Carlos

Sad to hear about the passing of Carlos Ezquerra  just tonight(Monday)  an  artist that has been with me all my life (like Cam and Ian Kennedy)from Rat Pack & Major Eazy to the forthcoming The Spectre  which will appear in Megazine next year -his contribution to comics is up there with the greatest -so I wanted to pay tribute..
Carlos most famous creation has to be Judge Dredd -who's endured for over 40 years as 2000ads  top lawman -I don't speak Spanish but included this vid as it features the first Judge Dredd story to be drawn The Bank Job from 1976-it didn't appear till early 80's in a annual + he's back home in ZaragozaI've featured Interview with Carlos & John Wagner before on this blog when The Strontium Dog fan film came out but I will include videos the characters and worlds he has created

Cover of Judge Dredd 4 featuring The Executioner storyline about a vigilante hitwoman -one of the stories that followed The Apocalypse War and the return of Ezquerra to the strip as he only did a few of the early Dredd's Krong about a robotic King Kong been one and he worked on a episode of Robot Wars the first Dredd mini epic -but after the Apocalypse War in 1981 he was a mainstay on Dredd right up to the present day -but here's a vid featuring the very first Judge Dredd story to be drawn which didn't see print till 1980  in a annual But I would  first see Ezquerra's work first in Battle -Major Eazy been the first -unlike other characters in rival titles he seemed kind of hip -a very cool dude he'd fall asleep in a firefight -based on James Coburn not sure Cross of Iron was even  out when he first appeared -but such a great character  that he's been  revived   in the Dredd universe as Cursed Earth Koburn I guess seeing Battle artists like Carlos, Cam and Eric Bradbury working on 2000ad stories made me investigate the galaxies greatest comic- this story is a perfect crossover from Battle/2000ad looking forward to getting Zombie Army Trilogy to soak up the vibes first seen in this story
Johnny Alpha and The Strontium Dogs are possibly the second most famous Ezquerra creations -if Mega City One tv show gets off the ground I hope we see Johnny and Wulf turn up.

Talking of Bounty Hunters Carlos did a awesome Boba Fett too

as well as 2000ad Carlos worked with Dark Horse for the Mara Jade comic By The Emperors Hand

Another James Coburn inspired character was Slippery Jim diGriz - The Harry Harrison creation visualised -It would make a cool series of movies if inspired by Carlos visuals  and designsOne of th efunniest stories Carlos and John Wagner collaborated on Als Baby -I'm looking forward to seeing there final story together The Spectre -seen some character and vehicle designs looks like future pulp just the way I like it. This really is just a drop in the ocean as far as Carlos artwork and creations go but I will mention his favourite  El Mestizo -a Django Unchained back in 1977 -I missed it first time around but thankfully it'll be reprinted in November -I really hope he had a advance copy of this.

I have to also mention Third World War from the pages of Crisis a very right on publication printed towards the end of the 80's -was a bold attack on how the world was and is goverened and the multi-nationals it also  went well with Punk ethics I was picking up at 15/16 and Steven Wells ranting in the NME a very different comic -full colour which was rare back then -an example of comics actually growing up taking a hard look at the world we live in now-rather than trying to copy Watchmen and getting it wrong which was all the rage back then.

I mentioned "Colour like Carlos" in a past post - doubt I can ever match his expertise -I liked the fact he coloured his own art -course love various colourists like John Burns , Gina Hart Chris Blythe and John Higgins -but Carlos probably biggest inspiration there too as I remember he went through a evolution -I think he may of started with coloured ink and water colour -Necropolis back in 1990 was a high point for me-sickly deathly colours -very much in tune with Judge Death and his cronies taking over MC1- I will check that again for Anderson story I'm colouring  whilst Dredd was out in the sticks -(updated found this video about Necropolis last night so I'll include this too)

but it's the jump to computer coloured art that impressed me the most-he had the guts to do that -other artists tried but then go back to paint or rely on other colourists -but Carlos kept at it and mastered it made it look an expressive form -I used to be anti computer colour believe it or not -but he showed endless possibility -once I attempted it became fun and unlimited but here's my tribute to Carlos and his tribute to Steve Dillon -really massive scan hope it uploads