Phil Friel's Page

So Marvel has bought the rights to the classic Marvelman character (known as Miracleman in the US) from original creator Mick Anglo? Interesting. Very interesting. Given the rather "colourful" legal history between Marvel and the folks who worked on Marvelman/Miracleman throughout the 1980's and early 1990's, if the situation wasn't so ironic, it would be hilarious. That Marvel would've ended up the saviours of Marvelman? I can barely believe it myself.

The classic Alan Moore… Continue

Today marks the 40th Anniversary of Man's first setting foot on another world, when Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface, There's the expected buzz on the internet, and a few television programs celebrating the event. At the moment, we're watching Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 on UK television (ITV1)

I've always been a huge space exploration nut, so much so that my dad dragged me out of bed around 3.30am UK time on that long ago unforgettable day (I remember it vividly - I was only eight y… Continue

I've always been a huge fan of the classic Doctor Who series, but I'm one of those die-hards who would prefer to think that the old series actually ended when Peter Davidson left the show, and who considers the entire Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy eras, with the exception of a handful of stories, to be a complete abomination, and that that entire period of Doctor Who's history is such a dire and diabolical embarrassment that it should be erased from living memory (why oh why can't crap like th… Continue

I'm rarely surprised these days by any dirty goings on in the comics industry, particularly the never-ending merry-go-round of hype and sneaky "crossover" tricks that the Big Two (Marvel and DC) use to con us into buying their (mostly rubbish) titles each month. But the latest issue of Marvel Previews contains possibly the newest "low" in a long line of questionable tactics employed by Marvel in their eternal attempts to part us from our hard-earned pennies.

It centres arou… Continue

As a new member, I'd just like to say a big "Hello!" to everyone here at Down the Tubes. Most of the members I don't recognize, but there are a few names in there that I do know, either from their work in comics and magazines, or as regulars in the various British comics groups on Yahoo, where I usually hang out.

I don't have a webpage or blog as yet, or, rather, I did - www.sfreaders.com - but that one went "down the tubes" when my web hosting service disappeared without trace one day a few mo… Continue