the Glasgow Comics Convention listening to writer Alan Grant as he gave advice on how to get into comics. Today, Scott is chief sub-editor on DC Thomson's Commando comic having previously worked on The Dandy and having written for as diverse companies as Rebellion, Marvel UK and BBC Radio. Jeremy Briggs talks to Scott about the wide range of periodicals that he has worked on, as well as his radio work and his first novel, and finds out just what Alan Grant's advice at GLASCAC was.

• Comics Publisher Dez Skinn
First published in Eagle Flies Again

• Publisher Andrew Sumner
Published on Comic World News, 4 February 2005
Andrew Sumner at IPC Media has been instrumental in getting revivals of some British comics characters via Wildstorm's Albionand Titan Books Spider and Steel Claw colections off the ground. A huge comics fan, Andrew's worked in magazine publishing for over 18 years.

• Albion Man: Andrew Sumner
First Published 12/2/07
An interview with Andrew Sumner about the success of Wildstorm's revival of many IPC characters.

• Writer, Editor and Publisher Richard Starkings
Published on Comic World News, 19 May 2005
With the imminent and eagerly-awaited arrival of a new issue of Active Images' Hip Flask in comic stores, it seemed like as good a time as any to talk to one of our most successful comics exports, letterer and publisher Richard Starkings.

• Illustrator, Writer and Editor Steve White
Also published on Comic World News, 13 December 2005
Titan launches its Wallace & Gromit Comic on 29 September 2005, tying in with Aardman Animations first Wallace & Gromit feature film, Curse of the Were-rabbit, which opens in October. John Freeman found out more about the new title from editor Steve White, who also edits SpongeBob Squarepants for the company, as well as other editorial duties.

• Editor Russell Willis
First Published 13 September 2008: Russell Willis produced and published a number on important underground cartoon magazines in the 1980s. He moved to Tokyo in the early 1990's where he now runs a web based publishing company in Tokyo. UK underground cartoonist, Simon Mackie, who also lived in Tokyo in the early to mid 1990's, recently met up with Russell in Tokyo where they talked about Russell's involvement with the UK comics underground two and a half decades ago...

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