Influence Map

I resisted the urge to do this meme when it popped up on DeviantArt about a month ago, but everybody's been having so much fun on Twitter today I couldn't abstain any longer. If you fancy spending way too much time than necessary on your own map the template is available here.

2000 AD Week: Alan Davis

We conclude our week long celebration of 2000 AD with a look at some rare artwork by Alan Davis. Davis' time on The Galaxy's Greatest Comic was rather short, contributing to just two series, Harry Twenty on the High Rock and D.R. & Quinch. It's testament to Davis' high regard as an artist that both of these series now form part of Rebellion's current move into the U.S. graphic novel market. All of the following images were taken from the British fanzine Arken Sword, #17/18 published in 1986.

Davis had already made his name on Captain Britain and Marvelman before his short stint at 2000 AD. D.R. & Quinch continued his successful partnership with writer Alan Moore.

The original, realistic version of D.R. & Quinch.

D.R. & Quinch T-Shirt design.

Harry Twenty proved to be a gritty departure for Davis after a couple of years of drawing sleek superheroes. When compared to his subsequent superhero work for Marvel and D.C. Davis' time at 2000 AD marks a distinct and unique period in his career.

After a memorable run on Batman and the Outsiders and Detective Comics Davis returned to 2000 AD in 1988 for his only Judge Dredd story, the mocking "Bat Mugger" published in Prog 585.

2000 AD Week: Mike McMahon

Mike McMahon is perhaps the most revered of all the artists to work on 2000 AD and it's a pleasure to present these rarely seen illustrations of his from BEM #29 published in 1980.

BEM's editor and publisher, Martin Lock, notes in his editorial that McMahon was forced to draw the cover artwork twice due to the first version disappearing in the post, a common occurrence in those pre-internet days.

The issue itself contained an interview with acting Mighty One Steve McManus and script droid Alan Grant. McMahon provided original artwork that, with the exception of Dredd, are to my knowledge the only examples of him drawing characters such as Dan Dare, Mach Zero and Blackhawk.

2000 AD Week: Kevin O'Neill

2000 AD Week continues with a selection of rare Kevin O'Neill artwork, which originally appeared in the Anglo/American fan magazine BEM, issue 35 from Spring 1982.

Beneath a startling cover, by the man who was to become the first artist to be banned by the Comics Code, lay a Pat Mills interview and a feature on the making of Nemesis The Warlock, both of which were accompanied by these original illustrations by O'Neill.

An unused cover sketch for the first Nemesis story, Terror Tube.

And finally, O'Neill's original pencils and inks from the four page story that introduced Great Uncle Baal and his familiar Grobbendonk, published in Prog 229.