2000 AD Covers Uncovered: Dave Taylor’s Hershey for Prog 2343 – just don’t tell Simon! [Updated – Simon Fraser Responds!]
2nd August 2023
Every week, 2000 AD brings you the galaxy’s greatest artwork and 2000 AD Covers Uncovered takes you behind-the-scenes with the headline artists responsible for our top cover art – join bloggers Richard Bruton and Pete Wells as they uncover the greatest covers from 2000 AD!
This week, it’s the return of ex-Chief Judge Barbara Hershey to the cover of 2000 AD Prog 2343 as the climactic series of Hershey: The Cold In The Bones by Rob Williams and Simon Fraser continues inside.
But, despite what you might initially think, it’s not a Simon Fraser cover here. Instead, Tharg made a call to the Dave Taylor droid for this one…
It’s been a while since we saw Dave either on the cover or inside either the Prog or the Judge Dredd Megazine. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing his gorgeous artwork on the next series of the Ken Niemand-penned retro-infused alt-history of MC-1 epic Megatropolis series in the Judge Dredd Megazine soon. But right now, time to talk to him about this cover and how he’s hoping Simon Fraser doesn’t find out! (So no one tell him, okay?)
DAVE TAYLOR: I’m happy to talk about this cover as long as nobody tells Simon Fraser. I don’t want him finding out it was me that tried to blatantly ape his great style, and obviously failing dramatically!
UPDATE: Oh heck, seems Simon did find out… more on that in a while!
DAVE TAYLOR: Truth be told, this was a weird one to do. I’m a huge fan if Simon’s work, I love what he’s doing on Hershey, so it’s not comfortable to be asked to do a cover for his series, certainly not in a style that I might normally use.
I asked Tharg if it would be OK for me to do a kind of homage to Simon’s work, to basically do it in his style, and Tharg agreed this would be best.
So…OK then. I have to learn to draw like Simon, but not make it look like I’m copying him, so the readers don’t shout “Who’s this creep ripping off Mr Fraser?”
I got myself a copy of the first series and soaked it all up. I’d read it when it was first published but not in a collected form, so this helped refresh my memory of exactly how Simon goes about making pictures.
I found that, under the surface, our way of drawing wasn’t that different. There was a familiarity that I could latch onto about Simon’s line work and his approach to figure drawing.
So then I had a few attempts at coming up with the basic design for the cover, following Thargs suggestion of subject and referring to the few pages he’d sent me from this new series.
I did the sketch very small, 4×3 inches, in pencil, and scanned it into Photoshop to add the basic colour. Tharg gave me the green light so I went ahead and drew it up onto art board.
I tried to stay as faithful as I could without lightboxing the thing but now it’s done, I kind of wish I had lightboxed it. I think I lost a little of the drama, but who am I to argue?
All along, while drawing and then inking and colouring I kept thinking “how would Simon do that? Would he do it that way?” and so on.
When it was finished I found myself thinking “how is Simon going to react? I wonder if he’s particularly violent? He’s going to hate me!!” “
Fortunately for Dave, Simon Fraser is one of the nicest of art droids, so I think he, like us, will be impressed with what Dave’s done here, a stunning homage to his work on Hershey and a damn fine cover in its own right.
Am I right Simon? Simon? Simon? Put down the sharpened pencils Simon!!
UPDATE – Well, as we reported earlier, Simon DID hear about the cover and sent over this missive…
SIMON FRASER: I should give some context to this… I first saw Dave Taylor’s work back in the very early 90s when a mutual friend ( Ian Carney ) showed it to me. This is back when I was a highly motivated young hotshot ( in my own eyes ) trying to bust my way into the UK comics scene.
I was down living in London, knocking on the doors of Egmont Fleetway ( as it was then ) and drawing my first book ( Lux & Alby Sign-On & Save the Universe ). I thought I was hot shit back then. Then I saw some of the work coming out of Liverpool, Dave Taylors principally. Not only was it spectacularly good, but he was clearly drawing from the same European influences that I was, but better. I resented him immediately. Then I heard that Dave was now over in France actually working with Jean Giraud ( Moebius )himself. My resentment grew blistering!
I remained peripherally aware of Dave’s work and career over the decades, as one stays aware of a 400lb apex predator in one’s immediate vicinity. Now and again someone would compliment me on my intricate cityscapes and compare me to that other guy who does intricate, spectacular cityscapes in 2000 AD. I moved country a bunch of times, never quite escaping the shadow.
I ended up in New York ( as one does ) and got involved with a bunch of New York comics-related stuff ( inevitably very cool ). While casually chatting to Chip Kidd one evening at the Society of Illustrators Bar, I wondered aloud if he had any interest in doing comics himself ( not in any way fishing for a gig ). Chip says that he is in fact already working on such a project and the artist is another Brit, you may know him ….Dave Taylor!
I turned my head away, manfully containing my rage, sipped my beer through clenched teeth and stared at the immense Norman Rockwell painting over the bar.
Now …..THIS!
Oh heck. Time to leave before things get messy I think. Sometimes you can never tell how the art droids will react. Time for Tharg to take the extra caffeine out of their special wake-up oil mixture I think!
Our thanks go, as always to Dave for taking the time to talk about the cover and send in his artwork. And thanks to to Simon for sending in his thoughts on the cover. Tharg has sat them both down in a small room and isn’t letting either droid out until they kiss and make up. Or at least stop throwing pointy pencils at each other.
You can find 2000 AD Prog 2343 wherever you pick up your weekly dose of Ghafflebette comics, including the 2000 AD web shop from 2 August.
For more Covers Uncovered pieces from Dave, do check out the covers to Megazine 431 and Megazine 438. We also interviewed Dave about Megatropoiis here and he talks about it on the 2000 AD Thrill Cast here. There’s also an interview with Dave and Ian Edginton about their work on Fiends of the Eastern Front here.