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Interview: Rob Williams and PJ Holden on Poison, the Judge Dredd whodunnit that closes the book on Hershey

Prog 2359 brings the saga of Chief Judge Barbara Hershey to a close with the finale of Judge Dredd: Poison, where Rob Williams and PJ Holden give us a resolution to the murder mystery that’s been playing out. So, whodunnit? And why?

Judge Hershey’s life and legacy stretches back some 40+ years in the annals of 2000 AD. We’ve seen her introduction and her rise to the rank of Chief Judge – not once but twice. And we’ve seen both triumph and failure in equal measure throughout her life. And now, with the conclusion of Judge Dredd: Poison, her saga comes to its end as Dredd wraps up the investigation into her death.

A few years ago, she died for the first time, poisoned by an alien virus, only to secretly cheat death to do one last act – undo her great wrong of letting Judge Smiley get away with too much. In the recent Hershey series by Rob Williams and Simon Fraser, we saw a still dying Hershey struggle to hold off the effects of the virus until she’d purged her world of Enceladus and she could finally die knowing she’d righted those wrongs.

And that death came to Hershey in 2000 AD Prog 2349, cold and sharp, brutal even. However, there were still questions to be answered in the aftermath… exactly who was it who infected her and why did they want her dead? Which is just what Dredd’s been finding out through the eight parts of Poison that began in Prog 2351 and ended this week with Prog 2359. It was a Dredd murder mystery, MC-1’s finest determined to get to the truth.

So – whodunnit? And why? Well, the best people to ask would be writer Rob Williams and artist PJ Holden… so we did. But fear not – for those of you waiting to read the whole tale we’ve kept this one spoiler-free for you!

Judge Dredd: Poison, episode 1 – The investigation into Hershey’s death begins with so many questions –
starting with WHO & WHY

Judge Dredd: Poison came to its conclusion in Prog 2359 with Dredd finally uncovering just who’s responsible for the death of Hershey.

Across the eight parts, you played out an old-fashioned murder mystery, a whodunnit even, with elements of a classic quest sort of story, taking Dredd across multiple locations. But, for those who maybe haven’t read it yet and are waiting till it’s ending, can you explain to everyone just what Poison is all about?

ROB WILLIAMS: Somebody poisoned and eventually murdered ex-Chief Judge Hershey. Poison is Judge Dredd attempting to hunt down the killer.

And why the decision to go this murder mystery route? What was the attraction for you in doing a proper detective tale with all that entails?

RW: I’ve done a bunch of more ‘action’ focussed Dredd stories. I thought it’d be fun to do a Detective tale. After all, he’s a Cop. Also, I bloody-mindedly thought it’d be interesting to tell a long-form Dredd tale where he doesn’t shoot anybody for a change.

Yes, there’s that moment in Episode 4 where Domino gets to deliver that great line to Dredd…

No shooting? Good job Domino.
From Poison Episode 4, Prog 2354

How did the story come together in the end and what was the seed to this one? How long have you had it in mind?

RW: Well, writing Hershey’s slow-protracted death over four series’ due to the effects of the Alien Pathogen she contracted – that was obviously the seed for Poison.

But I think it was Matt Smith who said to me ‘you know, we’ve never told the story of who poisoned Hershey.’ As John Wagner wrote Hershey being poisoned off-world I just assumed that John would tell that tale at some point, but Matt spoke to John and came back saying he was happy for me to tell it.

There’s certainly plenty of threads in here that I assume you took great delight in planting – all the different suspects in Hershey’s murder, all the red herrings along the way?

RW: It’s a murder-mystery. You have to have a few suspects and a few red herrings. I knew I wanted it to be a road movie for Dredd across different parts of the Dreddworld.

Hershey contracted the virus off world so start there. Plus there was a resonance to that as Dredd first encountered Hershey on the Judge Child mission. Then onto East-Meg 2. Back to Mega-City One. Into The Cursed Earth and then finally… you come home. Most murders are domestic ones…

Dredd’s investigation continues – but it was never going to be this easy.
From Poison episode 2, Prog 2352

Okay, so why and how did you decide on the eventual villain of the piece, the man who killed Hershey?

[Okay, here we really have to edit Rob heavily as he’s giving the game away over and over again…]

RW: A number of reasons. But really. what █████████ had suffered was so traumatic. First being ██████████████, then █████████ and the appalling suffering there, then being tortured and ████████████ there. He was always a character driven by vanity. Hershey and Dredd ████████████ where you can’t even imagine what he went through. He’s immensely bitter. Wants someone to blame…

This was something we hadn’t seen for the longest time in Dredd, a good old-fashioned murder mystery, Agatha Christie done through the lens of Mega-City and Dredd – a proper whodunnit.

But there’s also a Hitchcock vibe in here as well, with the sense of constant motion, the constantly changing locales, the sheer speed of it all. It’s almost North by Northwest with a sci-fi twist in many ways, wouldn’t you say?

RW: It’s got a Hitchcock vibe to it, I guess. But without those big classic set pieces. I guess there was a longer version where we could have done that. Eight episodes is quite a lot for a Dredd story but this all became somewhat tight. Hopefully, that means there’s no fat on the bones.

Each week we were drawn further into the web of conspiracies and mystery. Each week seemed to throw up another potential suspect – and plenty of red herrings along the way of course, just as any good whodunnit should have.

As a writer, was there something of a delight in laying the trail, giving the reader the clues, planting the false paths, that sort of thing?

RW: I quite enjoyed stirring the pot with PJ Maybe being a possibility and what that did to Dredd’s trust in his own judgement. He loses that and he’s nothing. Maybe has come back from the dead before so why not this time? And I figured long-time readers would have a reaction to the possibility that PJ Maybe was behind it, either good or bad. That’s fine, I knew what I was doing there.

You can say it was a cynical bit of writing. It probably was. But I knew it was an effective mid-point beat for the story. It raised the stakes, I felt. But the actual murderer being PJ Maybe wasn’t something that ever interested me. It was always a misdirect.

Is he back? Or is it another Williams red herring? It’s sure got Dredd riled.
From Poison episode 4, Prog 2354

Along with the whodunnit aspect of it, it was also a return to a good old Dredd quest, that almost road movie feel of Judge Child et al, with Dredd taking the grande tour and revisiting a few of his and Hershey’s old haunts along the way. Was this more a function of the storytelling or a way to pay homage to all the great quest Dredd tales of the past?

RW: It was Dredd following Hershey’s life as well as the case. She was in space with him on the Judge Child quest, she was part of the crew that ended the Apocalypse War, part of the Mutie Rights furore they encountered in settlements in The Cursed Earth. He sees trails of her everywhere.

Hershey was probably the closest thing to a friend that Dredd has ever had – you can argue for Anderson, Giant(s) I guess. Hershey’s dead. This is, in his own glacial way, Dredd dealing with grief. Seeing her footsteps everywhere he goes on this case.

All the way through Poison – the sense that we’re seeing Dredd grieve.
From episode 5, Prog 2355

One thing that always comes through in your work is an ability to seemingly get inside Dredd’s head. Here we saw a really driven Dredd but also one trying and, at times, failing to cope with the self-doubts that came midway through his investigation when he just couldn’t seem to give up the PJ Maybe connection.

It was fascinating to see Dredd’s fixation and the loss of his control, watching the self-doubt creep in. For a man who’s so often gone with his gut, to suddenly find that gut reaction might be wrong is shown to be a major thing for Dredd. The way that doubt creeps in and takes hold – it’s another less obvious aspect of the title if I’m right?

RW: Yeah, there’s a line in there somewhere about doubt spreading like Poison. Pretty much all Dredd has to tether him (and his rage) is The Law and his Gut (capital letter on purpose where Joe is concerned). His own Judgement.

In terms of being a Judge, he’s kind of a savant. But if he can’t trust his Gut anymore, he’s lost… That’s what has kept him alive and thriving all these years. And if PJ Maybe can be still alive and behind all this… when he saw Maybe explode in front of him… And if Dredd goes, you feel Mega-City One and the Judges will fall behind him. He’s the totem that keeps this creaking house of totalitarian cards upright. It’s a double meaning in the title.

More of the uncharacteristic Dredd that we see in Poison – as the doubt creeps in.
From episode 5, Prog 2355

Now obviously Dredd is Dredd and any unsolved murder will eat at him. But this had a more personal air right from the start.

What’s your take on the relationship of Dredd and Hershey, seeing as you’ve been heavily involved with Hershey for quite a while now?

RW: Dredd doesn’t really do ‘friends’ but there’s those he trusts, those he’s been through the battles with. Hershey was there for a very long time. They butted heads a lot when she was Chief Judge, and he ultimately took her down and humiliated her in doing so.

That was a brutal defenestration and in writing the Hershey series, she spent a lot of her final years feeling angry and bitter towards him for that. It’s like a lot of family relationships. You can love someone and feel anger and resentment towards them at the same time.

I think Hershey’s one of the few Judges who Dredd saw as an equal. She died. The murder of any Chief Judge would fill Dredd with a burning desire for justice. It’s a cliched movie tag line but “this one is personal.”

The infamous moment – the takedown, the humiliation, the ‘brutal defenestration’.
Art by Henry Flint from The Small House

Any future ramifications for Dredd in this one – it was his final act of friendship or duty towards Hershey after all? Will the emotions resonate through future tales or is this absolutely, finally, the end now? Have you neatly tied a bow around Hershey’s tale?

RW: Oh, I think so. This is the end of the Hershey tale, and Hershey shut down the ramifications of Smiley’s actions abroad and the Enceladus Energy. I’ll be leaving those threads alone from now on.

Hershey was one of the most beloved of Judge Hershey of Dredd characters and you certainly played a huge role in all that. You’ve really guided her tale in the three Hershey volumes and capped it all off here in Poison. What were your thoughts on her character – did she get under your skin at all?

RW: Any character you write for so long gets under your skin. One of the main points with the Hershey tale was to ask the question she was feeling herself – OK, I was a Judge, I was possibly the best Judge in the City. That’s over now. I have a limited amount of time left. Who the fuck am I if I’m no longer a Judge?

She, quite naturally I think, went through periods of great pain, anger, resentment. She came very, very close to tipping over into being a criminal in her quest for Justice. In fact, at the end of Book Two of Hershey, I think she does step over that line, which Frank calls her on. It’s revenge. But she pulls back from that point on. And eventually comes back to a place of structure in life that she can find something close to peace in. She has her last moment with Dredd where she gets to tell him that he was a dick to her (in better dialogue than that). She gets to see the City she loves one last time. And then, in her final days, she chooses to try and help the citizens in Antarctic City. And in Frank, Joe the Dog, and Juninho, she gets a little family. I liked Barbara Hershey. She tried to be a good person.

Hershey’s final farewells to her found family.
From Hershey: The Cold In The Bones Book Two – Part 8, written by Rob Williams, art by Simon Fraser

What was it about her as a character that called out to you to give her this ending – why did you need to tell her tale?

RW: I don’t know I needed to tell her tale. But I felt I’d been rather cruel to her at the end of The Small House and I felt for a character who was always in the wake of Dredd’s actions. As all the background characters will be. The strip’s called Judge Dredd…

So I wanted to write a story that gave her some agency of her own. It could’ve been just a kickass Long Walk tale with Hershey as some sub-Black Widow figure, I guess, but it ended up being about ‘how does a person deal with their own death and their race being run. I turned 50 at some point when writing it, my mum and a good friend died, so have fun with your subtext readings.

The Hershey series was very different for 2000 AD in that it was all about seeing an older character’s redemptive arc. It strikes me that you put a lot of your feelings towards Hershey into that? And now, with Poison, it feels like you’ve come to it with the idea of doing right by her.

RW:I think trying to do right by her was always the intention of the series. But with the final book of Hershey: The Cold In The Bones, especially. I didn’t want her to go out raging and bitter. I wanted to allow her some closure. I’m very proud of the final episode especially, I think Simon Fraser and I did some very strong work there. It’s a fitting ending for the character, I think.

Just part of the closure and the final episode that Williams is rightly proud of.
From Hershey: The Cold In The Bones Book Two – Part 8, written by Rob Williams, art by Simon Fraser

Going from Poison to Dredd and Dreddworld more generally – how do you navigate around the continuity inherent in something like Poison whilst still keeping it easy for a new reader to jump into and get the story without knowing all the history behind it?

RW: You do your research and some back-reading, but you ultimately trust that The Mighty Tharg is going to call you if you stray from continuity too far. I worried a bit that digging back into the ████████, Dan Francisco, PJ Maybe history would just lose any newer readers, but I try and gracefully exposition our way through a few of those threads as we progress.

You can’t really tell a story with a whodunnit based on a character’s life without going back into that character’s life. 

We’re now at the stage where Dredd is a group effort with plenty of great writers all playing their parts in creating the lore. And of course, John Wagner’s still heavily involved. He may not be writing too many Dredds nowadays, but everything plays back into Wagner’s storytelling.

How do you all coordinate things? Is it now a case of getting together and putting down your flags into parts of Dredd’s world, claiming that territory?

RW: It’s all very organic with us all telling the stories we want to tell, but it all goes through Matt Smith. Matt’s the nexus. If something big is coming Matt tells us, if a story point treads on the toes of another story by a different writer, Matt tells us.

We don’t do a big Dredd’s Writers’ Room. Although I think that might be a useful exercise once a year or something. But yeah, all Dredd roads flow through Matt.

Rob being brutal at the end – from the finale of Poison, part 8, Prog 2359

[At this point, we were joined by PJ Holden, as he’d pleased Tharg by getting all his pages for that hour in and was due a moment’s break.]

As for Dredd and Dreddworld, what keeps it all fresh and new for you every time you come back to it?

PJ HOLDEN: Well, for me it’s the prospect that this time I might get it right! I’ve always felt every Dredd job could be my last and if I’m lucky enough to get another go at Dredd especially, I’ll see if I can figure out how to do it better.

I feel like I’ve got Dredd the character where I want him about 90% of the time, and now there’s the rest of Dredd’s world to get exactly how I want to draw it. And I think I’m about 1% there, so lots of ways to go.

RW: For me I think it’s a mix of my having loved Dredd as a 12-13 year old, so there’s that nostalgia kick. I still sometimes catch myself and think “holy shit, writing Judge Dredd for 2000 AD.” But that wouldn’t be enough if it wasn’t an enjoyable experience, and it nearly always is.

Matt Smith allows us a lot of creative freedom, to tell the type of stories in the way we want to tell them. We’re not micro-managed in a way that DC and Marvel editors work. And I, for the most part, get to work with artists I very much want to work with. PJ on Poison, Henry Flint on a bunch of my Dredd stories, Chris Weston on the Judge Pin and Sensitive-Klegg stories. It’s a treat working with these artists, genuinely. All that keeps me excited to write Dredd.

Another two great artistic talents Rob’s had the pleasure of working with…
Henry Flint art from The Small House, Chris Weston with Judge Pin from Control

One great thing about Dredd that’s always been there is the visual variety that we see from artist to artist. It strikes me that we’re in another golden age of Dredd artist, many of whom you have the pleasure to work with.

Rob, always interesting to hear the writer’s views on what the artists have done with their story. So, having seen PJ’s work and the work of Peter Doherty on colours, what’s your take?

Feel free to lavish praise on PJ – he won’t take it, won’t like it, but he’ll just have to accept it!

PJH: Rob knows, that, while I will, in print say hush and nonsense to anything he writes about me, secretly this is inflating my ego to unbearable extents and I will bring it up anytime we talk in the future, and there’s a good chance when my kids ask me what’s for dinner I might bellow “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” (very real danger they’ll think old age has kicked in)

RW: PJ’s a rather brilliant storyteller, I think, first and foremost. He has an open, energetic style that’s so attractive and easy to read.

He’s a friend so there is a lot of back-and-forth conversation on a story like this, which makes it all a fun experience. He’ll send me breakdowns and I’ll offer thoughts. There’ll be an odd panel where I’ll suggest a different approach.

Mostly I have to tie him down and curtail his urge to draw giant monsters. In the plot there was a fight scene at The Alchemist’s lair where Dredd had to dispatch a juvenile T-Rex but when I came to script there wasn’t room and I dropped it. I think PJ was a bit disappointed so he snuck a couple of Baby T-Rex fighting in the background of one panel. 

PJ sneaking those baby T-Rex in the background.
From Poison episode 6, Prog 2357

And for both of you, while we’re talking about artwork, we have to mention the colour work of Peter Doherty here. What would you both like to say about what he’s brought to Poison?

RW: This was very much a noir-ish grounded Dredd, so I wanted a colourist who could deliver that and thought of Pete. He’s a terrific colourist and artist in his own right, is Pete. I think he did a great job here.

We talked a bit about the cinematography and tone of the story before starting out, which was useful I think. Mostly on comics the art comes back and it’s coloured and the writer has no say. But this one… theme, tone, a couple of little flourishes – the recurring motif of pure white (for the truth) in some panels. We talked all this stuff through going in.

PJH: Well, first let me say I’m a huge fan of Pete’s work, it’s always a little weird when an artist you consider iconic ends up colouring your work. So I think Pete has added a sheen of realism to what my normally slightly excessive cartoony is, and it’s exactly what’s needed in a strip like this.

Oh, absolutely – So let’s take a moment to appreciate the work of Peter Doherty on colours for Poison – whether it’s the relatively bright yet desolate scenes from East-Meg Two or the perfectly ‘downbeat pallet’, as Pete described it, for Mega-City One, he’s brought so much to Poison

Another great bit of Williams’ dialogue as Dredd ponders another Apocalypse War.
From Poison part 3, Prog 2353
And back to Mega-City One with Pete Doherty’s downbeat colour palette adding so much.
From Poison episode 7, Prog 2358

PJ, when you come to Dredd, what’s your approach?

PJH: Read the script, figure out what I might need to draw, do a bit of research if required and then start drawing. Constant forward momentum, otherwise I end up questioning myself over and over.

But I knew the tone Rob was going for so I tried to match that, trying to make it an interesting visual journey over all of these different locations. I really want to make Dredd’s world feel bigger and more alien than we sometimes see it, at the same time that’s counterbalanced by this, in many ways being an intimate tale – it’s not big alien invasions, it’s a hunter going over a cold trail.

And was there a particular difference in doing Poison to previous Dredd stories you’ve done?

PJH: I try and treat every single Dredd as I feel it needs to be treated, so I’m not deliberately thinking “Oh this should look nothing to this last thing” – it really comes down to the script and figuring out what the mood of it is, and whether I can get away with silly stuff or does it need hard shadows/moody tone. Really it’s what I love about Dredd is each story sets its own mood.

How would you describe your own style, both generally and in terms of this latest Dredd for you?

PJH: I think… rock solid storytelling with characters made from granite and a tendency to go inappropriately cartoony? I think that would be a description I’d be happy enough with, flaws and all.

I’ve always been fascinated about where that line between too cartoony and realism is, realism seems to fall down to how a thing is rendered – so as goofy as my Dredd would be in real life his rendering is fairly real? chunky? rock like? But it all takes a back seat to making sure the storytelling is done well (or as well as I’m able to do so at the time).

I suspect my interests in the cartoony/realism debate stem from Dredd, Steve Dillon’s cartoony, light rendering over naturalistic art, Bolland’s hyper extreme realistic rendering over somewhat cartoony faces, McMahon’s full bore cartooning with incredible handling of black/white for weight. All of those things feed in. (I am prepared to be corrected on all of those descriptions, this stuff is all very fluid)

The masters of Dredd feeding into the way PJ draws his Dredd –
Top – Steve Dillon & Brian Bolland. Bottom – Mick McMahon

One very noticeable and very nice artistic touch, particularly in those first few episodes was the near full page first pages that you included in many of the episodes.

For example, the very opening shot is one of Hershey standing tall over the Hall of Justice, and then there’s that simply beautiful opening shot of Poison episode 2 of Dredd just standing there looking up at the stars, a contemplative Dredd…

… and then Rob pricks that particular bubble and brings us right back down to earth…

RW: That page was a guilty pleasure. It’s effectively a gag. A splash page setup and then a payoff. But I thought it was funny, so it stayed.

Or there’s episode 3 with Domino in front of the East-Meg 2 buildings, immediately and perfectly setting the tone of it all. The buildings look completely different, the light is different, we’ve gone from the darkness of episodes 1 and 2 into bright, snow-covered Sov territory.

Can you talk us through a few of the artistic and stylistic decisions that went into Poison?

PJH: Well, first, those are all largely “as per script” so entirely Rob’s doing. With the Hershey, I wanted stereotypical Meg inhabitants with all their normal over-the-top silliness, to act as a counter to what Dredd was doing and thinking.

Man, I redrew that Hershey statue a few times – I just couldn’t hit the “action-packed but also a statue” note that I wanted, until my friend sent me a photo he’d taken of his partner in Hershey cosplay that was perfect, and I stole the pose – it’s cool, they know!)

PJH: Dredd with his back, another problematic pose until I ended up taking a photo of the back of my McMahon Judge Dredd statuette and using that for reference.

And on East Meg 2 – well, it’s hard because you want a reader to instantly understand where you are on a page like that but at the same time you’re trying not to rely too much on stereotypes, in the end the stereotypes win because clarity in storytelling is the important point.

One problem (or maybe a bonus for you) is that it’s a tale with at least five different settings – MC-1, off-world colony, East-Meg 2, back to MC-1, Cursed Earth, and then ending down underground – was it a problem or a bonus – and how did you approach all the changes in locale in your art?

PJH: I took it as a great opportunity to draw a whole bunch of different places! You never dwell long enough in one spot for the continuity to get in the way (“Oh wait, last issue we had two solar panels on this roof!”) and you got to invent whole new locations.

I was going through a little phase of trying to make some of these locations feel grand – and like they’d belong on different sci-fi book covers. Rob had wanted something more majestic for the location markers, but in the end the page count/panel count made that much harder to be effective so we sort of scrapped it.

PJ’s process – the complete layouts to episode 1, Prog 2351

PJ, can you give us a breakdown of how you’re working now?

PJH: It’s all digital now, so get ready for some boring computer talk!

Pretty simple, read the script (paying attention more to dialogue than anything), set up a new clip studio Ex multi page document at print size x1.4 (because that’s the size I used to draw it on paper) create a document with a few extra pages at the end, use those to create the layouts for the strip.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

PJH: I have a little auto action that just creates a simple grid I can use to draw my layouts over. Then I’ll reread the script (now the focus is on the panel descriptions and who gets to talk first), this time making notes on the layout pages (I say notes, I mean I’m drawing the page but at “thumbnail size” – really about 2.5inchs x 1inch, but it’s not terribly detailed) and then once I’ve done that, the work starts proper.

I’ll drop the thumbnail layout of the page on to the page itself and then enlarge it, run an action that basically sets the page up for me to work on (it renames layers, and does some other things I find useful) then sit with the script again and draw it, this read I’m paying attention to the panel description first, I’ll sort of sculpt out the page on one layer, making sure I know where everyone and everything is, simplifying some things.

More of PJ’s process – complete layouts to episode 2, Prog 2352

Then I’ll drop a new layer for proper pencils, and draw much tighter pencils here. Once done, I’ll create an inking layer, turn my clean pencils to a light blue and start inking.

Inking at the moment involves using a clip studio pen that has a slightly gnarly feel of a dip pen, and I’ll draw pretty much everything in that, maybe going back to add some textures of thumbprint or splatter (so much cleaner doing that digitally than with ink).

Check it, make sure it reads ok, then move on to the next page. Every few pages I’ll send to Rob to make sure I haven’t wandered too far off script, and once done I’ll send it on to the Mighty One.

>>>>>>>>>>>

PJH: That all said, I think I drew the first two episodes in pen and ink on paper, and a few other pages scattered throughout (Dredd staring at the stars for one). Partly because I miss the feel of paper and drawing something you like on paper is hands down 100 times better than doing exactly the same drawing digitally and partly because, well, let’s be honest, I’m sure I can sell some of those pages!

(I crawl back to digital because my eyesight isn’t great and digital drawing is much, much easier to do and faster…)

>>>>>>>>>>

Finally, what do we have to look forward from you, both in 2000 AD and elsewhere?

PJH: I’m currently doing some Devlin Waugh for Alěs Kot and the Megazine, I’ve finished a one off and working on a six parter (I think it’s six anyway). Deadline is some way off though, so no idea when you’ll see it.

I’ve a weekly webcomic, Null Space, written by a who’s-who of sci-fi and genre fiction writers and it’s at www.pauljholden.com/series/null-space/

I’ve also been writing a monthly sci-fi/fantasy zine called A4 – a single sheet of paper you can print out and fold into a little stand with a cover and seven pieces of nano-fiction, and it’s at www.pauljholden.com/series/a4

Oh yes, Null Space is a fine, fine thing. Great writers, excellent artwork, incredible tales, really pushing the idea of what short comic fiction can do into all the right places. Highly recommended to you. And A4 is absolutely fascinating stuff as well. Yep, he’s a fine talent is that PJ.

>>>>>>

PJH: And readers of the Megazine will probably already know I’ve two graphic novels out at the moment, Bad Magic, a Skulduggery Pleasant graphic novel with Derek Landy, and Fantastic Folklore collecting the folklore comics I did with John Reppion on Twitter, massively expanded with essays for each story – a perfect stocking filler!

That’s right, you can find double the Holden this month in the pages of Megazine issue 462, where there’s articles and interviews with PJ on his absolutely essential Fascinating Folklore, with John Reppion and his work adapting Skullduggary Pleasant. Both of them are perfect presents to anyone you may know, including yourself. Now, if only there was a big present giving holiday around the corner, eh?  

As for Rob and what’s coming next, well by this stage he’d been dragged back to the script droid pens by one of Tharg’s productivity encouragement mechs. Something about having at least two huge new series to write before he’d be allowed the extremely generous 30-minute Christmas break this year. But fear not, we’ll tell you all about them in a moment!

And as for Dredd in the future, there is that one particular strand of Poison that’s still to be explored… there’s this from episode 4, Prog 2353. There’s a deal that Domino made, a deal with a dangerous man. Anyone want to take bets that Rob won’t be imagining just what he can do with that particular little threat that’s been left dangling, just waiting to be pulled?

One for the future? Just what will the deal Domino made cost Mega-City One and Dredd?

Thank you so much to both Rob and PJ for taking the time and trouble of chatting. Judge Dredd: Poison really is rather brilliant Dredd that you should all be reading. You can get hold of it in Progs 2351-2355 and 2357-2359. Catch that final episode in 2000 AD Prog 2359 this week from everywhere that thrill-power is sold, including the 2000 AD web shop!

As far as more from both Rob and PJ here at 2000AD.com, can we point you in the direction of a few interviews and Covers Uncovered pieces?

From Rob – a hell of a lot of Dredd interviews! – The Small House (2017, with Henry Flint), Unearthed (2019, with Chris Weston and Patrick Goddard), The Hard Way (2021, with Arthur Wyatt and Jake Lynch), JD The Musical (2021, with Chris Weston), The Pitch (2022, with Arthur Wyatt and Boo Cook), Special Relationship (2022, with Patrick Goddard), and Buratino Must Die (2022, with Henry Flint).

We talked all things Hershey with Rob and Simon Fraser in an interview here and a Thrill-Cast here. He talks Roy of the Rovers graphic novels here and the Rocky of the Rovers strip inside the Tammy & Jinty Special here.

As for PJ, he talks Noam Chimpsky’s A Terrifically Disturbing Adventure! here (2021) and we’ve interviewed him twice on his Department K series – here and here. For more of his art, he’s featured several times on our Covers Uncovered feature – Prog 2178, Prog 2221Prog 2234, Prog 2301, Prog 2308, . Megazine 420.

And as far as what to look forward to from Dredd and Rob Williams in 2024 is concerned, we had a couple of very exciting bits of news coming out of Thought Bubble…

Rob’s teaming up with Arthur Wyatt and Henry Flint for Judge Dredd: A Better World, continuing Judge Maitland’s interest in funding education and social reform. Would it actually improve Mega-City One if the Judge Department were de-funded as a result?

And then, a second bit of Williams Dredd announced – Judge Dredd: Rend & Tear with Tooth & Claw with the art of RM Guera (Scalped) and Giulia Brusco (The Goddamned) will be a multi-part survivor horror story where things go badly wrong for Dredd in the snowy wilderness of the territory which once was called Alaska.

Henry Flint’s art for the Rob Williams and Arthur Wyatt written Judge Dredd: A Better World
And Rob’s second big Judge Dredd tale for 2024 – Rend & Tear with Tooth & Claw with art by RM Guera and Giulia Brusco

And finally, those process pieces from PJ, printed full size and in all their glory!

Poison episode 1, Prog 2351, layouts for the whole episode, then page 1 pencils, inks…

Now episode 2, Prog 2352, layouts for the episode and then page 1 pencils and inks… including all that ‘toothbrush splatter and gnarly old brushes’

And finally, episode 3, page 1, Prog 2353 – pencils and inks…

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Interview: Laura Bailey & Rob Richardson talk all things DeMarco P.I.

There’s a brand new Judge Dredd Megazine out this week and, amongst the thrill power inside, you’re going to see the return of everyone’s favourite ex-Judge turned gumshoe, Galen DeMarco in DeMarco P.I.: A Picture Paints, written by Laura Bailey and drawn by Rob Richardson.

Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquera back in 1997, Galen DeMarco’s long history certainly has its fair share of triumph and tragedy since she turned her back on the family money and became a rising star in the Justice Department. She survived the cesspit of corruption that was Sector House 301 – The Pit – and seemed destined for life as a top-notch Judge, but DeMarco’s emotions kept getting the better of her and, after one romantic indiscretion too many, she quit the Justice Department and set herself up as a private investigator.

So far, this new life as a P.I. hasn’t exactly been plain sailing, but perhaps A Picture Paints will be a nice and easy, open and shut case for MC-1’s most famous shamus. Okay, probably not, but why don’t we find out directly from the droids as we chat to Laura Bailey and Rob Richardson?

You can find part 1 of DeMarco P.I.: A Picture Paints in the latest Megazine, issue 462, out from 15th November and all under a perfect-looking DeMarco cover from Alex Ronald. Laura is quick off the mark with praise for the cover…

LAURA BAILEY: To start off, before we even get to the questions, I feel compelled to say that I need to buy Alex Ronald a drink or something. His cover is everything I could ask for a Galen fan. Perfect snapshot of Galen working covertly in a blissfully unaware crowd. Yet she stands out to us, like a special everyman.

Okay then, Laura and Rob, it’s been four long years since we’ve seen Galen DeMarco here in the pages of the Megazine and now you’re bringing her back for A Picture Paints. So, first question, obvious question – what’s A Picture Paints all about?

LB: It’s a four-part story in which Galen is employed by Torridge Warehouses to investigate missing ammunition shipments. Torridge staff are constantly monitored with an oppressive face-identifying CCTV system, so if it was a thief they would’ve caught them already.  

The title is a riff on the phrase ‘A picture paints a thousand words’ because collecting evidence is an important part of Private Investigation. This client in particular will only pay Galen once he has received photographic proof, and sometimes that is not as easy as it sounds…

As readers will immediately see, Galen’s still wearing the scar on her face from the last time you wrote her – in An Eye… (Megazine 409-412), with art by Paul Williams.

How DeMarco got that scar – from An Eye… by Laura Bailey and Paul Williams, Megazine 412, 2019

That three-parter was really the essence of DeMarco, getting involved far too much, far too easily, caring too much, too willing to bend or break the law because she just can’t help herself.

Are we going to see some comeback from that last tale here – or is that done and dusted and we’re just left to imagine which way it went?

LB: Paul Williams and I agonised over Galen’s knife scar when we collaborated, looking at numerous gory stab wounds to come up with realistic placement and shape. There was always an intention for Galen to keep a scar as she doesn’t have the Judges’ advanced healing system anymore.

Hopefully, we’ll build a sense of continuity for the character and show how private investigation impacts her life. As for comeback from the last tale, the only way to find out is to give it a read!

ROB RICHARDSON:
Galen’s scar is a nice visual hook and really adds to her character. Even if we’re unaware of her history, we know that she’s not had an easy time. That she unapologetically ‘wears’ the scar adds menace to this kooky (as I see her!) woman. It’s also relevant, if not fundamental, to this story.

Oh yes, fair trade indeed – DeMarco and her scar

Obviously, Laura, you find her fascinating – what is it about her as a character that you find attractive and so interesting?

LB: The highlight for me is her interactions with Dredd and how she refused to believe falling in love with a Judge to be a crime. She’s totally right and wrong at the same time. Completely threw away her career, all for a completely emotionally stunted man who had zero interest in her. Yet she’s right:  why should she lose her job for feeling an emotion?  

This is why I find her so interesting. At heart she’s a non-conformist operating against a hugely oppressive society, she’s very moral yet works in a very morally ambiguous job. Tough and capable but she’s also really quite naïve, often jumping into one huge mistake after another.

The complexity of her life is very relatable, it’s more fun writing characters who are anything but perfect.

Is there a familiarity by now with DeMarco – do you have her voice in your head so to speak?

LB: Does it sound psychotic to say she lives inside my head?  When I start to write a Galen story and I’m coming up with ideas, it feels as if I’m catching up with her to see what she’s getting up to.  

DeMarco getting the new gig – working with Walt Inverstigations (and all that glorious retro styling from Rob Richardson is a treat)

And Rob, as you’re new to DeMarco, what experience do you have with her tales as a reader and how did you approach this new series?

RR: I hadn’t read DeMarco prior to this, so I did my homework and went back to some of the older stories. It became apparent that what I needed to know was all in Laura’s script, and it absolutely works without the reader being familiar with what’s gone before – an ideal jumping on point!

It took a while to find out who my version was, specifics such as how she walked and stood etc. There were a few panels where the character started coming together and I felt like I was getting a handle on things. I’m sure none of this translates onto the page, but it fills my head as I’m working!

A Picture Paints part 1 sets it all up with a very downbeat air. Seems to me, as you give DeMarco yet another shitty case to keep her head above water, you’ve combined that love of the character with a real habit of putting her through the wringer.

LB: Now she’s left the job security of being a judge and doesn’t have her father’s wealth, Galen is more exposed to the day-to-day grind of the Meg City life.

Private Investigation is a gnarly business and sadly, I don’t think she’ll get any type of “reunite prince charming with Cinderella all expenses paid” type jobs.

So where can we expect this DeMarco tale to go? (To be honest with you, I can’t imagine you’re going to make it easy on her here.)

LB: I’d say sit back and enjoy Galen getting her hands dirty to earn a couple measly creds.

Down on the streets, the proper streets, of Mega-City One, where the gleaming Blocks are almost a world away

One thing that’s always great about Galen’s cases is that we get to have that different view of this great city, an on-the-ground, non-judicial look at MC-1. And in A Picture Paints, you really do go down to ground level, a grimy, lived-in, distressed look to it all, far away from the gleaming spires and mega-blocks of Dredd’s world perhaps.

In fact, in both this and An Eye… it’s essentially a pulp noir detective tale, simple set-up, not really involving that many sci-fi elements in here.

RR: The city plays a big part in establishing the tone. We’re down on the streets with the proletariat amongst old alleyways, warehouses, neglected buildings, and shopping centres. In the distance, there’s a glimpse of the hulking futuristic mega-blocks.

There’s always plenty to work with when trying to set the scene. I love Will Eisner’s work, and there’s a lot of stuff in there absorbed from The Spirit and his New York-based stories.

I wanted to play up the hardboiled crime aspect, and needed little excuse to delve into my Humphrey Bogart DVDs and soak up the atmosphere. It’s a favourite genre of mine and Laura’s story allowed me to explore classic tropes mixed with sci-fi weirdness.

LB: I like to think of it as sci-fi on a budget.

Is this something that you’re deliberately playing to in your DeMarco tales, the sense of a different location and different rules?

LB: Personally, I want DeMarco stories to contrast the judicial world. The repercussions of Galen making her own decisions is all part of her story, there’s no badge for Galen to hide behind.

Also, what kind of people can afford Private Investigation in the Meg? And why are these people coming to Galen instead of the Law? It’s a whole different world.

Galen’s first glimpse of her new employer, the mysterious Mr Torridge – not a fan of 80s nostalgia

Laura, working with a new artist here, have you had chance to see Rob’s finished pages yet and how did the collaboration work?

LB: Rob kindly showed me all of his pages once he had finished, I can’t wait for you guys to see it all. In terms of the collaboration, I don’t like to interfere with the Artist unless asked really, I think if I had to spend hours, days, and weeks drawing, the last thing I’d want is some overzealous writer cracking the whip. 

RR: I’d receive the scripts and get to work! We kept in touch, and there were a few details that I needed to check on before drawing, but by and large we worked independently. Everything I needed was in the writing. Laura creates amazing scenes and situations, and fills them with suspense, drama, intrigue, and humour. The characters are well-defined through their actions and dialogue, and it’s an absolute pleasure to work with her. For me at least, the writer/artist dynamic worked well!

Oh DeMarco, you just know this one’s going to take a bad turn at some point, don’t you?

As far as your work at 2000 AD is concerned, we couldn’t have two more different paths into the Prog and the Meg with you two.

Laura, you were the winner of Tharg’s script droid contest at 2017 Thought Bubble convention and we’ve talked plenty on that before I know – although I still do love your pitch plan…

‘I practised a lot beforehand with my friend Soph, she tested me to make sure I could pitch in under two minutes, then it was important to make sure I wouldn’t crack under pressure. She devised a method to make sure I could do the pitch under any conditions, had to pitch drunk while she heckled me and simultaneously played the Countdown music.’

Yep, not sure if any other successful writers have done the drunk practice pitch idea but it sure seemed to work for you! (hmmm actually, let’s go with pissed practice pitch plan – oh, the alliteration!)

LB:
The quadruple P strategy haha! It honestly works!! Much harder to pitch drunk than sober. The trick to a successful pitch is to do it without notes and to practice like crazy, you get to know your story inside out and can trim anything unnecessary as it’s got to be under two minutes. Funny enough, I have just finished judging the 2000 AD script droid contest, I got quite triggered by Mike Molcher setting the two minute timer.

Now, six years on from the win, you’ve firmly established yourself in 2000 AD as a writer. Looking back on it now, how have these last six years been?

LB: Cannot believe it’s been that long, surely the Covid years can be condensed into one? The work I’ve done for 2000 AD has been a real positive part of my life.

I can’t describe the feeling of winning the pitch and then seeing the Future Shock I created with Paul Williams in print for the first time. Or coming up with the character Quilli with David Hitchcock and seeing it on the front of the Prog. Even just the experience of going into a comic book shop and seeing your work on a shelf. There are worse ways to earn money aye?

Just another quiet night’s sleuthing for DeMarco

Rob, you’re new to DeMarco, new to working with Laura, and relatively new to the Megazine.  

I’ve talked to you before, back in 2021, when you were a debutante with the Future Shock in Prog 2257, and we discovered we had shared history with the historic Brit comic shop Nostalgia & Comics, you working in the Sheffield branch and me in the Birmingham one – both of which had quite a history of 2000 AD droids either working or shopping at them!

RR: There should be a documentary about that shop and the comics community around it! It’s crazy thinking back to how many well respected artists and writers would come in and hang out. Being in the Sheffield branch, we had The Human League in regularly, who celebrated Dredd in their song, I Am The Law.

You talked there of a love of comics and how much it meant to you to be in 2000 AD, something you’d been reading since you were a kid – before the lure of making money took you into storyboards and illustration for advertising, TV, and games for 20+ years of your career.

It was a combination of Covid and Nick Percival who brought you to 2000 AD. And since then you’ve stuck around with Tharg, with a Dredd in Prog 2267, and then your first big series, Devlin Waugh: Karma Police with Ales Kot in Megazine 449-455. You took over from Mike Dowling there (which was a big ask indeed) but your style soon gelled there and gave us something very dark and very introspective. What was it like getting that first Dredd and then that first big series?

RR: Working on Dredd was a real feather in my cap, having pored over the classic stories when I was a kid. Mick McMahon, Ron Smith and, later, Brendan McCarthy really did it for me.

Getting the Devlin Waugh series was both tremendous and daunting! Mike Dowling’s take on the character was, for me, a definitive version but our approaches couldn’t be more different. I had to focus on how I could make it work in my own way, being fully aware that people would be comparing us.

It’s also a series that’s now inextricably linked to Ales, and early on they sent an email praising what I’d done which helped me to stop worrying about it. It was good to have a longer series that allowed tension to build slowly before things went a tiny bit crazy. In terms of deadlines it was a trial by fire, and I learned a huge amount throughout the process.

And does it still feel as exciting to be here at 2000 AD?

RR: It’s every bit as exciting! I still get nervous about doing a decent job but now, having a few pages under my belt, I can enjoy the process more.

Are you still working elsewhere or have you made the move to comics full-time now?

RR: Occasionally I’ll take small jobs on if time allows, but it’s been mostly comics for a couple of years. I’m happier making comics than doing anything else, so hopefully it’ll continue!

And comics is happy having you!

Taking a look at Rob’s process for DeMarco –
page 1 of episode 1 of A Picture Paints, from roughs to pencils, inks to colours

Okay then Rob, let’s talk a bit of process. How do you work? What’s the way that you put together a page?

RR: I’ll read the script a few times to try and get a handle on what it’s all about, not so much the mechanics of it, but getting a feel for the tone, mood, and atmosphere. Then I’ll start doodling thumbnails, finding how to get the story to play, panel arrangements and compositions. This is the challenging part and I’ll spend ages  getting something I’m happy with.

The process as a whole is a mixture of traditional and digital so I’ll end up with scraps of paper that need scanning, alongside digital thumbnails, then muddle them all together in Photoshop.

For the pencils, again it’s part digital and part traditional. I can work directly over the thumbnails on the computer or, if I’m downstairs of an evening watching Married at First Sight Australia, I’ll print the thumbnails and work on top of those on semi-transparent marker paper.

I stick to a clean line with no shading or hatching, as I’ll be inking them myself and prefer to do the heavy lifting with digital inks over a blue-line of the pencils. I’ve put a lot of work into my inking technique, mimicking how I do things with dip pens and brushes. I like to commit and get the line down boldly, no noodling, in an effort to get some energy in there.

Colouring’s all done digitally, using very basic tools and techniques. I’ll be getting ideas for colours throughout the process, so it’s an integral part of the artwork.

Page 2 of episode one of Demarco P.I.: A Picture Paints – again, roughs, pencils, inks, colours

How would you describe the look and the style of this DeMarco work? It seems to me that you’ve gone heavy on your line here, emphasising the darkness of the locales and the story.

RR: Lots of black and deep shadows were appropriate for this story, in keeping with the crime noir genre. I think my style is functional, not overtly showy, and designed to tell the story above all else. It’s relatively quick when I need to be, and not concerned with detailed rendering.

Was it a change of style for you in any way?

RR: My approach is the same, but overall it’s tailored to whatever story I’m telling. I’m getting more competent and constantly learning, so there is a progression from Devlin Waugh.

Getting the hair just right – a great touch from Rob on the art

Oh, and a mention for both DeMarco’s hair, which you do so well, and the fashions we see here. Again, it’s futuristic at times, but mostly it’s very familiar. I’m assuming this is all a very deliberate decision on your part?

LB: just to interject, I loooooove the way Rob has done Galen’s hair. First detail I look for with Artists is to see how much care they’ve put into hairstyles and Rob did this for every single character. I got major hair envy when I saw Galen and as well as another character called Meatball.

RR: Laura had thought of all these elements, so they were in the script and I needed to visualise them. Costume design’s really important, and getting little details in there such as precisely the right number of buttons, an adjustable buckle on the back of Galen’s collar, pleats down the back of her coat- all the things that you can’t actually see, but I need to know that they’re there!

Walt wears an ill-fitting suit, and I pictured him having a romantic vision of himself as a Philip Marlowe/Sam Spade style gumshoe detective and trying to dress like them. In the Mega-City nothing is out of place because absolutely anything goes!

Rob’s character and clothing design sheet for DeMarco

As we’ve already mentioned, there’s a real noir sensibility to the art and tone of A Picture Paints. But on seeing this first issue, I was picking up elements of Charles Burns and bits of Warren Pleece in your art for DeMarco. Am I right, or is it just that I’m projecting my own artistic likes onto the work? [And reader, just as I’m setting this interview up and adding images, there’s one more very obvious look to Rob’s work as well, definitely a hint of Steve Yeowell in there – am I right?]

RR: There’s nothing conscious there, but I do have a copy of Burns’ El Borbah somewhere in my work room, a luchador private detective no less, so perhaps some of that’s seeped in?

We’ve talked before on influences but it’s always nice to circle back to it… so, Laura, Rob, what comics, what creators had that big influence on your writing and art?

RR: I’m mostly into older stuff, with Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff being my top two. Alex Toth is a big inspiration, and many of the E.C. guys. I grew up on Gene Colan, Gil Kane, Herb Trimpe, Sal Buscema and that wave of artists in the 1970s, then discovered Frank Miller when I was 8, and he made quite the impact on me. David Mazzucchelli blew my mind, especially with his Rubber Blanket books. He let me have a go on his brush pen at UKCAC around 1993!

Oh yes, Rubber Blanket, absolutely criminal that we’ve never seen a collection of that one.

LB: This is one of those questions which I could spend paragraphs and paragraphs writing about. If it was to whittle it down to three, my influences are Alan Moore, Junji Ito, and Viz’s the Fat Slags. They are all equal parts of the equation.

A perfect triumvirate there Laura!

More of that great DeMarco art, more great hair, and definitely that Steve Yeowell style that I was mentioning

When did you both first get into 2000 AD and what strips or characters had the most impact on you?

LB: Dredd naturally was my introduction to 2000 AD and I’d say he was the first comic book character that I ever became a fan of. Even as a child I had zero interest in Heroes, I can’t and never have related to black and white perspectives of good and evil. When I finally was introduced to Dredd, a character who is very much warts and all, it was an immediate hook.

Most impactful is Halo Jones, another character that is so real and relatable to me. I like that I can’t separate where Alan Moore starts and Ian Gibson begins with the body of work, it’s a seamless mesh of the two. I love collaborations like that

RR: I was reading 2000 AD from the beginning and, as a kid, Strontium Dog was the best! Robo-Hunter, Zenith, and The Ballad of Halo Jones really drew me in. Behind me now is a five-foot-tall wooden Halo Jones shop display that I salvaged from Nostalgia & Comics!

One man’s salvage… another man’s steal!

A favourite bit from this first episode of DeMarco, so much detail and atmosphere in Rob’s artwork

As a fun one – what’s the one character you’d really like to tackle. No limits, feel free to pitch the impossible series!

LB: You know what, I just approached John Wagner for the first time this weekend at Thought Bubble. We spoke of Dredd of course and I mentioned how I was a little intimidated about ever writing a story for the character. He was having none of it and gave me some friendly encouragement. In light of this let me put out into the world, I’d love to write a Dredd one off and especially would like Anna Morozova to draw it.

RR: The greatest series ever created is Flaming Carrot Comics, so I’d go with a Flaming Carrot story scripted by his creator, Bob Burden.

As for the future of DeMarco, any more tales already planned?

LB: Watch this space. I will write more if they will have me!

RR: Are we allowed to reveal that there’s a new DeMarco story on its way from Laura and me?!

Oh yes you are – the official word came down from his Thargness to allow us to tell you that there’s going to be a new four-part Demarco P.I. tale entitled Smoke to be published in the Megazine in the first half of 2024!

And if you had a completely free hand, have you got that definitive DeMarco tale in mind? If so, feel free to tease us with what it might involve!

LB: That is my ambition every single story god dammit! I will say, I’d love to have a closer inspection on Galen’s origins…

Tharg? Tharg? You paying attention? And for both of you, what have we got to look forward to from you, both for his royal Thargness and elsewhere?

LB: I’m working on a few things and I’m too superstitious to say anything till it’s confirmed.

RR: If Tharg’s reading, I’d love to continue drawing stories for the Megazine and 2000 AD.

And there we had to leave it. Thanks so much to Laura and Rob for taking the time to answer questions – particularly difficult timing as it was Thought Bubble weekend and at least Laura was there (she did apologise for a combo of drunk and hungover writing  but if it was good enough to practice her winning TB pitch years ago, it’s good enough for us!)

You can find the first episode of DeMarco P.I.: A Picture Paints in the latest Megazine, issue 462, out 15 November from everywhere Tharg’s monthly Meg is sold, including the 2000 AD web shop.

We’ve previously talked to Rob about his Future Shock debut here and chatted to both Laura Bailey and Paul Williams about their 2017 Thought Bubble wins here.

And now, presenting the full DeMarco process pages from Rob – pages 1 and 2 of A Picture Paints part 1 – thumbnail, pencil, ink, colour, and finished pages…

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2000 AD Creator Files – Anna Morozova

2000 AD brings you the galaxy’s greatest stories and art in thrill-powered tales every single week – but who are the droids behind these tales? Well, each month, we’ll sit down with one of the creators who’ve been responsible for keeping the thrill-power set to maximum to get those answers – this is the 2000 AD Creator Files!

Here’s where we’ll tell you more about the artists and writers who keep the Prog and the Judge Dredd Megazine a Thrill-full read! For over 45 years, 2000 AD has been bringing you the best new talent out there and here’s another one of the many talented newer names you’ll have seen in the Prog & the Meg recently – Anna Morozova.

Anna Morozova burst into 2000 AD back in April 2019 with a stunning Future Shock and since then her artwork has been a regular feature of both Progs and the Megazine, her stylings instantly recognisable whether on horrific Terror Tales or the all-ages fare of Lowborn High.

She’s a comics artist and illustrator currently working for 2000 AD and The Treasury of British Comics in the UK plus Glarien in the US. Her published work includes Future Shocks, Terror Tales, Tales from the Black Museum, Judge Anderson, Viva Forever, Lowborn High, and Rocky of the Rovers for Rebellion, plus the creator-owned Star-Nav written by Alan Hebden for the Pandora comic anthology, plus The Treasury of British Comics forthcoming SMASH! series. All of which we’ll be talking about…

Let’s start with an exclusive – the very first look at Anna’s version of The Spider,
from the upcoming three-issue SMASH! series, written by Paul Grist and out on 25 October

Anna, welcome to the 2000 AD Creator Files – it’s a pleasure to speak to you.

ANNA MOROZOVA: The pleasure is mine!

Okay then, let’s begin by going back, back, back – quite simply, who are you and what’s your story?

AM: Quite simply, I am an artist and freelance illustrator. Originally from Russia, I spent a lot of time growing up in Estonia, and then went to Scotland – Dundee – for studies where my artistic career began, so to speak.

I have always enjoyed drawing, but never really thought it was quite realistic to build a viable career out of it. Until, to my surprise, comics had found me, so now I am here, answering questions for 2000 AD Creator Files! How cool is that? Pretty awesome, I would say.

When did you move to Dundee?

AM: In 2013, for studies specifically; although we have become really good friends with the place, and I stayed for a bit after graduation.

At what age did you first become interested in art? And did an interest in comics develop alongside the interest in art?

AM: It feels to me that I have always been interested in art. So much so that I was giving ‘drawing classes’ to my peers at kindergarten. I was essentially showing them how to turn rectangular and triangular shapes into something resembling human anatomical characteristics. The ‘classes’ were pretty popular, and the audience kept asking for more – here goes for my early teaching successes.

I would generally always draw. Especially at school; I remember, I would scribble away throughout lessons. Those could be both random sketches and/or something very theme-appropriate. For instance, my history lesson notebooks were particularly fascinating: the studied material would morph into thematic illustrations on pages, which came in handy for grades.

What else was there?.. I would take commission requests whilst in primary school – some were for actual comic pages of rather non-kid-friendly content. Unfortunately, my entrepreneurial spirit was swiftly suppressed as soon as the teacher found out I was charging my classmates. I can now safely say that my first introduction to the principles of capitalism did not go very smoothly. How typical: that type of thinking there, expecting artists to somehow work for free, out of goodwill. How many times we will encounter such a misconception going forward?..

For as long as I remember, I have always liked imagery that is drawn. Photographs would not excite me nearly as much, but illustrations would always grab my attention. I always wondered what it must be like to be drawing for a living. Comics, of course, were a perfect fit for such an individual. I was not a particularly in-depth reader or anything like that. I did buy comics if they were to appear on my way somehow – especially translated Disney ones, often illustrated by great Italian artists – but calling myself a serious geek would be an enormous exaggeration. Comics, art books, illustrated folklore books… all those were a part of the same pool for me that essentially existed with illustrations as the main attraction at its core.

>

One thing you said to me previously when I interviewed you about Lowborn High was that ‘my sequential work is primarily influenced by European comics art,’ so where did this appreciation of Euro comics come from and when did you gain it?

AM: Despite gaining visual understanding and appreciation from the comics I would read from time to time whilst growing up, I only started gaining some more in-depth knowledge about European comics mastery at the university, predominantly during my Postgraduate studies. 

This is when I had a good opportunity to read up on things and research some comics material that would be of interest to me. Slowly but surely, I believe I had gained a decent degree of watchfulness and gain more inspiration from the sources I was now familiar with.

You’ve previously said that, when it comes to 2000 AD, ‘I appreciate the cultural and creative significance of this publication and try my best to deliver the best work I can whilst catching up with the incredible back catalogue of legendary stories that had appeared on the comic’s pages throughout the years.’

What experience of 2000 AD had you had by this stage? I’m assuming that you would have been at least aware of it by now, living in Scotland, but were you a regular reader?

AM: I first became aware (not sufficiently aware though!) of 2000 AD when I saw Karl Urban’s (as it is commonly called) ‘Dredd‘ movie poster. Little did I know about the actual comic that the movie was based on.

Years later, when visiting London for the New Designers show, a good friend of mine, Anthony Howard – who back then was working at Forbidden Planet – first showed me what 2000 AD is actually like as a comic, pointing at the entire dedicated section at the store. With a very ‘grande’ gesture he had referred to that section consisting of multiple shelves highlighting multiple collections, and almost whispered: ‘2000 AD!..’ – so I knew that was important, I just had not known how important yet.

I particularly remember a Sov Judges’ symbol being on one of the collection covers. Then, the same friend mailed me some Prog and Megazine copies to read along with some other comics he considered of importance (and I would trust his judgment).

I particularly remember seeing Simon Davis’ artwork on Sinister Dexter for the first time. Oh, and Phil Winslade’s art on Lawless, of course! I was beyond impressed by those publications – they looked so edgy and so different from everything else (and I don’t mean just the page format!).

Then, of course, I got my proper introduction to ‘Tharg’s comics vaults’ during my Postgraduate studies (which seems to be a pattern by now, when it comes to anything related to my knowledge of comics). That is when I first got familiar with a selection of stories and generally understood the significance of the publication within the comics and graphic novels realm.

The 2000 AD mixtape of Anna Morozova… strips remembered, loved, explored and to be explored!
Top – Simon Davis’ Sinister Dexter, Phil Winslade’s Lawless
Bottom – Kev O’Neill’s Nemesis, Simon Fraser’s Nikolai Dante

What were your favourite strips? Were there any particular stories or creators that really made you want to join in the fun at 2000 AD?

AM: Nemesis the Warlock comes to mind first, I would say. Predominantly, because it broke most of the concepts I could be having about comics at that time. To me, it was something out of this world.

I am desperately trying to find some time to dedicate myself as much as possible to the reading of Nikolai Dante – I know this will require quite a bit of time, for sure, but I am really looking forward to the moment of me getting my hands on the collections and diving in!

In terms of joining the fun at 2000 AD, well, I could not quite believe it when the official invitation came through.

So did you have any ambitions at this point to get your art into 2000 AD?

AM: My primary ambition has been to do good art and improve my skills as time goes by. It came as a huge surprise to find out that my work had been noticed. Since then, I have only been trying to do my best.

And yet more Anderson from Anna!

After graduating with a BSc in Digital Interaction Design from the University of Dundee, you then went on to study for, and get, a Comics Masters, an MDes.

First of all though, I’m wondering why you went for Digital Interaction Design as an undergraduate degree? Looking at the course’s content, it looks like it goes more towards digital graphic design rather than art itself.

AM: Because I never really considered making a career out of art. I have always been good with mathematics, and physics… technology had been fascinating me. I somewhat was looking for something a bit more hybrid with art and design though, rather than going straight for a degree in IT. Digital Interaction Design seemed like a good option as it combined programming, UX/UI and yes, it indeed required some level of understanding of principles of graphic design to create appealing user experiences and product/application prototypes. It was a perfect mix of the two worlds, really. In addition, such a degree would open up opportunities in a variety of fields, be those more technical, IT-related, or design-oriented. Despite very promising career options in UX/UI design, I managed to end up in a more artistic environment than I could possibly think of at the time.

Was it that you weren’t initially thinking of going into illustration and comics? Or was it simply a very good course to add to skills etc?

AM: Neither illustration nor comics were even on my mind when I was making a degree choice. During my first couple of years at the university, I sort of stumbled across some comic artists’ stories and discussions about their career experiences, which made me recall my partially forgotten hobby – drawing. I kind of thought “Well, I can draw too. Sort of. I used to like it as well.”

This ‘remembrance’, if you will, had then led me to incorporate sequential storytelling into my final degree project. I designed an Augmented Reality experience within the city environment that used storytelling principles of comics as an experience fundament. It was a fully working prototype, too – I got to do a bit of programming, a bit of graphic design, a bit of application building as well as, of course, illustration! When scanning the surroundings at Dundee’s city centre, application prototype users could learn about the dark and tragic story of Grissell Jaffray, the last executed witch in Scotland.

That final BSc project secured me a First degree and a pretty awesome job offer along with a postgraduate admission offer from Phillip Vaughan, who at the time, was the course leader of MDes in Comics and Graphic Novels.

This is how I ended up doing my Master’s degree – quite a gamble, all things considered, but I just had a feeling that somehow this was the right choice for me, and something good would come out as a result of such a decision being made. I set myself a goal: to have a ready portfolio by the time the course finishes and see if it leads anywhere. The backup plan was to go for the DIxD jobs that were available for someone with my skillset in case comics jobs were not to happen.

Another of Anna’s pieces – a powerful, stylish, Chief Judge Hershey.

As for the Masters in Comics, I have to say I’m absolutely fascinated by the idea of it. Was this with Prof Chris Murray?

AM: Prof Chris Murray was responsible for the theory route of the course, MLitt – some students would choose an academic path to comics studies. Phillip Vaughan was leading the MDes route, a more practical version of the university’s postgraduate program. That was a great approach at a great time. Since then, things have vastly changed at the institution, and the program has gone through significant transformations. It is still going as far as I am aware, but it has taken a more fine art, indie direction rather than something commerce and mainstream oriented.

Presumably, there’s an awful lot of art involved, making art, making comics. But were there also elements of the history of comics, business aspects etc?

AM: This used to be an awesome program at the time. Yes, there was a lot of practice involved, and yes, a fair share of theory studies too. Also, the business side of things had received its fair share of attention too.

The practical side of the studies involved projects that were designed in alignment with the industry’s workload and deadline standards so that the ones graduating would be very much prepared for the pressure they are expected to face when working in a real work environment. We had amazing talks from guest speakers who were renowned industry professionals. The course also incorporated projects that involved receiving payment for work. It was truly a quality year. Though again, it is hard for me to assess the state of the matter now. Overall, the institution, the art college, had very much shifted its focus from commerce-oriented programs under the new management.

Looking at the course itself, it’s broken down into three modules, creating comics, comics production, and the major project. Can you take us through what sort of things these involved?

AM: I cannot really speak for how things are these days. When I took part in the programme, then yes, we had started with pretty much comics production basics and quickly moved onto small-scale projects (say, 6-10 pagers) – it is funny to think now that back then many of us thought of it as some sort of enormous illustration workload. Hah! Then the reality hit with the major project of a minimum of 22 pages.

Any particularly fascinating aspects of the course to share? Any visiting lecturers of note?

AM: Oh, absolutely! One of the best parts about the course at the time was having industry professional guests giving us talks! It was incredible to meet Dave Gibbons in real life and receive a personal portfolio check and a ‘blessing’ to keep up drawing so to speak. We had Charlie Adlard, and Ian Kennedy over (in my year of studies, there were obviously more throughout the years) – can you possibly ask for any better? Again, how things are now – I cannot possibly tell.

What was your final project and what was your thinking behind the choice?

AM: I chose to do an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita. My favourite book. Not all of it, of course, just selected chapters. This a project I would love to get back to at some point – once my skills are up to the level enough required for tackling such a subject matter, so not very soon, I presume. Adapting material of such sorts requires some implacable professionalism and vision obtained throughout the years.

You graduated from Dundee University with a Masters (MDes) in Comics and Graphic Novels. When was this?

AM: 2018.

More of Anna’s favourite subject – Judge Anderson showing Anna’s signature style

You’ve said previously (again, in the Lowborn High interview) that you were in ‘the right place at the right time,’ when it came to comics and also that the opportunity came up and you gave yourself ‘a year to develop a folio of sequential art and, I guess, the stars were aligned in my favour.’

So what was the opportunity that you speak of? Was that during the Masters, before, after?

AM: Joining the postgraduate programme was the right choice, I believe, despite all the odds. It just so happened that towards the end of our year’s studies, Phillip Vaughan had decided to contact Tharg himself to suggest a collaboration for the upcoming year. He sent through the examples of students’ work of the time showcasing what the course was about and what kind of work students were capable of producing.

The idea was that in the upcoming year, there would be a ‘live brief’ between the university and 2000 AD with Tharg providing a script for students to illustrate and then giving professional feedback. An industry experience sort of thing. The legend claims that Matt Smith had agreed to collaborate, but had also noticed my work in particular. After that, my first Future Shock happened and the rest is history.

Breaking in Anna’s very fist 2000 AD work, the Future Shock: Juncture.
Written by Andi Ewington, Prog 2128, April 2019

Yes, were now around the time of your very first bit of published 2000 AD art – the Future Shock: Juncture – written by Andi Ewington – in Prog 2128, April 2019.

Can you remember your thinking with Juncture? What was the feeling of gettng your art into a Prog? I’m guessing, given that you came late (ish) to 2000 AD in your reading, that it wasn’t so much a dream come true moment but, just as valid, a great job with the potential for more work?

AM: The latter, I believe. I was worried, of course, as I was wanting to do the best job possible in the time given. Although this being said, I also tried to not overthink it. I also liked the fact that it was so out of any comfort zone imaginable! I enjoyed working on that script, it was challenging for such a newbie that I was, but I like the challenge.

It is a real joy to be working on diverse scripts with a different level of contextual complexity to them… otherwise, what is the point? I like versatility when it comes to art, and sequential art is an especially brilliant field to challenge your creativity. Juncture was an ideal introduction for an artist like myself, a perfect first gig.

Funnily enough, when I was drawing it, I had most of my social network accounts removed – as I am a little hermit like that – and it was a surprise for me to discover a message from Andi on Behance already after the artwork submission! Ouch! A collaborative way of working was not meant to be, but I hope Andi was pleased with the results nonetheless.  

Juncture was all about a superhero care home, Fortitude, “Caring for the Superheroes of Yesteryear, Today!” and was a great introduction to your artwork, in black and white and tonal work.

AM: The cast was superb to draw! The script provided great space for me to focus on character drawing skills.

More of Anna’s art in Future Shock: Juncture.
Written by Andi Ewington, Prog 2128, April 2019

Your art instantly made an impression, I remember describing it at the time as having a clean line, with added style and flair. It definitely made for a very attractive Future Shock!

AM: I am glad to hear it! It was also nice to see a reader named Matthew writing a letter to Tharg complimenting the art and asking to see more of my work – it is always nice to see your work being appreciated and somebody actually taking the time to say something nice about it.

One aspect of your art that’s immediately apparent is something of an old-fashioned sense of glamour and style, with smooth linework showing beautiful people, very stylised, and very, very stylish. Is that a look that you’ve consciously developed over the years or is it simply the way you draw and always have done?

AM: The latter, I believe. I have always been more attracted by stylized work. You see, it is very common for many people to think that if somebody can copy a photograph, create a precise copy of a real image, and pretty much transfer every pixel of it onto a sheet of paper, that is the real deal, that is what makes a good artist. Realism.

Despite my belief that understanding anatomy, perspective and all the classical basics of drawing is vitally crucial, I also believe that applying this knowledge to the creation of a stylized piece of work is the actual spark of true creativity and skill. To me, at least. Of course, I appreciate the hard work and all the technical ability that goes into creating a realistic drawing, but I just cannot help but see it as a rather technical skill. My soul along with my creative sensibilities crave style, most preferably, a signature touch. This is what I seek in art I look at, and this is what I demand from myself too.

Indeed, you could say that your art evokes a certain element of old fashioned, for want of a better phrase, ‘girls comics’ – the sort of lush, flowing look that was seen in so many girls’ comic titles in the UK over the 60s and 70s.

Is this something you would acknowledge, or is it simply a coincidence – did you have any knowledge of these comics at all?

AM: The knowledge I had at the time was certainly not enough. Having seen the art, some pages of the comics from that era, I had not yet had a dedicated read, unfortunately. It is a bit of a sad thought: so many great comics to discover, research, and read, but so little time outside work. 

Three examples of that old-fashioned sense of glamour and style in Anna’s work –
the smooth linework, the beautiful people, all very stylised, all very stylish.
Top – panel from Juncture (2019), panels from Foreclosure (2022)
Bottom – bringing the style to MC-1, from The Osbidan Ingress (2020)

Following that first Future Shock, it was over a year before we saw you in the Megazine with the Black Museum tale, The Obsidian Ingress.

AM: A-ha, it was.

In the time between that first Future Shock and the Black Museum strip, were you busy, busy, busy with other things? Was it simply a question of timing in that you were already working on the next set of strips coming in from 2000 AD and they just didn’t see print for quite a while? Or were you sitting there doing the artist thing of trying to work out what you’d done wrong and why the phone wasn’t ringing off the hook?

AM: Busy, busy, busy, yes. I had been doing some other jobs during that time interval. It took me some time to receive the next script from Matt Smith, and once I got it, it didn’t have a deadline, so the jobs that paid quickly in the short term had to be done first so that my bills could be paid on time.

By the time the next job, The Obsidian Ingress, did see the light of day by landing on a Meg’s pages, it was pretty much a year all in. And I must say, this one is still one of my most favourite works done so far.

Joking aside, it does lead us on to the tricky situation artists find themselves in. That first pro job is over and done and the elation at getting it is finished with. But then it’s always on to the next job. And sometimes the next job takes a while to come. How was the time between the Future Shock and more 2000 AD work?

AM: True that, each story is very unique to an artist. I had been pretty lucky in that respect at the time; the jobs kept coming in. Those were not necessarily exclusively comics jobs, some were illustration, some were application prototypes, and similar… I also did some work for the university, so things were pretty busy, yes. It was not a particularly easy time either, as it was the time for setting some career direction vectors, and the jobs I had been receiving were great training for the things that came next.

Anna’s ODEON Luxe canvas for the cinema in Dundee

Okay, that seems a moment to bring in other, non-comics work – I know you’ve done quite a bit of commercial work for a fair number of clients over the years, including Dundee Odeon – a rather stunning mural.

AM: That was quite an experience. The brief was originally for the mural, yes, then we switched to working on a canvas due to the project’s logistics. Here it is important to mention that I had never drawn on a canvas before that occasion, so my first ever canvas was… 2×3 meters in dimension? I am pretty sure those are the correct numbers.

The whole process of painting took about a week. Phillip Vaughan was kind enough to offer his help in painting the thing. Originally, we started by using a projector that would project the approved art design onto the canvas. The next morning it turned out that the canvas had stretched, so that was the projector out of the process with me going in and manually painting the details with the printed reference in front of my eyes. Needless to say, it was more like a piece of performance art as the painting had to be taking place in front of the live audience passing by to see movies: all whilst the contracted workers were still doing the refurbishment work in the movie theatre itself. We became great pals with the construction supervisor, the workers, and the ODEON staff.

I have to say, after that, drawing in public is no longer an issue. Definitely a recommendation to those who struggle with ‘people watching’ them whilst they draw but would like to get rid of any fears in that respect.  

A couple of Anna’s characters for the Scots In Schools Hunners o Scunners project for primary literacy

Then there was the work for the Scottish Government – the Hunners o Scunners illustrations for primary literacy, and the great Wee Jock Cocksparra illustrations and animation for primary music.

AM: Yes, those are fun little projects. My humble contributions to Scots language heritage. Commissioned through Scots Hoose, whose director, Matthew Fitt, does a lot of work on the preservation of the Scots language by doing translations, teaching, and, of course, engaging educational projects like the ones I had been a part of.

Scotland has been a great home for me, and this is me giving back. Again, something quite out of my comfort zone: it is not every day you get a chance to do a funky little animation job for primary school students.

And Anna’s Wee Jock Cocksparra illustrations, again for Scots in Schools, this time for primary music

Was it a case of doing commercial work whilst waiting for more comics jobs or pitching for more comics jobs – or is it more the case of doing whatever came up when it came up?

AM: The latter. The jobs had been finding me. I was getting professional experience from working with a variety of clients and on a variety of briefs, just testing my capabilities, really. Plus, I feel like it had been some sort of overcompensation for all that time I hadn’t been drawing before getting into comics. 

The finished page 1 from Black Museum: The Osbidan Ingress –
Judge Dredd Megazine issue 423, written by David Baillie, August 2020

So, fast forward to August 2020 and that second strip for 2000 AD, The Black Museum: The Obsidian Ingress.

David talked of seeing your work on The Obsidian Ingress and knowing he wanted to work with you again. He had this to say about what you’d done – ‘She captured a spooky menace and dramatic tension that many veterans struggle with.’ And he went on to say that he was ‘pretty sure she’s going to be a huge star in a few years’ time.’

AM: Working with David is amazing; I have great respect for him. I loved illustrating this script particularly much. It was also the first time I got to draw Judges. The dark, tense theme of the story based around occultism is an interesting material that allows a good amount of room for creativity… I also very much enjoy working in black-and-white, so the subject matter played well in combination with my artistic preferences.

The same stylings were there with this one, but you had that added darkness and, like David said, that ‘spooky menace’ that gave the whole thing a feel of old EC Comics, but wrapped completely in your style. Did this switch in tone to horror require a switch in thinking in your art or was it something you’d always flirted with, mixing beauty and horror in equal measure?

AM: It is a very good question. I have always been under the impression that it is easier to draw darker, horror-y things. At least in my opinion, it is. Darkness flows more naturally, almost with fewer obstacles compared to light. It takes greater willpower and concentration to create something vibrant, positive, and upbeat whereas sadness, spookiness, and tension are easier to transcribe onto a paper sheet or screen or any surface.

Comparing this job to drawing a 2×3 mural, I would say that this was definitely waaay more enjoyable experience-wise. AND it felt more natural. Adapting to commercial requirements and making something ‘fun’ is a difficult, difficult job – I think many would agree with me here. The dark magic element to the Obsidian Ingress story was a gateway into creating something mystical yet beautiful and, well, flowy: something exactly up my alley and something that would come very naturally too.

Anna’s art from page 8 of Black Museum: The Osbidan Ingress –
Judge Dredd Megazine issue 423, written by David Baillie, August 2020

It wasn’t long before the next project came along, with your first creation for 2000 AD, again with David Baillie, the Viva Forever strip in the Regened Prog 2020, published February 2021. A great strip, but sadly one you’ve never returned to. The adventures of a super thief and champion of the people. It was also set in Dreddworld, Mega-City One, home of Dredd.

Again, your style here was instantly recognisable as you. But the way you detailed MC-1 was superb. But it was also there in the characters, the kinetic motion all the way through, essential for a super thief rushing through the city. And a word about the drapery, the clothing, it’s another aspect of your work that stands out.

As your first created strip it also involved a lot of work in terms of design no doubt? Even though the backdrop is MC-1, it would still have been a case of putting the work in to create the look and the style?

AM: It was quite a challenging script; many of its elements were rather out of my comfort zone, which, again, is, actually, very good. Now, I would approach the whole process differently. Back then, it was my first ever script to be passed for colouring by a professional colourist, Pippa Bowland in this instance; so I think I got a little bit sidetracked by that thought and instead of doing something I was used to, I kept line art especially open.

Once the line art was ready, I could only wait and see what the final thing would look like, it was very unusual. For the first time, the final result was not depending just on myself; I could fully appreciate the sense of teamwork and a full comic production process.  

Anna’s watercolour painting of characters from Viva Forever

Hot on the heels of Viva Forever, you then had another Future Shock, this time with John Tomlinson, another gorgeous looking thing of course, but this time dealing with an obnoxious PI investigating a series of suspect deaths at Cato Micronics, run by Seth Lisk, “weirdo tech brainiac,” and absolutely not based on anyone you’d possibly know. Of course.

AM: This script was such a joy to work on! It was so complex and so much fun at the same time! Again, done in black-and-white, so that I could express the grittiness of the atmosphere. Dundee’s central shopping centre, Overgate, makes a guest appearance on one of the pages along with Dundee’s notorious seagulls. There was just so much great material to play with and get my teeth into. Somehow, that strip resonated with me very well and I think (I hope!) it showed…

Anna’s art for page 2 of the Future Shock, Goodbye to Zane –
from 2000 AD Prog 2231, written by John Tomlinson
Anna’s art for page 3 of the Future Shock, Goodbye to Zane –
from 2000 AD Prog 2231, written by John Tomlinson

Going slightly out of order here, we have another tale penned by John Tomlinson. Was this a case of John requesting you or wanting to work with you again – as it was with David Baillie?

AM: I got in touch with John following our first collaboration; we had a friendly email exchange. Later on, following the Foreclosure completion, John told me that he actually asked Tharg if I could illustrate it. Because John himself used to be performing Tharg’s duties, this was a huge compliment – I could not ask for more.

Just like Goodbye to Zane, Foreclosure was a natural fit for me. It was also a very different script in the sense, that, the whole story unravels around a single character, pretty much in the same location, her flat… very much different from Zane’s tale, but so fascinating to draw too!

This is one where you got to show off a very natural style, as it was one that doesn’t, at least not at first, have any sci-fi of futuristic trappings. But the style is still all there, the expressions and the experimentation in panel forms – and again, a note on the clothing, you have a very obvious ability to dress, to drape, to clothe them in a way that can be natural, dynamic, sensual, attractive – is this an aspect of the art that you have a particular interest in or just one that came naturally to you?

AM: I think it is rather natural, as I do enjoy drawing motion; I like flowing, continuous lines. In a way, I like when there is ‘air’ to the art; when the pages ‘breathe’ in a sense. That is partially a reason why I love drawing hair and draping so much, as they can illustrate that sense of motion in such a natural way.

Again, you’re back in black and white here – do you have a preference for your work at all, black and white or colour? Is there any thought of doing your own colour work at all in your strips? Or are you content to leave that to the colourists?

AM: Well, I prefer doing work in black-and-white when it comes to sequential storytelling. If I have an opportunity to, I also prefer doing my own colours rather than this being delegated to a professional colourist. Sometimes, having a colourist on a job is a requirement set by a client, then it is really out of my hands. For Lowborn High, for instance, I did ask to do my own colours, which allowed me to do more precise world-building.

Anna’s art, page 3 from Foreclosure, the Terror Tale written by John Tomlinson –
from 2000 AD Prog 2269
Anna’s art, page 4 from Foreclosure, the Terror Tale written by John Tomlinson –
from 2000 AD Prog 2269

In the middle of those two pieces with John Tomlinson came the 2021 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special – this time with a character that absolutely seems perfectly suited to you – Judge Anderson. Following in the footsteps of some amzing artists and their interpretations of Anderson – Brian Bolland, Arthur Ranson, Mick Austin et al, you were obviously well aware of the step-up in terms of dealing with the character when I interviewed you about the strip in the Sci-Fi Special 2021, saying this…

‘I must admit, it feels quite nice to join the ranks of those lucky art-droids trusted to interpret this legendary character. I only hope that I did Anderson in particular, and Psi-Division in general, justice with the way I visualised their appearances and skills.’

It was part of the bigger storyline of the Sci-Fi special, masterminded by Mike Carroll and Maura McHugh, dealing with an eco-catastrophe affecting Dredd’s world.

In the Anderson strip, your art really did seem to take a huge step forward, there was a litheness and natural flow to Anderson here, again we’re possibly harking back to the sinuous line from old from the Spanish artists who used to fill the pages of the Brit ‘Girls’ comics. And you talked of a more abstract sense of storytelling in your art, with the psi-powers ‘influencing the flow of what takes place in the strip, which in turn allows me to be more fluent and experimental with brush strokes.’

Can you expand on that? How the concept of Anderson influenced the way you told this story?

AM: The supernatural, psychic abilities of Psi-Judges, and Anderson in particular, are truly a great area for experimentation, playfulness and flair. If I were to draw her again, I would certainly put a greater focus on such an aspect and would be even more experimental with page layouts and technical approaches. Again, it is that fluidity and the sense of motion and ‘air’ in the work that the specific character allows a potential for.

Your art here just flowed beautifully – there’s a moment on page 2 where your artwork flows so smoothly, going from panel one to panel three using the device of transitioning from the wheel of Anderson‘s Lawmaster to her hair, whilst also then using Anderson’s profile to create an artificial panel border between panel two and three.

AM: This is probably my favourite moment in this strip. Again, I wish I allowed myself to do more of something like that.

Anna’s pencils for page 2 of the Judge Anderson tale, All Will Be Judged –
from the 2021 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special, written by Maura McHugh, July 2021
Anna’s finished art, plus lettering, pencils for page 2 of the Judge Anderson tale, All Will Be Judged –
from the 2021 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special, written by Maura McHugh, July 2021
Anna’s finished art, plus letters, for page 8 of the Judge Anderson tale, All Will Be Judged –
from the 2021 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special, written by Maura McHugh, July 2021

That’s some of the fluency and experimentation you talked of, but it’s all the way through this Anderson strip. But obviously, that experimentation has to go hand-in-hand with clear storytelling. How do you measure how far to go with the experimentation?

AM: Clear storytelling should always be the main focus, I believe. I think the real ‘feeling’ of what is right and what is wrong comes with practice, and, unfortunately, some mistakes are unavoidable in the process. So far I have been mostly relying on my own sensibilities, and I hope that I have managed to keep a fair balance between artistic flow and functionality so far. 

But there was still the perennial artist’s problem rearing its ugly head when you talked of the Anderson strip – ‘I hope my style continues to evolve. It’s quite difficult for me to look at my own work from even a month ago – if it was me drawing the same thing now, in the present moment, it would already look different. Although I guess it’s one of the most common complaints amongst those who draw for a living or even as a hobby: never happy, always evolving, sometimes drifting and trying new styles and techniques, but, (fingers and pencils crossed!) still evolving.’

AM: Yes, the classic!

Is this something that you still feel or have you reached a point where you’re more accepting of earlier work and happy that your work naturally evolves?

AM: I do not particularly like looking at the work that is completed. It is not up to me to judge it, really, but I still do. It is difficult to assess your own evolvement, I suppose. This being said, I believe we have to be appreciative of our older works as without them, we would not be where we are now.

Now, I have to say that I think your artwork is an absolutely perfect fit for Anderson. How much would you like to do more with her?

AM: I very much do hope I will get a chance to draw more Anderson! I loved working on the character and I believe there is potential for some great visuals if I have an opportunity to do more.

Did you already have a love for the character? – it certainly seems so given the love you expressed for her.

AM: She is brilliant, and I am sure as I do more reading, I will fall in love with the character even more. Right now, I have Shamballa on my reading list.

Oh, definitely the place to really see the best of Anderson. Although it’s one that’s best read as presented in the Essential Judge Anderson: Shamballa. In that volume you get all the lead-in tales to Shamballa, and it’s those lead in tales that give such emotional depth to Anderson, explaining who she is, why she’s feeling the way she is. It also includes the heartbreaking, and yet magnificent, Judge Corey: Leviathan’s Farewell with art by Mick Austin.

Obviously Arthur Ranson was just incredible, but what past Anderson artists stand out for you?

AM: Brian Bolland, of course, the original creator of Cassandra’s appearance! I love Enrique Romero’s vision for her. David Roach does a brilliant job, undoubtedly. And, of course, Arthur Ranson, but I have only seen his beautiful art so far and not have read the actual comic just yet!

Oh, you’re in for a sublime treat there!

Four of Anna’s picks for favourite Anderson artists –
Top – Brian Bolland and, in his only 2000 AD work, Golem, 2000 AD Annual 1987, Enrique Badia Romero
Bottom – David Roach and, of course, Arthur Ranson

Now, we’re on to your biggest project with 2000 AD so far, Lowborn High, co-created with David Barnett and featuring in three 2000 AD Regened Progs with your artwork – 40 pages in total.

AM: It came about quite interestingly. The first episode was actually supposed to appear in the same Regened Prog with Viva Forever. The originally listed artist was none other than Philip Bond. I do not know why, but Philip couldn’t do it so, after submitting one of the jobs for 2000 AD (I am pretty sure that was the Foreclosure strip), I asked if there is anything else for me to do. Matt Smith had sent the first episode of Lowborn my way, and so this is how we are here.

Oh yes. In that Lowborn High interview we did, you included a wonderful cartoon you sent along to Tharg asking for more work… this one in fact…

Lowborn High is basically Grange Hill done Hogwart’s style, with the high born Androgeus Frost, surviving son of one of the most prestigious wizarding families, finding himself booted down to Lowborn High, a rundown inner-city comprehensive.

In those first three episodes, you’ve introduced so much, playing with the ideas of the wizarding school on an inner-city budget, the comraderie, the making new friends, the cliques to be found in any school, wizarding or not. Plus there’s a healthy dose of mystery about it all with the witch’s covens, the fate of the Frost family and real hints at something very nasty coming down the line.

AM: Indeed! Lowborn is full of surprises and events and, again, some great material to express yourself artistically: the elements of magic, character and creature design, world building… any artist working on it would certainly find something that would play to their strengths. To me, it was character design I particularly enjoyed.

Panel detail from the first Lowborn High, written by David Barnett,
2000 AD Regened Prog 2280, May 2022

So, given the fact that you got this one after Philip had to bow out, this first Lowborn High wasn’t really something that you and David could cooperate on, given the timescale of it?

AM: Nope, I believe David would see the final pages as soon as they got published, and then we got in touch to introduce ourselves to one another.

However, we have David on record as being ‘over the moon’ with Tharg’s choice, with him going on to say this – ‘I can’t praise her work highly enough. And it is just perfect for Lowborn High — there’s that almost ethereal quality to the Wychdusk scenes combined with some real down and dirty Lowborn High stuff. It’s the perfect combination and Anna is the perfect artist for this strip.’

AM: Isn’t it incredible when a writer likes the art? As an artist, I just could not ask for more. A happy collaboration is a major contributor to a stable nervous system.

So, can you go into a bit of detail here about the visual decisions you went through in designing the look and feel of Lowborn High?

AM: Keeping in mind the level of expectation (maybe only in my mind, though!) for the first episode, I really wanted it to be appealing in general – not necessarily JUST to the target audience.

It is interesting how some readers had previously described this strip as manga. Yes, there are some elements ‘borrowed’ from Manga, but it is, ultimately, quite far visually from what we would call anime or manga aesthetic. I did want the strip to look quite cartoony though; that is true, especially knowing that Philip was originally planned for the art. So, to me, this was a great playground: I tried to keep the art ‘mine’, but also introduced more cartoonified aesthetics there.

A little of Wychdusk – from the first Lowborn High, written by David Barnett,
2000 AD Regened Prog 2280, May 2022

You’ve talked about keeping the visual look modern, casual, humble for the Lowborn High kids and over the top for Wychdusk’s kids and teachers. But still avoiding the ‘clichéd ‘dusty’ aesthetic of sorcery realms.’

AM: True. Even though we do not see much of Wychdusk in those following episodes I did work on.

You had no knowledge of Grange Hill when you started with the strip, did you? Have you properly immersed yourself in the strange world of 70s and 80s kids TV now?

AM: I have heard of it, yes. I also quite like the fact that the opening sequence in the series had been stylized as comics! Though have I had an opportunity to investigate the TV show more in-depth? I am afraid not, unfortunately. It simply comes down to time.

A little of Wychdusk – from the first Lowborn High, written by David Barnett,
2000 AD Regened Prog 2280, May 2022

Now, the most recent Lowborn High episode in 2000 AD Regened Prog 2325, another 20 pages, was missing you on the artwork, with Mike Walters on art this time.

AM: Indeed. As far as I know, Mike will be on the art duties for Lowborn instead of me, at least for just now. I had to step back from the strip due to other work arrangements. I believe I had given the story enough building blocks for further construction to continue even without my involvement, at least for now. 

Mike Walters is the winner of the Thought Bubble 2022 competition for 2000 AD‘s new talent entries. I was amongst three judges (the other two were the incredible Steve Yeowell and Liana Kangas) who had selected his work, and I am pleased to see he has taken over Lowborn. I think it may be appropriate to joke that I had pretty much found my own replacement in this case!

Magic on the sports field – from Lowborn High: Good Sport, written by David Barnett,
2000 AD Regened Prog 2288, June 2022

And will there be more Lowborn High work from you in the future?

AM: Time will tell!

One good bit of news with Lowborn High is that you’re going to be able to get your hands on the collection of the first load of strips in 2024.

AM: Very true. I have recently submitted a cover for the collection; so please keep your eyes on the relevant updates!

In between the Lowborn High episodes, you and Alan Hebden worked together on acreator-owned project, Pandora, in which you did one of the covers and co-created the strip Star Nav.

What was the attraction of moving into something creator-owned for you?

AM: This job was truly for fun. I have several friends who are huge Alan Hebden fans, so when I received an offer from The77 to illustrate his script, of course, I just could not say no.

And can you give us all the run-down on both Pandora and Star-Nav?

AM: Star-Nav appeared as an episode along with other creator-owned strips in the Pandora anthology, published by The77 through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. It’s a sci-fi loaded space opera type of a story telling an adventure of girl of one of the rarest talents: navigating starships across galaxies.

It’s a massive bit of sci-fi where you seem to have turned up your artwork to 11 for the storyline.

AM: It was a great strip for doing something quite different, so I went for some stylistic experimentation and decided to go even more cartoony than usual. The art for Star-Nav is generally over-exaggerated throughout the pages, I would say. It is far from reality and it is far from the more usual artistic routes of mine.

How have you found the experience of Pandora and smaller publishing?

AM: Smaller publishing comes with its territory. There are perks and downsides, for sure. I would now say that my expectations and vision of the campaign before agreeing to the job were very much in correlation with the outcomes, so I knew what I was getting into. It was a relatively small piece, a part of an anthology, so it was perfect for being a small side gig. I was not leading the crowdfunding campaign for the project, and I was very much happy with my role as a contributor and observer.

What are the plans for more issues of Pandora and more from Star Nav?

AM: There is potential for more Star-Nav, but I’ll hold off going into detail just now, as only time will tell how things will unravel.  

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Finally, looking at other works you’ve taken on, one of the fascinating ones is the job illustrating Tom Palmer’s Roy of the Rovers books – well, actually it’s Rocky of the Rovers in book 8, Game Changer, published in June 2022.

The rejuvenation of Roy of the Rovers, with both the Tom Palmer books and the Rob Williams written graphic novels, have seen plenty of incredibly talented artists – Ben Willsher, Lisa Henke, Dan Cornwell, Elkys Nova, not to mention David Sque, one of the classic Roy artists.

AM: Yes, a great company to be in indeed.  

What did it mean to you to be part of not just this great group of artists but also part of the history of one of the great characters in British comics?

AM: Well, the job had landed rather quite unexpectedly; the main reason was that one of the artists mentioned above had changes in their schedule, so I got parachuted to the rescue. I have been previously aware of the Roy of the Rovers universe, and yes, it was certainly exciting to be asked to contribute.

Were you a football fan already or was this all new to you?

AM: No no, football is not really my jam, to be honest. Though this being said, I had no problem drawing for a sports-oriented brief, as it is all about motion and action – something that I feel comfortable drawing.

Same with Roy of the Rovers – did you have an idea of the history and importance of the character and the strip before you took on the job?

AM: Yes, indeed, I was very much aware. People in my close circle are huge fans, so I have heard many, many things about the legendary strip and could even investigate the pages from the past – the ones by the great David Sque.

And of course, as this is Rocky of the Rovers, have you any interest in the womens’ game?

AM: Anything football related exists in the parallel universe to mine. Having said that, I hope Rocky is an inspiring character for the female players, both practising and aspiring ones.  

It’s a great thing that they’ve done, both Rob and Tom, bringing Rocky and the womens’ game into Roy of the Rovers lore, given the ever-increasing popularity of the game at every level for women and girls.

AM: Absolutely!

Looking at what you’ve done, I can see that there’s a real dynamism in there, much the same as Lisa Henke brought to things. Is there a particular stylistic shift involved in sports comics, to capture the action so well?

AM: I would not necessarily say that sports comics require a special approach to them. As I have previously mentioned, I do enjoy drawing dynamic sequences: body language, clothing, hair, etc… so no, I did not experience any particular difficulty with the job. The only thing I would say that comes to mind about the stylistic choices is that I tried to keep things quite cartoony, more in alliance with the cover by Elkys Nova and the approaches taken by the stellar cast of artists before myself.

And are you continuing with the series as it moves forwards?

AM: Happy to get involved again if asked!

Two of Anna’s illustrations for Rocky of the Rovers

Finally, nearly bringing us bang up to date with your work – Glarien: Short & Deadly, where you provided the art for Tavern Screams in the book that raised a huge amount on Kickstarter in March 2023.

AM: Yes, I have illustrated a 14-page long story called Tavern Screams that is a part of this hardcover collection. I did traditional pencils for this script, followed by digital inks that were coloured by the talented Fin Cramb.

It’s all part of the White Ash tales created by Charlie Stickney and Conor Hughes, and published by Scout Comics – where Stickney is co-publisher.

Again, how did you get involved here and what was the draw for you?

AM: Charlie discovered me. For this, I have to be grateful to the Pandora crowdfunding campaign that Charlie came across whilst roaming the waves of Kickstarter.

Art for Tavern Screams, part of the Glarien: Short & Deadly collection

That brings us to your thoughts on Kickstarter and crowdfunding – what do you think of the model, getting the comics and books direct to the fans?

AM: Having been a part of several campaigns by now, I would certainly consider launching a project of my own if things go accordingly to my plans (and that is never a given, let’s admit it).

The model allows a great degree of independence and room for creativity, for sure; though there are multiple risks associated with such an enterprise. Multiple things can go wrong both within the frames of an actual campaign – starting with financial aspects and finishing with delivery and distribution – as well as social aspects too. If the project is being launched in collaboration with someone, it is of crucial importance to find the team that a creator is on the same page with, ensuring a trustworthy, safe and fair environment. Gladly, I have been exceptionally lucky with all my collaborators so far, which makes one very happy creator. Charlie has been an absolutely stellar, incredible collaborator – the level of professionalism he tackles his project with is of the highest standards.

And has the experience of getting involved with such a successful worldwide project raised your profile?

AM: I would say this is the case yes, although I believe that there is more to come once the book is actually out and gets to its funders’ hands before hitting the direct market down the line.

More of Anna’s art for Tavern Screams, part of the Glarien: Short & Deadly collection

We’ve already talked a little about your style and the look of your work, but what strikes me is that you are able to turn your hand and your art to so many different genres – just within your 2000 AD work, we’ve had sci-fi, horror, drama, and of course the Regened work.

AM: It is necessary for artistic evolution, in my opinion. Yes, having a ‘signature thing’ is important, of course, though I prefer seeing that signature touch when it comes to the atmosphere, the vibe of the artwork, not a genre.

My sincere belief is that a good artist should be able to turn their hand to pretty much anything – which is evident if we look at the works of so many renowned masters of comics and graphic novels craft.

Is that one of the attractions for working at 2000 AD, the variety of works that are showcased in the Prog and the Megazine?

AM: That is definitely the case. The versatility of stories told and the talent involved is incredible, and, I would even go as far as to say that is an inalienable part of 2000 AD‘s core.

More of Anna’s impressive commissions – Tyranny Rex and those Brit-Cit Babes

One thing I wanted to explore with you is the thing you’ve said previously about your process. You’ve described in the past how you start by sketching the emotions and gestures of characters rather than work on thumbnails and layouts. This is a very different process to many artists I’ve talked to.

Can you expand on what you mean by that?

AM: Yes, we all have something that is uniquely ours. I think that with time, my drawing process has gained more structure to it, though still, I always start my work with the characters and their reaction to whatever is happening and then build up from that. To me, characters along with their emotions and reactions are the essence of a story.

Is it a case of constructing the page around the characters and their movements and then adding in the detail and the connections that flow from panel to panel?

AM: Indeed.

After this, what’s next in the process – do you then move to penciling and inking?

AM: Yes, tightening of pencils is the next step, followed by inks if applicable.

I don’t work just digitally. I often work in a mixed manner; for instance, I can do traditional pencils, scan the pages and ink digitally. The process can also be reversed: me starting with digital pencils and continuing with inking on paper. It really depends on a brief and timings of a given project. I tend to do colour work digitally, but I find it very enjoyable to paint traditionally too.

One issue that I know comes with digital work is the temptation to do, then re-do, and re-do, and re-do, never completely satisfied. Is there a trick you use to minimise this and at what stage do you finally declare a page done and finished?

AM: I think this problem tends to fade a bit with experience. It is something very intuitive to do, especially at the start of a career, but as time goes by, you learn to see the bigger picture. However, I believe such a habit does not go away completely with working digitally. Unless, of course, drawing software developers introduce a limited amount of re-dos in the workflow. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Have you been tempted at all to go to a traditional, pencil and ink on boards, method?

AM: I have, and we are getting there. Fingers crossed, if all goes well, I shall be able to introduce such a project in the relatively near future.

Another exclusive look at Anna’s work on The Spider,
from the upcoming three-issue SMASH! series, written by Paul Grist and out on 25 October

Finally, what have you been working on recently that we’re going to see from you in the near future?

AM: The first issue of the Smash! mini-series is out on October the 25th, 2023. This is an exciting collaboration involving myself as an interior artist on the first issue, Tom Foster as a prologue artist in the same book and the legendary Paul Grist as the writer!

I know that the great talent, Jimmy Broxton, is involved in the upcoming issues, so again, what a great company!

Most of the artwork for the issue on my part is completed traditionally: traditional pencils and inks, digital colours on top. There are a couple of pages in the mix that had to be mostly completed digitally though as I had to commit to some travel during the project completion and could not take my studio with me. I really loved working on this project and I hope readers will find it an enjoyable reading experience too!

There is more that I am not allowed to talk about yet, but I will soon, once the right time comes! It is always nice to have something quite secret to be working on to keep the intrigue going!

And finally, finally, if there was a dream job out there – what would that be and why?

AM: More Anderson, for sure! I believe there are exciting ways this character can be interpreted that I would like to illustrate. Maybe one day! Oh, and a Dredd script, of course – I have not drawn him yet, so this one is certainly on the list, so to speak.

And as if to prove her point, Anna sent over a little more Anderson artwork… a recent Anderson/Judge Death commission in the stages of her process…

A huge thanks to Anna for this, these Creator Profiles take an age to set up and answer and I’m sure you appreciate the time Anna took there!

We’ve spoken to Anna several times about her work in 2000 AD – firstly, she and David Baillie talk Viva Forever here. Then it’s Anna alone talking all things Judge Anderson here for her story in the 2021 Sci-Fi Special. And finally, we talked to Anna and David Barnett on the debut of Lowborn High here.

You can find more of Anna’s work online – Instagram, Twitter, and her website – so many really beautiful pieces of art for you to take in there!  

ANNA MOROZOVA – COMICS BIBLIOGRAPHY

Future Shocks: Juncture (April 2019) 2000 AD Prog 2128 – written by Andi Ewington.
Spellbound: I Don’t Want to Be A Witch (2019) – written by Georgia Standen Battle, Heritage Comics/DC Thomson.
Black Museum: The Osbidian Ingress (August 2020) Megazine 423 – written by David Baillie.
Viva Forever: 9 Amazing Tips (February 2021) 2000 AD Regened Prog 2220 – written by David Baillie.
Future Shocks: Goodbye To Zane (May 2021) 2000 AD Prog 2231 – written by John Tomlinson.
Judge Anderson: All Will Be Judged (July 2021) 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2021 – written by Maura McHugh.
Tharg’s Terror Tales: Foreclosure (February 2022) 2000 AD Prog 2269 – written by John Tomlinson.
Lowborn High (May 2022) 2000 AD Regened Prog 2280 – written by David Barnett.
Star-Nav (Summer 2022) Pandora #1 – written by Alan Hebden, The77 Publications.
Lowborn High: Good Sport (June 2022) 2000 AD Regened Prog 2288 – written by David Barnett.
Rocky of the Rovers: Game Changer (June 2022) – written by Tom Palmer, illustrations by Anna, Rebellion/The Treasury of British Comics.
Lowborn High: Old Familiars (March 2023) 2000 AD Regened Prog 2325 – written by David Barnett.
Glarien:Tavern Screams in Glarien: Short & Deadly (March 2023) – written by Charlie Stickney, Kickstarter/Scout Comics.
SMASH! Issue 1 (October 2023) – written by Paul Grist, Rebellion.
Lowborn High: Volume 1 (April 2024) – written by David Barnett, 2000 AD.

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Interview: All Aboard The Devil’s Railroad with Peter Milligan and Rufus Dayglo

Beginning in Prog 2352, The Devil’s Railroad by Peter Milligan and Rufus Dayglo is classic 2000 AD sci-fi, bringing you a politically charged sci-fi love story with a powerful take on the refugee crisis.

Set in the Year 3038, the series follows young couple Constance and Palamon, who’re living on Diaspora X-167, a planet right in the middle of a warzone. It’s no place to be young and in love. And it’s definitely no place to raise a family – because they’ve just found out Constance is pregnant.

Like so many faced with similar life-threatening situations, they choose to run, to evacuate, to seek sanctuary to protect the new life they’ve made. So they begin the dangerous journey from their home planet to get to Earth, where all Earth-born humanoid babies are granted citizenship with full Earth rights, giving their child a chance of a future.

But the only way they can get there is along the smuggling route known as The Devil’s Railroad…

It’s hard-hitting contemporary science-fiction that does what all great sci-fi does, shines a light on the social and political troubles we face right here and right now.

The Devil’s Railroad began on 4 October in 2000 AD Prog 2352 and episode 3 is in Prog 2354 – out right now!

Now, how about we have a chat to series creators, Peter Milligan and Rufus Dayglo?

Peter, Rufus, nice to be talking to you again and just as nice to see you in the pages of 2000 AD once more. Is it good to be back?

PETER MILLIGAN: This remains to be seen! But seriously, I’ve really enjoyed the work Rufus and I have done together for 2000 ADCounterfeit Girl is a real favourite of mine – and it’s great to see the next stage of our partnership.

RUFUS DAYGLO: Personally, I am really excited as this series is very close to my heart. It’s a real honour creating something new with Peter.

Let’s begin with the obvious, The Devil’s Railroad began in 2000 AD 2352. Can you both give us the lowdown on what to expect from the series?

PM: In short, it’s about refugees. It’s an often dark but always human story about that most basic and perhaps ancient of human impulses: the impulse to flee danger and seek out a better life for you and your family.  Our heroes take the so-called Devil’s Railroad that they hope will take them to Earth, and a better life.  It’s a harrowing journey through an unfriendly and sometimes bizarre universe.

As I write this, Suella Braverman has just made her ‘hurricane of mass migration” speech, so this story is obviously just as topical as when we created it.

RD: This is an all new story/series about a young couple escaping war on their planet… it’s a look at the dangers, difficulties, barriers and gangsters they have to face, and hopefully overcome. Peter has perfectly managed to balance the black humour and absurdities that people face to find safety and sanctuary.

How many episodes have we got to look forward to here?

PM: Oh, a lot.  An awful lot.

RD: There are 14 episodes, and I’ve drawn 3 covers for the Prog as well… so am excited to see these in print!

The two young lovers about to set off on The Devil’s Railroad – Constance and Palamon

In the first episode, we’re quickly introduced to Constance and Palamon and the situation they find themselves in – a war-torn planet, two young people in love, an unexpected pregnancy, a baby that they both know can’t be born into war, and a decision made to throw all their lives into danger by heading out onto the illegal people smuggling route of the Devil’s Railroad.

PM: Well, you’ve just pretty much given away what happens in the first issue. Thanks a bunch, Richard!

Hey, that first episode was out a couple of weeks back! Constance and Palamon have already moved on from there in episodes 2 & 3 so we’re okay to mention those plot points – anything else and it’s the wrath of Tharg for me (again!)

How did the story come about? Were you planning on working together again and this just popped into your collective heads? Was it Peter’s idea that seemed perfect for Rufus’ art?

PM: Often, I create and write the story and then we find an artist, but it was a bit different with Devil’s Railroad.  

We both wanted to work on something again and the theme of refugees seemed right. Rufus was living in Berlin at the time and witnessed some of the struggles of refugees there. I was seeing news items about refugees every day, as well as seeing the destruction of cities like Aleppo.

RD: The story actually started after I had finished up Counterfeit Girl with Peter. I was living in Berlin at the time, and a lot of Syrian refugees were arriving.  They were forced to live in hostels which they were kicked out of during the day, so I made some acquaintances with some amazing Syrian people all desperately wanting to work and be a part of this new society. They faced so much bigotry and it really affected me. I wanted to make something addressing why people leave their beloved homes to try and start again.

Talking to Peter, we both decided we’d like to work on a sci-fi series about refugees and so we then pitched it to Tharg Almighty at 2000 AD, who granted us a ration of stryofoam cups and pencils.

Since we started the project,  the subject matter has become even more important, especially in the UK and Europe.

PM: I think that 2000 AD has always been a place where stories that are satirical, political, or simply about the human condition can find a home, and I see The Devil’s Railroad as part of that fine tradition. I don’t want to give the impression this is all doom and gloom. There’s humour and weirdness in here too, as you’d expect from me and Rufus. 

One of Rufus’ intitial design pieces –
‘I only did a few character sketches before starting the series, and I wanted Palomon to have a prosthetic arm, and I built him a little unused back story. It helped me, as it made his cocky headstrongness make sense.’

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After that first episode, where will you be taking us? – I doubt it’s going to be plain sailing for the lovers, that would be far too simple!

PM: To say that The Devil’s Railroad is a  circuitous journey would be an understatement.  Palamon and Constance have to travel half-way across space…and there are some very strange people and things out there.

RD: Our young love birds are in for incredible strange times, and a very rough ride ahead. They will have to make friends and allies, and will face some very determined attention from people smugglers, animosity from other refugees, betrayal, hungry space worms, traverse perilous burning walkways and may have to literally sell their souls!

They are willing to risk absolutely everything for their unborn child to have a fresh start on Earth. They are under the misguided idea that they will be welcomed on Earth just as equals, as so many desperate refugees are discovering in real life from our abhorrent ‘Government’.

What’s the core idea in The Devil’s Railroad? The elevator pitch if you will?

PM: Elevator pitch? A better life might await two young lovers on Earth. But they have to go through hell to get there. 

RD: For me, This is a story about young love, and the head strong misguided attempts to protect each other at all costs from a hostile and extremely uncaring environment… in a desperate attempt to build a viable future for themselves.

Oh yes, the political aspect of it is just one part – the other thing we have in The Devil’s Railroad is a classic love story – alien boy and alien girl in love, having their baby in the worst of circumstances, desperately trying to find sanctuary, to find a new home. 

PM: Absolutely.  It’s a love story.  Romeo and Juliet, where Juliet’s pregnant, they’re both aliens — and the whole universe seems to be against them.

But the universal love story here both highlights the desperate situation that the lovers find themselves and also gives it another aspect. It really gives it that, for want of another word, ‘human’ touch.

PM: Couldn’t agree more.

There’s a beautiful moment in the first episode here, as the two are reunited in the rubble after a near-miss on the latest bombing raid to hit Diaspora X-167… the line ‘I want this baby to live, Palamon… and I want it to have a better life than this.’

In that one line, you get to the heart of everything that drives both the Devil’s Railroad and the reason for migrants/refugees to take such terrible risks to get to someplace that they think will be better.  

PM: It’s a heart-wrenching, universal, timeless story, what can I say?

As with any completely new series, there must have been an awful lot of preliminary work and world-building with Devil’s Railroad?

When you’re getting together on a strip, how does it come together and then how does the collaboration proceed?

PM: After we’d decided on the kind of story we wanted to explore, it’s usually down to me to do the heavy lifting for a bit, working out the story, the world, the characters. But very soon, Rufus works on character designs and we discuss those, and the whole look of the ‘world’ of the story is developed. Because Rufus and I are friends it much easier to throw ideas and comments back and forth.

RD: On Counterfeit Girl, Peter had written the series already, and I was offered the opportunity to illustrate it and I did my best to make it my own take on his scripts, to create a world. I designed the colours as well, as I wanted it to look nightmarish and garish, as all the other sci-fi strips at the time were coloured like Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner still.

With Devil’s Railroad, when Tharg gave us the green light, Peter wrote the scripts, and I would then design and draw the world(s), episode by episode. I was getting them script by script, so I just had to create stuff as I went along, freestyling it and panicking!

It was an emotional rollercoaster for my tiny brain. Peter always throws in crazy enormous ideas, and it is always an awesome and slightly terrifying challenge working out how to visualise things! Haha! What I love about Peter’s scripts is they will throw you from high drama to absurdity in a moment. The Hemingway of Comics!

More of Rufus’ design work for The Devil’s RailroadConstance and Palamon, our Romeo & Juliet
‘One mistake I ALWAYS make, is making my characterdesigns waaaaay too complicated. Why do I do this to myself?! It becomes very hard keeping track of all the gadgets and decorations, but I do my best.’

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Over the past few years and past few stories in 2000 ADBad Company, Counterfeit Girl, and now The Devil’s Railroad, you’ve really reflected the worst of society today in your comics.

PM: As I said, I always see 2000 AD as an arena where these kind of subjects can be explored, in a more or less serious or satirical way. I like to think the stories you mention do a lot more than just show the worst of society, though. I think in all of them, even, just about, Bad Company, there’s a feeling of hope or some kind of redemption.

Counterfeit Girl was all about identity and identity theft, whilst your Bad Company tales were a hard look at modern warfare & proxy warfare, politics, and the complex issue of freedom versus security.

And with The Devil’s Railroad, you’re obviously addressing the issues of the refugee crisis, immigration, belonging, and identity.

Is it just that you’re so energised by what you see in the news and all around you that it filters into your thinking for new work or is it a conscious mining of the now?

PM: You write about what affects you. Sometimes that can come from what you see or read about in the news, sometimes it’s a kind of story version of an ear-worm that won’t leave you alone. A feeling, a snatch of dialogue, an arena you want to explore. 

RD: I think for both Peter and I it’s a combination of both. We both are very aware of politics and its importance in our lives. Peter always managed to inject both humour and political dialogue into so many strips (hence why I was a huge Bad Company fan when I was a young reader). Peter’s writing was always a huge inspiration to me, as he balances the serious  with the absurd.

I have always been hugely aware of politics (my family was very political, trade unionists and socialists) and having travelled a lot, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of people, and a huge amount of displaced people. They aren’t just numbers on the news. Each has a very unique story.

More of Rufus’ character design work –
another study of Constance and one of (many bad guys from The Devil’s Railroad

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Of course, this is what all good sci-fi does so well, digging into the modern-day issues, mixing politics, social issues, and satire and then dressing them in futuristic concepts.

Would you say that it’s something that’s far easier to sell at 2000 AD, who’ve been doing that mix of sci-fi, political and societal issues, and a healthy dose of satire thrown in since the very beginning?

PM: I don’t know about easier to sell. But it’s true that because of its fine history 2000 AD probably lends itself to certain kinds of story.

RD: Absolutely! 2000 AD has a long history of addressing Political issues and history, from Cold War politics, feminism, to more personal  takes. It’s what comics do best. Comics’ history is a discourse about what is happening to US and our world.

2000 AD also offers a weekly format, so we can have short staccato episodes with cliff hangers…like old 1940s cinema adventures. It lends itself to these sorts of stories and adventures.

It’s important 2000 AD have new series too, as that was also one of its great strengths historically!

I wish there were more publishers open to doing politically orientated satire, but as most Comics companies are now owned by mega-corporations the last thing they want to do is challenge the status quo.

Now, the refugee focus that we see in The Devil’s Railroad here is particularly pertinent and polarising both worldwide and here in little UK, where each Home Secretary seems to seek to go further and further right-wing in their xenophobia and cruelty.

Was this something that you had specifically in mind as you were writing Devil’s Railroad or was it more that the global issue of refugees and asylum was fascinating?

PM: I’m not sure that the UK is in the only country that has a questionable – and getting more questionable by the day – attitude towards refugees. But to do a story particularly about UK Government policy – or, god forbid, the speeches of Suella Braverman – would be too narrow, too reductive. I’m more interested in getting into something a bit more universal. 

RD: For me it was about addressing the humanity of all those that seek sanctuary.

We (the UK) failed terribly prior to the Second World War and in doing so condemned many European Jewish refugees to death. (There were huge diatribes in the British press about a plague of refugees and a huge amount of antisemitism, sound familiar??!)

Our present vile government is doing exactly the same thing and its actions are criminal and frankly, fascist. We need to have compassion, and also realise that through our country’s historical record we have helped create many of the dire situations now facing displaced peoples.

And what are your thoughts on the way things are going in the UK and the world as far as the refugee crisis?

RD: ‘The way the government treats refugees is very instructive because it shows you how they would treat the rest of us if they thought they could get away with it.’ As apparently Tony Benn once said.

We have a duty to care and help others. There are resources…but governments would rather divide us and convince us that someone fleeing war/starvation/natural disaster is our enemy.  They are not.

PM: It’s a mess and it’s horrible, it’s also very complex. Though the situation might be ameliorated by international action I’m not sure it’ll ever be ‘solved’.  Some people will always want to migrate to find a better life. Other people will try to exploit them. And other people will be worried that their already difficult lives will be made more difficult by refugees. 

As Kurt Vonnegut would have said:  So it goes.

The 2000 AD PR for The Devil’s Railroad describes it as ‘a deeply resonant and powerful exploration at what drives people to leave their homes and seek a better life for themselves and their families, The Devil’s Railroad is a politically-charged series which deals with themes of home, identity, immigration and belonging.’

Seems that about covers it, wouldn’t you say? The seeking of a better life for themselves and their families? That’s the crux of it all.

PM: And thus will it ever be.   

As with so many of the works you’ve done, there’s that line of humour running through that tempers what could have been a really dark and gloomy series. You’ve added a smile or two quite naturally, just the way it happens in life that we can still find comedy, even if it’s desperate comedy, in the worst of times.

PM: God, yes. I think in even the darkest of places there’s humor,  even the smiles are full of broken teeth and bleeding eyes.

Which of course, is something that 2000 AD has always done so well, mixing the drama, the darkness, the sci-fi, and throwing in a rich vein of comedy and absurdity to things. Your storytelling has always done that balancing act of being very, very dark but also being able to find some bit of ridiculousness or absurdity in the nightmares.

PM: And of course, we find that in our lives all the time.

As for a glorious examples of that moment of comedy in the terrible moments – it’s there in the dialogue between your two young lovers – where Palamon gets just that little carried away with his particular fatherly importance… ‘Out of all this death and destruction… I’ve created a new life!’ and the perfect response from Constance ‘Well Done,’ together with Rufus really nailing the look on his face...

Now, before I start asking Rufus about the art – Peter, you’ve presumably seen what Rufus has produced for the Devil’s Railroad? What are your thoughts?

PM: Rufus’ wild art perfectly brings out both the alien-ness of our heroes and also what might be called their ‘humanity’.  It seems to me that Rufus is a perfect 2000 AD artist, pulling off that difficult balancing act between dark drama, humour, and weirdness.

Rufus, when it comes to the visual side of things, how do you and Peter work?

RD: Peter is very trusting and really I just got on with drawing the series. One of the reasons I love 2000 AD is I have pretty much total freedom (working for US publishers the editorial teams often micro-manage your art and designs which, for me, really sucks the fun out of it). Matt Smith is very trusting and allows me to get on with making the series, I send it episode by episode and he approves it.

I am also in the lucky position of being the first reader of a new Peter Milligan series!! Haha! The 12-year-old me is doing a Snoopy happy dance.

Is it a case of working things through organically? Suggestions and visual ideas back and forth? Or is Peter the kind of writer content to describe and let you flesh out those visuals?

RD: Peter’s scripts are great as they are very barebones and basically descriptive of the action and location, which allows me to add and expand visually.

It’s up to me to make this grow into a visual world the reader will believe in. It’s the ideal set up. When writers give you hugely complicated scripts describing EVERYTHING, it’s very oppressive and often produces very poor results. Peter is a master of his craft, and trusts his co-creator to do their thing.

When I first saw that first episode, I was struck by a few things – firstly, most obviously, it has a very Rufus look. Of course it does, it would be wrong if it didn’t. But compared to the eye-popping exaggeration of Counterfeit Girl, or the insanity expressed in the art of Bad Company, it’s toned down a little here. 

RD: Trust me…it will get a LOT more insane!!  The first episode is to lull you into a false sense of security haha!

It will rollercoaster out from here once they get off planet! Our young couple face many, many challenges ahead, and will meet some incredibly unsavoury characters!!!

I needed the first part to be very clear, as it’s our introduction, so it’s more straight forward, but as the story progresses it really gets very complicated and more than a bit weird with a lot of extremely strange characters and places!

A sneaky sneak peek at a page from episode 2 in 2000 AD Prog 2353 this week.
And just maybe some of those European stylings coming through in Rufus’ work?

Secondly, it struck me as recognisably European. Maybe it’s because I recently re-read a number of them, maybe it’s the space setting, but I’m seeing an awful lot of Jean-Claude Mézières and Valerian & Laureline in your art, something I’d never connected to it before.

In the past, I’ve talked with you about the influences of the likes of Brett Ewins and Brendan McCarthy on your artwork and the way it informed your upbringing in comics, what you described in the past as ‘cheeky, playful madness, a psychedelic edge to everything.’ But seeing Devil’s Railroad and making that connection with Euro comics, is it something that’s influenced you at all over the years?

RD: I will have to google those guys, as I don’t know their work. Brett and Brendan were definitely my starting points as a young scribbler… not least because Brett often mentored me… but until recently I had not seen many European comics. (I now live in France, so am starting to learn more about Bande Desinnée!!)

Rufus, you won’t be disappointed – Valerian & Laureline is just a superb series.

Will we be getting an explanation at some point for Constance’s blue and pink facial features? And Palamon’s metal right arm? What’s the story with that?

PM: All will be revealed. But if there’s a message it’s that these weird features are pretty surface and beneath them are emotions, dreams, and desires not so very different from our own.

RD: I gave Palomon a prosthetic arm as I wanted it to be a visual reminder of why they are leaving. It’s dangerous where they are. Everything is getting destroyed, and it’s only a matter of time before they are added to the body count. There is no story per se behind it (although I actually wrote notes of one for myself)  It’s a visual metaphor.

I wanted Constance and other women from their planet to have very specific styles of dress and make up/tattooing that marks out their cultures, much like Berber/Amazigh culture in North Africa (My wife is part Algerian French, and we both love the tattoos and facial makeup of their culture, and it definitely influenced my thinking.)  That’s why Palomon has a little space Fez too!

Space Fez!

And of course, while we’re talking art, we should also be mentioning the colours here, provided by Jose Villarrubia. First of all, how did you get one of the premier US colourists involved?

RD: That was all thanks to Tharg! Peter and I have worked with Jose a few times at Vertigo on short stories! When Matt Smith told me that Jose was colouring it I freaked out! I am excited to see it myself, as I haven’t seen any of the coloured art yet! (I’ve just seen the first episode, and I love it!)

And second, what is it, do you think, that he brings to the strip?

RD: Well…he is brilliant!! I still can’t believe I am working with Peter, Jose and Jim… it’s a dream team (for me!!)

In previous strips, with Dom Regan on colours, you talked of the collaborative process between artist and colourist to get a finished page that all felt happy with. Was it the same with Jose?

RD: With Jose, I initially sent some colour notes, but I really haven’t communicated with him at all! I can’t wait to see what he has done.

With Dom, we are mates, so we would talk extensively, and collaborate. I love his crazy style. I hope we can work together again soon!

Rufus’ art for pages 1 and 2 of episode 1 of The Devil’s Railroad – Prog 2352
All that lovely painted acrylic ink tone!

Rufus, can you both take us through your processes in putting together the pages? Is it one very similar to your previous work?

RD: I thumbnail out the whole episode before starting any actual finished pages.

I then rough them out in pencil, ink, and then I painted tones on them with Acrylic ink! That’s always a bit nerve wracking, because if you bugger it up… you have to redraw the whole page! About halfway through the series I switched to digital paint for the tones… as I was having trouble with the paper bleeding the ink lines! It actually takes me longer digitally! So much for technology!!!

Now, as far as the future of The Devil’s Railroad, we’re seeing what is the first stage of Constance and Palamon’s trip to Earth begin here – it’s referred to as that when we join them on the mineral transporter.

So I assume you’ve written and drawn it with the intent and the hope that we’ll be seeing a second series (or more – hey, it’s always good to hope!)?

PM: To paraphrase Beckett (by way of Saint Augustine) Do not despair, one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume (or assume) one of the thieves was damned.  

RD: Oh don’t you worry, they get to Earth!!! As I mentioned earlier, they are under the misconception they will be welcomed. Earth is just as problematic as the journey was for them!

This series has a proper beginning, middle, and end…  but that’s not to say that everything gets wrapped up the way anyone wants things……

In fact, a story structured like this could really run as long as either you or Tharg want it to – each series bringing the pair that much closer as the next stage of their journey is undertaken.

RD: You’ve been watching too much Battlestar Galactica haha!

And more of that painted acrylic ink tone from page 3 and 4 – looks great, nervewracking for Rufus!
Episode 1 of The Devil’s Railroad – Prog 2352

Any word from Tharg yet on the possibilities of renewal for a second season?

PM: Let’s have the first season run first and see how everyone feels.

RD: Right now, I am just thankful to have finished this. When is started, I moved from the UK to France, got stuck in 3 huge lockdowns (they were very serious here, and I got stuck without all my stuff), then have been trying to renovate a derelict 200-year-old shop all by myself with my wife (with no plumbing or electricity) into a home while drawing a series.

To say Tharg has been patient would be an understatement. But I now have a home, my stuff, and even electricity!

And as for the future for both of you, what’s coming up from you next after Devil’s Railroad?

PM: I have a few projects at Vault, Mad Cave and Boom Studios.  More information coming soon.

RD: A total oil rejuve for a very tired Art droid. Then new comics!!!

Thank you so much to both Peter and Rufus for taking the time – always much appreciated!

Their new series, The Devil’s Railroad, began in 2000 AD Prog 2352 and continues, right now, in the Prog – get it from anywhere the Galaxy’s Greatest is sold, including the 2000 AD web shop.

We’ve talked with Peter and Rufus a couple of times before this about their work together, catching up with them in 2017 for Bad Company: Terrorists here and for Counterfeit Girl in 2019 here.

And their previous works together should be readily available – the dystopian cyberpunk of Counterfeit Girl, all identity theft, sentient diseases and fake news, is available in a collection. The two Bad Company series they’ve done together, First Casualties and Terrorists, can be found in Progs 1950-1961 and Progs 2061-2072. First Casualties is also available in a digital collection. And of course, you should all be picking up copies of The Complete Bad Company by Peter Milligan, Brett Ewins, Jim McCarthy, and Steve Dillon.

And now, before we go… the full size versions of those great Rufus designs and process pieces…

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Interview: Talking D’Art of Helium with D’Israeli.

Scorched Earth, The second series of Ian Edginton and D’Israeli’s magnificent retro sci-fi thriller Helium is up to episode 3 in the new 2000 AD Prog 2353, out this week – so time to have a chat to the D’emon Draftsman himself… D’israeli

They’re alive! But they’re in the Poison Belt and that’s full of dangers
and a whole new set of stunning colours from D’Israeli!
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 2, Prog 2352

Back in 2015, Edginton and D’Israeli introduced us to the incredible world of Helium in Progs 1934-1945. A tale of a world split in two after the Great War, with the toxic biological and chemical weapon fog known as the Poison Belt forcing those above to live on high ground and travel by air and those below it to live in huge terrariums to prevent a terrible and agonising death from the fog.

But, as we find out from episode 2 of Scorched Earth, Constable Hodge, her loyal deputy Sol, and the mysterious Professor Bloom are in that deadly, flesh-eating Poison Belt, having been shot from the skies at the end of the first series. We’ve already had huge revelations about Hodge and Sol and who they actually are and we’ve no doubt there will be many more as Scorched Earth continues!

We’ve already talked to writer Ian Edginton about Scorched Earth (you can find that interview here), but in the same way that you can’t have jelly without ice cream or gin without tonic, having Edginton without D’Israeli just wouldn’t be right.

So, without further ado… D’Israeli, aka Matt Brooker

Prof Bloom lays out just how deep in the chem/bio weapon doo-doo they all are.
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 2, Prog 2352

Matt, you and Ian go way, way back, first collaborating together at the start of both of your comics career with God’s Little Acre in 1990’s Revolver issue 2. Since then, there have been various Judge Dredd tales, the whole Scarlet Traces saga, LeviathanStickleback, and Helium here in 2000 AD, plus Kingdom of the WickedBatman: Bread and Circuses, Murder in the Rue Morgue, and Torchwood.

So, what is it that’s made the Edginton/D’Israeli partnership both successful and longstanding?

MB: It’s funny, we pretty much clicked from the start – even back as far as God’s Little Acre, I remember checking with Ian if I could add a couple of little tweaks to background details and he trusted me to get on with it. Kingdom of the Wicked cemented the relationship, but then we went about five years until we worked together on Batman: Bread and Circuses. At that point we’d really kind of melded – that two-issue Batman story was produced under phenomenal time pressure, so we basically scheduled things between us and bullied our DC editor, Jordan Gorfinkel, to approve the pages! He actually said to us, ‘You guys are a pain in the ass, but don’t stop what you’re doing, it’ll never get done otherwise.’

These days we’re pretty much like an old married couple – we’ll talk on the phone every couple of weeks and it’ll be five minutes of business followed by an hour shooting the breeze about old Doctor Who episodes, weird movies and Star Trek toys.

Sol has a way of finding trouble wherever he goes…
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 3, Prog 2353

Matt, when we’ve talked before, you’ve talked about the ‘oh shit’ page that Ian usually throws at you in the scripts. The big, complex, hell to draw page. Have you had one of those in Helium: Scorched Earth?

MB: There’s a couple: a big market scene at the end of episode 4 that required both an expansive view and an intimate perspective; working out the viewpoint for that was a bit of a nightmare and then there was a ton of story-relevant detail to generate.

There’s also a big double-page spread that presented the opposite problem – it features the flying aircraft carrier Bellerophon menacing a small settlement under the fugue. Because of the foggy environment I couldn’t hide behind lots of detail like usual, and instead had to rely on shapes and a use of colour and tone to suggest size, mass and menace. I’m still a bit nervous about that one.

Ah, you’ll be fine, don’t worry!

More of Sol’s experiences with the local flora and fauna of the Poison Belt…
David Attenborough, he’s not.
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 3, Prog 2353

Matt, with all of your art you have a look that permeates, something that’s absolutely unique to you. It’s always backed with a simplicity of the linework that builds to give life to wonderful ideas and results in spectacular scenes of invention – your fantasy is always fantastical, your sci-fi always stunning, and your horrific moments always enough to make the reader wince. And of course, there’s something of a sense of the absurd in your work, capturing the madness of what you’re putting on the page.

As far as the art on Helium is concerned, it’s a series that really did look like nothing else in the Prog when it first appeared. There was this tremendous lightness to it, perfect to show us the bright, beautiful skies above the Belt.

MB: Glad to hear you say that, I really wanted to get a sense of cold, wintry, high-altitude light in the early episodes of series one.

That ‘cold, wintry, high-altitude light’ that Matt talks of (and a little bit of Stop The Pigeon as well!)
From Helium series 1

Helium the first time round was full of all this. The visuals are suitably spectacular and alien, full of a retro-chic tech thing, all of those wonderful designs for the aircraft adding a really strong visual sense to it all.

When you and Ian sit down to talk about things, is it a case of you then going away and coming up with the designs?

MB: We’ll often talk in general terms about stuff it would be cool to do or have in a new project, but generally speaking I get the design cues from Ian’s scripts. He’s a real maven for old and obscure aircraft – I think every airplane that appears in Helium really existed, at least as a prototype. That means I’m usually working from photos, or for stuff that appears enough times, I’ll buy or make 3D models to work from.

For the more fantastical stuff, like the carrier Bellerophon, Ian will usually give me a design cue that mixes two existing things; if I remember rightly, the description for the Bellerophon was something like ‘imagine the dreadnaught from Laputa made out of the same struts and scaffolding as the starship Cygnus from The Black Hole.’

It’s one thing the writer saying ‘imagine the dreadnaught from Laputa made out of the same struts and scaffolding as the starship Cygnus from The Black Hole,’ it’s quite another thing making it come to life so well as this.
From Helium series 1, art by D’Israeli

So, what was the thinking with this very different look to Helium?

MB: We’re generally going with a ‘30s/40s retro vibe, with added elements derived from the demands of the environments. So I added quite a few elements from fishing villages in the North of England and Scotland to the New Castle sequences – thick stone walls, lots of heavy knitwear since they’re living at altitude. They all have jumpers with a family pattern on them so the bodies can be identified if they fall into the fugue – if you look carefully at the classroom scene in Series 1, Part 1, you’ll see that similar-looking kids (siblings) all wear the same pattern.

And of course, I went back, and yes, it’s there… all those little artistic touches that escape you the first time round…

One thing that always comes out when I look at Helium is the colours you’ve used. It’s something that’s recognisable through all your colour work in 2000 AD, almost giving us a completely new palette to view, but Helium really seems to have turned it up a notch – filling the skys with all that vivid blue and both the Belt and the depths below with choking, toxic greens and purples.

Was this something you’d thought about when considering how to do Helium or something that came out in the making of each page?

MB: I think again it flows from the environments within the story – Ian had described the oily, poisonous clouds of the fugue and the luminous, coral-like jungles under the fugue, but I turned it up to 11.

In series 2, between the noodly detail of the corals and the elaborate colouring, I really made a rod for my own back!

Yep, the noodly stuff and the colouring, enough to drive an artist mad
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 3, 2000 AD 2353

Matt, time to talk process with Helium. And it strikes me there’s plenty to talk about given the long gap between series and how your work has changed in the interim.

MB: Working in colour is a particular problem – I think black & white offers more opportunities to go wild stylistically, so I do worry about just repeating myself.

By the end of Scarlet Traces I was getting a bit burned out – I’d done Home Front and Storm Front in a pseudo-John M. Burns/Gerry Haylock style with big areas of flat colour in the shadows, which matched the ’60s setting but started to feel a bit limiting by the end of the second series. The epilogue, set in the 1980’s, was done in a Bilal-inspired style that I’m not sure I pulled off, I think it ended up looking over-faffy.

I was feeling a bit disgruntled with my work (voicing that on Instagram sounded worse than it was and caused a bit of a panic on Instagram – sorry to everyone who was concerned, your support was appreciated), so I looked over the old pages of Helium for a bit of inspiration and realised I much preferred the simpler, straightforward approach I’d taken back then.

Perfect advice from Prof Bloom there –
especially when you see what dangers await at the end of episode 3!
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 3, Prog 2353

Can you take us through the thought processes of creating the art for Helium versus creating the art for Helium: Scorched Earth?

MB: Basically, I was using the old Helium pages as a template for the new material, so actually the idea was to try and recapture the relative simplicity of the 2015 material.

The main difference has been what’s available technically. I work digitally and the Cintiq pad I use today is considerably more responsive than the one I used eight years ago (though I still do use that 2011 Cintiq display that I drew series 1 on my office machine, I find myself drawing with more recent 13” stand-alone pad most of the time). The other big difference is I’ve invested heavily in organic-looking brushes for Clip Studio over the last couple of years, and with some tweaking of settings I’m much closer to capturing the look of my favourite brush pens and dip pens from the analogue days.

On the process side, I’ve developed a new colouring system where I flat-colour everything, then produce multiple copies of the colouring on different layers, with different tints and shades applied to create highlight and shadow tones. I can then use a feature called a layer mask to hide all but one layer, and then paint back in parts of the other layers to create highlights and shadows. This lets me think purely about light and shade, while still producing a full-colour image.

Right then, and as we’re talking process, Matt sent through a panel from a future episode to talk us through just how the magic is done…

MB: The first step is to get a script from Tharg-in-residence Matt Smith – that’s emailed, so I print it out and mark it up with the number of panels per page, underlining any key points I’ll need to pay attention to. I’ll re-read the script a couple of times, drawing in little diagrams for possible arrangements of panels on each page.

1) Roughs

I used to do preliminary thumbnails in a little sketchbook, but for years now I’ve worked entirely digitally. I open up a page file in Clip Studio Paint – I have my own set up with the right page size and a vast stack of layers. For each part of the process outlined below, there’ll be at least three layers to allow me to treat foreground, midground and background separately. I rough in stick figures and rough indications of backgrounds using a very broad brush to prevent me adding any detail – this is about setting up the broad strokes of composition only.

I also add temporary lettering so that I can be sure there’ll be room for all the dialogue and captions – this way I know there’s definitely one possible way to letter the page. (Dialogue blurred out to avoid spoilers)

2) Rough Pencils

Here I use a finer pencil to block in the shapes of the figure and background. I’m establishing correct anatomy and proportions at this stage. I use a perspective grid to guide the drawing and help it look 3D. Clip Studio lets you constrain your lines to the perspective axes, which is great for quickly blocking out the corner of the room, picture frame and bookshelf in the background.

3) Pencils

I follow the animator’s convention of rough pencilling in blue and final pencilling in red. At this stage I’m adding detail to the framework I built in the last stage, and locking down the expression on the face. Note that I don’t pencil the background – unless there’s something really finicky in the background, I usually just ink from the rough pencils.

4) Inks

I use a heavier brush to establish the outlines of the foreground character and a finer tip to add fine detail and draw in the background. These are pressure-sensitive brushes which give a fatter line if more pressure is applied to the stylus. They’re harder to control, but give a livelier line. Leaving a little gap around the figure helps to separate the background from the foreground.

5) Flat Colour

Added using the Paint Bucket tool on layers below the inking. I always rather like this simple, Tintin-style look, but an adventure strip requires something a bit more atmospheric. One day I’ll have the nerve to do finished work this minimalist.

6) Tints and shades

I collect the colouring layers into one and duplicate them multiple times, adding tints and shades for each level of highlight and shadow I’ll want to use. This grid shows the different variations. Some of them look very similar, but when they’re overlaid the differences become more apparent.

I use Layer Masks to hide each of these layers – I can then use any painting or drawing tool to selectively paint back in the different layers, creating highlights and shadows on a base layer.

7) Shading

Starting with a lightly-shaded base layer, I add a few darker shadows (face, scarf, back wall and right hand)

8) Uplighting

Mainly noticeable on the face and hand.

9) Sunlight

A shaft of bright sunlight pops the figure into 3D. The shading on the face is mostly the base colour showing through the bright highlights.

10) Highlight/Finished

A couple of bright highlights in white using a chalk brush help the figure to “pop.” Panel complete.

How has your art developed over the years? Have there been noticeable ‘periods’ that are recognisable to you in your artwork?

MB: Definitely. I try to distinguish each series I do in some small way. If you just keep repeating yourself, you end up with diminishing returns. I’m sometimes unsure if the differences are that noticeable to the reader, but they help me to stay fresh.

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The obvious ones would be Leviathan and Stickleback, each of which had their own distinct looks. Stickleback used a collage-based approach inspired by Argentinian artist Alberto Breccia to capture the grime and squalor of the Victorian slums. Lowlife went through a couple of phases, getting very chiaroscuro with lots of black and minimal outlines, then getting cleaner for a Manga-influenced look in the Hondo-Cit story.

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The Vort needed to have a fever-dream feel to it, so I left the pencils and rough pencils in the art to give the backgrounds a slightly ragged, defocussed feel. I was inspired by Nicola De Crecy and Ralph Steadman on that one.

Even more different styles of D’Israeli…
The Vort’s fever-dream feel

With Scarlet Traces, I’ve tried to reflect the era each story’s set in – The Great Game is Frank Hampson/Dan Dare, Cold War is Don Lawrence/Trigan Empire, and as I mentioned before, Home Front/Storm Front reflects John M Burns’ and Gerry Haylock’s work for Countdown.

And the different looks of Scarlet Traces – each reflecting the era the story is set in.
Top left – The Great Game, top right – Cold War, bottom – Storm Front

In each case I start with a strong inspiration from another artist, but very quickly the work takes on a life of its own and starts to go its own way.

Earlier in my career I’d have been worried about becoming too derivative, but after I passed the 15 year mark my habits were so well established that whatever I draw and however I draw it, it always looks like my work in the end.

Possibly my favourite bit of Helium: Scorched Earth so far…
swears, running, loads of D’Israeli colours!
From Helium: Scorched Earth Part 3, Prog 2353

Thanks to Matt/D’Israeli for answering our questions and in particular for taking us deep into the process of making Helium: Scorched Earth.

The series began in 2000 AD Prog 2351. It is absolutely, definitely, totally worth your while. Pick up copies wherever you can find Thrill Power, including the 2000 AD web shop.

And as for all the other zarjaz volumes of Edginton/D’Israeli greatness, can we suggest you pick up The Best of 2000 AD Volume 2 which contains the complete Leviathan, their epic tale of the awful curse that haunts a mile-long ocean liner trapped in limbo.

For more epic storytelling, there’s the Scarlet Traces saga, adapting and expanding hugely on HG Wells’ War of the Worlds. And after that, how about a little Victorian steampunk crime thriller whose lead character is hiding a huge secret? If the answer’s yes, then Stickleback  is a must.

Just some of the Edginton/D’Israeli library, some 33 years in the making!

Finally, for more chat from Ian and Matt, please be so kind as to peruse these interviews: Judge Dredd: Babel, interview with Ian and Matt, and Scarlet Traces: Storm Front, interview with Ian and Matt, and of course be sure to read Ian’s interview about this new series of Helium here as well! Plus, don’t miss both Ian and Matt talking on The Lockdown Tapes, And for more art talk from Matt, be sure to look up his Stickleback Covers Uncovered pieces for Prog 2204 and Prog 2208,

Now, a little treat for you before d’end… I uncovered my copies of Revolver and scanned in that very first Edginton and D’Israeli story from issue #2… God’s Little Acre from 1990…

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Interview: Exploring The Scorched Earth in Helium Series 2 with Ian Edginton

For the triumphant return of Edginton and D’Israeli’s Helium with Scorched Earth, beginning in 2000 AD 2351, some eight years after the first series left us with a huge cliffhanger, we talk to series writer and co-creator Ian Edginton.

It was all the way back in 2015 that those talented droids Ian Edginton and D’Israeli (Matt Brooker) delighted us with the 12-part series Helium in Progs 1934-1945.

It was a medley of fabulous things: a devastated nightmare world of post-Great War pollution, a thrilling adventure, loads of pulp action, incredible aerial battles, and full of fascinating characters and ideas. This was big sci-fi concept stuff done so well, each page a beauty to behold with D’Israeli seemingly rewriting the colour rules of comics to make pages pop so hard.

And it all ended with a cliffhanger, the heroes plunging to their certain doom into a toxic cloud of biological and chemical weapon smog that blankets this world. That final page promised us that ‘Helium will return…’

Well, it may have taken eight years, but finally, FINALLY, Edginton and D’Israeli are back with Helium series 2, Scorched Earth, kicking off in 2000 AD Prog 2351.

It’s been a long, long time and the fans of the series will be cheering its return. But what of the new readers about to be plunged into this technicolour delight of wonderfully different sci-fi?

Well, we figured we’d do you a double service here, not just interviewing the team behind Helium but also giving you the skinny on what you may have missed.

But first, a special gift from us to you – in the pages of 2000 AD Prog 2351, you can find a download code to get hold of the entire first series of Helium, perfect to catch up with this zarjaz series!

The cover to the downloadable Helium series 1 –
It’s yours free via the code inside Prog 2351

So, what have you missed in Helium series 1? Here’s a quick recap for you…

Set in the far future, the world of Helium takes place 300 years since the Great War ended, resulting in eighty-five per cent of the Earth’s surface lying underneath a vast gaseous ocean known as the Poison Belt — a toxic, mutated cocktail of biological and chemical weapons designed by both sides to win the war. Instead, it almost spelt extinction for the human race.

Life on Earth is either on the tops of the highest mountains or takes flight in the skies in all manner of airships. But something from below the Belt is shooting these ships down… meaning a grisly death for all on board…

In one of the little towns above the Belt, Foundling Hodge is a tenth-generation officer of the law, an adopted daughter discovered, as the name suggests, as a baby on the shores just above the Belt.  

Along with the strange and frightening Solace Grimsby, ‘Sol’ to Hodge, a ‘revenant’ according to some of the less inclusive towns-folk, she’s pulled into the investigation of the missing ships…

And then we meet Professor Pontius Bloom who pops up from under the Belt. He and Hodge are similar creatures it seems. It certainly explains Hodge’s pallid colouring and the green tint to her hair.

Prof Bloom is on the run from his own people below the Belt and the mutants living in it and claims to have discovered a way to restore the Earth to what it was…

All of this leads us to revelations about Hodge and who she really is, why she ended up on that shore above the Belt as a foundling, a glimpse into the dangerous world below the Belt, and a huge finale of aerial combat that ends with Hodge, Sol, and Bloom shot down, plunging into the Belt to their certain deaths… just like this…

Okay then, that was your recap… now, without further ado… Ian Edginton.

My first question to you, the obvious question to you, has to be – you left us with a thrilling cliffhanger… for eight years. Eight. Years. How could you?

IAN EDGINTON: We were busy doing other things. Life and other stuff happened. Matt and I did other series for 2000 AD both together and with others. I was busy writing several series for Iron Maiden and KISS, Matt drew a Witch Hunter series, part of the Hellboy universe, for Dark Horse. I got divorced. You know…stuff.

Now, I’ve given the readers something of a recap of the first series, but it’s always good to hear it from the horse’s mouth. So, what was that first series of Helium all about?

IE: Airships, mysteries and monsters. A plucky heroine, a Yorkshire cyborg, much daring-do and shenanigans. If you pick up Prog 2351 there’s a code that lets you download the entire first series. It’s all in there.

It is indeed – everyone, do yourself a favour, use the QR code, grab the collected first series of Helium. It’s a beaut of a comic.

So now, on to Helium: Scorched Earth…

Helium: Scorched Earth part 1 – it all opens with treason below the Poison Belt!
From 2000 AD Prog 2351

The first series ended, of course, with a cliffhanger – and when we last saw them, Hodge, Sol, and Bloom were plunging to seeming certain death into the Belt. So, unless Scorched Earth is either going to be really short or you’re introducing a whole new main cast, can you let us into the secret of what the readers can expect?

IE: They don’t die. We see more of their world and the extraordinary things it in.

Will we be finding out more about Hodge’s history and how important she is in the grande scheme of things?

IE: Yes. I’m going to be really cagey here and give next to nothing away! If you enjoyed the first series you’ll love the second!

Oh darn those writers and the whole wanting to leave it to the reader to discover!

More revolt and rebellion in Helium: Scorched Earth part 1
From 2000 AD Prog 2351

I’ve seen the first couple of episodes of Scorched Earth and you’ve gone in a different direction than I expected.

IE: Yes, it’s part of the job. If I’d gone in the direction you expected wouldn’t you be a wee bit disappointed?

Okay, okay, fair enough, you got me.

With that first series of Helium, what was the original idea that came to you? And what was the elevator pitch that you came up with?

IE: That World War One went on for decades. The Earth was covered in a miles deep toxic fog known as the Poison Belt that grew from all the chemical and biological weapons being used. Only those living on the high ground survived. All commerce and conflict is carried out using aircraft and airships but something from below The Poison Belt is shooting them down.

When I was thinking about all the different elements in the series, I came up with retro-futurist Steampunk pulp sci-fi adventure. Too much perhaps?

IE: Sounds about right. I’d lean more towards Dieselpunk than Steampunk though.

Solomon’s mission revealed – from Helium: Scorched Earth part 1, 2000 AD 2351

But it’s a strip that really did resonate with so many readers and one that’s been missed by us all. It’s one of the strips that readers always ask about – wanting to know when’s it coming back. What was it, do you think, that made that connection?

IE: You’d have to ask them. I just wanted to write a story about airships, mysteries and monsters. It has a very pulp feel to it, action and high adventure. I think in many ways it calls back to UK comics such as Lion and Valiant that I read as young tearaway, growing up with characters like Kellys Eye, Robot Archie and Adam Eterno.

Oh, it absolutely does have that pulp feel and the sense of old Brit comics to it – but what else is there in the essential DNA of Helium? Where does it pull inspiration from – what influences, literary and artistic, have fed into it?

IE: Old books. Old movies. Also, not-so-old books and not-so-old movies. There’s everything from Alexander Korda’s film adaptation of  HG Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come with its huge art deco aircraft to the Jules Verne novels Clipper of the Clouds and Master of the World, and the Vincent Price movie of the same name. There are also nods to Dastardly and Mutley in Stop The Pigeon and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.

Yes, yes, absolutely the Stop the Pigeon and Those Magnificent Men, that worked so well in the aerial battle scenes in the first series!

IE: There’s also the Miyazaki classics Porco Rosso and Laputa: The Castle in the Sky also heavily informed the look of the series. Then there’s Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,which I love, and a thousand pulp magazine and novel covers.

Prior to working on a project like this I put together a mood board of images that set up a visual feel for the series.

There’s a lot going on in Helium, a delightful mix of intrigue and a lot of lightness and good old adventure thrills. This was never a series that went down the grim and gritty route, instead its full of light, both in art and tone.

Was that a deliberate choice on both your parts or simply something that happened organically during the creative process?

IE: Yes and both! I wanted the story to zip along at a brisk pace. The atmosphere I was aiming for was along the lines of the Cohen Brothers film O Brother Where Art Thou? It’s breezy and fun but with some dark turns at times.

Another thing I realised when reading it again was just how cleverly youve done it. Its both tight and expansive, a very limited cast of characters for the reader yet youve managed to sell it to us as a huge world, ready-made.

Its a very simple tale at its heart, not trying to be too much, just a mystery of who were dealing with and the revelation of what lies under the Belt and Hodge’s secret past. But then youve both dressed it up in such wonderful pulp sci-fi finery, built a world for it, populated it with all that retro sci-fi and made it feel, almost effortlessly to the reader, that its a massive tale.

And I can’t help thinking that all that, plus the sense of adventure and sheer fun of it all is what made the strip so popular.

IE: I hope so. It’s not rocket science – hah!.  The goal was to try and recapture that feeling of wonder when I was a kid and watching Jason and The Argonauts or This Island Earth or even Star Wars (A New Hope of course) for the first time. We’ve become so cynical and over-analytical these days. Why can’t we like something just because it’s fun and it reminds us of a simpler and sometimes happier time?

One particular thing that everyone seems to remember are those great aerial scenes of Hodge et al flying those gorgeous blue skies.

IE: Again, that’s the Miyazaki influence. If you look at the backgrounds in his films they’re so sumptuous and expansive.

Ian, when I was reading Helium back in 2015, I made comment that you’re a writer that benefits, it seems to me, from a close artistic partnership, something that we’ve seen here in 2000 AD and beyond – with D’Israeli there’s been various Dredds, Scarlet Traces, Leviathan, Stickleback, and of course Helium in 2000 AD, plus Kingdom of the Wicked, Murder in the Rue Morgue, and Torchwood. Then there’s been Brass Sun for 2000 AD, and the great adaptations from SelfMadeHero; Dorian Grey, Princess of Mars, and Sherlock Holmes, all with INJ Culbard. And of course there’s 2000 AD‘s Red Seas with Steve Yeowell. 

Just a little of the Ian Edginton Library
Top – with D’Israeli – Leviathan, Stickleback, Scarlet Traces, Kingdom of the Wicked
Bottom – with INJ Culbard – Brass Sun, Dorian Gray, Sherlock Holmes – with Steve Yeowell – Red Seas

Do you find you’re naturally drawn to working with these guys and what are the benefits to you from working closely with a group of artists like this?

IE: Having a like mind, shared interests and life experiences goes a long way to informing a relationship with an artist. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some extraordinary talents. On the flip side there have been a couple who I didn’t really click with. Nothing egregious, it was more that they just didn’t get what I was after.

Indeed, your earliest comics work was God’s Little Acre with D’Israeli back in 1990 in Revolver issue 2. (Yes, that makes us all feel old.) That’s 23 years of collaboration, something you previously referred to as being ‘the Morecambe and Wise of comics.’

So, what is it about the Edginton/D’Israeli partnership that’s meant it’s been both successful and longstanding?

IE: Matt and I like working together because we share a similar mentality and mind set. We’re both around the same age, read and watched a lot of the same stuff, we’re only children raised by our mums.

There’s a sense of nostalgia, dry humour, warmth, and Britishness to what we do. I don’t mean a jingoistic nationalism but something more kind, civil, and understated. There’s as much Victoria Wood, Alan Bennett, and Coronation Street in what we do as there is Doctor Who, Space 1999, and Thunderbirds. Basically, we’re a couple of creaky, grumbly old blokes sitting on a park bench and talking about spaceships.

A very special treat for you – They’re alive!
Something from next week’s episode – Scorched Earth part 2from 2000 AD 2352

There’s also a thing in your work that tends towards the big high-concept stuff – usually big high-concept sci-fi and fantasy. It’s there in Leviathan, Brass Sun, Scarlet Traces, and obviously Helium.

There’s that sense of a huge world to build, a big idea, the inclusion of fantastical elements, a subversion of traditional sci-fi and fantasy, the steampunk-esque nature of a lot of what you do.

Is that something that’s always been there or is it simply a style of work that comes easiest to you?

IE: Building worlds appeals to the megalomanic in me! It’s not something I thought much about in the early days, I just used to like coming up with these big concepts and how cool they would be. Giant ocean liners, clockwork solar systems!

It’s only as I’ve got older that I realise that I like to set up these big, broad sweeping set pieces but then zoom in and focus on how they affect the lives of individual people. That’s where the story lies, not the extraordinary environments they live in.

Bloom, Sol, and Hodge, below the Belt and in way too deep!
More sneak peeks from the next episode!Scorched Earth part 2from 2000 AD 2352

Scarlet Traces may well be the defining strip of your careers, the thing most people know you for.

Back in 2022, we had the finale to Scarlet Traces with Storm Front, ending the long-running tale of the Human-Martian conflict.   And when I interviewed you last, there was talk of more to come, tales away from the main storyline. You talked of a tale ‘set back in the early days of Scarlet Traces, just after the demise of the Martian invasion force.’

So, how soon can we expect more?

IE: Funny you should ask! I am in the process of penning said prequel as we speak!

Whoop!

And then, speaking of missing in action strips there’s Brass Sun, with INJ Culbard. It’s not been quite as long away from the pages of the Galaxys Greatest as Helium, just the five years since the end of Engine Summer, the fifth storyline.

That was a storyline that ended with this – ‘To be continued in Brass Sun: Pavane… coming soon.’ Again, you have a strange idea of what soon means!

What’s taken so long with Brass Sun and is there any hope of seeing a new series at some point?

IE: It’s on my list and is creeping towards the top! As with Helium, life and other work have got in the way.

Life and work… they always get in the way!

A final glimpse into the next episode – the terror of Doctor Dyall!
Scorched Earth part 2from 2000 AD 2352

Okay then, time to wrap this one up – but not before we get to ask you what we have to look forward from you in the next however long? New work for 2000 AD? New work for other publishers?

IE: As I mentioned there’s the Scarlet Traces prequel that we’ll be working on next. There’s another series of Kingmaker in the works. More Fiends from myself and Mr Trevallion. I also have something coming out Stateside based on a console game that I can’t talk about!

And finally – of course, we wont be waiting long for Helium series 3, will we?

IE: Not quite so long but after the Scarlet Traces prequel, Matt and I have a new series set in 1950s L.A. that we are desperate to get cracking on!

Oooooh, now that’s a great place to leave it. Edginton and D’Israeli doing ‘50s L.A. – already sounds like a must-read! More on that in the future!

But as for the fact that Ian’s a little quiet on how long we’ll have to wait for Helium series 3, I’ll let Constable Hodge comment on that…

Thank you to Ian there for chatting with us about all things Helium. You can find the first part of the new series, Scorched Earth, in the pages of the new jumping-on Prog 2351, out right now wherever Thrill Power is sold, including the 2000 AD web shop.

And remember that there’s a QR code in all copies of Prog 2351 with a download link to the complete Helium volume 1. How the PR droids got that one past The Mighty One we’ll never know!

Now, you should, of course, be tracking down everything that the Edginton & D’Israeli droids have had in the pages of the Galaxy’s Greatest… Most recently, how about picking up The Best of 2000 AD Volume 2 which contains the complete Leviathan, a truly epic tale of a mile-long ship powered by hellfire and trapped by a terrible curse.

Then how about Stickleback? a steampunk crime thriller about the Victorian crime lord who’s harbouring a very big secret, one we discovered in the most recent series, New Jerusalem. And finally from Edginton/D’Israeli, there’s Scarlet Traces, the adaptation and expansion of War of the Worlds, telling their tale of Martian invasion and everything that comes after in a true sci-fi epic.

Finally, for more from both Ian and Matt, do be sure to dive into the interview archives… Fiends of the Eastern Front: 1812, interview with Ian and Dave Taylor, Fiends of the Eastern Front: 1963, interview with Ian, Judge Dredd: Babel, interview with Ian and Matt, and Scarlet Traces: Storm Front, interview with Ian and Matt. Plus, don’t miss both Ian and Matt talking on The Lockdown Tapes.

And finally, finally… the first couple of pages of Helium: Scorched Earth

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2000 AD Creator Files – Jake Lynch

2000 AD brings you the galaxy’s greatest stories and art in thrill-powered tales every single week – but who are the droids behind these tales? Well, each month, we’ll sit down with one of the creators who’ve been responsible for keeping the thrill-power set to maximum to get those answers – this is the 2000 AD Creator Files!

We’ll tell you more about the artists and writers who keep the Prog and the Judge Dredd Megazine a Thrill-full read! For over 45 years, 2000 AD has been bringing you the best new talent out there and now we’re talking to one of the breakthrough Judge Dredd artists of the last few years… Jake Lynch.

It might seem to many that Jake Lynch has been an art droid for the longest time. But he actually only really broke through into Tharg’s workshop for droids in 2014, so it’s been less than a decade giving us great art and establishing himself as one of those rarest of things, a modern-day great Dredd artist.

So, if you’re ready, strap yourselves in for another Creator Files – and this one’s a long one. Grab a drink of your choice and settle down for a while. It’s long, but it’s damn good reading.

Okay then, are you’re sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin…

Jake Lynch, welcome to the Creator Files. How are you?

JAKE LYNCH: I’m good thanks. A little nervous, this will be my first deep probing and I understand you to be very thorough Droid.

Let’s go right back to the beginning – where were you born, what was childhood like, and what did comics mean to you when you were young?

JL: I was born around London but we left when I was 4 and moved to the county of Norfolk, which I’ve always considered home despite what locals tell me. I’m a complete bumpkin.

The first part of my childhood was wonderful, though I think I may have been a bit of a weird kid and often wonder if I caused any concern. Very introverted and socially awkward (I hated crowds and noise) and, if I’m honest, a bit of a ‘mummy’s boy’. But that was fine, we lived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields, a river and trees. A very traditional upbringing I guess.  In those days, dads were for discipline and Mums were for everything else – I was very happy.

Sadly, that all changed on my 13th birthday when my mum died from breast cancer. She had been ill for a few years but unfortunately, in order to protect us children, we never knew how ill. A few years after that we had also lost our home. It was one of those turning points when you came to realise that all the ‘pillars’ of your world, the foundations you always considered ‘solid’, were really only ever a push away from collapsing inward. Which is exactly what I spent the next 10-15 years of my life doing.

So, a brilliant childhood and a bit of a shitty youth. I genuinely believe I was made stronger by it, but it took years of tempering to get there.

Jake, you have our sympathies for the loss of your mom at such a young age. It’s a horrible thing to happen to you or anyone. But let’s use this moment to remind anyone reading this to get yourselves checked regularly. And if you have a bit of spare change, support some cancer charities such as Cancer Research UK and Worldwide Cancer Research. Oh, and Fuck Cancer.

An example of the art that was to come –
Jake’s Dredd from a Vice Press/2000 AD print for the 40th anniversary of 2000 AD

What were you reading at an early age and where did it come from?

JL: I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged me to read comics too. My dad was a huge fan of things like Asterix, so we grew up reading them, also, assorted super-hero comics, Batman, Spider-Man, which I enjoyed but never sucked me in. Yes, MAD Magazine, Beano and the like. Our own first proper foray into comics was Look-In, all about the TV shows of the time.

I was 5 when the first Star Wars came out and it changed my life, but it was a number of years after that when my brother came home with our first copy of 2000 AD. It became an obsession of mine, keying into that Star Wars stuff that was flying about my brain. I simply didn’t know that such a thing existed.

Every weekend my brother and I would have to take turns over who would read it first. Once that drama was over, the Prog would disappear and we would have to find where dad had taken it. 2000 AD worked on so many levels – we were all reading it.

After all that awful stuff happened, we had become really quite poor*, but despite this, 2000 AD was the one thing my dad would make sure we had every week and with the whirlwind that seemed to constantly blow across our lives in those early days, it became a real rock for me. A ‘constant’ to disappear into every week. I think it did for a lot of people.

*I still have a photocopy of a cheque for £17.89 on my studio wall. My father, who had a rather dark sense of humour, made it back in the day. It was once all the money we had in the world and is a constant reminder to me about appreciating what you have.

And here’s that cheque, thanks to Jake for sending it over…

Well, I’ve used one of the few messages to Tharg that I’m allowed to send every year to check about this and he’s come back to tell me that your brother and especially your dad are both officially Krill Tro Thargo. Absolute stars the pair of them.

Okay then, so that was how you got into 2000 AD, but when was it? What Prog number if you remember?

JL: I think the first Prog would have been early 300’s. I think we caught the end of Trapper Hag then into Star Born Thing. I was hooked from the start, I think it was all the different stories. I remember great big connections being made in my brain when I understood a Time Twister or Future Shock, but Dredd was always king closely followed by Rogue Trooper and Strontium Dog.

The next few years were spent collecting everything we could get hold of, filling in the blanks of what had happened before.

A couple of the first Progs Jake ever saw – and damn fine ones as well!
Prog 307, the final Trapper Hag Dredd episode, cover by Steve Dillon
Prog 310, the first Starborn Thing episode, cover by Mick McMahon – not surprisingly one of Jake’s influences

And as an artist who I think we can all agree is very much one of the great modern Dredd artists, what was your introduction to Dredd? What particular tales made you a fan? What artists on Dredd really made you sit up and think that this was sheer brilliance?

JL: That’s incredibly kind of you. That’s not something I feel.

Of course you don’t – no art droid we’ve ever talked to thinks they’re any good. It just seems to be part of the artistic mindset!

JL: I love that I have a job that I constantly learn from and get to go on adventures with my childhood hero.

There are far too many artists to name and I fear I will miss a load out now. As a very young reader it was artists like Brian Bolland, Ron Smith, Dave Gibbons, Brett Ewins. Then my tastes grew into the likes of the mighty Mike McMahon, Kev O’Neill, Brendan McCarthy, Carlos Ezquerra. Soon the latter started overtaking the former for me. 2000 AD had always embraced different styles. Indeed, the freedom we are allowed works, I believe, as one of its many strengths. I’ve loved them all and still do. An extra special mention to Cam Kennedy too, who straddled both camps for me and whose artwork has always appeared effortlessly fluid.

I could keep just throwing out names here, but I won’t. You all know them already, you read them too!

Just some of the favourite artists from young and slightly older Jake –
Top row – Brian Bolland, Ron Smith, Brett Ewins
Bottom row – Kevin O’Neill, Carlos Ezquerra, Cam Kennedy

Were you an artist from a young age? What path did that take you on and were your parents encouraging of your talents?

JL: Apparently so but you don’t really think about it at the time. My Grandfather was both a painter and commercial artist. My mother was very creative. My father couldn’t draw for toffee but worked in advertising in the ’60s (a real ‘madman’) and I grew up being visited by loads of creative people.

I guess I never considered myself any good by comparison to all these people and their stories. But my parents were always encouraging, allowing me to do loads of 2000 AD-related murals on my bedroom walls. 

I had loads of teachers tell me I had some ability right from primary school, but when you are in it, you can’t see it yourself. I only knew I loved to draw.

On a side note, I ended up playing in a band with one of my old secondary school art teachers many years after leaving and we became good friends, even though it took me a long time to stop calling him Mr Lawson instead of just John. They could all play – I sucked and like to think I dragged them all down to my level.

If I’m right, you went on to art college to study media with the hopes of becoming a storyboard artist? Where did the inspiration for that come from and why did you not pursue a career in comics from this point?

JL: Wow, you have done your research! Is it you I hear in the bushes late at night?

Ooops, busted. But then again, if I don’t do my research, I’ll have Tharg to answer to!

JL: Yes, I studied Media. It was a very new course at the time and in retrospect was not the right one for me. I don’t think I knew what I wanted to be, but did know you were supposed to go on to college. Yes, storyboarding was something that interested me a great deal. Indeed, I have done a little since then and would always be keen to do more. I also didn’t know you could get a job in comics let alone how to go about it at the time!

Due to the earlier events, school/education was not a particularly happy time for me. I was a bit of a ‘grey-man’ just trying to get through it, hanging out in the background. I was obliged to change schools midway through secondary education and didn’t really come out of my shell so to speak.

More of the art yet to come from young Lynch –
An expanded version of Jake’s cover to 2000 AD Prog 2147 (2019)

JL: Similarly, with art I didn’t know what it was good for. The idea that you could have a job drawing pictures seemed so far out of reach to an introverted, grieving kid living in Norfolk. I ended up dropping out of college. Looking back, I truly wish I had stuck it out. I had been approached by the Fine Arts course leaders who had seen my life drawing and wanted me to transfer, but by then it was too late. There are too few times in life where you can purely pursue your interests and I just blew my opportunity.

My dad was NOT best pleased…

Suffice it to say, the upshot was (roll of thunder) I was going to have to get a job (‘ulp)!

Yep, this would be your ‘wilderness years’ where you were out of comics, out of art, and working other jobs to make money. Where did this take you?

JL: I’ve done loads of different jobs, my first proper one was making UPVC windows, then became a glazer for the same company. That company eventually closed down (possibly due to the low-quality glazing work and manufacture) and I took my redundancy and paid for a crash course driving test which I passed. Now no one was safe. I once crashed and totalled two cars in as many weeks.

My dad was not best pleased… again!

I lived in a village called Great Ryburgh then. And it had a Wine Rack Factory which was where I ended up next. This tiny place received the Queens Award for Export while I worked there. I remember this guy with more medals than chest presenting the award while we all drank really, really cheap wine that made the glands in my neck scream. I started on the line there and ended up a power press operator, running the machines that punched the metals. I think it may have closed down since then as, it turns out, the world only had need for so many wine racks (and possibly historic power press management issues).

From there it was onto Blockbuster Video in my local market town of Fakenham. Ah, Fakenham, once voted the most boring place to live in England. Local legend had it that it was named by the Romans as they were attempting to conquer the Iceni and Britain on the whole. The story goes that, as the Romans were passing by, they saw the locals scrabbling in the mud and said, ‘F*ck ‘em’, and the name stuck.

Looking back, Blockbuster was one of my favourite jobs. I’ve always loved film and I had loads of fun, I also met an extraordinary bloke called Kris Mallett who worked alongside me. If you remind me I’ll tell you a great story about this guy later.

Whatever happened to Blockbuster video? Oh yeah, sorry about that. This was the first large corporation I brought down with my reverse Midas touch.

Yes, I was going to mention that – you really did manage to bring down every company you worked for didn’t you?

More Lynch brilliance and the shape of things to come –
detail from the cover to 2000 AD Prog 2239 (2023)

JL: Dotted throughout this time were both short and long periods of labouring on building sites. My old gaffer was not someone you should have been downwind of first thing in the morning and on too many occasions I was caught in the hurricane when I was obliged to hold his ladder.

This building experience ended up with me in France. Labouring on renovation sites, which was one of the best times of my life. Living in tents or caravans, eating awesome food in the local restaurants or cooking great steaks over a fire. I remember getting so drunk with one of the locals in the pouring rain. We ended back at his place drinking his ‘moonshine’ Eau-Du-Vie and playing boules, getting drenched. I was so hungover the next day, we returned to the Bar Tabac, where we had started the previous night, for coffee. The barman was clearing up the slops from the night before and he put them in a glass in front of me as a joke. We laughed then people started crowding round me. Then the local Mayor came in and I was basically peer pressured by the village into drinking it.

It was time to leave. Though it appears that anywhere I have worked soon shuts down, at this point I should say that I am NOT responsible for Brexit. I bloody loved it over there and can’t believe where we are now.

I have done other stuff but perhaps I’ll table that for later as it’ll tie in with freelancing and falling flat on my face.

Were you drawing during this time or had you put down the pens and brushes for good at this point?

JL: I was drawing on and off during this time. I remember quite clearly, after dropping out of college, making a conscious decision to stop drawing, I just couldn’t see the point of it in the ‘real world’. But I came back to it during my Blockbuster years. I was actually pretty good before I stopped and picking it back up came with the realisation that I had forgotten everything. I think this was a real trend for me in my late teens and 20’s. I was still very broken over my mum and every birthday stung like a bitch. I think it did for all of my family – my father could never remember my birthday, he had just erased the whole date from memory, they were really effing awful times. 

Looking back it feels a little like I may have been self-sabotaging, but maybe I’ve over-thought it, but failing to move forward or commit was a real trend for me back then.

Though I still didn’t have much of a clue of how to get into comics the idea was becoming more and more appealing. I had access to a Fax Machine (!) and cheekily one night sent a fax to the ‘Nerve Centre’ with a very (VERY) dodgy Dredd pic on it. To my surprise I got a tryout Script in the post a few weeks later. It was the first clue about how to break in. This was during Dave Bishop’s tenure and is some indicator of how slowly the gears turn for me – the script was for Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future which was being produced to tie in with the Stallone Judge Dredd film, so guess that would have been around the mid ’90s and made me very early 20s

There came a point a few years later where I felt I had truly blown it and quit drawing (I thought) for good, but that’s another story…

CLASS OF ’79, HARRY HESTON, AND NEARLY GETTING THERE…

Class of ’79 #1 & 2 – covers by Rufus Dayglo

Now, we’re towards the end of the 1990s here and you’re back in comics with the Judge Dredd fanzine Class of ’79.

That first Class of ’79 fanzine came out in 1998? 1999? There’s no definitive date I can see online – Rufus Dayglo’s cover art is dated ’98. That was one of the first of the 2000 AD fanzines – Dogbreath, the Strontium Dog fanzine, came out in 1997. And I’m not sure if there were more that came out before that?

JL: I’m not sure either. I think we were the first, I seem to remember that being said at the time, but, like Rufus, I can’t really remember.  Perhaps it was the first Dredd Fanzine maybe? I do remember it being a great fun time though. I also did a cover for Dogbreath and a strip for Zarjaz many years later I think.

Class of ’79 was something that ended up being rather important in terms of the talent involved, many of whom would go on to feature at 2000 AD. Rufus Dayglo, Henry Flint, PJ Holden, Boo Cook, Gary Simpson, plus the late, much missed incendiary talent that was John Hicklenton – although he’d already been published in 2000 AD by then and was in the midst of his phenomenal Nemesis run at the time if I’m right. Similarly Henry had already had some work in 2000 AD at this stage.

And of course – you were there as well.

JL: Ha, yeah, very much in the background to these talents! But, yes, It does blow my mind how many came through and went on to 2000 AD from Class of ’79 in its VERY short run. Henry was already a mainstay but reached out to us to see if he could do something. Stew somehow talked him into drawing a strip.

Yes, Stew – Stewart Perkins, who put it all together and published the two A4 issues, writing as WR Logan. A lifelong 2000 AD fan, he later worked at the comic’s archives and served as an advisor to John Wagner on all things Dredd. And he’s of course immortalised by Wagner as Judge Logan – now Chief Judge Logan.

So, Class of ’79. How did you get involved and what work did you have in there?

JL: I met Stewart through mutual friend. Stew lived in Norfolk too, out Diss way. I mentioned that we were quite poor and that meant I couldn’t afford to go or stay at comic conventions, so my first meeting with Stew was him coming round my house and taking my portfolio to show on my behalf. I think he sort of took me under his wing.

Stew was ex-Army, very confident and friendly and me being a still quite introverted and insecure individual, we became good friends. He returned with tryouts from Wizards of the Coast and 2000 AD.

Stew and I were also involved with another Dredd Fanzine that he became increasingly frustrated with as he felt nothing was ever happening. He decided he would do it himself and dragged me along with him.

Grainne Forde, Rufus Dayglo and PJ Holden and myself became like the hub of it with Stewart at the head, driving it forward, it soon came together, pulling in so many others as it went.

One of Jake’s great images of Harry Heston from the Class of ’79 days

JL: Andy Diggle had become the assistant editor at 2000 AD at the time and he became a great supporter of us.

Stew and I met John Wagner at the same time at a very small convention (where escapes me). We kipped the night in Stew’s car and were chased off by a caretaker first thing in the morning, when John was guesting. I’ve only ever known John to be a really decent human being. I’ve read all the stories of his ‘straight talking’, but to me he was always incredibly supportive and was really pushing for me to get picked up by 2000 AD.

Were you in there as just a writer (JUST a writer – oh the script droids will love that one!) or did you have any art in there at that point?

JL: I did a lot of the promotional stuff, advertising posters, layout bits and questionnaire kind of things etc. When Rufus came in and stumped up half the print money, a lot of my stuff was dropped. I was going to do both of the covers originally for example. Not a criticism in the least. My art was not strong enough and Rufus’s was simply miles better, it was quite obvious that he was going on to greater things.

I was originally going to do the Harry Heston strip but I asked Stew to see if Henry would be up for it – you just don’t look a gift horse in the mouth!

Two more of Jake’s pieces for Class of ’79 –
before being replaced on Harry Heston by Henry Flint and on the cover by Rufus Dayglo!

Ah, yes, Harry Heston – the creation of you and Stewart, with Henry Flint on art – an ape judge that you’ve since managed to work into Dredd canon. We’ll get onto that in a moment.

What were the thoughts of those involved about the creation of the fanzine and the playing in the 2000 AD sandpit?

JL: Part of reaching out to Andy Diggle was to make sure that we could play in the sandpit in the first place and the legal wording stuff. That’s how Andy became one of our supporters. I think we sent him a questionnaire along with our enquiries so he could get a flavour of what we were trying for. The idea was it was a sort of Academy of Law application with joke questions as well as more pertinent ones. I remember there was a blank space that ‘Psi Division’ had supposedly imprinted a psychic image on, with a question of what you saw. Andy wrote that he saw ‘a dog with its head split open’, so we knew we were going to get along fine.

Part of the questionnaire sent to then 2000 AD editior Andy Diggle, who gave them his blessing

JL: The approach we were taking was to make ’79 a homage to 2000 AD. The Editor would be fictional – WR ‘Whitey’ LOGAN was the first perp Dredd arrested in Prog 2. This also meant we would need a ‘flagship’ character and that really stumped us for a very long time. Heston popped into my head, I’m proud to say, in the bath. I remember a massive grin spreading across my face and I called Stew and told him not to worry but didn’t tell him any more. 

We arranged to meet and I still wouldn’t tell him until we had a couple of pints, down one of his locals in the village of Scole.

The story I pitched was VERY different to the superior one that was printed, but we did agree on the character and we named him together – (Dirty) HARRY (Charlton) HESTON.

I think it may be worth mentioning the mighty Gary Simpson who was approached to write the scripts. They were great but Stew said he was obsessed with killing Harry at the end of each one and seemed to ignore any suggestion otherwise! Stew rewrote his first script and I rewrote the second. I don’t know about Stew, but I only lifted two lines from the second (sorry, Gary), but I had a plan that the next strip was going to be a riff on The Cursed Earth Dredd epic.

I wrote the third script but it sits on a hard drive somewhere these days. I remember it had a massive nod to the Burger Wars in it and cannibalism, with one of the crew realising what he had eaten and throwing up. The strip would end with Harry writing in his journal, ‘Sometimes the human race makes you sick’ – BOOM, BOOM (you’re welcome)!

After ’79 ended, I remember saying to Stewart that I would get Heston to crossover somehow. Bearing in mind that I had no foothold into that world I think Stew regarded me as a bit of a dreamer at the time and in truth, with no more ‘79 we were drifting apart.

Lynch’s Harry Heston from Class of ’79

With Class of ’79, were you doing this thinking it would be a way into 2000 AD as an art droid or was it simply another case of scratching that particular itch to make art?

JL: I think I was. John was rooting for me, and there seemed to be a sort of wave I was riding. I remember I did pencils on a tryout for the Dredd Sex Dolls script, before I knew Andy and he had picked me out of the pile and was pushing me to ink it up.

The problem was, deep down, I had a growing suspicion that I wasn’t very good. I could do a fair Dredd, but I felt I couldn’t do anything else. I think ultimately and after countless tryouts, Andy felt the same.

I remember receiving a large envelope from Andy some time later. There was no note inside just a few pieces of artwork that I had gifted him over time. The wave had crashed and I had wiped out. I knew the ride was over and I didn’t have a bloody clue what to do with the rest of my life – that was the next time I quit drawing.

No one to blame but myself and my inability to see things through again. But I will never forget that sickening feeling in my stomach as I opened that envelope as I walked back from the Post Office.

Oh bloody hell, Jake. You really did come through the hard way, didn’t you?

As far as Class of ’79 and the other great 2000 AD fanzines, including Dogbreath, Zarjaz, and others, what are your thoughts on them?

JL: I think they are great, ALL fanzines are. They are places to cut your teeth, meet like-minded people, and are just a lot of fun. I have no regrets other than losing contact with Stewart over the period after.

And how important is it that 2000 AD, both then and now, through various owners, have always seemed to have taken a hands-off approach to these works using their characters and properties?

JL: It would have been so easy, of course, for 2000 AD to simply say no, not allowed, not with our characters. Instead, over the years, they’ve allowed them to use the characters, even gently promoted them, seen them as something of a proving ground almost.

I think it’s very important to allow a degree of freedom. Imagine having a bunch of people who love something so much that they want to show the world and then telling them no.  As long as they are not taking the mick, why not, what’s to lose?

One of Jake’s numerous try-outs – this one sent from Andy Diggle, for the Judge Dredd: Sex Dolls script

THE 2000 TO 2012 YEARS – OUT OF ART, SORT OF…

But at some point you did come back to art – when was this and how did it happen? It was the odd bit of freelancing, wasn’t it?

JL: Well, as I mentioned, through my own ineptitude, I was cut loose with no idea what I was going to do. This started a long period of just sort of wandering about, cleaning work, bar work, and eventually I ended up in care work. I walked past a random care home one day and just walked in. With a bit of training, I took to it quite well and ended up becoming a Senior (running shifts and dispensing medicines sort of thing). Basically rich, private companies give you a couple of extra quid for a massive increase in responsibility. I don’t think I ever made a grand a month despite working full time. But slowly I started finding my feet and it looked like a new direction was opening up for me. 

At the same time I met a guy called Paul Bennett who was a local web designer and he ended up introducing me to Photoshop. This was a ‘lightbulb’ moment for me and started my journey back to art.

Also, Senioring also meant I met loads of other healthcare officials and I got a call one day from a district nurse asking me if I would consider applying for a community based palliative care team that was being put together. At the time I didn’t even know what that was, but I had moved on to a not so great care home so there was no stopping me.

Joining the NHS, after private health care, was a revelation to me and for the next 10 to 12 years I was all in. It was the final piece of my puzzle too. I grew up, I put all my old hang ups behind me and learned what seeing things through truly meant. I worked mainly under the district nursing teams (you should see me do a two layer leg bandage, get blood out of an arm or perform CPR), I also did a stint in psychiatrics with children with severe behavioural difficulties. But I didn’t really enjoy it. I found it too step backish whereas I was used to, by this time, pushing forwards. But my main role was in palliative care, supporting patients who chose to die at home and their families through to the other side of it. The DN’s would identify patients they felt were imminent and my team would go in. It was a great honour.

I also started becoming quite proficient with Photoshop and I started feeling that old urge…

It started slowly. My drawing was rubbish, completely blown, but I could manipulate pixels pretty well. Which led me down the path of small bits of graphic design, advertising leaflets, promotional bumf and even Christmas cards for local businesses. Every job was a reinforcing that I could finish things.

A couple of those commercial pieces from Jake – sometimes comics is not enough!

Was it simply the fact that making art was the itch you just had to scratch?

JL: Yes, certainly something was happening.  The drawing part of it grew sort of organically, having to do little touch-ups on these images as part of a job, blending stuff together.

And were there any thoughts at this point of making comics?

No, not really, I was sort of finding my place and comics were not part of that. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I have a 10 year period of not reading 2000 AD, it wasn’t part of the plan anymore. I was spreading my wings though. I can’t remember which website I used, but you could pick up storyboarding work. Sometimes paid but often not, the work was for producers to secure funding. This semi-professional period saw me getting ripped off left, right and centre, but you do learn very quickly that there are many people out there who, when wanting work, will say anything and deliver absolutely nothing. 

But I was also learning.

With so many of the artists in Class of ’79, their move to the Prog came quite swiftly. For example, PJ Holden and Boo Cook got their first 2000 AD jobs in 2000, pretty much right after Class of ’79. But you – well, let’s just say you took a little while to move from Class of ’79 to 2000 AD, with your first work at 2000 AD, a StarScan, coming in 2012.

So, what the hell took you so long? Why that decade plus between Class of ’79 and the move to 2000 AD? What were you doing in that time? Were you still freelancing at that point? Working day jobs?

JL: Ha, Ha, yes indeed.  Hopefully you can see why now. I was seriously in love with the NHS and was going to retrain as a nurse, but time was moving on and the service was changing.

Seeing what has been done to the NHS by this Government breaks my heart. I saw the start of that first hand. Each year, another bit was shaved off the wheel until it no longer turned as intended. There was a real push toward bureaucracy too. If to a hammer every problem looks like a nail, to a politician, every problem must look like paperwork and, along with all our duties, we had to start collecting stats. The Affordable Health and Care Act had also essentially privatised the service whilst making it look like record sums are still going in and keeping private the amount that is being bled out. Private business only goes for easy profit so services such as palliative suffer and I was becoming increasingly unhappy as more time went on. As I say, it was heart breaking.

Sorry, rant over…

No need to apologise. One of Britain’s finest achievements that’s being destroyed through government neglect and profiteering, it’s a disgrace what has happened to the NHS.

JL: I was doing work on the side. In fact it had gotten to the point where every job I went for I was being offered. I had also started sending stuff into 2000 AD again and was re-learning how to draw comics. I had forgotten so much and was rejected so many times. But I didn’t mind, I was an Art School dropout and I was receiving an education from an industry professional and all it cost me was the price of a stamp.

And what was it that made you change your mind? Again, I’ve seen you say it was the Karl Urban Dredd movie that put a fire under your ass?

JL: Yeah, that was pretty much it for me. I had heard there was a film that was going to be made and, keeping in mind I hadn’t read any Dredd for a very long time and being quite curious, I joined the 2000 AD Forum to see if I could glean any info. I had never been on one of these sites before and still consider myself to be a novice of this and social media generally. To be honest, I remember asking someone to explain what TBH meant.

Anyway, I came across a Dredd poster competition amongst the boarders there and thought I’d give it a go. To my surprise I won and I included the pic in some samples which is how Matt saw it. From that point, I made myself a deal. I would give it one last go but, were I not commissioned before the Dredd film came out then that was it (yeah sure).

So, you were pretty busy pitching to 2000 AD and getting rejected – what sort of responses were you getting from Tharg and his Earthly representative Matt at this point? And how did you respond to them?

JL: If I have any super-power at all it is the ability to get knocked down then get up, rejection has never bothered me. I think the young, broken, introverted, youth me just assumed that taking a beating was always just a starting point. It’s one of the reasons, in many respects, I feel so much stronger for my past. People who achieve success without setback tend to fall apart at adversity or failure, in my experience. I don’t seek it but when it’s in my face I eat it for breakfast!

I also cultivated a new attitude. I knew I wanted to do something creative or be around creativity. In many respects, due to my history, so much of my life had been about death and it had also become my job. I had, by that point, seen so much of it. I have no issues with it, but it was time to put a line under it, and make life about living.

So I said to myself, what do you want to be? – Comic or Storyboard Artist.
Chance of that happening, you Norfolk Bumkin? – Slim.
Okay, would you be happy being say a picture framer, you know, surrounded by art? – Yes, I think I would.
Okay, working in an art museum, as a cleaner or incompetent security guard for example? – Yes, that could be fine.
You do know you’re talking to yourself right? – I’m not, you are!

So I compromised and I realised there could be so many opportunities that moved me in a happier direction even if not the intended goal. I’m sure that sounds pretty obvious to you, but try to remember that I am and will always be, an idiot.

FINALLY AT 2000 AD – 2012 ONWARDS…

Jake’s first piece in 2000 AD – his Dredd Movie StarScan in 2012’s Prog 1771

Right then, on to 2012 and your very first work in the Prog. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a Future Shock, not yet. You’d have to wait nearly two more years for that. Instead, it was a StarScan in 2012’s Prog 1771.

How did it come about and was it one of those ‘Oh my God, finally!’ moments combined with a dream come true feeling? Or did you have the feeling that this was just a first step and that you really had to work hard now to get in there with the art on a strip?

JL: Yes, as it happened it turned out to be that poster that Matt had seen in my samples, but I still hadn’t cracked strip work and that was what I wanted.

In Matt’s many, many rejection letters, there would always be a little nugget of information that, in my arrogance, I would ignore. Then, on one occasion I actually tried listening to the advice and my drawing instantly improved (thanks, Matt).  

I sent off this next try-out with similarly low expectations.

I had also gone for another gig at this time on that website and was offered a huge job from it. I was still working full time and I knew that, if I took it, I would have to quit my job. True to form I bottled it and turned it down, I was too scared to go without the security of a job. My father used to say, never take any step forward that you don’t know how to step back from, and this, for me, was one of those moments. He also once said this, ‘Revenge is a PIE best served cold’, but he did drink a lot.

So I was kicking myself, for all my fine thoughts I had again blown it. A couple of weeks later I got a letter from Matt offering me a future commission.

I was in…

And he’s in! Jake’s very first strip in 2000 AD – the Future Shock Dying Wishes
Page 1 from Prog 1862, published in 2014, written by Eddie Robson

The first strip, like so many, was a four-page Future Shock, Dying Wishes, written by another relative newcomer to 2000 AD, Eddie Robson, in Prog 1862 in 2014. So, what was your feeling when you finally got the yes from Matt?

JL: I remember the first feeling was astounded excitement. Stuff like this doesn’t happen to me!

I was on a late shift that day and I slipped the letter to the back of my clipboard where I kept my health service paperwork, so I could look at it again from time to time.

When the script finally dropped, the next thing I felt was anxiety. Would I really be able to do it? I am well aware of many of my limitations and that could have easily been exposed right there but, as I read it I thought, hey, I can do this.

One of my biggest weaknesses throughout my past was my inability to see things through, to finish the job and it was something I had consciously worked on, but this was the real test of that time. By complete coincidence, I also had a week off work when the script dropped.

In did it in 5 days I think.

Did you imagine at that point that a career was happening, that you could make a go of it with 2000 AD?

JL: Like anything, you would like it to be so, but experience had taught me to never assume, so I never did. Even to this day I don’t consider myself with my feet under the table.

In those days I said I had a foot in the door, but there was a long hallway I’d have to travel down first before I even entered room where everyone was. These days I’m standing in the back of that room, pretending to look at the decor, hoping no-one will notice me, just as I would at a real party!

Page 2 of Jake’s very first strip in 2000 AD – the Future Shock Dying Wishes
Prog 1862, published in 2014, written by Eddie Robson

Looking back at the art of Dying Wishes – yes, I know it may be difficult, artists never liking to go back to early days and all that – but what do you think of it now?

It’s light years away from the art you’re doing now for sure, but there’s definitely elements in there that you’ve taken through your art as the years rolled on. How would you describe it now? Has your line changed all that much, are you inking differently? I think it’s way more static than your work has become, although there’s definitely a good storytelling flow to your art even at this stage. And your tendency to use interstitial panels in between images is there at this earliest of pieces.

But the whole point of Future Shocks at 2000 AD is to get artists onboard early in their career, it’s all about seeing them learning their craft in the full gaze of the readers.

JL: I haven’t looked at it since doing it. I don’t look back at any stuff generally. I suspect I did it the best that I could, but my attitude has always been, the best piece in the next piece and I still live by that. Love the work you do intensely but as soon as it’s done forget about it and move onto the next. The only time I review stuff is just before I send it all in.

Since I now have longer runs on stories and often they call back to events from past strips, that’s the only time I look things up. The setup I have now just automatically backs everything I do up so it doesn’t even sit on my computer for very long. Once it’s done it’s gone.

It’s all about forward momentum for me. Something’s not working, got a problem? Just flow around it and come back. Don’t get hung up on some little thing that’ll drag you down. Always keep pressing forward. Learn from the past but don’t live there. I hope I have improved as a result.

As a little call back for you though, there is a race in Proteus Vex, that I drew from memory, from that first strip, that pops up from time to time, keep an eye out in Vex book 3 especially.

Sorry, that was a rather long winded way of saying I can’t really remember!

Layout on the other hand is one of my true loves and I find it endlessly interesting. It’s the secret art form and I would strongly recommend any aspiring artist pay close attention to it. That being said, I know I can be very guilty of being too flashy with it, but I hope not at the expense of the story. But, as I said before, this job is about constant learning. I hope one day I will get good at it.

I cringe at the thought of all the stuff I have put out there and am so grateful for everyone’s patience…

JAKE LYNCH – COVERS STAR…

Another first – Jake’s first cover and first Dredd!
2000 AD Prog 1895 from 2014

Now, very early on you got your first cover, on Prog 1895. And it’s a nice one – a great Dredd on Lawmaster.

Since then, you’ve gone on to be a regular cover artist on both the Prog and the Megazine – 21 in all I make it, which I reckon is pretty damn good for nine years of work.

We’ve talked quite a bit about your covers over at Covers Uncovered, but let’s go back to that very first one. What was it like to be handed the keys to the kingdom so early on? A first cover, a first Dredd? And looking back, what do you think of the cover?

JL: If memory serves, I still like that cover and not just because it was my first. I think my colour work was stronger back then. I do (very happily) so much black & white work these last few years, my colour has suffered for it. But I adore black & white, whereas I know I often hide in my colour.

My dad was very proud of me when I got into 2000AD, but he went over the top when I got the cover and bought loads to send to his friends – the silly sod.

It was, like many of my covers, a spec idea I sent to Matt, and marked me learning a little more about how it all worked.

Your dad keeps earning the respect of Tharg!

With your cover work, one thing I have noticed is that Tharg does like you doing Dredds and they’re very often stripped-down Dredds, minimal background, maximum impact, that sort of thing.

It’s something that puts me in mind of several artists who’ve kept things simple and design-led, but I suppose the one who immediately comes to mind is the work of Jock. Is that a deliberate decision on your part or was it simply a case of you did a few and Tharg liked them that way so you tend to go that way more and more?

JL: I don’t try to over-think them. I will have a sort of narrative in my head as I’m doing them but mostly it’s just about trying to make a strong composition. Matt is often quite easy-going but will very occasionally make observations to improve them.

I see a cover as like an invitation to potential readers, so just try to grab their attention.

Just a selection of the MANY covers that Jake’s produced over the past nine years
Top row – Prog 1945 (2015), Prog 1955 (2015), Prog 1990 (2016)
Middle row – Prog 2043 (2017), 2104 (2018), 2147 (2019)
Bottom row – 2181 (2020), 2203 (2020), Megazine 445 (2022)

HEADING INTO DREDDWORLD – ORLOK, DREDD, & THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH WRITERS…

Going back to the interior work, we’re not going to go through everything you’ve ever done here – as readers will see at the end with the bibliography, there’s an awful lot of work in the last nine years of 2000 AD that you’ve made!

What we’ll do is shift around a little and group various things, starting with Orlok and that writer/artist bromance you have with Arthur Wyatt.

But first, after that first Future Shock, you had a couple more one-off things, a Black Museum and a Sinister Dexter.

JL: A great deal of my memory of those times was panic, feeling very out of my depth. I would particularly like to apologise to fans of Sinister Dexter, I could never find my way into those characters. I knew what I wanted it to be in my head, but I just could not express it. It always felt messy to me.

Two more from 2014 from Jake
Tales From The Black Museum, Megazine 348, written by David Baillie
Sinister Dexter, Prog 1889, written by Dan Abnett

And then you were suddenly dropped into Dreddworld. Or rather, Dreddworld-adjacent shall we say, with the two Orlok series in 2015, Eurozoned and The Rasputin Caper. These were not only your first multi-parters, not only your first experience of drawing the world of Dredd, but also your first time working with Arthur Wyatt, who’s gone on to become the writer you’ve worked most closely with.

(If you need the stats, of the 34 strips so far, 10 have been with Arthur, 6 with Mike Carroll.)

What’s the attraction for you of working with writers like Arthur and Mike? Or is it more that you have certain polaroids in your possession and they simply can’t say no?

JL: I have a strange quirk (I’m not entering Polaroid territory here!), where I have to have this weird ‘connection’ to a writers script, to kind of ‘feel it’. A script is a funny thing, it isn’t just the mechanics of a story, it’s the way the writer tells it to you as an illustrator. When I was scrabbling around in those early days, I connected very easily with Arthur’s writing style, which was such a relief at the time. I would hint and push to work with him as much as I could back then and still love to work with him to this day.

Often it’ll take me a few goes to get ‘inside’ a script’s style. Mike is a good example of someone that took me a while. I’m currently going through the process with Rob Williams, who is a writer I truly admire. I don’t feel I’ve fully connected with it yet, but I’m confident I will. The flip side are writers like Arthur and Al Ewing and, although I’ve only done one of his stories, Kenneth Neiman, whose writing style is extraordinary and roars out of the page to demand you follow! This feeling is a funny thing to try to put into words which is why I’m not a writer and they are some of the best in the business.

Jake’s first strip with Arthur Wyatt, Orlok: Agent Of East-Meg One: Eurozoned – the start of a long collaboration
2000 AD Prog 1912 (2015)

Especially with Arthur, there’s been a through-story to your work together from Orlok in 2015 right through to Regicide in 2022, the Euro crime syndicate tale.

Did you have any inkling back in 2015 that things would go that far, a seven-year epic Dredd tale that you would be involved with?

JL: So yeah, Arthur and I did Orlok together and it was challenging, but so much fun. I’d happily do him again in the same style, which came about as me just try to make it look like something from comics of the time. I know Arthur had planned out a third instalment, and what he told me of it, it was going to be really great, the best of the lot. I’ve mentioned that I don’t look back on stuff but whenever I think about it, I feel very fondly about it.

It is amazing to me how everything spiralled out from there. To have still be drawing the Red Queen after all that time was remarkable. We killed her a year or two ago and it felt a little like the end of an era for me.

And from Orlok: Agent Of East-Meg One, Eurozoned, the first appearance La Reine Rouge/The Red Queen,
a Wyatt/Lynch creation that will feature a LOT in the coming years.
Prog 1915 (2015)

JL: Also, toward the end of the second Orlok was around the time that I left the Health Service. I had tried to go part-time, but my new line manager was having none of it. I had been burning the candle at both ends and if I’m honest, I probably jumped a little too soon, but I was knackered and I asked Matt if he would consider to continue to use me, which he kindly said he would.

My final day was sweet. I remember emptying out my car of all my kit and tunics, and handing back my ID Badge and driving away. I am a huge fan of the series ‘Spaced’, and I had deliberately chosen the track ‘The Staunton Lick’ by Lemon Jelly for the car ride home. It was the song played at the end of the second series, when Tim Bisley had fulfilled his ambition of becoming a comic artist, just like me, though I suspect I may have had more in common with Kenny Who? after all that time!

Jake’s very first Dredd in 2000 AD – from the 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2015, written by Michael Carroll

After Orlok, you had your first Dredd inside the pages – although of course you’d done your Dredd version on covers by this point. Your first Dredd strip was with Mike Carroll in the 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2015 and the story Let’s Go To Work.

Now, at this point, what was the feeling of getting a Dredd and what do you think of that first Dredd work from yourself?

JL: I remember feeling very excited about getting my first Dredd. Then, as I did it, the creeping realisation came that I was not ready to do one. Mike is an incredibly supportive gentleman, and he was very kind about it, but nothing could lift my sense of disappointment with it at the time. 

I had always wanted to draw Dredd and I genuinely thought I may have blown it and I’d never be invited to do the character again! It was also my first experience of Mike’s scripts and, as mentioned I hadn’t melded with the style then.

I don’t really feel I had found my technique or style back then. I think I only really have in the last few years. So much of this stuff feels very chaotic, like a cheap firework, firing off in every direction then going quiet before extinguishing with a lacklustre puff!

HARRY HESTON & THE APE TALES WITH ARTHUR WYATT…

An appearance years in the making – Jake finally gets Harry Heston into 2000 AD canon
Judge Dredd: Monkey Business in Megazine 376 (2016)

We said we’d circle round to this one again and here we are.

Your Harry Heston tale, again with Arthur Wyatt, again part of the long, complex, involved and rather great Red Queen saga, ran through Monkey Business (Meg 376-377, 2016), Ape Escape (Meg 386, 2017), and Krong Island (Meg 392-395, 2018) and was a call-back to your work with Stewart Perkins and the Class of ’79 fanzine.

We’ve already heard you talk of the creation of Heston, the genetically modified gorilla, an ‘uplift,’ with a love of justice thanks to Dredd’s inspirational text, ‘The Comportment Of A Judge’.

It was Stewart’s dream to see Harry become official 2000 AD canon and that’s something you and Arthur made happen with his appearance in Megazine #376. Sadly, Stewart passed away unexpectedly in May 2016, before the strip was published. But it must have been so satisfying to be able to finally bring back Stewart’s creation?

JL: Class of ’79 had ended and Stewart and I had drifted apart. I had made the ridiculous statement that I’d get Harry to crossover – me the bloke who had burned every bridge on his way to obscurity. But surprisingly that time had come.

I had taken to a new hobby of Matt-bothering, where I would pitch ideas to him and he would patiently explain to me why that particular idea was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. 

I’d been holding off on Heston for a while but figured I’d give it a shot. So I put a page together featuring all the times Apes had appeared in Dredd and emailed it over. Still very much thinking of Heston as a Justice Department experiment, he would have been used to police the ‘Meg-illa Burbs’ which was a sprawling shanty town growing outside the City walls, predominantly inhabited by Apes and Muties.

Matt liked the character but pointed out that Justice Department genetic regs would not allow that, but he would consider him as a Jimp (Judge Impersonator). 

Harry Heston the Jimp – from Judge Dredd: Monkey Business in Megazine 376 (2016)

JL: I had a little think about it and the idea actually started to make a lot of sense. Harry was created in a Fanzine, he was born out of a love for Dredd and in an ‘unofficial’ publication – sounds just like a Jimp to me! My only request was (as with Gary Simpson), you don’t kill him at the end and that was it, he crossed over.

Naturally, I asked for Arthur to write him and he gave him a lot more heart than I ever imagined.

On a slight aside, sometime before all this, when I was still working full time, a couple of my colleagues asked me if I was on Facebook (I wasn’t) and they insisted they sign me up. Within an hour of logging in I received a friend request from Stewart. It wasn’t like the old days, but it was nice to hear from him again. So when Heston crossed I felt honour bound to let him in on it, so I had to pitch it to him too. If he wasn’t happy I think it would have put me in a difficult position, but fortunately he loved the idea.

When I actually started on the strip I sent him the artwork on the sly, as it felt like the decent thing to do, and he was very happy with it. 

A short time after that, Arthur sent me a link, which led to a Forum listing saying that Stewart had died. I’m very glad he got to see the artwork, but disappointed that he never saw it in print or got to read the story.

Dredd meets Heston, Heston meets Dredd
Judge Dredd: Monkey Business in Megazine 376 (2016)

JL: I will always look back fondly on my time with Stew, as an introverted youth, he was a great person to be around. After he was gone and getting to know his then new partner, I wondered how much I really knew him at all but I’ll ALWAYS be very glad that I did.

Anyway, back to Harry, the cast has expanded over time too. Just like Dredd he now has an evil twin, Serpico, who has gone off to have a few adventures of his own interweaving with the Red Queen’s crime organisation also.

Arthur and I were talking about Harry the other day actually.  Arthur has another adventure for him and I hope he will up for another adventure soon.

And the moment to make everyone involved in Class of ’79 proud – Heston finally gets his badge
Judge Dredd: Krong Island in Megazine 375 (2018)

THE SAGA OF LA REINE ROUGE, WYATT & LYNCH’S BIG STORYLINE…

Again, jumping around the timeline of your bibliography a little…

You’ve talked about the Red Queen saga a lot already in connection to Orlok and Harry Heston. After the Harry Heston tales, the work with Arthur continued into The Red Queen saga with The Red Prince Diaries (Meg 404, 2019), The Red Queen’s Gambit (Meg 409-412, 2019), Grand Theft Royale (Meg 423, 2020), The Hard Way (Prog 2250-2255, 2021 – with Rob Williams), Regicide (Meg 445-446, 2022), and Sentinoid’s Big Idea (Prog 2297-2299, 2022, that one by Rob alone).

It brings together all the threads introduced in the Orlok and Harry Heston tales so wonderfully well and it’s really your and Arthur’s big contribution to Dredd (so far), carving out your own little area in Dreddworld.

JL: I remember very clearly designing the Red Queen. One of the funny things about my job is you should have a visual interest in as much as you can. She highlighted my complete disinterest in fashion and hairstyles and became a real growing moment for me. Her hairstyle came courtesy of Google and was something from some Film Noir – I loved it because it looked like an octopus!

I was so pleased when I saw her make a comeback and, as mentioned, her death was the end of an era for me. It does blow me away how long I’ve worked on her.

The end of the Red Queen, another long-running storyline from Wyatt & Lynch
Megazine 446 (2022)
And a fabulous detail of The Red Queen by Lynch – oh, that hair

HAVN – LYNCH’S ONLY 2000 AD CREATION SO FAR & MORE DIFFICULT TIMES…

HAVN was your first creator credit for 2000 AD, back in 2017. Set in Nu-Iceland, 2139 AD, you and Si Spencer gave us a very different bit of Dreddworld.

You did the first two episodes with Henry Flint coming on for episodes three to six. What happened that you had to give way to Henry, and were you happy with HAVN or is it something of a missed opportunity for you?

JL: HAVN came toward the end of a difficult time for me. My father had become very ill and both my Brother and I had moved back to look after him. My brother would take the role of main carer and would look after him Monday to Thursday and I would take Friday to Sunday and work on those other days. It was exhausting. I would put dad to bed around 11pm on Sunday, go up and work for a few hours before going to bed, waking before 6am, doing the weeks shopping, before coming home and starting work. I’d then take a nap around 6pm for a couple of hours then start work again for another 9-10 hours. Then repeat. Fortunately, I only had to do the shopping once a week!

That was it for about two and a half years. Dad passed away just as I was starting the third episode but, as you say, Henry took over and instantly made me look like an amateur!

I, on the other hand, was beyond exhausted. So my memory of that strip, with apologies to all involved, is incredibly fuzzy. I do remember my croaking voice when I talked to a shop assistant around this time. I had been so locked away working that I hadn’t uttered a single word to anyone for 4 days and my voice was straining.

HAVN – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #382-383 (Apr-May 2017), written by Si Spencer.

JL: On a couple of slight asides, if you would endure me. Did you know that the longest period I have ever worked at the drawing board was 28 hours? This wasn’t then, but thought I’d throw that out there.

My father was a very hard man. After his work in advertising, he got his Captain’s certificate, bought a boat, aimed it at the West Indies and set sail. He had some remarkable adventures out there which included fighting pirates who boarded his boat, threatening and holding my mother hostage. He didn’t suffer fools gladly. He drank and smoked hard and at times was not someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of. He dragged two traumatised children back from poverty after they lost their mum and when things were bad, it should be remembered he did it all while dealing with his own grief. Years and years of fighting to get our head above water and he did it.

The greatest tragedy was he didn’t die spitting in the face of someone dangling him off a cliff, but pretty much bed bound in a hospital bed at home in Norfolk. When he went, we were both with him and able to say thank you and how much we loved him.

It’s always a good thing to be able to say you said goodbye and thank you to loved ones. Again, our sympathies are with you there Jake.

STEPPING IN FOR HENRY FLINT – ZOMBO & PROTEUS VEX

Speaking of Henry Flint, you’ve taken on two of the Flint droids creations recently – Zombo and Proteus Vex.

JL: I’ve actually taken three of Henry’s strips. The first was outside of 2000 AD but within another Rebellion publication – Action, a strip that Henry had written himself called Hell Machine

Well, so much for the excellent research – Tharg’s gonna be knocking at the door any moment, I can feel the anger from here! And especially since I interviewed you and Henry about that one! Oh dear.

JL: Sorry! With Hell Machine, I got an email from Keith Richardson over at Rebellion asking if he could give me a call. This was unusual and in my usual spiralling thought patterns I thought perhaps this is how Rebellion fired you, you know, give it the personal touch! 

But as it happened, it was to talk me into taking the gig. Henry had taken ill and the job had become quite short on time. Keith was great and as soon as he told me the title I knew I was going to take it. But it was one of those times in life where, if you say you’re going to hit a target, you better damned well do so!

Jake’s art from Hell Machine, written by Henry Flint –
From the Action Special, 2020

JL: I also consider it a bit of a turning point for me artistically.  The short time limit meant I had to work out a quick method of production. I also had access to a couple of pages of Henry’s art and a few pages of designs. Somehow the two influences came together and started me down a different path.

I am very conscious about looking at other people’s art. I’m trying to walk my own line here but on this occasion, I think it was justified and really helped me grow.

I think it’s also worth pointing out the colour work of Jim Boswell at this point. He’d started working with me a strip or two before this one and really helped sell it. He’s been saving my neck ever since.

Yes, Jim, along with all the other somewhat unsung heroes that are Tharg’s colouring and lettering droids, deserve all the praise!

JL: From that point, I started getting offered some other of Henry’s gigs. Henry is always in incredibly high demand and rightly so. He always delivers something mind-blowing that leaves the rest of us wondering why we bother. But for once, this demand actually worked in my favour.

Funniest Dredd ever? The Immigrant from 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special (June 2020), written by Al Ewing.

Your Zombo in the 2020 Sci-Fi Special was a sheer joy. Written by Al Ewing, The Immigrant had Zombo in a holding cell meeting Dredd. It was a comedy masterclass from you and Al, letting you really let loose with the gags.

Having talked to you before this, I know you’re a funny guy, but comedy isn’t something we’ve seen in your work much. Was it good to get to really go for it with The Immigrant here?

JL: That one off Zombo with Al was such a great experience. Reading a script that made me laugh out loud – he is such a great writer. I did ask permission from both him and Henry before starting and they were both very supportive. I’m not sure I would have been comfortable doing more than a one-off special though. My imagination is nothing like as unlimited as Henry’s and there is a certain kind of magic that happens when both he and Al work together and with a character as fun and unique as Zombo, it would be sad to see.

It wasn’t especially hard to do, it was, once again, all about the writing, it was very easy to bond with, Al is brilliant.

Yes, yes he is. As is Henry. But we have to say that the fans (and Tharg) think you’re pretty good too Jake! Not that you’ll take the compliment!

JL: [silence] 

Proteus Vex series 2, Shadow Chancellor, episode 1, page 1
Prog 2212 (2020)

Okay, okay, moving on then to Proteus Vex – with you taking over from Henry on the strip that he and Mike Carroll created. You joined with series two and, so far, you’ve done series two to four, The Shadow Chancellor, Desire Paths, and Crawl Space.

It’s absolutely epic sci-fi and one that you’ve stamped your style on completely by this stage. It’s also one of those 2000 AD strips that look nothing like anything else. Obviously so much of the alienness of it all was there in Henry’s first series and his designs. But what do you think of the strip and how much input have you had with Mike to put your own style on it?

Presumably, you and Mike are working on more Proteus Vex right now?

JL: Yes, I have just started Proteus Vex Book 5. I wish I could tell you more but I will say that I think it’s the best of the lot. It’s mind-blowing how Mike has weaved so many elements through it, tied them together without, it seems, any force. Everything about it feels like it should be there – it’s just remarkable.

Vex has been a career highlight for me. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been allowed to add on to Henry’s foundations and have made a good friend in Mike, who I respect a great deal. 

I don’t know much about being a writer. But if it’s like art, then you have to work hard to make something look easy – and Mike makes it look effortless, just you wait and see.

More from Proteus Vex series 2, Shadow Chancellor, with Jake’s sinewy stylings on display
Prog 2219 (2021)

WORKING OUTSIDE 2000 AD…

2000 AD not only acts as a proving ground for writers and artists with Future Shocks and other one-off tales, but also as ready source of talent for other companies, particularly US comic makers. But not for you?

As far as I can see, your work in comics has been completely 2000 AD-based. You’ve had work in 2000 AD, the Megazine, and a couple of things like The Vigilant and that Action Special. But nothing outside of the 2000 AD family. Now, surely this can’t be because no one has asked or because no one believes you’re good enough. I imagine it’s more a personal choice. So, what is it about 2000 AD and working there that’s kept you with them for the past nine years?

JL: I always remember, In the NHS, you would have to do these yearly assessments where you would be asked where you would see yourself in the future. I would answer that I want to get good at what I was doing and I had no interest in getting promoted into incompetence.

I am really happy where I am and don’t really see why going onto America should be seen as a promotion. I don’t find superheroes that engaging, I’m a sci-fi nerd and am still just that little kid watching Star Wars for the first time.

I realised very early on that everyone needed to have a job. Something they could do for the rest of their lives. Well, I figured, if that was the case you need to cover two bases: one, you have to make a living and two, you gotta be happy, which is exactly how I am. Now, that’s not to say that if the right project came along I wouldn’t consider it, but I would do that for anything.

I have to say I don’t think 2000 AD has been in better hands, from Matt to Rebellion itself. It was highlighted to me a few years back when Covid was hitting and we were all going into lockdown. I was reading horror stories of big publishers cutting their creators loose. It’s one of the fears of freelancing I guess but, in their hour of need, publishers appeared to be prioritising themselves over the people who help make them – it was a scary time.

An email dropped from Rebellion, just letting us know that they had our back and we were going to get through this. A completely different business ethic and one of the reasons I am very happy working for them. I’ve seen Mr Kingsley (Sir Jason? – how am I supposed to address a Knight…does anyone know?) interviewed talking about Chivalric Code, but this was experiencing it first hand and I’ll always be grateful to him and Matt for giving me a chance and having my back.

Some of Jake’s design work for his friend Kris and KM Effects
‘Film work bits for Sandman, back when Hell was being conceived

Like so many comic artists, you’ve done work outside of comics, including contributing to The Sandman Netflix adaptation. First of all, how did that Sandman gig come about and, secondly, is it another case of the sad reality of comics being that commercial illustration is almost a necessity to pay the rent?

JL: This is the perfect point to tell you my Kris from Blockbuster story that I mentioned earlier.

So, back in the day, when I worked at Blockbuster, I met another employee called Kris. He was a lovely guy, really just decent and the sort of person you could work alongside easily. He was studying make-up at college while working there, which I thought was pretty weird, until I discovered he wanted to do the prosthetic make-up used in film and theatre. So he was a sort of kindred spirit to me. 

We’d be working at the counter and when no-one was in, I’d be drawing big pictures of Dredd and he’d be punching hair into a mannequin’s head – you know, the usual.

To give you some small measure of what a small market town in Norfolk can be sometimes, I remember Kris telling me that he had told someone he knew about his ambitions and was told that he should give up as stuff like that didn’t happen to people like us.

Anyway, Kris soon after goes and does a make-up course with someone called Nick Dudman who, among so many other things, was doing a lot of work on the Harry Potter films. Kris was then ‘discovered’ by Nick and started working with him from the third Potter onward, learning his craft proper. It was amazing and also, for someone who suspected his earlier friend may be right about the rest of us, sad to see. But I was very happy for him, he had worked hard and totally deserved his break.

Jake and Kris – outside KM Effects –
From Blockbuster to here!

JL: We would get in touch from time to time, Kris started his own business, KM Effects Ltd, and it was growing and he was employing others. He had made a real go of it and I was ridiculously proud of him. I had also been picked up by 2000 AD and through some strange quirks of fate, Kris reached out to me and asked if I would like to submit some designs for a few of the shows he was working on, which included, at the time, Sandman and the School of Good and Evil, both for Netflix.

He has done some amazing work, but the thing that makes me happiest is the circular nature of it all, back working alongside each other, just like back in the day in that small market town, where none of us were supposed to amount to anything.

That old Blockbuster eventually became a Costa, and I used to thumbnail scripts in a quiet corner of it from time to time basking in the difference.

The sad truth about commercial art is, I can make more money in two days with Kris than two weeks in comics. But you should only work in comics if you can accept that. I live very simply, no-one forced me to do this and you won’t find me complaining.  

JAKE’S STYLE AND ART PROCESS…

At what point in your development did you think that you made the jump from hopeful art droid new to the Prog to an artist that’s not just recognisable but wanted by Tharg?

JL: I’m not sure I will ever feel that way. I think the nature of freelancing is learning to accept there is a degree of working without a safety net. 

At the beginning, you feel very conscious of it, but you learn to live with it, but it is never fully out of my mind. I do worry about what I would do if it all ended as I’m not sure I’m fit for anything else or capable of being integrated back into society!

One thing that Rob Williams said of you in an interview you did for The Hard Way was this – ‘I think you can see bits of Henry Flint, a hint of Jock, the odd McMahon, and a Cam Kennedy influence on the page. He draws a very good Dredd. Jake feels like a contender in the next generation of great Dredd artists stakes.’

JL: I think Rob is being incredibly generous there. I hadn’t read that. I look forward to working with him again so I can really get to grips with his writing. I see good things in the future.

So, how’s it feel to be part of that next generation of great Dredd artists?

JL: Hopefully you may have noticed by now I don’t take compliments at all well though am very flattered by the comparisons. I would never consider myself ‘great’ or one of the greats but I do hope I have the attitude to learn enough for ‘greatness’ maybe one day – it keeps me hungry. 

I always think about the ‘Dunning Kruger Effect’, particularly as it seems so prevalent in our government at this time. Put simply, the more you actually know about a subject the more you realise how little you know, the opposite being true for the beginner. The funny thing is we ALL suffer from this in one shape or another and our inability to recognise it in ourselves proves the point!

When it comes to your particular style, what is it, do you think, that marks it out as yours? What elements, what look would you say makes it a Jake Lynch thing?

JL: I have studied my ‘craft’ quite deeply, it is infinitely fascinating. Though they are different art forms, when I work I am storyboarding a film of the script, picturing camera moves and cuts and picking the best place to take a snapshot for the comics panel. Then it’s about arranging it pleasingly and keeping it readable while using the form to spin another level on the ideas – it’s so much fun.

Obviously, every art droid starts out with a huge list of influences – what are your particular artistic Gods – as Rob already mentioned, there’s a heady mix of Henry Flint, Jock, Mick McMahon, and Cam Kennedy in your art.

JL: There are too many early influences to mention, but if I were to give any advice, it would be that it is absolutely right to learn from these masters, especially when starting out. 

But I think you should never aim at being the NEXT anything, you should try to be the first you, even if, artistically, it takes you a long time to find out who that is. Never stop learning. If I compared my work to these people I wouldn’t be able to see it, because I reached my style organically. I think I earned the lines I use and even though I would never put myself amongst them, I would hope that one day, with a great deal more practice, who knows? This sort of thing isn’t for me to judge and have never really thought about it.

Jakes’ process for the cover to Judge Dredd: Regicide webshop exclusive edition

I think one word that really comes to mind with your style is angularity. There’s also that sense of finding the interesting and unusual perspective, something that’s come more and more into your art, it seems to me, as you’ve grown in confidence.

How has your artwork developed over the years? Has it been a case of slowly growing into a style or was there ever a point where you made a deliberate decision to push your art in a certain direction?

JL: That’s a tough one to answer. Sometimes you try to steer your style, but I’ve never had huge success in doing that. I do what feels right at the time and by my natural reaction to the scripts I get. 

What I would normally do is identify some issue I was having from a previous strip and tell myself that I have to consciously work on that aspect on the next strip. So I’m focused in on a weakness which will hopefully feedback into the style. 

Either way I should, in some way, be improving. I sometimes wonder if the only reason I have reached a passable level these days is years of focusing in on these weaknesses finally paying off!

Sometimes though it can be quite stagnant and that can be so frustrating when you are trying to push forward.

Two of Jake’s finished pages from Proteus Vex: Desire Paths episode 1
Prog 2262 (2022)

Of course, every artist changes styles over the years. Taking Mick McMahon as the epitome of this, he’s an artist whose style has gone through some radical shifts, always experimenting, always looking brilliantly McMahon but always surprising you with whatever he comes up with next.

Is that something you can feel confident to aspire to yet? Or are you still at the stage of refining your initial style to get it just right?

JL: That’s another great question. McMahon is a huge hero to me, I’m constantly astounded by his ability to change. I don’t think I’m there yet, to be so deliberate with ‘natural’ ability is not something I have mastered. But yes, it would be an amazing skill. Who knows what the future will bring..? 

There’s also an elongation in your art, your figures stretch beyond their panel borders at times.

Again, that’s a Mick McMahon thing, but also Mick Austin and many others who’ve gone towards art that’s less figurative and more experimental. Again, in concert with the angularity and the interesting choice of ‘camera’ angles, it can really make a Lynch page stand out.

JL: Thank you, once again, it comes out as it comes out.  It will always be in reaction to the writing – always (and maybe just a little spin on the form).

And just as an aside, Mick Austin gets a bad rep in certain areas of 2000 AD fandom for that classic and infamous cover he did for Prog 618 – all sinewy Dredd and stretched out beyond reason – yet it’s so striking, the whole point of making a cover memorable.

JL: I love that cover…

Yes, that would be this cover from Mick Austin – and while we’re at it, a certain recent cover from the legendary Mick McMahon with that same vibe…

It’s something that’s happened, seems to me, as you became more and more comfortable in your artistic skin here.

And of course, you do do a damn fine Dredd chin and have a thing for McMahon-style BIG boots!

JL: Chin – Check. Boots – Check. What, no mention of my Eagle!?

Okay, okay, the Eagle’s pretty damn good too!

Going into your process here, I don’t want to be in any way insulting, but artistically you have what could be called a mixture of tight line and lots of thin, scratchy stuff going on. Has there been a switch in your inking over time, the line seems to have grown thinner with time?

JL: I think as I’ve gotten a little more seasoned perhaps I’ve gotten a little more technique. I basically work over my thumbnails and then scale them up. It cuts out a sort of pencilling stage and keeps the images quite loose and hopefully energetic. 

These little thumbnails, as you would expect, are quite small and I use quite a fat pen to easily fill the area. When you don’t give yourself a lot of room, you have to keep yourself focused on what are the important lines.

Though I work digitally, I don’t use any fancy brushes or pens.  It’ll mostly be a case of a small degree of clean up, toning and texturing and weighting the lines.

A LITTLE REFLECTION…

What do you think of your career so far? It’s been nine years plus since that first strip for 2000 AD and you’ve established yourself as one of the major artists in the Prog. Are you happy with your progress? Happy with your work? And reflecting on the last near-decade of work, would the younger Lynch have been rather chuffed to be where you are now?

JL: I have loved and continue to love my time with 2000 AD.

It is true, I am my own worst critic, but will always remember the advice that Andy Diggle gave me – don’t sweat every line. It’s comics, it supposed to be fun. He was right.

I think if I were to see my young self, I do think he would be chuffed, but I think the thing I would most like to say to him would be, hey, everything is going to be okay, you are going to end up strong, married to an amazing woman, and very happy with your lot. Oh and don’t hang off that tower block’s balcony in Spain, you dozy prat, I’m still getting flashbacks!

Oh, the stupidity of youth! But also a very good bit of advice to youth there, it will get better in the end.

AND A COUPLE OF STANDARDS TO END WITH…

Okay Jake, just for fun – what’s the one strip/character/idea that you would absolutely love to run with? Imagine you have carte blanche from Tharg to do anything, use any character, come up with whatever insane idea that’s been percolating away in your brain!

JL: Ooo… that’s a good one.  I have a few: ABC Warriors, but as they were originally. Armoured Gideon, but set during the Second World War, fighting Hitler’s occult forces.

I’d like to have a crack at a short run of Rogue Trooper (but that’s being very ably filled by the awesome Patrick Goddard), but just to see if I could. Robo Hunter – yes I like drawing robots, so let’s also throw in Banzai Battalion too!

I did pitch an idea for Movie Dredd, which I would have loved to do. It was about Tek Div creating a device to bring Dredd back from Deadworld. He was understandably much changed from his time there but essentially the same man. Naturally the device had unexpected results and a few other dead world beings were also been brought back and deposited around the city and Dredd has to go after them. Except it turns out its not Dredd they brought back, it was Kraken and one of the others that got out was ‘Deadman’ Dredd.  Sadly, they had stopped the series by then or possible because of this pitch.

Well, for a while we had positive Jake, but here we are back to the Jake that believes he’s cursed to bring things down!

And FINALLY! What’s next for you? Have you already got plenty of 2000 AD work on the horizon?

JL: Nope, I’m booked out until May on an extra-long Proteus Vex and can’t take anything else on. 

There’s also a personal project I’ve got called Pablo, something that I’m sure I’ll never get time to finish, but would really like to one day (it’s actually quite a good story). I have 2 children’s stories inside my head that doubt will ever get out! Pablo was something I wrote years and years ago. I started working it up in between comic commissions, but I am very happy to say I don’t get the downtime anymore!

Cover and pages from Jake’s not going to be completed any time soon children’s book, Pablo

JL: I’m blissfully ploughing my own furrow, in my own little world, like the harmless bumpkin I am. Thanks for stopping by and sitting a spell y’all.

Oh, before you go, perhaps one last story if you would indulge me? A small tribute to my old man who did so much for us perhaps?

As I mentioned he had many adventures. He would tell us stories of going into offices of big corporations who had welched on advertising payments and would start removing furnishing from their waiting rooms in front of their clients and leaving them on the pavement outside for collection. That would always make them pay up and I think dad always really loved punching up against a bigger opponent.

But the story I would like to leave you with was his constant battles with local authority.

He was always the type to ask forgiveness rather than permission and then forget to ask for forgiveness. And he enjoyed warring with the local council who he would refer to as bearded men with clipboards. One day, after he done another thing wrong, one of these people came into the garden to see him and read him the riot act.

My father took a moment, then spoke: ‘You see that gate over there? That’s not to keep you out, it’s to keep you in. But I’m feeling particularly generous today and I will let you choose the tree you’re going to swing from’.

The reason they came to see him is another story, but perhaps we will save that for another time…

Goodnight.

And what better way to end than with Jake’s classic Dredd, and that classic chin –
From Judge Dredd: The Paradigm Shift Part 3, Prog 2084 (2018)

And that, one and all, is where we left things. Thank you so much to Jake for really opening up to us about his life and his work for the Creator Files. It might have been long, but I think we’re all even more impressed by the Lynch droid after reading it!

As for more from Jake, there’s plenty of his excellent work at Covers Uncovered – Progs 2017 , 21722181, 2203, and 2297, plus Megazine 446. Then we also have a few interviews with Jake – The Red Queen’s Gambit (with Arthur Wyatt), The Hard Way (with Arthur and Rob Williams), Jake & Henry Flint talk Hell Machine from the Action Special here, and then there’s talk of Dredd, Y-fronts, and more with his wonderfully daft Dredd & Zombo strip, The Immigrant, in the 2020 Sci-Fi Special. There’s also an illuminating 2000 AD – From The Drawing Board video to view here.

Finally, for more behind-the-scenes videos and info from Jake, be sure to go and sign up to his Patreon and follow him on Twitter, Instagram.

JAKE LYNCH COMICS BIBLIOGRAPHY

Now, we always like to end with a bibliography. And in Jake’s case, it’s rather large! However, a caveat here, as Jake says, ‘I don’t keep records of what I’ve done, as I am normally trying to forget!’ So this is a collation of records anywhere and everywhere I could find them! If I’ve missed anything, please don’t tell Tharg!

List of covers:
2000 AD – Progs 1895, 1922, 1945, 1955, 1957, 1990, 2017, 2043, 2104, 2147, 2172, 2181, 2203, 2297, 2339, 2348.
Judge Dredd Megazine Volume 5 – issues 376, 382, 392, 411, 446.

Comics work:
Star Scan: Judge Dredd – 2000 AD Prog 1771 (Feb 2012).
Future Shocks: Dying Wishes – 2000 AD Prog 1862 (Jan 2014), written by Eddie Robson.
Tales From The Black Museum: And Death Must Die – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #348 (May 2014), written by David Baillie.
Sinister Dexter: The Generican Dream: Congo – 2000 AD Prog 1889-1892 (July 2014), written by Dan Abnett.
Orlok, Agent of East-Meg One: Eurozoned – 2000 AD Prog 1912-1917 (Jan-Feb 2015), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Orlok, Agent of East-Meg One: The Rasputin Caper – 2000 AD Prog 1924-1929 (Apr-May 2015), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Judge Dredd: Let’s Go To Work – 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2015 (June 2015), written by Mike Carroll.
Tharg’s 3rillers: Repossession Orders – 2000 AD Progs 1973-1975 (Mar-Apr 2016), written by Eddie Robson.
Judge Dredd: Monkey Business – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #376-377 (Sept-Nov 2016), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Judge Dredd: The Cube Root of Evil – 2000 AD Progs 2007-2009 (Nov 2016), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Havn – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #382-383 (Apr-May 2017), written by Si Spencer.
Judge Dredd: Ape Escape – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #386 (Aug 2017), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Future Shocks: Alt-Life – 2000 AD 2049 (Sept 2017), written by Rory McConville.
Sinister Dexter: Snake-Skinned – 2000 AD Prog 2051 (Oct 2017), written by Dan Abnett.
Judge Dredd: Krong Island – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #392-395 (Jan-Apr 2018), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Judge Dredd: The Paradigm Shift – 2000 AD Progs 2082-2086 (May-June 2018), written by Michael Carroll.
Anderson, Psi Division: Dark Angels – 2000 AD Prog 2100 (Sept 2018), written by Alan Grant.
Judge Dredd: The Red Prince Diaries – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #404 (Jan 2019), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Judge Dredd: Citizenship – 2000 AD Prog 2123 (Mar 2019), written by Rory McConville.
Judge Dredd: The Red Queen’s Gambit – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #409-412 (July-Oct 2019), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Doctor Sin: Tribunal – in The Vigilant: Legacy (Aug 2019), written by Simon Furman.
Anderson, Psi-Division: Judge Death: The Movie – 2000 AD Prog 2150 (Sept 2019), written by Alan Grant.
Judge Dredd: Future Crimes Unit – 2000 AD Prog 2167-2168 (Feb 2020), written by Rory McConville.
Judge Dredd: The Relic– 2000 AD Prog 2171-2173 (Mar 2020), written by Kenneth Niemand.
Hell Machine – Action Special 2020 (Mar 2020), art on p.7-15, written by Henry Flint.
The Immigrant (Zombo & Dredd) – 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special (June 2020), written by Al Ewing.
Judge Dredd: Grand Theft Royale – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #423 (Sept 2020), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Proteus Vex: The Shadow Chancellor – 2000 AD Prog 2212-2219, 2221-2223 (Dec 2020-Mar 2021), written by Mike Carroll.
Cadet Dredd: Lawbreaker – 2000 AD Regened Prog 2233 (May 2021), written by Liam Johnson.
Judge Dredd: The Hard Way – 2000 AD Prog 2250-2255 (Sept-Oct 2021), written by Rob Williams & Arthur Wyatt.
Proteus Vex: Desire Paths – 2000 AD Prog 2262-2274 (Jan-Mar 2022), written by Mike Carroll.
Judge Dredd: Regicide – Judge Dredd Megazine Vol 5 #445-446 (June-July 2022), written by Arthur Wyatt.
Judge Dredd: Sentinoid’s Big Idea – 2000 AD Prog 2297-2299 (Aug-Sept 2022), written by Rob Williams.
Proteus Vex: Crawl Space – 2000 AD Prog 2312-2324 (Dec 2022-Mar 2023), written by Mike Carroll.
Judge Dredd: In The Event Of My Untimely Demise (from part 6) – 2000 AD Prog 2338-2340 (June-July 2023), written by Mike Carroll

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Interview: Conor Boyle on going back to the start of 2000 AD & Judge Dredd for Mega-City 2099

In the new Judge Dredd Megazine #459 – out now – we’re going back, back, back once more to the very beginnings of Judge Dredd – 45 years back in time to 2099 AD, in the second episode of Mega-City 2099, The Thin Blue Line, by Ken Niemand and Conor Boyle.

It’s the very earliest days of Judge Dredd in 2000 AD, reimagined for right now…

The teaser trailer for Mega-City 2099’s first episode, Rampage

We’ve seen plenty of strips looking back to the early days of both Dredd and the Justice Department over the years, including John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s magnificent Origins or Mike Carroll and John Higgins’ Dreadnoughts, currently midway through its excellent second series in the Megazine, not to mention the prose novels and Regened’s Cadet Dredd tales.

But Mega-City 2099 is very different from all of those – they looked back with modern eyes and a modern style. Mega-City 2099 goes right back to the beginning of Dredd in 2099 with a look and a feel that’s pure 1977. Hell, they even brought back thought bubbles!

The first episode, Rampage, kicked things off in Megazine 451 with a story of protest against the Judge’s increased powers and how one young Judge’s actions against the protest puts him square in Dredd’s sights. The second, The Thin Blue Line sees Dredd dealing with hostage-taking perps and a Mega-City Police Department too full of cops all too eager to sit back and let the Judges take a bullet.

Mega-City 2099’s artist Conor Boyle sat down to talk to us recently about what it means to go back to the beginning of Dredd in 2000 AD

Starting as he means to go on – Conor Boyle’s first page of Mega-City 2099: Rampage
Megazine issue 451

Conor, let’s get straight into things with Mega-City 20999. You’ve now completed two episodes, Rampage back in Megazine 448 and the new one, The Thin Blue Line – here in Megazine 459.

The first tale, Rampage, took us straight into the action with Dredd having to deal with a rogue Judge taking things too far in response to the troubled political times.

So, can you tell us what to expect from this second episode, The Thin Blue Line?

CONOR BOYLE: This next episode involves a hostage scene, some takeaway food and a fair amount of laughing in the face of gravity. And a lot of bullets. All the bullets. 

Mega-City 2099: The Thin Blue Line – ALL THE BULLETS!
From Judge Dredd Megazine issue 459

I did ask Tharg about Mega-City 2099 [I get one message a year allowed without punishment, so I have to choose wisely] and he told me that ‘Ken Niemand pitched the idea of a different kind of Dredd story, harking back to the early iteration of the strip where regular cops mixed with the Judges, and the stories were full of oddball SF ideas.’ He also said that he ‘picked Conor because I thought he could do a good job on the retro vibe.’

So… high praise indeed there from TMO. How do you feel knowing that Tharg has placed his trust in you here?

CB: Humbled? Terrified? Grateful? This question is a trap, isn’t it? Where’s my lawyer? 

Hitting that retro vibe – thought bubbles included
From Mega-City 2099: Rampage, Megazine 451

As Tharg said, Ken Niemand pitched the series and then you got involved. What do you remember of being asked and how did you feel about it?

CB: Well, you don’t say no to Tharg, so the next thing I knew I had the concept and a series of messages detailing how it’s was all going to work.

I absolutely loved the concept – Ken sent over a handy write-up of the things that would be going in, complete with a clear definition of what wasn’t.

It was a real kick to think this was going to be something very different with Dredd and Mega-City One and I was going to be a part of it all. Think I had a grin on my face for about a week.

Conor shows us Dredd’s way of negotiating with perps
From Mega-City 2099: The Thin Blue Line, Megazine issue 459

The whole idea of going back to look at the history of MC-1 and Dredd has been covered plenty of times before but it strikes me that this one feels and obviously looks different.

What artists and artistic inspiration can we see in your Dredd in Mega-City 2099 here?

CB: Part of the brief from Tharg and Ken was this is purely Case Files One era, with that Dredd continuing on and evolving.

So artistically you’ve got the freedom from forty-odd years of design progression and development, (and the pressure of having to follow it) but a lot of what remains is fluid, with Carlos tweaking his designs as he goes along.

I stuck with the design of the original four strips (including The Bank Raid) – as trying to produce a hybrid of Carlos and Ian Gibson’s work, while providing me more access to more design avenues, would’ve just ended in a visual mess.

Classic Dredd art from Carlos Ezquerra – The Bank Raid – originally intended as the first ever Dredd tale,
finally published in 2000 AD Annual 1981
More classic Ezquerra artwork, this time from Judge Whitey, the very first published Judge Dredd in Prog 2, 1977

Have you been going back in time yourself, diligently studying those very early Dredds to make sure some Internet warrior isn’t going to bombard 2000 AD Towers with complaints that you didn’t get this or that detail right?

CB: Ha! While I’ve included everything Carlos threw at those stories, I learned a long time ago that you can’t keep everyone happy. If someone spots a missing element, then well done. Award yourself a nice cup of tea and a biscuit!

Obviously, you’re showing off the classic uniform, Lawgiver, Lawmaster etc. But what other elements have you integrated into the strip to make it look and feel timely?

CB: The thing that grabs you is Dredd’s face – Carlos didn’t depict early Dredd with the snarl or grimace, even hinting the evidence of a bottom lip, so there was a bit of work involved in keeping him stony-faced, the Dredd ‘aura’, but without the frame and the excessive chin we all know and love.

The other main aspect I was asked to highlight was the city itself. You can really place the vibe of the series with all the crazy architecture in the background – but it would be alongside landmarks that we have in our world too.

Now that’s definitely highlighting the city, future and past!
From Mega-City 2099: Rampage, Mehazine issue 451

Can you tell us a little more about how you adapted your art to fit the ‘retro vibe’ required or was it simply a case of your style being the perfect fit for the look needed?    

CB: It wasn’t so much of an adaptation – I pretty much put my style aside, to be honest.

This is a call back to the original stories so I thought it was neither the time or place to try and stamp anything else on it. There was a large amount in the storytelling that Ken wanted to capture and I didn’t want to add visual clutter to a tight story.

I took those first four strips and devised a style of linework that would echo them, incorporated some greyscale and that was about it. Keep it simple, strong and stylish, y’know? 

Mega-City 2099: Rampage – Megazine issue 451
Taking the early Dredds and devising ‘a style of linework that would echo them, incorporated some greyscale’

And what about the process you’ve used on Mega-City 2099?

CB: When we started with this strip I’d only done one story for Tharg – How I Lost The Waugh, (written by Liam Johnson, coloured by Barbara Nosenzo, lettered by Jim Campbell) part of The Darkest Judge epic that came out last year – so I kept my layouts tight.

When working with new teams I do try to keep roughs as clear as I can (though they’re still MUCH rougher than a lot of layouts I’ve seen from other artists!) so I think the layout you see here will have been the tidied version, and a rougher version preceding it that I must have deleted along the way.

Conor’s roughs for page 1 of Mega-City 2099: Rampage

I had to draw this and the previous strip digitally. Our house sprung more than a few leaks the previous winter and we’d had to move out to get the repairs done, so my studio was packed away in a storage unit. It would’ve been great to ink traditionally but with all the redraws to get the uniform and the Lawmaster right, it was probably for the best!

Once Tharg approved the layouts, I put the digital inks straight over the top with maybe only a few tweaks to allow more space for lettering or to straighten out the storytelling.

And then the inks for page 1 of Mega-City 2099: Rampage

As I said, Tharg, in his benevolence, asked to see a lot of the city itself. So with the process of story and figure work being pretty quick and straightforward it did leave me a lot of time to indulge in echoing all those crazy Ezquerra-styled buildings in the backgrounds.

As you said, you’re relatively new to 2000 AD, with your first artwork for Tharg coming only recently, Devlin Waugh: How I Lost The Waugh, in Megazine 448, part of The Darkest Judge saga that put forth an alternative to Judgement Day (You can find that one here in the 2000 AD web shop!)

CB: I am. It’s still very surreal. Genuine lifetime ambitions and all that… The inner critic has been very quiet recently. 

An artist managing to quiet his inner critic – a real rarity!

Conor’s art on the Devlin Waugh chapter of The Darkest Judge storyline – from Megazine 448

How does it feel to be helming something that covers the early days of Dredd and MC-1?

CB: It’s kinda mind blowing to be honest with you. The first story Tharg gave me had Preacher Cain, Judge Anderson, and Johnny Alpha show up in the second panel (thanks, Liam Johnson!). Oh, and please can you follow the Judge Anderson style from Arthur Ranson!

I’d barely had chance to get back to earth when this story came along. Carlos has designed Dredd and Mega City One. Now it’s your turn!

There’s so much stuff that you can pick up and work with that didn’t really get expanded on the first time round. Judges aside, I’ve got a lot of fun out of the police uniforms and cars, as well as clothing designs for citizens and perps alike.

What about the future of Mega-City 2099? What can we expect as the series unfolds – or is it one of those where you discover what Ken’s doing as he sends you the scripts?

CB: Ooh, there’s much more – SO much more – from the initial concept that is yet to be explored, but that would be all the spoilers.

I’m not a fan of movie trailers that last three minutes, telling you the whole plot. My idea of giving things away in comics is much the same. Page One, Panel One of our first strip should tell you all you need for now!

Dredd vs a rogue Judge – from Mega-City 2099: Rampage, Megazine issue 451

Okay, now as it’s the first time chatting with you Conor, let’s go into your background a bit – where you from?

CB: All over the place. Nowhere? Kent, Yorkshire, London, take your pick. That sense of where you’re from that’s important to some folks doesn’t mean anything to me. Nothing dramatic, I just don’t have it.

And what’s your background in comics, both reading and making?

CB: There were comics in our house as far back as I can remember. My parents were keen on me and my sister reading, so comics, along with books on Irish folk stories, were definitely a part of it.

Our cousin Chris Kelly was a few years older than us and had mountains of comics. We ditched Beano and Dandy comics in a hurry when he started handing us 2000 AD, MAD comics and other stuff that was equally subversive. I can remember reading them and knowing they were for older kids so it was a rush.

Well, Krill Tro Thargo to cousin Chris for that!

CB: I read comics from then till about the age of 14 or 15, then fell back into them around the age of 26 or 27, something like that. I was in a dead-end job at that point and comics were suddenly an amazing escape all over again.

Lizzie and I started making our own comics in 2010 and launched our own publishing name Disconnected Press in 2011. We made 13 or 14 books, mostly anthologies with people we’d met at conventions along the way.

That’s Lizzie Boyle, known round these parts for Monster Fun, Misty, Cor & Buster, and Tammy & Jinty.

>

Just a sampling of the titles from Conor & Lizzie Boyle’s Disconnected Press

How long have you been making your art and what sort of work have you done to this point?

CB: I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. The easiest way to keep me happy as a kid was to hand me a pencil and some paper. I was off in my own little world – be that at the dining table, the floor, long car journeys, other people’s houses – it didn’t matter, as long as I could draw.

I started drawing comics with an eye to being published (and to begin with I had absolutely no idea how to even go about that) around 15 years ago. It might be longer than that, come to think of it… I met the legends Dave Evans and Richmond Clements of FutureQuake Publishing over a series of conventions and I drew a couple of five-page stories for them.

Thinking that I then knew everything, (spoilers; I really, really didn’t) I convinced Rich McAuliffe (who has since written for Scream & Misty) to write some scripts around the Dark Judges and we suddenly had a 36 page book (Dark Judgement) on our hands, which seemed to go down well enough to allow a sequel a year or so later.

Conor’s Judge Fire from the Dark Judgement fanzine

It wasn’t long after that that Lizzie and I started Disconnected Press, which lasted about six or seven years until we both became too busy with other publishers to keep it going. Things have kinda snowballed from there, really.

To date I’ve worked for 2000 AD, Heavy Metal Magazine, Vault Comics, Titan, and a lorry load of other publishers, big and small. 

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What’s your history with reading 2000 AD? When did you first discover the Prog etc?

CB: It involves Prog 226, a rough, night crossing on a ferry to Ireland and a kid who was way too young to be reading about Judge Death and Nemesis being hung, then coming down from the noose to wreak havoc on his enemies. I was never the same after that.

What about favourite characters?

CB: Oh man, there’s a list! Outside of Dredd, obviously, I’d say Dirty Frank, The Wally Squad, Anderson, The Dark Judges, Mean Machine Angel, Button Man, Durham Red, The ABC Warriors, and Henry Dubble.

This list will undoubtedly be added to tomorrow, but they’re definitely on it.

Mark Harrison’s run on Durham Red got me back into comics, I still find Shaun Thomas’ work unsettling on a level I can’t describe, his initial Black Museum pages are haunting. Also, everything that Jim Murray had a hand in. Absolutely next-level stuff, which I keep re-reading.

The Judges and the Mega-City PD – the politics of early MC-1
From Mega-City 2099: The Thin Blue Line, Megazine issue 459

Finally, as we always like to do, what work do you have coming out, whether from 2000 AD or elsewhere, for us to look out for in the future?

CB: Most of my time now is dedicated to wrapping up a 5 issue series for an American publisher, a Cold War tale about dodgy goings-on in post-war Europe. I can’t wait to tell everyone about it, but alas we’re not quite at that stage just yet! 

Well okay then – we’ll just have to wait and see!

Dredd getting on with it – from The Thin Bue Line, Megazine 459

And that was where we had to leave things with Conor, he had some of that drawing stuff to be getting on with.

Thank you so much to Conor for the chat. You can find Mega-City 2099: The Thin Blue Line in the new Megazine, issue 459, out on 16 August. It’s available everywhere Thrill-power is sold, including the 2000 AD web shop. It’s only two episodes in but the Niemand and Boyle droids have absolutely nailed the brief – it’s a glorious slice of retro Dredd and a joy to read.

You can find Conor online at Twitter, Instagram, and his and Lizzie’s Disconnected Press site is here.

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2000 AD Creator Files – Honor Vincent

2000 AD brings you the galaxy’s greatest stories and art in thrill-powered tales every single week – but who are the droids behind these tales? Well, each month, we’ll sit down with one of the creators who’ve been responsible for keeping the thrill-power set to maximum to get those answers – this is the 2000 AD Creator Files!

Here’s where we’ll tell you more about the artists and writers who keep the Prog and the Judge Dredd Megazine a Thrill-full read! For over 45 years, 2000 AD has been bringing you the best new talent out there and here’s another one of the many talented newer names you’ll have seen in the Prog & the Meg recently – Honor Vincent.

Honor Vincent first came to Tharg’s attention when she won the 2000 AD & Thought Bubble Script Contest in 2021 with her pitch for a Future Shock, Relict, her tale of an immortal time-travelling mouse looking to save humanity, only to find that we’re really not worth the effort.

Since then, she’s seen her winning entry published, followed by another two Future Shocks,Smart Home and Echo, a Terror Tale, Rites, and the Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces episode in the recent zombie takeover of the 2000 AD Universe, The Darkest Judge!

The horrors in store from Honor’s first 2000 AD work, Relict – art by Lee Milmore –
from 2000 AD Prog 2279 (April 2022)

Honor, hello and welcome to Creator Files! First of all, you’re New Yorker born and bred right?

HONOR VINCENT: I am indeed! I was born in Queens, raised on Long Island, went to college in the city, and moved back there a few years after college. I recently moved out west to Colorado, though, so I had to sheepishly hand in my New Yorker card when I picked up my Stetson.

So how did you first get into comics and, particularly as you live Stateside, how did you become aware of 2000 AD? Where were you getting your comics reading from at this point?

HV: My dad has been a comic fan since he was a kid, and has a massive collection of comics – not as massive as it could have been, had my grandpa not tossed a trunkload of them in the 70s (he swears there were some early Supermans in there).

Usually, it’s Mum that throws out the comics!

HV: When I was learning to read he saw them as a good bridge between picture books and chapter books, and he was right! So I’ve been a comic reader for a long time.

In terms of 2000 AD: I think I found it a few different oblique ways. I don’t remember when I first heard about Dredd, but I certainly knew of him before I started reading 2000 AD – saying “Y’know, Judge Dredd?” to people over here almost always garners an “Oh yeah!”, even if they haven’t heard of 2000 AD.

I’ve long admired Grant Morrison and Alan Moore’s work, and when I was hunting down more from them I happened on some of the early-2000 compendiums of Future Shocks, and loved them.

More horrors, this time of the A.I. kind, from Honor’s second 2000 AD Future Shock, Smart Home.
Art by VV Glass, Prog 2280 (May 2022)

What was school/college/university like for you? Were you a voracious reader through those years and what authors and comics did you gravitate towards?

HV: I was! I come from a family of readers – my grandmother and I would routinely go to the movies and then the bookstore together, and I’d always go home with something. My dad’s favorite haunt is Barnes and Noble, and my mother is probably my hometown library’s biggest customer. She reads at an insane pace; I feel like she can read a book a day.

I did an ad-hoc degree (I wrote my own major so I could study abroad and take weird classes), and took a lot of writing workshop classes, which included lots of reading. My favorite was a science fiction writing class, which was wonderful, and led me to be a regular reader of sci-fi mags (I collect vintage ones now, and they’re a lot of fun to read). Around that time I also discovered George Saunders, Karen Russell, Daphne du Maurier, Edith Wharton, and Jorge Luis Borges, who remain some of my favorite authors. I also went through a doorstopper-classics phase, where I read and loved Anna Karenina and Les Miserables.

In terms of comics, I really started my own collection in earnest around my freshman year of college – there was a great local shop a few blocks from my school on the second floor of a nondescript office building, with tables and tables of long boxes. It was wonderful (and has since closed, unfortunately). The first series I bought every trade of was Bill Willingham’s Fables. I also loved the Green Lantern storylines of that time (2007-2011), Y: The Last Man, The Walking Dead, and anything by Moore and Morrison.

Another fairly formative experience in terms of my appreciation for books was a two-year internship at the Morgan Library and Museum’s Reading room (I actually turned down an internship at Marvel because the Morgan one paid). There’s a beautiful reading room where scholars work, and then a labyrinth of underground stacks that I got to wheel a cart through and pull stuff from for them, with a special elevator and everything. It was, and is, a wonderful place. They have things like a Gutenberg Bible, original Dickens and William Blake books, medieval manuscripts, papyri, reams of letters… I was not allowed to touch all of that, of course! For me that time solidified how important physical books are as artifacts. And that is how I justify having a giant book collection to my very patient husband.

And more horrors – this time from Terror Tales: Rites, Prog 2316 (Jan 2023) – art by Steve Yeowell
A fascinating concept leading to a perfect twist

Were you always going to be a writer from a young age or did the calling come later in life – although having said that, later in life for you isn’t necessarily the same as later in life for me – how long ago did you finish your schooling?

HV:I graduated from college in 2011, but I don’t see that as the end of my schooling – I think that will be when I die. I was sure I loved to write by the time I got to high school, and I knew writing was going to be a major part of my life by freshman year of college, which was when I realized I couldn’t prevent myself from doing it. I had a roughly two-hour long (and blessedly smart phone-free) commute to college, walking and on the train, which meant a lot of time to think and read! I’d listen to music and ideas would come from that, or when I was staring glazedly out of the train window.

As far as the writing was concerned, you began with poetry and prose, with your first published work coming out in 2018. But how did the transition into comics come about? And was it something you’d always thought about doing or simply one of those happy accidents?

HV: It’s funny – I read comics for as long as I’ve read anything else, but I didn’t think of making them myself. The main barrier was not being remotely able to produce a page of comic art, and not having the money to pay someone to do it. Breaking in really felt like a black box until I realized that people were able to successfully fund work online.

Not too long after that I had an idea for a book that I couldn’t imagine in any other format, I found a wonderful artist to collaborate with in a Facebook group (who knew!).

Also, because you mentioned poetry I will mention a pet opinion: I think poetry and comics are extremely similar, and I love them for a lot of the same reasons. They’re both mediums with interesting constraints, and doing them well requires pulling out the most evocative bits of action or detail out.

Could any new writer ever expect that they’d be writing a meeting between these two?
From Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces (Oct 2022), Judge Dredd Megazine 448 – art by Boo Cook.

As with so many writers, you didn’t go from education to professionally writing immediately did you? There was a period where you went into the fashion industry, right? It’s one of those dream jobs for so many people, but what took you in that direction and what was it like to actually get one of those ‘dream’ jobs?

HV: Well, it wasn’t a dream! It also wasn’t the worst stereotype of those types of jobs. I worked with a lot of lovely, dedicated, creative people and I got to do things that were in retrospect very cool, and very much what I dreamt of when I thought I wanted to make fashion a career. I started off with magazine internships in college, and then I bounced between a lot of different functions, trying to find something I liked (I started out in retail and ended up doing a digital strategy/marketing/event production work by the end).

The issue was there was a disconnect between the level of stress and military precision required and what we were doing – I found myself getting worked up about things that weren’t deeply important to me. I still love fashion as an art form, and watch the shows online.

I was kvetching about this to a good friend one day, and he mentioned a programming retreat he was going to that summer was hiring. I applied, was very surprised to be hired, and have been working there happily for almost 9 years now. Every year I get to meet hundreds of really thoughtful, creative people from all over the map and watch them do ambitious work that really lights them up. Being in that environment is catching, and it’s had a big effect on my own ability to focus on what I want to do (write!).

And right now, you’ve moved out of New York and are in Colorado for work. What took you out to the mid-west?

HV: Mid-west! Them’s fightin’ words.

Ooops!

HV: I’m lucky to be able to work remotely, so I’m at the same job at the programming retreat. We essentially got priced out – our rent went up by over 20% last year and we got a $700 power bill out of nowhere, which made me untenably angry, lots of stomping around and shaking my fist in the real estate industry’s general direction.

My husband is from the real Midwest – rural Iowa – and the city was also starting to grate on him. We’d always talked about Colorado wistfully as a place we’d retire to, but then I checked the rent prices, and we had soon after booked a UHaul. It was quite a drive – we had three cats with us in the cab and all of our earthly possessions in the back. I hope to never touch Nebraska again.

More in the Johnny and Cass show – written by Honor, art by Boo Cook
From Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces (Oct 2022), Judge Dredd Megazine 448

Like so many modern writers, particularly in comics, you haven’t yet made the jump into full-time writing. The economics of comics, particularly for newer writers, are punishing of course. But is the eventual plan to push on and go full-time with the writing?

HV: Punishing is a very good word for it! I’m grateful to have a steady job I love that can support what is currently a very expensive hobby; otherwise I wouldn’t be able to produce my own books, or take classes, or work with freelance editor to refine things.

Writing is the main thing I do outside of work time, and frankly I feel lucky that anyone pays me to do it at all. But yes, down the road it’d be wonderful if I could do that all day. I have no idea when that will be – I’m having my first kid in August, so I don’t think it’ll be soon!

Congratulations!

Now, seeing as you went from poetry and prose to comics, how did you manage that? Did you study comics scripting at all, consult things like Eisner or McCloud’s works, talk to some comics making friends or acquaintances, or was it simply a case of jumping into it, fingers crossed?

HV: I did indeed read McCloud’s Understanding Comics, which was extremely helpful! I’ve accumulated a bunch of books about writing and craft; I also love Framed Ink, How to Write Comics the DC Way, What It Is, The From Hell Companion, and (of course!) The 2000 AD Script Book.

.

HV: The most useful exercise I did when I was getting started was to reverse engineer some of my favorite comics: I’d read through them and map out how many pages and panels the team used for the different story beats. And I read and reread more comics and tried to push myself to check out new stuff, which is the best way keep learning.

How have you refined your comics-making process over the last few years as you’ve been getting more work at different places – and can you give us an idea of how that process goes?

HV: I’ve been meeting with a writing group for the last 4 or so years, and this is a running joke that after I try something as a short story, maybe a novella, suddenly the story becomes a comic. I’ll usually get an idea I can’t shake, and those usually come from happening on an article or video or talking to someone about something fun and terrifying like immortal mice. I’ll then write a short story to work out the kinks in the idea.

After I do that it’s easier to see if it’s something I can, say, pitch for a Future Shock or if it’s something I’d want to make longer, and once I know that I’ll do a page-by-page outline and then a very bad panel-by-panel sketch to see how things roughly work. After I’m happy with that I finish up the script. Every project varies, but if I’m able to see the art before it goes to the letterer, I’ll do a last pass on the dialogue and captions to refine them a bit.

From Honor Vincent’s Andraste issue 1 – art by Unai Ortiz de Zarate

Moving onto your comics work and your first published comic, Andraste. How did that one begin – I believe it was originally poetry? What was it that caused you to shift medium and develop it as a comic instead of publishing it as poetry?

HV: I couldn’t get it to work any other way! I thought about how to come at that story for a really long time, and I couldn’t figure out another way to write it that felt right. Whenever I thought about the characters and the story I saw them so clearly. So I did what everyone highly recommends* when you’re just starting out – I planned a 12-issue historical fantasy series.

[*No one recommends this.]

Unusually perhaps, you found your artist on Facebook – Was that Unai Ortiz de Zarate? It’s an interesting way to do it – what was the reasoning for that?

HV: It was Unai! That was one of the more fortunate things that’s happened to me in comics, and certainly the most fortunate thing to ever happen to me on Facebook. I didn’t know anyone in the industry at that point, so I poked around on Reddit a bit, and then joined a Facebook group called Connecting Comic Writers and Artists, and that’s its sole purpose – I trawled it quietly and when Unai posted that he was looking for work I reached out to him. His good friend is DC Alonso, who does the colors on Andraste and New Rat City, my other creator-owned book.

Other artists involved include Abel Cicero, George Quadros, and Carlos Nieto on art, with DC Alonso on colours, Micah Myers on letters.

Andraste is a series about the Boudican rebellion in first century Britannia. As you put it on the PR, ‘It’s also about what war does to families, the Roman propaganda machine, Druidic rituals, interdimensional mastiffs, and mouthless death goddesses. You heard me.’

So, why choose this subject? Was it something you’d always been fascinated by?

HV: I’ve always been very drawn to war stories. I saw Boudicca’s statue in London when I visited in 2010 and proceeded to read whatever I could find about her – it was really her daughters, who are riding on the back of her chariot, who grabbed me, though, and they’re who the book centers on.

A sneak peek at issue 4 of Honor Vincent’s Andraste – art by Unai Ortiz de Zarate

I imagine this, more than most projects, meant a deep dive into the history books for research?

HV: It certainly did! I actually did a tier for the Kickstarter where I sent a few folks a history book I used during the process. It’s a lot of guesswork, though. The Romans wrote about her many years after she died as a kind of allegory, so you can’t really trust that as the truth. And a lot of the Roman writing about Britannia was sensationalism – an island of giants at the edge of the world! There are Roman historians in the book who struggle with writing what’s true, what’s exciting, and what the emperor wants put down for posterity.

It’s a full colour piece, with some lush artwork. Was it published just as a webcomic or did you make print comics of the series?

HV: Both! I have single issues I bring to conventions, and I printed a run of trade paperbacks of issues #1-3 for a Kickstarter campaign. It’s also available on Zestworld and GlobalComix.

Yes, I’ve read them and so should everyone else, it’s really a good first comic from yourself and your artists. Are there plans to do more?

HV: Thank you, I appreciate that! There are – I want to finish the story. Unai is back on the book after recovering pretty heroically from an illness, and he’s just wrapped up the inks on Issue #5. I’m hoping we’ll have #6 done before the end of the summer, but that ball’s in my court now.

What sort of pitfalls came with self-publishing your work? I’ve spoken to many writers and creatives over here in the UK who admit that their very first self-published things are a steep learning curve, and often things that they don’t revisit too often, far too many things they’d alter if they did. But it’s also a perfect training ground for a writer and artist, getting the kinks out, honing what you do, making your mistakes and improving, improving.

How did you approach this, your first ever comics work?

HV: There are absolutely things I’d do differently if I was starting that book now. But one thing I’ve learned is that you have to find the balance between giving something your best shot and being so precious about putting something out in the world that you never do. If I hadn’t started putting Andraste out there when I did, I wouldn’t have gotten valuable feedback on it, or gained some of the confidence to keep going. Like you said, you have to hone your skills, and you need some external friction to hone anything.

Those three issues of Andraste then made up the first collection that you raised funds for on Kickstarter. There are both wonderful tales of creatives being able to connect with a whole new audience out there and also various horror stories of delays and disappointments involved.

Is it a method you’d use again, either to continue with Andraste or to fund more collected editions of your future works?

HV: Kickstarter is wonderful, and I’ve used it for three campaigns so far – Andraste and my two New Rat City campaigns. I’ll absolutely be back when I’m ready with another book. There’s a great community of creators on Kickstarter, and I met some great friends there. Their comic audience is also much bigger than the group I’d be able to reach on my own, which is a huge benefit when you’re just starting out.

There’s one big caveat to my opinion: for some sick reason I enjoy the repetitive manual labor of shipping hundreds of books, and the numbing work of putting in print orders and making spreadsheets of rewards and addresses. If you do not like to do those kinds of things, and can’t afford to pay someone else to do them, consider another route!

When there’s a campaign that doesn’t deliver, it makes things harder for everyone (which is terrible, but understandable – people want the books they pay for!), and likely impossible for you to crowdfund later on (as it should – get people their books!).

Honor’s first 2000 AD work – Relict with Lee Milmore on art – from 2000 AD Prog 2279 (April 2022)
Their prize for winning the 2000 AD/Thought Bubble 2021 Talent Search

You first came to prominence, at least as far as 2000 AD was concerned, with your win at the 2000 AD & Thought Bubble talent search in 2021.

HV: I would definitely agree with the unqualified ‘first’ there!

Well, I say ‘at’ the talent search, but given that this was in peak plague times, it was a zoom thing with the contest moving online for a couple of years. For you, this was a fortunate turn of events as you hadn’t been able to make it across to Thought Bubble.

What was it that caught your eye about the 2000 AD & Thought Bubble contest? Had you seen it before then but hadn’t entered for whatever reasons or was this the first time you’d come across it?

HV: I’d heard of the contest in 2020 – Twitter, I think? – and thought about entering, but I didn’t feel like I had something that was worthy of a Future Shock. I stewed on it for about a year, in which I also happened to learn about mouse experiments from some friends, and was selfishly glad I could still enter online when the time came!

As far as the contest itself was concerned, I know we’ve spoken about it before but I wanted to ask you about it again as it’s such a big part of what’s put you where you are today. (We spoke before about it in April 2022 – you can read that interview with Honor and the winning artist, Lee Milmore, here.)

The writer’s pitch was allowed to be pre-recorded that year, wasn’t it? So no endless practising to get it absolutely right? Although I imagine the process of pre-recording it was one of endless retakes?

HV: I am… not very video-adept, so it took quite a while to get to an angle that worked, where I didn’t sound like a dope, where a cat didn’t march in and scream, and so on. I wrote out the pitch and then a shorter script for myself to read.

Would you have preferred to have done the pitch in person or did the virtual, pre-recorded pitching process suit you better?

HV: Oh, probably video, though it would have been very cool to be able to go to Thought Bubble! My voice sometimes does a fun surprise wobble when I talk in front of a lot of people, which compounds and makes me feel great, so it was preferable to be able to sit in my office and essentially talk to myself.

More from Relict by Honor Vincent and Lee Milmore – 2000 AD Prog 2279 (April 2022)

That Thought Bubble win meant you and winning artist Lee Millmore were assigned your Future Shock pitch, Relict, as a job for the Prog, which eventually saw print in 2000 AD Prog 2279 (April 2022).

Let’s talk for a moment about what that moment of winning meant to you. How did you find out?

HV: I saw the an email from Michael Molcher letting me know I’d won first thing in the morning, and I ran around my apartment excitedly before figuring out that the videos of the judging panels were going live very soon (3 pm GMT was 9 am for me!), so I somehow sat down and my husband and I watched them with our coffee.

And was it more of a thrill to win or to finally see your work in print in 2000 AD the following April?

HV: It was all pretty thrilling, but I do think holding the Prog in my hands was the more exciting thing – it was when I got to see the absolutely incredible work that Lee did to bring that whole world to life, and that mushroom cloud in the last panel was all him, and was killer.

What sort of feedback did you get from the TB judges about Relict? Were there lots of changes necessary to get it to publication or was it pretty much print ready?

HV: I sent a script to Matt a few days after the contest, and he got back to me with some helpful notes about clarifying and amping up Stephen’s narration, and on the big stabby scene on page 3, which made the whole thing stronger. After I made those changes it was sent on to Lee.

And how did you find the whole experience of Relict – presumably this would be the first time you’d had a comics script edited?

HV: I’d run scripts by friends for feedback, but this was the first time I’d had a finished script edited in this kind of context, absolutely. I was nervous! But it was only helpful, both on the level of that particular story and in improving my writing in general.  

Relict by Honor Vincent and Lee Milmore – 2000 AD Prog 2279 (April 2022)
This Time-travelling mouse could hold the key to saving humanity

So, looking at Relict, what was the inspiration for this particular first Future Shock?

HV: The seed of it came from a talk someone gave at work about experiments on senescent cells in mice, and how it’s technically possible that the first immortal mouse had been created. And then I started thinking about what that mouse would be doing a thousand years from now, and what it would think of us – would it become intelligent enough to introspect and build, given so much time? I hoped so, because that would be adorable.

The more I thought about it, the more I thought that he wouldn’t be very happy with us, if he knew the whole story of how he was made. He’d come to that slowly, as he woke up out of mousey ignorance over the course of a thousand or so years.

How long did it take you from first imaginings to finished pitch?

HV: I heard of this immortal mouse situation in early September of 2021 and wrote a short story version of Relict shortly after that. I thought it would make a pretty neat Future Shock, so I got a pitch together in October, so it was pretty quick!

There’s a focus on animal experimentation in Relict as one particular test subject, Stephen, finds himself a relict in a far future time, long-lived and self-educated, able to travel back in time to warn of the impending doom – only to find that the ‘makers’, us, just aren’t worth saving.  

One issue that seemed far-fetched on first reading it is the idea of senescence (the biological process of ageing) resulting in an extremely long-lived mouse, the immortal mouse you mentioned. However, after a fascinating deep dive into it all, I see that making DNA repairs on mice has meant that scientists have been able to manipulate the ageing process. Which is one of those things that just makes you realise how incredible biology can be.

HV: It is! That’s my favorite kind of science fiction, where you go “No way, that’s ridiculous…wait. OH SH*T.” As I was working on this story a friend who is a neuroscientist and has done a bunch of mouse experiments and is also in my writing group sent me a bunch of papers – people have done lots of interesting things (most of them brutal) to mice.

Relict by Honor Vincent and Lee Milmore – 2000 AD Prog 2279 (April 2022) –
Humanity really is just a vile little virus on the Earth, isn’t it?

Was it a case of you and Lee working together to develop the finished FS or did he pretty much work off the finished script?

HV: He worked off the finished script! I didn’t see the final artwork until publication, which made it all extra exciting.

And looking back, how did you think Relict ended up? Were you happy with it on publication?

HV: I really was, and still am! I can’t say enough good things about Lee’s artwork and the tone – grim, sad, but also fantastical – and the deep understanding of 2000 AD history he brought to the story. And having that Future Shock tag on the first page was a trip.

Honor’s second 2000 AD Future Shock, Smart Home from Prog 2280 (May 2022) – art by VV Glass
The Roomba A.I. threat you all know is coming!

Your second published tale in 2000 AD was another Future Shock, in Prog 2280 (May 2022) – just one short week from your debut. That was Smart Home with art by VV Glass, appearing in one of the regular Regened Progs.

So how did that second one come about – although they appeared in short order, did you get commissioned for that second FS immediately after the win or was it some time later?

HV: Matt emailed me about that story in February 2022, so it was a few months after I’d sent in the Relict script and a few months before it was published. He asked if I could write something for the Regened issue, and I pitched him a couple of ideas, including Smart Home.

Smart Home was something set in pretty much present day, with a present day fear, that of all those AI powered household devices gaining sentience and taking over. Here it’s another experiment, this time a boy genius working on a Roomba and creating Rosie, something very special that eventually may just end up saving the world.

As it was a Regened FS was there any change to the way you wrote the tale or is it more a case of enjoying giving the kids a scare but toning it down just a touch?

HV: Matt said ‘minimal violence, fairly light in tone’ for the Regened issue, and I like a blood spatter here and there, so I did have to do a little self-editing before I sent in any pitches!

More from Honor Vincent and VV Glass’ Future Shock: Smart Home – Prog 2280 (May 2022)
More A.I. going very, very wrong.

It strikes me that it’s an example of how Regened tales rarely seem to talk down to the kids they’re designed for. The storytelling is complex, requiring the reader to understand the concepts of AI, the position that Rosie finds itself in, and the impact its sentience has. Then you throw in a jump forward in time and Rosie MkII, complete with an ending that requires the reader to grasp just what Rosie MkI has averted.

I think it’s obvious from that that you’re a writer who appreciates just how knowledgable and visually literate children are.

HV: Well again, thank you! I agree that Regened stories don’t talk down to kids, and I don’t think literature or comics should do that in general – kids are smart, and they’re ambitious readers, and just like anyone else I don’t think the ones reading science fiction comics would take kindly to being pandered to!

I also have to remember sometimes that kids now have a relationship to technology that’s way more intuitive and natural than mine. My friends’ kids are generally polite to their Alexas and Google Homes, and will not be at the top of the bad list come the singularity.

Honor’s third 2000 AD work – the Future Shock: Echo – Prog 2301 (Sept 2022) – art by Liana Kangas
Vegas in space – what could possibly go wrong?

Your third 2000 AD work came in September 2022 with another Future Shock, Echo with Liana Kangas (2000 AD Prog 2301).

This one was a play on Vegas in space, with one unlucky punter getting in far deeper than he ever imagined. Was that one based on your own experiences of falling foul of Vegas?

HV: It was not! I’ve only been to Vegas once, and that’s using ‘been’ generously: my husband and I passed through the airport and quickly drove out of the city on the way to Zion National Park in Utah, because we’re no fun.

I did go to Atlantic City in New Jersey once – that’s Vegas’ sad old uncle, for the uninitiated. It was terrifying in its own way, and there’s a little splinter of that experience here: the star’s actual form is the Atlantic City to the Vegas of the hologram form her fans see.

Again, as another short FS, it’s all about getting the idea over in such a short number of pages. Is there a particular mindset you have to get into to pare down the story and get to the essence of what it’s all about to deliver a full tale, beginning, middle, end in just 5 pages?

HV: I often think of the saying “If I had more time I would have written you a shorter letter,” when I’m working on something short. It takes more time, because I have to figure out the ‘bulkier’ version of the story, then cut it down to the absolute minimum of words and images to get what I’ve got to get across. And as that’s happening, there’s always the little voice asking if the story will hold up over 4 or 5 pages that way – not everything does. Some stories need more air, or room to get into backstory or a longer conversation, and then they go in the Not Quite a Future Shock folder. When you have twenty-odd pages or more you can wander a little, and be less strict with yourself.

I like both forms – Future Shocks are a little like deciding to write a sestina. You can’t be as freewheeling, but that form or length constraint forces  you to do really interesting things, and find different words and images you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

More from Echo by Honor Vincent and Liana Kangas – Prog 2301 (Sept 2022)
Exposing the fraud behind the glitz & glamour

Again, a bit like buses, just after that third Future Shock you had your first strip in the Megazine, Anderson, Psi: Allied Forces. It was part of the Prog/Megazine alternative Judgement Day storyline – The Darkest Judge – for the 30th anniversary of the original story. It appeared in Judge Dredd Megazine 448 and featured two classic characters – Anderson and Johnny Alpha – as drawn by Boo Cook.

How did that come about?

HV: In April 2022 I got an email from Matt asking about doing a 5-page Judge Anderson story for a special that was coming out later that year.

At this point, you’re a new writer to 2000 AD with just three Future Shocks to your name – so when you got the call, what was going through your mind, getting to play with the great characters here?

HV: It put me in a very similar mental state to when I got the call about the Thought Bubble contest! I was so overly excited I sent an Anderson story idea over before he had a chance to send me the spec for the actual issue…

Then there was also the added pressure of writing a beloved, awesome character – I really didn’t want to screw that up. I’d read a bunch of Judge Anderson’s stories at that point, and loved her, and shortly after I got that email I read Alec Worley’s Year One novel and got my hands on all of the stories I hadn’t read yet.

A meeting of two greats – Johnny Alpha meets Cassandra Anderson
From Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces (Oct 2022), Judge Dredd Megazine 448 – art by Boo Cook.

Now, because it was part of the overarching story of Johnny Alpha coming back to destroy all those zombies, did you get given pointers with that one as to where you needed to take it or was it more structured than that?

HV: I got a brief on the larger event, and what needed to happen in the 5-pager. Since it was such a big event with so many stories, there was some back and forth about what the state of things had to be at that moment – how Anderson had gotten to the Radlands, what Johnny knew and didn’t, and so on. I imagine Matt had one of those red string maps detectives use.

So it’s Judge Anderson and Johnny Alpha fighting zombies – it’s a bit of a whoah moment I’d imagine?

HV: There is no horror genre I like better than zombies, so that was definitely a cherry on top of everything. The image that came first was of Anderson sitting on top of a high rock spire to stay out of their clutches, overheated and getting a little frustrated.

Did you find yourself going through lots of old Anderson/Stront tales to get a feel for the characters?

HV: I did! When I learned that it wasn’t just Anderson, but Anderson and Johnny Alpha, I then went and read the Search/Destroy Agency Files and got to shed a tear for Wulf several decades late.

More incredible Boo Cook artwork from Honor Vincent’s story –
Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces (Oct 2022), Judge Dredd Megazine 448

Finally, for 2000 AD for now, your fifth published piece came in Prog 2316, Terror Tales: Rites, published in January 2023 with art by Steve Yeowell.

It’s one that shows just how impressive these short tales can be – this one was just four pages long – with the storyline doing a wonderful switch to put the reader off balance.

It all pivots on one fascinating idea again, that of a society where mass hauntings started. You don’t go into the whys of it, no time for that, but the outcome you develop, of ghostbusters ridding houses of the ghostly presences for cash – one up from babysitting if you will – it’s a great concept. And then, just when we think we know where it’s going you do that great switch, completely throwing the reader and giving the story a real sense of terror when you realise just what it all means.

Again, was this something that came out of an interest you had in the supernatural or just from a random thought that developed into an idea and then into the story?

HV: This one came from apartment-watching for a friend a few years ago – I would go and check his mailboxes, and make sure everything was in order when he was out of town. When I went in one day, a few of the shelves on one of his bookshelves had collapsed and thrown books everywhere, and I got embarrassingly, primordially scared for a few minutes. Before she died, it was his mother’s apartment, and I apologized for bothering her out of instinct, without really knowing why.

On my way home I thought: what if it was someone’s job not to watch an apartment and get mail, but to stop a ghost from making trouble until it had moved on? What if that was as common a job as being a cleaner or an exterminator? And it went from there. I (again) wrote it as a little short story I was never quite happy with, and then I wrote it as Rites and it worked.

Honor’s fifth piece for 2000 AD, Terror Tales: Rites, Prog 2316 (Jan 2023) – art by Steve Yeowell
A brilliant horror with a great twist

Now, away from 2000 AD, you’ve also written for Zenescope in the US – ‘fun, pulpy horror and takes on fairy tales and stuff,’ as you put it.

That includes work in Zenescope’s Grimm Tales of Terror Quarterly: Back To School (June 2022), Grimm Tales of Terror Holiday Special (December 2022), Grimm Tales of Terror Valentine’s Special (February 2023), Myths and Legends: Black Knight (March 2023), and Grimm Tales of Terror Heart’s Desire (April 2023). There’s also been a piece, Lost & Found, in Scott Snyder Presents: Tales From the Cloakroom anthology (August 2022).

What were those like? Again, it’s you flexing the writing muscles on short stories, a real training ground for any new writer to hone their skills.

HV: Writing the Tales of Terror is a lot of fun – each story in those books is about 17 pages, with a thread narrated by Keres, Goddess of Death, knitting it all together. For these books I get outlines from Zenescope’s editors and run from there, so it’s a very different process – constrained and generative in a different way. And they are blood-y, which I enjoy writing – the most recent Tales of Terror has my top two favorite deaths I’ve written so far.

I also got to do a 72-page book in their main Grimm Fairy Tale Universe, about the Black Knight and Morgan Le Faye fighting their way through Camelot and Wonderland and downtown New York City. The Johnny Alpha/Anderson story trained me well for that, because it involved a lot of research and mental-model building for a set of characters and parallel worlds.

The Tales from the Cloakroom Anthology was put together in a heroic effort by some fellow students (not me! I only wrote the short) in Scott Snyder’s Comics Writing class Discord – the prompt there was to write something involving a jacket, and the stories have a great range.

New Rat City – cover by George Quandos & DC Alonso

You’re also writing New Rat City for Scout Comics in the US , although this is another that you first released through Kickstarter – what’s that one all about? ‘Rats, roaches, and ecological mayhem,’ is how the web site describes it.

HV: It’s another tale of a future world and animals, with pest controllers attempting to keep the world livable for the few remaining humans in New York City after the disaster and the abandonment of the city.

Where did the idea for this one come from?

HV: That one is a deep cut! I’m from New York, and my dad was an exterminator for years when I was a kid. He also very sincerely loves animals (he’d trap and release when he could), and I always found that interesting. And I’m not only saying this because of my dad, but despite the goofy way they’re often portrayed, exterminators are really curious, thoughtful people. They do work most people don’t want to do, they have to do a lot of detective work, and if they do their jobs well they bring a pretty immense amount of psychological and practical relief to people.  

So one day I was thinking: what if exterminators were the most important people in the city, and they all loved animals? What point would the city have to get to for that to be the case: how abandoned, how screwed up? It all spun out from there: it’d have to be a little ways in the future, but at that point wouldn’t our regard for and understanding of animals be reflected in our laws? What if exterminators—ahem, pest controllers!—couldn’t kill anything? Where would they put all the rats?! It’s basically my worst-case scenario for NYC. And, I say stridently, it happened before the mayor started his anti-rat campaign (maybe he should read the series to see how well that’ll go).

New Rat City – cover by Unai Ortiz de Zarate & DC Alonso

So, that brings us up to date with your published work.

What else have you got in the fire right now? I hear there’s a longer collaboration with Lee Milmore in the offing? Any clues on what that one entails?

HV: I’m expecting my first kid in August, so he’s quickly becoming my main project, physically and mentally! It’s also (no offense meant to him) giving me ideas for some fun body horror stories…

But yes, by the time this is published I will have a script in (goddammit!) for a longer story about Stephen and the mice of Relict get up to after the Future Shock. I’m still working on Andraste as well – I’m hoping to finish the script for #7 of that series before the end of the summer.

Will you keep pitching to 2000 AD? And will that be for more one-offs or have you some ideas for new series you fancy?

HV: I will keep pitching until Tharg blocks my email address. I have a little folder of potential Future Shock and Terror Tales pitches I need to revisit soon and cull, and a few stories I want to polish up for longer pitches, but I think I’ll hold on to those until the fall, when I’m surer of the shape I’ll be in to write! Depends on how this impending kid sleeps.

And when it comes to pitching, are you a writer who finds it relatively easy to come up with concepts?

HV: I’ll usually have a lot of ideas rolling around at once, and I keep them on post-it notes and text documents until I’m ready to work them out. It then takes me a while to knead them into something sensical, and I usually have to write them a few different ways so I can move them out of primordial lizard-brain soup mode and understand what they are.

The more I pitch, the easier and less heartburn-inducing that gets, though I am always frankly a tiny bit scared and think I always will be.

One for fun now… if you could cherry-pick a dream project to write for 2000 AD, from any point in the comic’s history, what would you pick? And have you already got an idea for the direction you’d take it?

HV: PRESSURE! If I’m being bold and presumptuous in throwing ideas out there, a dream would be a Slàine/Wulf Sternhammer time-hopping crossover where they have to fight snake aliens and a big old Fenris wolf. I’d also love to write a Western where the Texas City Judges deal with the disastrous return of Ratty, my favorite hatted rat.

>

We always like to end with a quick look at whatever you have coming out, either in the coming months or planned in the far-flung future. What sort of comics can we expect from you in the next year(s)?

HV: The remainder of Andraste will be coming out in a trickle from me over the next couple of years! I’m planning to publish it digitally on GlobalComix and Zestworld, and to crowdfund print campaigns.

The trade paperback of New Rat City will be out in November 2023 from Scout Comics.

Beyond that, we’ll see! I have some plans for horror one-shots, and a much bigger science fiction book that has been chewing on me for a couple of years now, that I hope to get rolling in 2024.

Honor does like a bit of blood and gore – and Boo Cook more than delivers in this scene
from Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces (Oct 2022), Judge Dredd Megazine 448 – art by Boo Cook.

Thank you so much to Honor for taking part in the Creator Profiles, it’s a big, big interview and we’re always grateful for creators to take part.

Be sure to have a good read of her interview with Lee Milmore about her win at the 2000 AD & Thought Bubble new talent search contest and her first published 2000 AD work, Relict, here.

You can find Honor online at her website and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to her newsletter

HONOR VINCENT – COMIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adraste (Mar 2021), self-published through Kickstarter – art by Unai Ortiz de Zarate, Abel Cicero, George Quadros, Carlos Nieto, colours by DC Alonso, letters by Micah Myers.
New Rat City part 1 – issues 1&2 (Jan 2022), self-published through Kickstarter, art by George Quadros.
Future Shocks: Relict (April 2022), 2000 AD Prog 2279 – art by Lee Milmore.
Future Shocks: Smart Home (May 2022), 2000 AD Prog 2280 – art by VV Glass.
The Flayer – in Zenoscope’s Grimm Tales of Terror Quarterly: Back To School (June 2022) – art by Dario Tallarico, Massimiliano La Manno, Leonardo Paciarotti.
Lost & Found, in Scott Snyder Presents: Tales From the Cloakroom (August 2022) – art by Mustafa Karasu.
Future Shocks: Echo (Sept 2022), 2000 AD Prog 2301 – art by Liana Kangas.
New Rat City issue 1 (Sept 2022), Scout Comics, art by George Quadros.
Anderson, Psi Division: Allied Forces (Oct 2022), Judge Dredd Megazine 448 – art by Boo Cook.
New Rat City part 2 – issues 3&4 (Oct 2022), self-published through Kickstarter, art by George Quadros.
Zenoscope’s Grimm Tales of Terror Holiday Special (December 2022), art by Dario Tallarico, Massimiliano La Manno, Alessandro Uezu, Juan Franciso Mota.
Terror Tale: Rites (Jan 2023), 2000 AD Prog 2316, art by Steve Yeowell.
Zenoscope’s Grimm Tales of Terror Valentine’s Special (February 2023), story by David Wohl, Dave Franchini, and Honor Vincent. Art by Juan Francisco Mota, Alessandro Uezu, Dario Tallarico, Ricardo Osnaya, Massimiliano La Manno, Leonardo Paciarotti, Jorge Cortes, Maxflan Araujo, Walter Pereyra.
Zenoscope’s Myths and Legends Quarterly: The Black Knight Fate Of Legends (March 2023), story by David Wohl, Dave Franchini, and Honor Vincent, written by Honor Vincent. Art by Ricardo Osnaya, Juan Francsico Mota, Dario Tallarico, Maxflan Araujo, Leonardo Paciarotti.
Zenoscope’s Grimm Tales of Terror Heart’s Desire (April 2023), story by Honor Vincent, David Wohl, Dave Franchini, written by Honor Vincent. Art by Massimiliano La Manno, Eduardo Garcia, Dario Carrasco, Alessandro Uezu, Eduardo Garcia, Maxflan Araujo.
New Rat City collected edition (Nov 2023), Scout Comics, art by George Quadros.

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Interview: ‘Demons, ghosts, and a possessed Infomancy Engine.’ David Barnett and Lee Milmore return to the world of Herne & Shuck in Maxwell’s Demon…

Tharg’s 3Riller’s – three episodes, one complete, self-contained story, giving you that condensed hit of super-charged Thrill-power.  

The latest dose of three-part Thrill-power comes from David Barnett and Lee Milmore with Maxwell’s Demon, a series that began in 2000 AD Prog 2343. The second episode, under a Milmore Infomancy Engine cover, comes out on 9 August.

For Maxwell’s Demon, Barnett and Milmore return to the world they created for their previous 3Riller, The Crawly Man (Progs 2297-2299).  In The Crawly Man, we met itinerant magician Herne and his (black) dog Shuck. Hired by the village of Cudd to find a missing girl, Caris, they soon switched sides and rescued her when the village’s Wicker Man-ish intentions became clear. Caris turned out to be a powerful summoner and let loose a demon upon the village elders (they had it coming.)

Now, as we move into Maxwell’s Demon, Herne & Shuck are looking for a safe haven for Caris. Their first stop, the infomancer Darius Maxwell. But Maxwell’s got a problem of his own he wants them to sort out – his Infomancy Engine. And on top of all that, the village of Cudd hasn’t forgotten, or forgiven them.

So, over to David Barnett and Lee Milmore to tell us all about Maxwell’s Demon, The Crawly Man, and all things folk horror…

That’s Maxwell – just wait till you meet his demon!

David, Lee, the Tharg’s 3Riller Maxwell’s Demon started in Prog 2343, continuing the tale of Herne, Shuck, and young Caris that you began in The Crawly Man (Progs 2297-2299).

How would you describe what you’re doing with the adventures of Herne and Shuck?

DB: Obviously each adventure has to be self-contained while making reference to what has gone before. But there’s definitely an over-arching story arc that we want to tell, which explores the origins of Herne and how he came to be with Shuck, and hopefully, we’ll get to do that, depending on how popular this latest instalment is.

LM: I think David has expanded the world, and at rapid pace. It’s less indebted to folk horror tropes and is more its own beast.

And can you both give us some idea of what to expect with the new three-part Maxwell’s Demon?

DB: When we did the first part, The Crawly Man, I’d written the script before an artist was assigned. Once I saw Lee’s work on it, it distilled with me exactly how the look of the strip was going to be, and I tried to play into Lee’s strengths with this second script. We’re going a little deeper here into the magical community that exists alongside our normal world, and also playing with a few tropes of folk horror, and the general diversity within that.

LM: I love this latest instalment. When I read the script I didn’t know where to start, there is so much fun stuff to draw. David is an exceptional writer and he just makes the job such fun. Demons, ghosts, and a possessed machine called an Infomancy Engine.

Herne making a few too many assumptions
From Maxwell’s Demon part 1

It was pure folk horror in The Crawly Man but Maxwell’s Demon walks a slightly different path with a mix of ancient magical ideas meeting modern tech in the Infomancy Engine. What was the thinking of this particular melding of tech & magic – and were there any sources of info and reference you mined for the Infomancy Engine?

DB: I think, having got a handle on Lee’s style and work, I knew I could trust him to come up with the look of the Infomancy Engine — and he did not disappoint. When I saw his preliminary work I thought, OK, well, there’s nothing can faze him here, we can really go balls out on this.

I think we’re still beating a folk horror path because folk horror is such a broad church… we’re talking anything magical related to things that are specifically British, in this case, and that doesn’t just mean ancient ways, but how modern technology feeds into magic.

LM: Specifically, David mentioned HR Gieger and the idea of it being a meat machine, I quickly got the image that the machine was industrial (the engine) and like a furnace powering a supercomputer, but the possession has warped it into a metal and bone skull containing an exposed brain.

Then, thinking about corruption of the machine I added tumours and veins, the veins reflecting the big waste pipes that deal with all the runoff of infomancy. I drew it thinking “Idiot, don’t design such intricate things for sequential art”…but it was too late – I loved it too much.

See, assumptions are usually wrong – meeting Maxwell for the first time
From Maxwell’s Demon part 1

One clever thing that’s been obvious with Crawly Man and Maxwell’s Demon is how you’ve very consciously enclosed the story to allow you to tell what you wanted to tell in the 3 episodes. In Crawly Man it was all enclosed by the village and a simple mission for Herne and Shuck. In Maxwell’s Demon, it’s the next stage of Herne and Shuck, finding that sanctuary for Caris. But instead of taking us on a giant quest, you’ve merely confined yourselves to one stop off on their search.

DB: The 3Rillers format makes for a necessarily tight storytelling system. Three episodes of six pages, essentially a very tight three-act play. There are challenges in telling a complete story that also references what’s gone before and sets up potential future episodes, but I think Lee and I have sort of hit our stride on that.

But the structure of the series, if we look at it as one continuing series, however, it may come about, is presumably going to be that search for sanctuary, with

Herne and Shuck taking on, in whatever strange way they’ve gone about it, parental roles – if I’m right?

In this little family, Herne’s the boring, straight-laced one, the gets-it-done parent. Whereas Shuck’s that little bit of chaos, the cool parent undermining the sensible Herne.

DB: Herne and Shuck have a complex relationship, as we’ll hopefully get the chance to explore more. Herne is a little… impulsive. Shuck is a bit more level-headed. But that’s a simplistic way of looking at it.

In one way, they’re equal partners in this commercial magical business they’re running. In another, they both have very different levels of power, which complement each other.

LM: I see it a little different. Herne for me is a clumsy sort of character, prone to getting them into scrapes. Shuck I see as kind of long suffering. I think you can see this in the way Shuck and Chris start this story taking the piss out of Herne. Shuck is keeping a closer eye on Caris, and you often see them closer together whilst the mayhem unfolds.

Milmore’s Crawly Man, just one of the horrors you’ll experience in Barnett & Milmore’s Herne & Shuck tales

So, looking ahead – and presuming that all make it out alive this time – what can you tease us about where you’re taking the series?

LM: Yes David, what can you tease us with? I have one idea that I’m going to try and get David to write. He suggested that “possibly we’ll see it at the end of the saga, many years from now with a bit of luck.”

DB: Lee gave me a steer on Herne’s past and origins that made me go, yeah, of course, that should be set. We have a story arc here, in that Herne and Shuck are trying to get Caris to a safe haven.

But there are also a lot of unanswered questions about who Herne is, why he’s with Shuck, and what their place is in the magical landscape of Britain, and I think we could all have a lot of fun exploring that and answering those questions.

Eerie green glowing basement and Maxwell talking of a problem…
Oh, don’t go down there!

From Maxwell’s Demon part 1

Again, as we saw in The Crawly Man, there’s so much going on here. But principally it’s a very simple tale of old English magic – if I’m right – that you’ve added your own touches to.

Is it something you’re particularly interested in – all the folk mythology of Great Britain, the Cunning Men and all that? And of course Black Shuck himself!

DB: Folk horror is very popular right now, and if we think it’s 50 years since The Wicker Man was released, it’s been having “a moment” for a long time. Magic is always more potent when related to time and place and the specific magic that Herne and Shuck employ is very much a product of their environment and the folklore and magical history of these isles.

We’ve got plans to align a lot of existing folklore with the story, as well as adding our own touches and taking it off in different directions that reflect the modern world.

LM: Yeah for me it’s a big interest. I’ve toyed with folkloric ideas before but it didn’t get out of concept phase. I was looking at adapting The Broon Man and Red cap folk tales that are disturbing and, in the case of the Broon man, local to me.

There’s an authenticity to it, like a part of our DNA whether or not you’re aware of it. It peels back modernity and reveals the bones of our place in the world. I’ll return to it one day.

The fact that Tharg put me together with David on this shows his frightening insight, I never mentioned it to anyone in the Nerve Center.

As an aside, have you both been following Julian Simpson’s Lovecraft Investigations and Pleasant Green Universe radio stuff? It feeds into the same sort of things you’re getting into here.

LM: No but I will look that up. Lovecraft is a significant influence on me in one way or another.

DB: Similarly, it’s something that I’ll look up. I’ve read Lovecraft from being very young, and I think that it’s an important part of the whole horror landscape. I’d like to think that Herne and Shuck are a bit less po-faced than any of Lovecraft’s creations, though.

Definitely worth a listen. His Pleasant Green Universe stuff is here at his soundcloud, whilst the Lovecraft Investigations can be found here at the BBC Sounds site.

Yeah, that’s a problem indeed – our first sighting of the Infomancy Engine
From Maxwell’s Demon part 1

And of course, this strand of folk horror is something that’s been part of the DNA of 2000 AD from the very earliest days, with Sláine introducing so many comic readers to the ideas of British/Celtish magic. And latterly, as we mentioned already, we’ve seen it again in Thistlebone.

Both of you, I assume, are fans of both?

DB: Again, yes. Sláine is part of my DNA. Thistlebone led the way with folk horror in 2000 AD. I think, with 2000 AD being an essentially British product, we cannot deny any part of the British magical experience in its pages. We are a folklorish nation and it’s natural that our myths and legends of yore will inform our comic strips of now.

LM: Sláine, absolutely. I would have loved to have done a Sláine strip. Thistlebone, I have to confess I haven’t read it…sorry.

Well, there’s plenty of chance for the Milmore droid to rectify that mistake – and you if you haven’t read the brilliant slice of recent folk horror, 2000 AD style, that is Thistlebone by TC Eglinton and Simon Davis – it’s available here from the 2000 AD Shop!

The original 2000 AD Folk Horror – a great looking Sláine by Lee Milmore

Obviously, with these Tharg’s 3Rillers, it’s a chance to do more (three times more in fact) than a Future Shock or Terror Tale, but more than anything else it’s a great opportunity to set up a series or a continuation. And that’s exactly what happened here. The Crawly Man was popular enough or well received enough or simply that Tharg liked it enough to give you another three parts to carry the story on.

DB: I pitched The Crawly Man as part of an ongoing series, and Tharg quite wisely decided to run it first as a 3Riller to gauge reaction. Response to that strip was incredibly positive, and we got Maxwell’s Demon on the back of it.

Would I like to be able to tell Herne and Shuck’s story in longer instalments? Of course. But I’m grateful for any format we can get to unspool this story.

Who’s idea was it in the first place? I’m presuming it was David’s idea and then brought to you Lee. But we’ve seen things like Void Runners with David Hine and Boo Cook recently where it was Boo who came up with the concept first.

DB: I pitched the idea and wrote the first script, and then Tharg brought Lee on board, and that was that. He absolutely nailed the look of every character and the general feel of the whole strip and I knew we had a good collaboration going from word go.

LM: It was all Tharg the Mighty. It was the first time David and I had worked together, as I’ve mentioned it’s great getting his scripts, just bursting with energy. With some luck we’ll continue to work together for some time to come.

I’d listen to a Shuck podcast, wouldn’t you?
The opening panels and a great recap with tongue firmly in cheek from Maxwell’s Demon part 2

Lee, just as the story is way different in setting and tone than The Crawly Man series, taking place for the most part in Maxwell’s basement it seems, the artwork here is radically different – you’ve swapped the bright blue skies of Cudd and are now in electronic/electric blues and greens it seems?

What was the idea with that, and were there particular stylistic shifts you had to adopt to cope with the action taking place inside for much of the time?

For example, there’s already been a couple of wonderful scenes so far where you’ve taken a top down viewpoint to allow us to take in the room – difficult to pull off, but you did it with style!

LM: Thank you, nice of you to say so. Yeah that’s really what it’s about, trying to keep the reader engaged with changes of angle and perspective, but also to reveal the scenario. Colours wise, I can’t take any credit for that, it’s all down to Quinton Winter. Thanks for making me look good Quinton.

Indeed, thank you Quinton, and thank you to all those sometimes overlooked colouring droids – essential for making the art pop from the page!

More Infomancy Machine madness – and more of Milmore’s top-down views
From Maxwell’s Demon part 2

Going further into the art Lee, what’s your process been for Maxwell’s Demon?

LM: I’m pretty painstaking about putting pages together. I thumbnail, and really I tend to get down the page dynamics fairly instantly. Though the next part of the process can change it up a bit.

After thumbnails, I set up a page in Photoshop, draw in the panel borders, and take the time to do the lettering (temporary for my own purposes) which allows me to see how much space I have and the order I place the characters. In order of speaking.

Next up I do a few hours finding my reference. I do things like making collages, like this Infomancy Engine one…

An example of Milmore’s collage and art process – The Infomancy Engine in full effect

I probably put too much time into it but I find it both helps me drawing authentic things, even fantastical things, and often provides a perspective I haven’t planned on. My favourite art isn’t really full of realism but it seems to be the direction I’ve wandered down.

Then I’ll do some drawings based on the collage I’ve made and it becomes a mash up between those drawings and the collages that I ink over. I drop the layer down so it’s very light and it gives me the freedom to work on my inking. 

I wish I could just sit down and draw it all from my mind’s eye…but I’m not there just yet.

Lee Milmore’s process – from roughs to inks to finished page
From Maxwell’s Demon part 1

And David, what do you think of the work Lee’s put in to make the world of Herne & Shuck come alive?

DB: I had a very vague idea as to the look of the strip when I put the first script together, but when I saw Lee’s pages I was blown away. He absolutely nailed the characters and the tone, and that in turn meant it was much easier for me to write the next script because I knew exactly what Lee was capable of.

Comics are a collaborative medium and once you find that perfect team — which I think we have — things tend to gel very quickly and writer and artist feed off each other, and instinctively know what is required of them.

Oh, one thing David, completely tangential (I expect) to it all but… Episode 2 has a mention of ‘Info Freako’. Now, the only thing that immediately brings to mind is the debut single by Jesus Jones from 1989. Coincidence or a nod to a rather underrated band? [Personally, I remember having both Info Freako and Info Psycho on a mix tape I made that year – oh, the good old days of taping it off the radio!]

DB: Yeah, that’s one of those little Easter eggs that you wonder if anyone will notice. Jesus Jones were one of my big late 80s bands, just before I discovered hard techno and left my brain in a field somewhere in the West Country.

And another nod to the 90s there – Pulp’s Sorted For E’s & Wizz – although that important part of Jarvis’s brain was left ‘Somewhere in a field in Hampshire.’

Things get even more difficult for Herne et al – here’s the ex-girlfriend
From Maxwell’s Demon part 2

So, we’ve now had The Crawly Man and Maxwell’s Demon. I assume that there’s plans and plots afoot to continue the story after Maxwell’s Demon ends?

How do you go about planning a future for a strip like this? You obviously can’t know what Tharg has in mind – another 3Riller, maybe a longer length strip. So is it merely a case of putting down future story ideas, ways you can take the narrative if and when you get the green light for more?

DB: We have a full arc planned, that would (by incredible co-incidence) fit in with a trade paperback collection. There’s so much to explore, though, that we could go on forever with Herne and Shuck.

Imagine if John Constantine was a bit less clever and a bit more of a piss-head, and had a smart-arse dog, and that’s what you could be in for.

So far, both of you are pretty much starting out at 2000 AD. David, I know you’ve written extensively at Black Crown and some at DC – interestingly enough, magic again with Tim Hunter. But here at 2000 AD it’s really only been Chopper and Lowborn High for Regened and Herne & Shuck in the Prog.

Similarly, Lee, you won the 2000 AD talent search at Thought Bubble in 2021 and have seen your work in your winning prize Future Shock with Honor Vincent and an excellent Terror Tale by John Tomlinson, and then Herne & Shuck. Are you enjoying your time at 2000 AD?

LM: I mean….hell yeah.

DB: As someone who bought the very first issue of 2000 AD (and lost my Space Spinner over the wall of next door’s yard where their American Pitbull chewed it up) it’s obviously a dream come true to write for 2000 AD.

But Jordy’s not all bad – after all, who could hate someone who won’t hurt a dog?
From Maxwell’s Demon part 2

What memories does the comic hold for you both and what does it mean to be script and art droids now?

LM: My first Prog was the one from The Apocalypse War with Dredd’s badge with a bullet hole and trickle of blood. I got that as it was accidentally delivered to my Grandma in her Sunday Post. I loved it….it changed everything for me. I didn’t start collecting though until around the League of fatties, and then I was lost to it.

I was already a keen artist but in those few weeks I decided that I WOULD work for 2000 AD, with the certainty only a little kid can have. I had no idea how this would be done and I don’t recall sending anything in by way of submissions, I just imagined it would somehow happen.

When I was at art college I went on a trip to London to visit the galleries. I took a portfolio, which essentially was every scrap of paper I’d ever scribbled on stuffed into it and sloped off to the Nerve Centre. I walked into Kings Reach Tower and got in the lift with a load of business types (journalist I guess) and went to reception. I asked to see someone at 2000 AD and perhaps because I was so naive the receptionist didn’t tell me to bugger off and called down to Steve MacManus’ office. He passed back a message that without an appointment I couldn’t get seen.

I think I rolled on my belly and begged or something (I don’t recall) but he reconsidered and told me to ring him in an hour. When we spoke I laid it on thick about coming down from Durham to see him, which was true but I didn’t mention the college trip. So I emotionally manipulated him to come and see my work. He and Clint Langley came and met me in a pub (the main reason I got the meeting I think, they wanted beer) and for the next couple of years I sent Steve work.

I guess I thought it was a matter of time for me at this point. But again being very green, I just didn’t grab the bull buy the horns. I’d send work very infrequently and spent the majority of my time, wasting my time doing fine art painting at University. It fizzled. 20-odd years passed. I won the 2000 AD talent search at Thought Bubble and then I actually got to do what I always wanted to do.

What does it mean to me…a whole lot!

DB: 2000 AD was a part of my landscape growing up and I never thought I’d be a script droid. I didn’t think robots like me grew up to be script droids. I thought we just got jobs in factories making bits for machines. So it’s amazing that I did make it.

Just a few of the nightmare demons you’re about to meet in Maxwell’s Demon – art by Lee Milmore

And just one for fun – you have carte blanche over the entire history of 2000 AD. Who do you write/draw if you could and what story would you do?

DB: Zenith. Without a doubt. Either the adventures of Young Zenith, OR the story of Zenith as an old fart and his granddaughter taking over his mantle, a real Gen X vs Gen Z thing. Yes, I have thought about this very hard. I just need Grant Morrison to give me their blessing.

LM: I won’t say Judge Dredd (it’s Judge Dredd – The Satanus episode of The Cursed Earth)

Instead… Strontium Dog:Rage, Sláine: Shoggy Beast, Nemesis: The Gothic Empire, Rogue Trooper: To the Ends of NuEarth, and maybe – Bad Company.

All of those but actually none of them as they were all so fantastically well done by all involved the imposter syndrome might go nuclear.

Another great Lee Milmore piece – Lee’s dream 2000 AD re-do, the Satannus Cursed Earth episodes!

To end, as always, what’s coming up from the pair of you in the future, whether it’s for Tharg or elsewhere?

LM: David and I are working on a strip for the Megazine. My first time in Mega-City One. Another dream come true moment for me, so thank you David – and of course his Thargness.

DB: Yep, we’ve done a deep dive into MC1 lore. A much-loved character from Judge Dredd’s past. Reinvented as a noirish private eye. But we’ve said too much, and we’re probably going to end up inside supports for a flyover somewhere in Mega City One.

And that’s when we had to leave it, wondering just who the ‘much-loved’ Dredd character is. That one you’ll have to wait for!

But if you want to find out if Herne, Shuck, and Caris do get out of it – well you can (and should) find David and Lee’s Maxwell’s Demon, in Prog 2343 and continuing in this week’s Prog 2344 – just look for Lee Milmore’s terrifyingly good cover of the Infomancy Engine on the shelves or in the 2000 AD web shop from 9 August!

We’ve interviewed both Lee and David before here at 2000 AD.com – Lee was interviewed here with Honor Vincent about their Thought Bubble winning Future Shock, the excellent Relict. And as for David, we’ve interviewed him twice about his Regened work, first there’s this on Chopper, and here (with Anna Morozova) about Lowborn High.

And now, the full-size images of Lee’s art for page 1, episode 1 of Maxwell’s Demon – roughs, inks, and then final page with those wonderful colours from Quinton Winter. and always incredible letters from the legendary Annie Parkhouse

And finally, here’s Lee’s inks for page 4, part 1 of Maxwell’s Demon, followed by the full page with colours by Quinton Winter and letters by Annie Parkhouse