Most of you will know Carlos' distinctive artwork from the pages of Battle Picture Weekly and 2000AD. For the latter, he designed / co-created Judge Dredd, one of the most iconic figures in comics.
Early in his career, Carlos also freelanced for D.C. Thomson on comics such as The Wizard. Here's a page from the strip Chained to his Sword from Wizard dated 13th November 1976...
...and a complete one-off Simon Gaunt tale, also from the same issue...
Perhaps Carlos' most notorious artwork was the Kids Rule OK illustration for Action, dated 18th September 1976. Due to the character in the foreground mistakenly being coloured as blue as the policeman's helmet it was misconstrued by the media as a youth attacking a policeman. (It must be noted that Carlos did not colour the art, but that it was done by IPC staff.)
Another powerful cover was this one for Marvel UK's Fury in July 1977, delivering a message that, sadly, is still pertinent today...
...and this cover for Battle-Action is another memorable image...
His best remembered work for Battle Picture Weekly was Rat Pack, and Major Eazy, although I recall him saying that El Mestizo was his favourite, and he regretted that it didn't run for longer. (The whole series will soon be collected by Rebellion.)
For 2000AD (and Starlord), Carlos will be best remembered for Judge Dredd of course, and for Strontium Dog, which he also co-created. Both hugely popular characters, and a new Strontium Dog series was always one to look forward to.
Many also remember The Stainless Steel Rat adaptation that Carlos drew for 2000AD in the 1980s. Stunning work...
As I type these words, tributes are pouring onto social media expressing their sadness at the passing of such a great artist. Carlos Ezquerra was highly respected not only for his talent but also as a person. I only met him once, for a short time, at the Enniskillen Comic Fest last year, and the pleasure of his company provided laughs and good conversation. My sincere condolences to Carlos' family and many friends on this very sad day.
2000AD have posted about the great man on their website:
https://2000ad.com/post/4322
Obituary and tribute by John Freeman on Down the Tubes:
https://downthetubes.net/?p=101064
News reaches the mainstream media in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/01/judge-dredd-co-creator-carlos-ezquerra-dies-aged-70
Obituary and tribute by John Freeman on Down the Tubes:
https://downthetubes.net/?p=101064
News reaches the mainstream media in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/01/judge-dredd-co-creator-carlos-ezquerra-dies-aged-70
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