Comics

2000 AD Covers Uncovered: Mother Knows Best as Rufus Dayglo Wraps Up The Devil’s Railroad

24th January 2024

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 we have yet another The Devil’s Railroad cover by Rufus Dayglo to share with you – the third for the series!

With the end of the 14-episode Devil’s Railroad happening in Prog 2366, Peter Milligan and Rufus Dayglo are bringing things to a spectacular conclusion. Will our two young lovers, Constance and Palamon, find sanctuary on Earth for their unborn child, or will the dangers of the Devil’s Railroad prove too much?

Well, for that you’re going to need to pick up the Prog! Let’s just say that Milligan and Dayglo have really managed to bring all the best of 2000 AD out in The Devil’s Railroad, something that hits hard, something that’s full of political undertones, yet something that’s packed with humanity.

So, one last time, time to join the young lovers – who are really having a bit of trouble with Sister White…

This one was another cover that came about fairly simply, or at least that’s what we’re assuming, as Rufus sent just the one cover rough along for this one…

And if that rough is ringing a few bells with you, particularly if you’ve a little knowledge of Euro comics in general and the genius of Jean Giraud in particular… well, there’s a reason for that… over to Rufus to spill the beans…

RUFUS DAYGLO: This cover is a pastiche of Moebius’s Arzach, which my wife bought me in a second-hand bookshop in Lyon.

I liked the Idea of Palomon entrapped by Mother White (the main gangster whose son Palomon killed). I added lots of very reptilian texture just to make the embrace even less appealing.

See, all very simple – do a homage cover, hero in peril, lots of nastiness in the incredible details of the inking and colours… job done. And what a job it is!

First of all, here’s the Moebius cover that Rufus was homaging…

And here’s where Rufus took things… inking and colours… complete with so much incredible, and rather disturbing detail…

And there you go! Devil’s Railroad cover #3 all completed. But we’re not quite finished yet, as Rufus was kind enough to send along a few of his unused cover ideas as well – you’ll just have to imagine what might have been…

Thank you once more to Rufus for this third Devil’s Railroad cover – we’re already looking forward to seeing where it all ends! It’s been another great debut series in a year that’s been stuffed full of them.

You can see Rufus’ final Devil’s Railroad cover on the shelves of your local newsagent, comic shop, or anywhere that stocks the Galaxy’s Greatest, including the 2000 AD web shop.

You can find more about The Devils Railroad in our interview with Peter and Rufus here and read about how Rufus put together the two other covers for the series here and here. And for previous chats with the Milligan/Dayglo team, there’s an interview on their dystopian cyberpunk thriller Counterfeit Girl here and we talk Bad Company: Terrorists here.

Counterfeit Girl‘s available in a collection whilst Bad Company: First Casualties can be found in Progs 1950-1961 and as a digital collection. Bad Company: Terrorists can be found in Progs 2061-2072. And for more of Milligan’s Bad Company, The Complete Bad Company, with art by Brett Ewins, Jim McCarthy, and Steve Dillon is essential.