2000 AD Covers Uncovered: Democracy When? Colin MacNeil covers Megazine 461
19th October 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 month’s Judge Dredd Megazine issue 461 sees a brand-new Dredd begin, Risk Assessment by Michael Carroll and Colin MacNeil. And if the prospect of more zarjaz MacNeil droid art inside the Meg isn’t enough, Tharg arranged for us to be doubly treated this month with a new MacNeil Meg cover. It’s like Christmas has come early!
Although, as Colin’s going to tell you, this was originally a pin-up for inside the Meg. One thing you know about Tharg is that he knows a great-looking cover when he sees it – even if it’s not meant to be a cover!
COLIN MACNEIL: I doodled various ideas before settling on this one. Unfortunately, none of those doodles exist anymore, as I tend to use unused sketches to light the fire of an evening. Paper’s paper!
I recall they were the usual sorts of images you’d associate with Dredd. Like Dredd using his nightstick to batter a perp in an alley, or shooting some perp in a dramatic way, or towering heroically over Mega-City One.
Okay, okay, we’re going to be sending Colin a big box of firelighters just so this doesn’t happen again! Just imagine all the art that’s been tossed into that fire over the years!?!
But since fire claimed those sketches, we’ve just got the inked piece and the final pin-up image to show you. BUT, alongside those couple of images, we have Colin giving us the tale of the cover… so let’s hear what he has to say…
COLIN MACNEIL: Since it was to be a pin up, I wanted the image of Dredd to really dominate the page, so came up with the idea of viewing Dredd from behind, at knee level, as he strides mercilessly towards a group of citizens alarmed by his approach.
Why would he be striding towards them? There was only one good answer to this – the long-running theme of democracy within Dredd’s world. I added a riot shield to Dredd and made the crowd he was approaching citizens protesting for democracy. Marching and protesting for democracy is one thing, but going up against Dredd is a thing the citizens are not willing to do.
The placards echo those which have been seen in the long struggle for democracy in Mega City One, “DEMOCRACY NOW”, “JUDGES OUT”.
Other placards are more subtle, let us say. “UP THE PEOPLE”, “WE WANT IT”. The Judges have certainly been putting ‘it’ up the people for a long time and since the people have not removed yet the Judges, then they must really ‘want it’.
“DEMOCRACY WHEN?” It’s been such a long struggle, when is it actually going to happen? “FREE DUM”, free dumb. Without a voice, there is no freedom. There is also another way to view “FREE DUM”. You’re dumb if you think they’re ever going to let you be free.
It was a good image, but it still needed something, then it came to me. I added a child to the front of the crowd, silhouetted through Dredd’s riot shield.
Whereas all the adults in the crowd have decided to give in to Dredd and the power of the state he represents, dropping their placards and starting to break and run, the child remains defiant...
Keeping the image of the child a silhouette was a conscious decision, so you can’t tell their gender or ethnicity. It represents every child. The child is also giving Dredd “the finger”, with both hands.
The child has not yet learned to be afraid like the adults, or to give in like the adults. The innocence of youth, the defiance of youth.
The other thing about keeping the child silhouetted was to hide the figure a little. At first glance it’s just a picture of Dredd striding towards a group of protesters, but once you notice the defiant child, it is all you can see.
The image is no longer about Dredd, it’s about the child. …It’s about the future.
Originally this image was to be a pin up for the Meg, but as soon as Tharg saw the finished result he wanted to use it for a cover.
Obviously, I hadn’t left room for a logo, since it was to be pin up, so I did an extended version of it to allow space for a logo and that is the one that is used for Meg 461.
Thanks to Colin for sending us that – it’s a really stunning cover for this month’s Meg (but then again, every MacNeil cover is special, isn’t it?)
You can find the new Megazine issue 461, complete with part 1 of Judge Dredd: Risk Assessment wherever you get your Thrill Power prescription – comic shops, newsagents, and of course the 2000 AD web shop from 18 October.
For more from Colin, head over to the Thrill Cast from 2019 where he talks about Mechanismo and make sure you go and read his last Covers Uncovered for Megazine #437.
