1286 Progs later…

Back in July I wrote three posts about my nigh on twenty year dream of drawing Judge Dredd for 2000ad which came true with the release of issue 301 of the Judge Dredd Megazine back in August (go buy the issue at Clickwheel if you missed it). As personal goal posts go that was a major one ticked off the list, but somewhere in the back of my mind I had a niggle… it wasn't 2000ad. 

The Judge Dredd Megazine has been running for twenty years and that in itself is a big achievement for a UK comic. I remember taking a train to Edinburgh to visit the Science Fiction Book Shop (later bought by Forbidden Planet) and buying the first issue. The read thru on the train journey home and subsequent rereading of that first issue inspired me greatly and focused my painted trial work at that point. However, it was hard to look at Colin MacNeil's brilliantly painted 'America' work and then look at my own less than stunning trial work for the Megazine and think anything other than 'I've no chance'. 

The Megazine lost itself for a while with a lot of reprint work (which although of high quality didn't work for me) but in recent years its grown strong again and I look at the Megazine as being an addition to 2000ad and not a separate entity, so when I drew Dredd for the Megazine it meant the same as if it was for 2000ad. Or so I thought. Once the strip had been printed I started to get a little pulsing annoyance in my brain, 'It wasn't for 2000ad'.

Next Wednesday, 1st December, I get to say 'I'm in 2000ad this week'. Prog 1713 features the four page Terror Tale story called 'Menhir' written by Arthur Wyatt and illustrated by me. 1286 Progs (short for programmes, which is the 1977 way of saying issue number for a sci-fi comic) after buying my first 2000ad I'm finally in the comic. For years I had a standing order for 2000ad and various other comics at a newsagents in town, as the years rolled by I could see the staff finally get that look in their eyes as if to say 'Aren't you getting a bit old for this now?'. I longed to be able to open up an issue and point to the art inside and say 'I drew that'. Sadly after years of service they closed and I have nobody other than vastness of the internet to say 'That strip in 2000ad this week, I drew that'.

Finally, finally I'm in 2000ad. Ten years ago when I had completely given up any hope of drawing for the comic I used to jokingly say that I didn't want to be in those pages as I loved the comic so much I didn't want to ruin an issue by having my sub standard work printed in it. Well if my work is below par that will be left to the readers to decide but to make up for it in the same Prog will be the second part of a Judge Dredd strip drawn by Brendan McCarthy, a personal favourite of mine and somewhat of a Dredd visionary. Not only do I get to finally be in 2000ad but I get to share its pages with Brendan McCarthy. Good Grud! Go buy the comic next Wednesday (and of course every week).

And yet quiet quietly at the back of brain there is a niggle…

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Sci-Fi Art Now

Out in the shops or to order online now is this great hardback coffee table book called Sci-Fi Art Now edited by John (Down The Tubes) Freeman and published by Ilex in the UK and HarperCollins in the US. Here's the description of the book from the Ilex site:

This perennially popular genre always attracts the most visionary artists, and this book showcases the crème de la crème of contemporary science fiction painters, illustrators and creators. All aspects of classic science fiction themes are given a fresh perspective by artists examining popular sub-genres such as Sirens of Sci-Fi, Spacecrafts and Spacenauts, Aliens and Alien Worlds, Radical Robots, Incredible Cities, Future War, and Steampunk. Crammed full of exquisite art from around the world and fascinating insights from the artists and creators, Sci-Fi Art Now is perfect for fans of the science fiction genre, whether in movies, computer games, comics, book covers or illustrations.

When I was a young boy there was a slew of sci-fi books that nearly all boys who liked the genre would no doubt have owned. These where all brought on by the interest generated in sci-fi by the release of Star Wars and books by Asimov and the like. Here's a few examples of the kind of book I mean. Spacebase 2000 by Stewart Cowley published by Hamlyn in 1984. It was a collected edition of two books Spacecraft 2000-2100AD and Great Space Battles printed under the TTA (Terran Trade Authority) banner which had released four books all about the future space travel of mankind. Alien World: The complete illustrated guide by Steven Eisler published by Octopuss in 1980. The Flights of Icarus by Donald Lehmkuhl published by Paper Tiger in 1977. 

All of these books featured amazing art throughout and I was exposed to these masters of painted sci-fi art long before I discovered comic sci-fi art in 2000AD. Artists such as Jim Burns, Roger Dean, Angus McKie, Syd Mead, Ian Miller, Tim White, Bruce Pennington, Chris Foss and many more. Art tutors always say 'study the masters' well for boys my age into sci-fi and fantasy we certainly did. These guys set the bar very high. I would go into the town library and search through the small paperbacks to find the covers which featured these fantastic artists and therefore be exposed to the written work the cover had brought me to. As the years rolled on the artists themselves had collections released of purely their work, so instead of a mixture of art styles you'd buy large collections like Diary of a Spaceperson by Chris Foss or Medusa by Chris Achilleos.

The release of Sci-Fi Art Now to me is like stepping back to those days of the late 70s and early 80s, a brilliant collection of sci-fi art which I'm very proud to say my work features in. I have two pieces in the book and in keeping with those earlier books and artists both where created traditionally with brushes and paint on stretched board. I do love to paint but I rarely find the time to do so and rely on my pens and computer to finish my illustrations. So its another treat for me to have paintings finished by hand in the book just as it's an amazing thrill to have my work featured besides some favourites artists like Bob Eggleton, Rian Hughes and Dermot Power. Also its great to see so many friends and artists whose work I rate highly and have grown in skill and style such as Matt Soffe, Vicky Stonebridge and my Scotch Corner colleague Gary Erskine.

To top it all off the forward to the book is written by the legend that is Chris Foss accompanied by one of his startling spaceship paintings. From a ten year old boy devouring the art in Spacebase 2000 to having my work in a book with THE Chris Foss, I guess you could say I'm pretty happy with that!

If you'd like to see more work in the book I noticed that someone has photographed various pages from the book and set up a Flikr page to show them in conjunction with a review on his site. These are pictures from the US release of the book which I believe only differs in the cover and some slight design elements.

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