judge dredd – Afterwards

Corona Lock down Diaries – 3D Printing – Christmas thingymajig.

We isolate now so that when we gather again no one is missing…

Okay so I’m not technically locked down. Well not like I was before. That said I might be I really have no idea and find it all rather confusing most days so choose for the most part to remain at home where there are snacks and internet and things that don’t try to kill you.

Now I’ve probably not been printing as much as I ought to have and am putting that right presently but I thought I would share with you a little something I printed just today.

Now this is our Christmas tree.

It is a bit random and uncoordinated but that is because almost every bauble and trinket is something special collected over 20 year or so. There are things from before Mrs Afterwards and I were married, various unrecognisable ‘things’ the boys brought home at some point and a wide assortment of pretties we picked up on numerous travels. All lovely memories.

Today I printed this one for 2020. I will paint it gold I think and pop it on the tree tonight…

Screw you 2020!

2000AD Stuff – My Dredd and Anderson Badges…

The latest edition to my 2000AD collection of stuff.

I posted a while ago about my recently acquired Sov Badge which you can read about here. I have now added a Dredd and an Anderson PSI badge to my collection but this time I 3D printed them myself (ignore the buff bulbasaur 🙂 ). I am now looking forward to getting these painted and creating some sort of display with my Carlos Ezquerra style lawgiver…and to then display it with this, my pride and joy Ezquerra art…

Prrobably as close as I will get to a religious shrine I guess 🙂

I will let you see them when I have them all painted up…

You can get a peek here of some of the other stuff I have added about my love…

https://afterwards.blog/2020/04/06/2000ad-stuff-my-carlos-ezquerra-lawgiver-replica/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/09/02/2000ad-art-rogue-trooper-by-mike-collins/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/05/my-dredd-tattoo-2/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/07/my-other-dredd-tattoo/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/08/08/2000ad-art-dredd-and-the-dark-judges-david-bircham/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/22/2000ad-action-figure-judge-death/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/05/2000ad-script-t-b-grover-alan-grant-and-art-by-cliff-robinson/

Corona Lock down Diaries – 3D Printing.

Getting our print on!

At Christmas I tried to convince my 11 year old that a 3D printer would be a great idea. At the time, however, he had his heart set on a particular pair of trainers so it never happened. In April I suggested it would be a good idea to have one for his 12th birthday, and given that I had been telling him about them for a few months he was admittedly interested, but not enough to not ask for a Nintendo Switch.

I knew it would be good for him as he has quite the enquiring mind, would provide him a wonderful creative outlet, would let him explore…oh who am I kidding. at this point it felt like I was never getting a 3D printer.

6 weeks into Covid, with the stresses of isolation weighing on the family (I am trying to keep a straight face here) I suggested it would be a good idea to get one as it would allow him to do something different as he was not able to play rugby or cricket and school was already a distant memory.

At this juncture Mrs Afterwards suggested that if I want one I should get one and stop pretending it was for Tom. Tom though was now super interested and following a little research our Flashforge Guider 2 was winging its way to us. It is freaking huge, weighing in at about 30KG and about the size of an old style television. It pings and dings and lights up quite wonderfully too…

For those not familiar with them they mostly print things from plastic extruded through a hot nozzle using files you can make or download from the internet. Now that the remodelling is done we have been able to unpack it and have spent the weekend in the cellar printing cool stuff.

So far we’ve printed a couple of badges from 2000AD, a Totoro, a buffed up bulbasaur, some covid door hooks and even a couple of rings. It is such good fun! I even let him have a turn 🙂

2000AD Stuff – My Sov-Judge Badge

The latest edition to my 2000AD collection of stuff.

Heres another one I purchased a while back. The 2000AD Apocolypse War stories were some of the most influential strips when I was growing up and I could not resist this when I saw it. It is a 2 type resin cast with a stand and just quite fabulous! It has a little stand for displaying.

You can get a peek here of some of the other stuff I have added about my love…

https://afterwards.blog/2020/04/06/2000ad-stuff-my-carlos-ezquerra-lawgiver-replica/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/09/02/2000ad-art-rogue-trooper-by-mike-collins/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/05/my-dredd-tattoo-2/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/07/my-other-dredd-tattoo/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/08/08/2000ad-art-dredd-and-the-dark-judges-david-bircham/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/22/2000ad-action-figure-judge-death/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/05/2000ad-script-t-b-grover-alan-grant-and-art-by-cliff-robinson/

2000AD Stuff – My Carlos Ezquerra Lawgiver Replica

The latest edition to my 2000AD collection of stuff.

About a year ago I ordered myself this little beauty. I think it was for an anniversary or birthday or Christmas, I don’t really recall, and it was mnostly just an excuse because really I ordered it because I wanted it.

I am a huge 2000ad fan and have every one of the weekly comics(2175 and counting) as well as an assortment of tattoos, artwork and other paraphernalia all 2000ad related. My youngest is actually named after Judge Dredd – so you get my general level of obsession.

Below is my replica lawgiver, Dredd’s sidearm. Released by Planet Replicas following the death of legendary Dredd Artist and co-creator Carlos Ezquerra.

I had to wait a ridiculous long time for it because of Donald Trump – he was due to be imposing tariffs so they shipped all the US orders first. Cheers Donald, who would have thought he could go down in my estimation! Well worth the wait though. Cast in resin and hand finished it is a quite lovely replica and one that I cannot wait to get on display once my current building project eventually finishes.

You can get a peek here of some of the other stuff I have added about my love…

https://afterwards.blog/2018/09/02/2000ad-art-rogue-trooper-by-mike-collins/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/05/my-dredd-tattoo-2/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/07/my-other-dredd-tattoo/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/08/08/2000ad-art-dredd-and-the-dark-judges-david-bircham/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/22/2000ad-action-figure-judge-death/

https://afterwards.blog/2018/07/05/2000ad-script-t-b-grover-alan-grant-and-art-by-cliff-robinson/

2000AD Art – Baberace 2000

Prog 886 11 May 1994

Not shown you any of this for a while have I.

I think perhaps I have too much of this art work lark because I found this behind the couch and have no idea when I bought it. The couch is about two years old so I guess I have a rough time frame.

Pretty stuff though. Acetate overlay on four pages of ‘Baberace 2000’ written by Mark Millar and drawn by Anthony Williams with lettering courtesy of the wonderful Ellie deVille. Glorioustically stylistice and so very of it’s time and it remainsl so wonderfully vibrant even after 25 years.

Ive just realised I have another Anthony Williams piece on the wall next to me where I am sat. I will have to show you that another time becasue it is a rather special piece indeed.

2000AD Annual 1978

Christmas 1978.

I have no idea where and when I got this but it is the 2000Ad annual from 1978, the year after 2000ad started. It is a pretty hefty offering and features no less than 21 different stories or features. Generous indeed! It still looks great for something nearly 40 years old!

2000AD Prog 453

18th January 1986

When I was going through some of my older copies this one really stood out as I actually remember reading it when it came out in 1986. I even cut the back page off, the Slaine Glen Fabry poster, and stuck it on my bedroom wall. I would have been 14 at the time and at a stage when I was desperate for anything 2000ad related.

It has some wonderful stories, a real collection of classics for sure. You get Dredd, Halo Jones, Ace Trucking, Strontium Dog and Slaine. Damn!

Farewell Carlos Ezquerra

A sad day indeed

Carlos Ezquerra passed away today and it is a sad day indeed. Whilst many have drawn Dredd it was Carlos’ work that was so instantly recognisable and held me captive from such a young age. Carlos brought Dredd to life and so much of what we now know and love about Dredd and the Mega Cities was of his making.

Beyond Dredd there is his work on Strontium dog and others. He really was one of the greatest comic book artists ever and his work has always meant such a lot to me and delights me every time I see it.

I remember going to a con a few years ago just to see him and was gutted when he couldn’t get there because of air traffic controllers somewhere or other and when I eventually got my hands on a piece of his work it was like all my Christmas’ rolled into one.

Below is one that I have shared before that really shows just how amazing an artist he was and by all accounts he was a pretty top bloke too.

RIP Carlos…

2000AD ART – Rogue Trooper by Mike Collins

A piece from London Super Comic Con in 2013.

One of the real joys of the cons I visit is the thrill of one of your favourite artists being there and fingers crossed, getting them to do you a drawing. Back in 2013 I picked this piece up at London super comic convention, drawn by Mike Collins. I am a huge Rogue Trooper fan (and must show you my tattoo to prove it at some point).

Best known these days as a storyboard artist for TV (Doctor Who, Sherlock, Knightfall, Good Omens), Mike Collins has a thirty-year track record as a comic artist and writer, including producing a critically acclaimed adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He has worked on all the major Marvel and DC characters, including Spider-Man, X-Men, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. He also draws a series of graphic novels based on the adventures of Varg Veum, Gunnar Staalesen’s iconic Norwegian private eye.

Quite often you can just stand there and watch them draw which is so very cool. I think this piece cost me £35 and took him quite some time. Certainly wasn’t a quick scribble.

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 ART – Dredd and the Dark Judges – David Bircham

A print I picked up in Camden a few years ago

This is a signed print I picked up in Camden Market a few years ago now and I do love it. It is a quite fabulous art style and just appeals to me. David has done some work for 2000ad on Dredd and The Hunting Party but it was his work on Brodies Law that first caught my eye. I picked it up at London Comic Con a few years ago and loved it straight away. I should dig it out really…

Also, his website is worth a visit as he has some seriously cool stuff on there.

2000AD ART – Rogue Trooper – Mike Collins

From London Super Comic Con in 2013

Mike Collins did this piece for me in London in 2013. Mike was a thoroughly pleasant chap and has a fabulous body of work including Dredd (which I will show you another time), Slaine, Rogue Trooper, Spiderman, Batman, Doctor Who, Transformers, Superman.

Rogue is a genetically engineered super soldier and one of the defining characters in 2000AD. Just last week it was announced that Duncan Jones will be directing a new ROgue film. I will admit to having pissed a little upon hearing the news. At least now it might be easier to explain who Rogue is when they see my Rogue Trooper tattoo. You know I don’t think I’ve shown you that one yet have I. Must get round to it.

2000AD Art – Nick Percival

Classic 2000Ad 2nd of October 1995

I am lucky enough to have 2 pieces of art work that graced the cover of 2000ad and this is one that appeared in 1995 on a classic collection. It is an acrylic and pen by Nick Percival and it shows ‘Mean Machine Angel’ . It is so gorgeous and the closer you get to it the more beautiful it gets as you see the brush strokes and pen lines. NIck Percival has done so so many covers and what I really love is seeing how his work has progressed over the years. This feels somewhat different from his more recent work (which I guess is to be expected). Enjoy.

2000AD ART – Devlin Waugh

By Colin Macneil from Judge Dredd Megazine #201-#213 2003

Here’s something fun. It is a Devlin Waugh page by Colin Macneil from the ‘Red Tide’ story published in 2003. AS I recall Devlin was a homosexual, catholic vampire. One of the good guys. The stories were fun and irreverent and rather witty and I just love the purple wash of this piece. Up close I can see the individual paint and pen lines and pick out the different layers as he did the work which I love.

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…

My Other Dredd Tattoo

Revisiting this as it got messed up by the WordPress shenanigans a while back…

Hard to take a photo of this but there you go, this is my other Dredd Tattoo which sits at the back of my left arm just below the elbow. I can then show it to people when they ask whether my Dredd is in fact Magneto. I can understand why I guess, think its the helmet.

It took about 4 hours as I recall, despite it having nowhere near the detail of the my larger Dredd one. All part of the larger collage I will likely complete one day. Might get another next year thinking about it…

2000AD ART – Dredd by Gary Erskine

From LSCC 2013 I think it was…

Ive met a few 2000ad artists at con’s over the last few years and one of the nicest chaps was Gary Erskine. He has done Dredd, Dan Dare, Flesh and other pieces for 2000AD and tons of stuff for other comic houses and also did a brilliant set of digital Star Wars pieces which I have prints of somewhere. He was really engaging and happy to talk for ages as he drew and did the Dredd you see below. It was great to see him do it from scratch, and he took such care – producing first a sketch and then doing the final piece from that. I asked him if I could also have the sketch which he reluctantly agreed to (being a thoroughly fabulous chap) despite not wanting to as he didn’t like the idea of something so rough being out there. I am glad he did though because I think the two pieces side by side look amazing.

If you like a good read you should take a look at his Roller Grrrls stuff. Pretty cool and something he was so passionate about.

My Dredd Tattoo

Revisiting this as it got messed up by the WordPress shenanigans a while back…

I think you know I love Judge Dredd by now, and a couple of years ago I decided to add to my tattoos with a Judge Dredd piece. I don’t quite recall how this piece was selected exactly but the cover of megazine 302 was just so brilliant and it was one that really struck me with the wonderful character of Dredds face and the Artist that did my piece, Lee Reynolds, really took to it.

The artwork was done by Simon Bisley and Glenn Fabry for the 20th anniversary edition of the megazine. This is the original.

I actually think I have one Simon Bisley piece of artwork tucked away somewhere but I’m not currently lucky enough to own a Glenn Fabry piece but it’s on my list of things to buy. Glenn Fabry’s Slaine work is particularly gorgeous and I’m pretty sure something that I will be covering in a future blog.

It took about 5 hours to do as I recall and the worst thing about it was not the pain of the needle but rather having to sit there lying forward with my left arm extended behind me for that amount of time.

I actually rather enjoy the pain and it certainly take your mind off everything when you’re sat there for that amount of time and in a weird sort of way it’s a quite fabulous way to relax and get away from everything else that might be on your mind.

Certainly well worth the time and money and a piece I just absolutely love. I have 2 other 2000AD pieces I will show you another time.

20180701_094330(0)5082702017456487395.jpg

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.