john wagner – Afterwards

2000AD – Low Life

Rob WIlliams, Smudge, D’Israeli and Rufus Dayglo

One of my favourite characters in 2000AD is Dirty Frank. He’s an undercover judge with some serious mental health issues and an absolute bloody hoot. I fell in love with D’Israeli’s artwork a couple of years ago and really cannot get enough of it. It is jarring and somewhat unconventional and a real pleasure to behold. I love the black and white stuff and the writing in ‘Living the Low Life’ is as funny as hell. Well worth picking up.

D’Israeli actually did a drawing for me when I met him at a con a few years ago and I have been meaning to get it turned into a tattoo for a while now. Really must get that done. I should try find it…

2000AD – America

Colin MacNeil and John Wagner. Buy it, read it. It is bloody awesome.

I was reminded of this by something on Twitter this morning and have been rereading it. One hell of a story by John Wagner beautifully illustrated and bloody hell so on the money given what is going on in America right now.

I am not trying to bash the US, I grew up in South Africa loving all things America, so it saddens me to see what is going on now.

Don’t say you weren’t warned though okay…just saying.

2000AD Action Figure – Judge Death

Something I wont let the kids get their hands on. They’re not worth much but I like them.

I have a curious collection of 2000Ad stuff and this is one of the pieces I keep squirrelled away and I hadn’t actually seen for years. Reaction came out with a set of figures for 2000ad many years ago – probably early 2000’s and I picked them up.

This is one of the limited edition Judge Death characters which I ordered which I am yet to see anywhere else. It was a limited run of 2000 and I might have number one I might ot. I am uncertain how they numbered them but if mine is the first then that makes it even cooler. There was a different limited run for a long haired Judge Anderson which was numbered sequentially so that gives me hope that this might be kind of unique.

The series featured (and I will show you the rest another time):

Dredd
Judge Death
Judge Death Spirit Variant
Johnny Alpha
Slaine
Slaine Warped Variant
Durham Red

2000AD Prog 50

4th of Feb 1978

Prog 50 was a pretty amazing read, with no less than 8 different stories. The breadth and variety of art work alone makes it a thing of beauty and with writers such as Gerry Finley Day and Pat Mills and John Wagner it was bound to thrill. Art by Dave Gibbons, Montero, Ian Gibson and Belardinelli (amongst others) make it pretty stand out for me.

You know, a forty year old Comic smells pretty amazing too!

2000AD Art – Dredd and the Dark Judges – Carlos Ezquerra

8th of June 1991. Carlos Ezquerra at his most beautiful!

I posted this a while back on my separate 2000ad blog but as it got destroyed I thought I would share it again.

Of all my art pieces this is by far my most precious and adored. An actual Carlos Ezquerra painting from the ‘Return of the king’ story by Garth Ennis published in 1991. I picked it up online and the minute I saw it I had to have it. It cost me a pretty penny but I think it was a real bargain and I actually went to a place in London to pick it up. It features Dredd plus all four of the dark Judges: Death, Fear, Fire and Mortis. Only a piece from Necropolis or Apocalypse war might top it but it would have to go some way…

Damn it’s gorgeous!

2000AD ART

I wish I knew what it was from.

I bought this piece some years ago for not a lot, and I used to know what it was from but for the life of me I cannot recall. Its a shame because it is one of my favourite pieces. I have a lot of black and white art and I seem rather drawn to it. I do not know much about art and space and aspect and such but there is something about the white bits that are left blank as much as the bits that are filled in. I look at the piece and cant quite decide which I love more – the bit the artist has done or the bit he has left.

All very confusing but I do know that I rather like it even if I have no idea who did it.

NECROPOLIS – 2000AD Progs 674-699

April – October 1990

I am no historian of 2000AD. Yes I have them all, in boxes all over the house, and I love them dearly but I am no expert on the matter. I simply enjoy reading them and the way they make me feel and the artwork and the wonderful stories and the places that they take me.

There are few stories that sum up 2000AD for me more than this one. Necropolis. I remember it so clearly from when I was younger and I think it is where I developed my love of the artwork of Carlos Ezquerra. The way he painted Dredd and the dark judges thrills me now still and the story…oh god the story was amazing. For me pipped by the “Apocalypse war” but only just. Perhaps that’s because Apocalypse resonates more with me because I grew up in the eighties and the idea of Russia vs the west was so prevalent.

Seeing Mega-City one in flames was insane and the dark judges were terrifying and there was a real desperation as the story unfolded over 26 weeks. Curiously though Dredd never appeared for the first dozen or so.

The photos are from the graphic novel collection, and I’ve posted a few pages and I was going to write more but I think I am actually going to go red it for a bit. Just enjoy Carlos’ work…

2000AD Script – T B Grover (John Wagner / Alan Grant) and art by Cliff Robinson

From Prog 434 7th September 1985

I have been very excited about this for a number of reasons. I buy a lot of my comic art from eBay and over the weekend was perusing the site when I saw a 2000AD comic script. I had never seen one of these before so was excited by the piece (well pieces there were two but you only get to see one today).

Within moments my pulse was racing as I realised just what it was. Not only was it a script from a story that I remember from 1985 but it was the script from a Prog that I read so many times and was THE most memorable one from my childhood. I remember reading this prog over and over and loving the two gangs featured – the Zits and the Sharks. The art work is amazing and the story was brilliant – a musical!

Well I just had to have and a quick bid and it was all mine.

The story is that the seller’s brother went to school with Alan Grant’s daughter or son and I believe it because the other script is signed by Alan Grant and John Wagner and I have both of their signatures on stuff from a Con a few years ago. All checks out and to be honest it didn’t cost enough to be worth creating a forgery.

Anyway, if this is your thing check it out. Me and my youngest had a read of it tonight – me on the script and him on the comic and it was almost exactly the same.

2000AD Prog 10

30th of April 1977

Okay, so this one matter s for a number of reasons. Prog ten was the first ever multi part Dredd story and importantly was the first where John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra worked together. Their work would become some of the finest to fill the pages of 2000ad and Robot wars was a sign of things to come. Inside is a wonderful double page Dan Dare spread. The cover was drawn by the unmistakable Carlos Ezquerra (I will show you my Ezquerra piece another time) and inside you will also find the following:

Dan Dare by Kelvin Gosnell and Massimo Bellardinelli
M.A.C.H.1 by pat mills and Enio
Judge Dredd by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra
Invasion by Gerry Finley Day and Eric Bradbury
Flesh by Studio Giolitti and Ramon Sola
A Tharg 2000AD vehicle testing thingy
Harlem Heroes by Tom Tully and- Dave Gibbons
On the back is the Flesh Card Game cut out

A freaking amazing prog!

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2000AD Prog 71

1st of July 1978

I wrote about the banned Ronald McDonald storyline here, well here is another fantastic colour double spread from the story printed in Prog 71. A thing of real beauty drawn by Mike McMahon and written by pat Mills.

I’ll tell you about the time I met Mike another time, but he is a thoroughly pleasant chap.

2000AD Prog 78

12th of August 1978

Last week I showed you the 2000AD Ronald McDonald v Burger King episode from 1978 that will never see a reprint due to it’s copyright infringement. Today I will bring you another from 5 weeks later. This time they featured the Jolly Green giant and again, you’ll never see a reprint I am certain.

The prog also features Dan Dare, Ant Wars, a Future Shock and Ian Gibson’s unmistakable ROBO HUNTER art. Love it muchly! The back cover has a series of what were intended to be cu out cards that formed part of a board game that would be printed over a 6 week period. I’m rather glad the person who had mine originally did not!

2000AD Prog 72

8th of July 1978

There are a number of issues of 2000ad which will never see a reprint because they infringed copyright, and Prog72 is one of those. It featured the ‘Burger Wars’ story which sees Ronald McDonald and The Burger King take centre stage. It has a gorgeous colour centre spread by Mike McMahon which still looks great now even after thirty years.

You can still get your hands on the originals fairly easily if you’re willing to spend a few quid, it certainly won’t break the bank. Old Ronnie hasn’t changed much over the years as you can see though the King does look somewhat better now than then I think. Inferno, Dan Dare, Ant Wars and Mach Zero also feature in the prog.

2000AD Prog 1

26 February 1977

I have written about 2000AD previously and my love for what is most definitely the most marvelous comic in the galaxy, but unfortunately the blog I posted them all to was deleted in a nasty WordPress accident a while back so I figured I’d start posting again on the subject. Rather than waffling on about how and why I love this comic so much let’s just jump straight in to the very first issue published in 1977.

These are photos of my actual copy. For A comic over forty years old even now it still looks amazing. I don’t have the red space spinner that came with it and whilst many collectors would be crazy about the copy with it attached I’m not overly fussed I just love being able to read it even if it isn’t in the best of conditions.

Judge Dredd was not actually in the very first copy and you can see in one of the photographs below it says he’s coming next week.

ART – Dredd and the Dark Judges by Carlos Ezquerra

All hail King Carlos!

Think of 2000AD and you think of Judge Dredd. Think of Dredd and you have to think of John Wagner’s writing and the art work of Carlos Ezquerra.

Today I am going to share with you one of my most prized possessions, my Carlos Ezquerra piece.

For as long as I can remember there has been something so appealing and compelling about his work. Some of my earliest memories are of his Dredd and Strontium Dog art and as I started to build my collection I knew I needed to find one of his.

A few years back I managed to pick up what you can see here in pictures. Cost a pretty penny at £500 but god I love it. It comes from Prog 734 published in 1991 and below you can see a photo of the weekly Prog next to the original artwork used for publication.

It features not only Dredd but all 4 of the dark Judges in Death, Fear, Fire and Mortis and also includes the acetate with the lettering which is overlaid over the artwork. I keep it hidden away mostly and dont like to get it out apart from now and again when I like to just stare at it and smile…