2000 AD 40th Anniversary Prog. 2017. UK.
I was sad to hear about the passing of Carlos Ezquerra on Monday aged 70. I grew up reading the British comic 2000 AD, with Judge Dredd being one of my all-time favourite characters. Alongside writers Pat Mills and John Wagner, Ezquerra created the formidable and unbending future cop Dredd and the vast city in which to place him: the crime-ridden hellhole that is Mega-City One.
2000 AD Annual 1989. UK.
With his instantly recognisable drawing style, Ezquerra’s legacy to Judge Dredd and other 2000 AD staples like Strontium Dog will be long lasting I think. Below is a selection of Ezquerra covers and ads scanned from my collection, including images from the brilliant 1980s series The Apocalypse War. Thank you Carlos for enriching my comic book experience.
2000 AD ft Judge Dredd. Prog 333. 1983.
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- Strontium Dog. 2000 AD Presents Judge Anderson. N°9. 1986. US.
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- King Krong. Judge Dredd N°34. 1986. US.
The Apocalypse War. Ezquerra/Wagner/Grant. 1982.
Below images from Eagle Comics 1985 UK colourised editions.
The Apocalypse War. Advert. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°19 1985. UK.
The Apocalypse War Part 1. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°20 1985. UK.
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- The Apocalypse War Part 2. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°21 1985. UK.
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- The Apocalypse War Part 3. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°22 1985. UK.
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- The Apocalypse War Part 4. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°23 1985. UK.
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- The Apocalypse War Part 5. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°24 1985. UK.
Carlos Ezquerra. 1947 – 2018.
The Vintage Toy Advertiser 
So sad to hear of Mr Ezquerra’s passing. I read copies of 2000AD when I could as a kid and remember the striking visuals of Dredd and Dog. I did manage to get hold of a 2000AD annual and I recall an article on how to draw Judge Dredd and was amazed that the pen and inking was done using a fountain pen style. This calligraphy-like technique allowed Ezquerra to produce the dramatic bold sweeping dark lines that created the impact and combined it with the shading.
A Master who will sorely be missed and whose work will always be admired. R.I.P.
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Agree. He’ll be missed and his work always admired.
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Was very sad to hear about the passing of Carlos Ezquerra, he will always be the definitive Dredd artist for me.
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Well said. Me too. He had such a distinctive style.
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Another sad loss, I was just writing up a post about this myself, I absolutely loved his work on Strontium Dog and Durham Red. RIP 😦
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Yes, a sad loss. These people are the comic book world versions of rock and movie stars, and when they go they leave behind the same cultural and artistic gifts. All must come to an end though. C’est la vie.
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Thanks for the heads-up. I missed this sad news. I also loved his distinctive artwork in 2000AD. Strontium Dog was very cool!
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I missed it too, and I’d been on Twitter and the Guardian earlier in the week when the news was featured. It was thanks to comicsflix this morning when I found out – https://comicsflix.org/2018/10/02/carlos-ezquerra-1947-2018/
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