I was introduced to Judge Dredd around 1986 or so, mostly via the incredible art of Brian Bolland. (Which is both a pro and a con: it's good stuff, but then it took me a while to fully appreciate Mike McMahon and Carlos Ezquerra.) I can remember a copy of White Dwarf (a RPG magazine) that I picked up just for the Bolland cover. The thing of it is, that probably wasn't new art; and Bolland probably hadn't drawn Dredd in a couple of years by that point. Maybe. I've been trying to figure out exactly when Bolland quit drawing Judge Dredd, since I know he went to DC Comics around 1979 or so for Camelot 3000. (EDIT: Actually, Bolland may have been 'discovered' by DC in 1979, Camelot 3000 was a twelve issue 'monthly' miniseries that ran 1982 to 1985. Ouch. Still, he beat Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk.)
This page is from Fleetway/Quality's Judge Dredd #44, and from GCD we find it originally appeared in the "2000 AD 1988 Judge Dredd Annual." (Between the reprints and the numbering of 'progs,' I lose track.) It's easy to see how Bolland could want to do something else after being so closely associated with Dredd; and currently he's probably best known for his cover work for DC, particularly Jack of Fables. I've seen one or two of his experimental Mr. Mamoulian strips, in Negative Burn, which I bought primarily for a new Milk & Cheese strip. Hey, comics anthology editors: I would have bought that Kramer's Ergot thing if it'd had a new Milk & Cheese strip.
(That may not be true, but I would've considered it.)
2 comments:
Judge Dredd is one of those titles I keep meaning to read. Maybe I should make more of an effort!
Some relettering there by the editors - the page was originally commissioned as part of 'Tharg's Head Revisited', the 500th-issue moanathon where 2000AD creators were allowed to say what they REALLY thought. This page was originally about how Bolland felt cheated out of royalties, and the 'clown Dredd' was an attempt to draw an image they couldn't copy onto a T-shirt or a toilet seat...
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