ICYMI: A downthetubes catch up - some items you may have missed on downthetubes this weekending Friday 22nd March 2024…
Front and centre, though, three shameless plugs! I’m delighted to that the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, in partnership with Doctor Who Magazine, published by Panini Comics UK, has announced a Doctor Who Monster Competition for children that will see the winning creation appear in a special comic strip.
This was my idea, so I hope there’s a good take up! I don’t think there hasn’t been a competition like this since TV Action ran something similar, back in 1972. Back then, the winner, Ian Fairnington, dreamt up the Ugrakks, who appeared in a one-off strip that put the Third Doctor in peril, written by Dennis Hopper and draw by Gerry Haylock.
Children aged 8 – 12 are being challenged to design a Doctor Who monster of their very own, and see it featured in a special comic strip in Doctor Who Magazine, the official magazine about the long-running SF show. If you want to jump straight in for more information, head to the Festival’s dedicated competition page here.
• B7 Media is putting the finishing touches to Issue Two of Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies, the SF thriller written by me, with art by Neil Edwards, coloured by Martin Baines, lettered by Jim Campbell, which comes with a fantastic cover from Alex Ronald. Distributed by GetMyComics, publishers of SHIFT, it should be in select high street WHSmiths next month. I hope you enjoy it.
• I’ll be at Portsmouth Comic Con in May and I hope to see some of you there, in my capacity as current editor of Star Trek Explorer at Titan, and because I’ve edited, well quite a few things over the past 30 plus years, including Doctor Who Magazine, Overkill, STRIP and more. Come and listen to an old curmudgeon, I just might have some good advise for comic creators and others! I’ll be happy to look at portfolios, too.
CELEBRATING BRITISH COMICS
• Comics: The Answer to The UK’s Literacy Crisis?
• Comics Cultural Impact Collective report highlights creators concerns about UK comics scene
• Chuffin Billy: T’ Yorkshire War Robot, collected
• Rebellion Releases: Joe Currie delivers up Dimensional Craziness in 2000AD’s “Judge Dredd”!
• Remembering Patrick McGoohan – and the comics his characters inspired
• In Review: Battling Britons 6 – Planes, Trains and Giant Vampire Bats
I’m currently doing these Zoinks!! cartoons for fun as a mental warm up. Or, I’m just mental. The best way to read past ones is on the downthetubes Tumblr, they’re not on the main site
NEW COMICS, EVENTS AND A COMIC SHOP MAP!
downthetubes features guides on upcoming releases from 2000AD publisher, a British and Irish comic shop map, and an events guide…
• Coming Soon, “HEROES: The British invasion of American comics exhibition” at London’s Cartoon Museum
• 2000AD, Treasury of British Collections and Specials – 2024
• British and Irish Comic Conventions and Signings
•British and Irish Current Comic-Related Exhibitions
RECOMMENDED READING…
DCOTOR WHO
• Coming Soon, the Doctor Who Production Guide: William Hartnell
AND FINALLY… AND ADVANCE PEEK!
Because you’re lovely for subscribing to my newsletter, here’s this week’s slice of Doctor Who - Terror from the Deep, a not-for-profit strip by me and artist Danny Cushion, a day early! (If you missed earlier episodes, Doctor Who – Terror from the Deep can be reead here from the start… or check it out on Flickr!
Have a great weekend, all!
John Freeman