John Freeman

UK Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph pens his first Commando Shocking story of Indian troops during World War One explored

Comic book author, graphic novelist and UK Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph has written a Commando story on sale from 6th November 2025 in TG Jones and other outlets, including digital platform Magzter.

Doctor Who Magazine US distribution changes ahead? No hunting the vortex just yet

American Doctor Who fans concerned they may face challenges ahead getting their hands on the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine can rest easy, for now

A teaser for the Fanderson “Thunderbirds” strip written by me with art by Bill Storie, featuring in their 2026 annual https://fanderson.org.uk/product-category/annuals/

A teaser for the Fanderson “Thunderbirds” strip written by me with art by Bill Storie, featuring in their 2026 annual fanderson.org.uk/product-cate...

What If… There was a Dan Dare Flash Gordon crossover? Space heroes united?

Flash Gordon daily strip artist Dan Schkade recently kicked off discussion of a Dan Dare reboot, prompting suggestions of a crossover with the King Features owned space hero

Dan Goozee painting the Moonraker Teaser Poster.

A Daredevil character design sheet by Wally Wood.

A recreation of that character design sheet.

Every once in a while you see something so cool in a book you have to replicate it. I saw these Daredevil designs by Wally Wood last night and had to make my own character design sheets based on his layout.

Though largely unknown in the US, AXA was a pretty big part of the European comics scene in the 1980s. Enrique Badia Romero had made his name as the replacement artist for Jim Holdaway on the classic MODESTY BLAISE newspaper strip and his art was soon famous for the amount of cheesecake it packed

The uncredited cover for “The Sleeping Bomb” by Canadian author James Moffatt, also author of “Skinhead”, published in 1970 by New English Library, and published as “The Cambri Plot” in the US in 1973 by Belmont Tower. Retro review here brianbusby.blogspot.com/2020/12/nazi...

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Available now from Gosh! Comics is a limited-edition release of Nightmare at Northanger Abbey by artist and writer Keith Page

https://downthetubes.net/new-gothic-graphic-novel-nightmare-at-northanger-abbey-by-keith-page-available-now/

Edinburgh’s TAGS Fest returns for its biggest year yet Independent comic makers in the spotlight!

Back again at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, for its third year, Tabletop and Graphic Storytelling Festival (TAGS Fest) has been expanded to a full weekend of talks, games, and markets this year, running on Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th October 2025, from 10.00am to 5.00pm

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The team behind The Phoenix comic are priming readers for the biggest Phoenix Fest they've ever organised next year

https://downthetubes.net/phoenix-fest-heads-to-oxford-in-april/

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UK Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph discussed his new graphic novel, My Dad Fights Demons, drawn by Abbigayle Bircham, on Shay Grewal's BBC London show last month, as well as his work empowering young people through the use of comics

https://downthetubes.net/comics-laureate-bobby-joseph-on-the-bbc/

Item updated! downthetubes.net/the-eagle-an...

Commission of Supergirl (in her brown coat) with Krypto by Chrissie Zullo Uminga: https://shopchrissie.com

Commission of Supergirl (in her brown coat) with Krypto by Chrissie Zullo Uminga: shopchrissie.com

Svegliati e uccidi poster

Svegliati e uccidi poster

Cracking poster! (Same film, alternate title, as you’ll know)

Axa Issues 1 - 3 are on sale now from Dren Productions, as both print and digital editions: https://drenproductions.com/product-category/comic-books-graphic-novels/

Axa Issues 1 - 3 are on sale now from Dren Productions, as both print and digital editions: drenproductions.com/product-cate...

I didn’t, ta!

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Banned Books Week has just launched in the United States, an annual event with international support that unites the book community in support of the freedom to read.

https://downthetubes.net/banned-books-week-spotlights-most-challenged-books-star-treks-george-takei-honorary-chair/

Call for Papers: Studies in Comics Academic research, studies, articles wanted

Papers are welcomed for Studies in Comics, a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal that aims to describe the nature of comics, to identify the medium as a distinct art form and to address its formal properties

I’ve been provided with more information on a rare Finnish reprint of two “Dan Dare” stories in the 1960s, so I’ve updated the downthetubes profile on the history of the strip: downthetubes.net/british-comi...

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Finnish publisher Jalava recently published Avaruuspilotti Dan Dare - Purppurakuolema, which translates, literally, as “Space Pilot Dan Dare - Purple Death”, but is in fact a collection of “The Phantom Fleet”, a story first published in Eagle…

https://downthetubes.net/dan-dare-returns-to-finland/

Three original “Dan Dare” portraits by Frank Hampson head to auction Eagle-inspired art on offer

Don’t forget three Dan Dare portraits by his creator Frank Hampson go to auction this week downthetubes.net/three-origin...

Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, cuts through space in his ship, The Anastasia.

I don't think we've had a new DAN DARE series in a while. We really ought to get on that — a MASTER AND COMMANDER meets MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM type joint maybe, could be a vibe

Creating Comics: An Interview with “Dan Dare” comic artist Alberto Foche A chat with the Marvel and Dan Dare artist

Have you seen the Dan Dare Special project series documenting the original and spin offs? Full info included here downthetubes.net/creating-com...

Angoulême to host “Censorship & Freedom in Creating Comics” conference A special event that comes at a vital time

The Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image museum in Angoulême, France, will convene a free conference discussing comics and censorship next month

Mechanical Comics makes limited edition debut from comics advocate Ernesto Priego An experimental, numbered, (very) limited run!

Ernesto Priego, an advocate for comics studies since the early 1990s, has announced the release of his first very limited edition in print of his Mechanical Comics. 

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Adam Baumgold Fine Art presents the exhibition, Bruce McCall: Visions of the Retrofuture, from 15th October until 7th November 2025 in New York

https://downthetubes.net/bruce-mccall-visions-of-the-retrofuture-opens-soon-in-new-york/

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Panini UK launches Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in newsagents this week, a new monthly title featuring new strips created by a British team.

https://downthetubes.net/new-tales-of-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-title-launches-in-the-uk-this-week/

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Never shy of causing controversy, Pete Nash, creator of the long-running football newspaper strip and spin-off comic and games Striker, has adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in the creation of a…

https://downthetubes.net/striker-goes-ai-for-upcoming-fortieth-anniversary-football-tale/