Carlos Ezquerra | The Vintage Toy Advertiser

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.

: Strontium Dog. 2000 AD Presents Judge Anderson. N°9. 1986. US.

: 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.

: The Apocalypse War Part 2. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°21 1985. UK.

: The Apocalypse War Part 3. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°22 1985. UK.

: The Apocalypse War Part 4. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°23 1985. UK.

: The Apocalypse War Part 5. Judge Dredd Vol 1 N°24 1985. UK.

Carlos Ezquerra. 1947 – 2018.

British comic 2000 AD has always been a firm favourite since I was a kid. For me their titles have consistently provided a colourful and anarchic, black-humoured universe full of sharply-observed characters.

My favourite characters were often the ones found in Mega-City One… Judges Dredd, Anderson and Hershey, The Dark Judges, the Angel Gang and so on. I’ve pulled a few random covers from my collection to show here. Some of the covers are from Eagle Comics which reprinted 2000 AD stories in a US style format during the mid-eighties. Hope you enjoy.

Historical overview: 2000 AD history

As I was preparing this post during the week I learned the sad news that Brett Ewins had passed away on the 16th February. Brett was a major contributor to many 2000 AD titles. The first two pictures in this post are by Brett. RIP dude.