On Re-Reading The Judge Child

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

So I'm re-reading the Titan re-prints of this with my boy.

A couple of points occur to me:-

1) Is Lopez modelled on Carlos Ezquerra?

2) Just how good is the art? McMahon and Bolland are sublime. Ron Smith's final episode is stunning, especially the expressions on both Dredd and the Judge Child's face.

3) Even back in 1984, McMahon channelled Picasso a bit; just look at the boots on this fabulous cover.



The thing that occurs to me is, particularly with Smith who was drawing this 30+ years into his career, these were artists at their absolute apex of creative power. We rarely see that the modern prog, what with budgets and these pesky artists wanting to eat.

[Bubba Zebill]

I love that story...so many great sequences and surprises.

[TordelBack]

Ron Smith's work on The Judge Child is simply incredible.  McMahon's and Bolland's episodes are great too of course,  but there's something mesmerising about the incredibly complex detail that Smith delivers for page after page, while still making every panel dynamic and crystal clear.  Out of three living gods at the height of their game, Ron somehow comes out on top in this particular story.

[sheldipez]

That cover is something special indeed.

[Fungus]

three living gods at the height of their game

And isn't that what pushed them on to greater things? Would they have reached the heights they did if not for following on from the others? You're Ron Smith and the last episode was by Bolland... how daunting is that 

Smith seemed to improve from his earliest Dredd's; McMahon's style bounced all over the place (in a good way); maybe Bolland the exception proving the rule: Dredd's helmet changed shape but the style persisted...

[Fungus]

Mind, this is hindsight.
No doubts preceding episodes were only seen on publication (unless some elements needed copied).

[SuperSurfer]

I just finished reading the Judge Child last week in the Case Files. It's the third time I've read it. First time was in the progs, second time in the Eagle US reprints.

It's another world (no pun intended) from Dredd of today. So much humour in places it almost reads as an outright comedy strip. I found it hilarious.

Ron Smith's work on The Judge Child is simply incredible.  McMahon's and Bolland's episodes are great too of course,  but there's something mesmerising about the incredibly complex detail that Smith delivers for page after page, while still making every panel dynamic and crystal clear.  Out of three living gods at the height of their game, Ron somehow comes out on top in this particular story.

Exactly my thoughts.

McMahon's style was and is forever changing. Bolland still somehow managed to get better after the Judge Child quest and I think reached his nadir with the Dark Judges and Block Mania. Ron Smith was firing on all cylinders on the Judge Child. Perhaps I don't marvel at detail in comic art as much as others, but I am amazed at the phenomenal sense of depth in his work. And the expressiveness of the characters he draws puts him on a par with the best. He is our Will Eisner.

[ming]

The thing that occurs to me is, particularly with Smith who was drawing this 30+ years into his career, these were artists at their absolute apex of creative power. We rarely see that the modern prog, what with budgets and these pesky artists wanting to eat.

There's no question that the roster of art droids Tharg had at his disposal in the mid-80's was phenomenal, but I'd argue that D'Israeli and Henry Flint, to name but the first two to pop into my tiny head, are artists operating at a similarly high level to the art-Gods of yore.  I'm usually to be found wearing several sets of rosy-tinted spectacles in these kind of discussions, but even I can see that some of today's artists are right up there with the best of 'em.

Bolland still somehow managed to get better after the Judge Child quest and I think reached his nadir with the Dark Judges and Block Mania.

I think you mean zenith (not that one).

[Dash Decent]

3) Even back in 1984, McMahon channelled Picasso a bit; just look at the boots on this fabulous cover.

They look very Jack Davis to me.

[SuperSurfer]

I think you mean zenith (not that one).

Oops. 

[Zarjazzer]

I can only remember bits of it so a nice shiny copy is whinging it's way to me so I can get re-acquainted.

[TordelBack]

There's no question that the roster of art droids Tharg had at his disposal in the mid-80's was phenomenal, but I'd argue that D'Israeli and Henry Flint, to name but the first two to pop into my tiny head, are artists operating at a similarly high level to the art-Gods of yore. 

Yup.  I just completed a re-read of Day of Chaos, to use another Dredd epic as case-study, and the work that Flint and Colin MacNeil in particular (and to be fair, Chris Blythe) produce on that one week after week is quite astonishing, and easily the equal of the Old Masters of the strip.  Willsher, Gallagher and Bagwell's work on that one is very good too, but there's a clear gap of experience between them and Flint and MacNeil, who just take off when handed the claustrophobic horror and widescreen devastation of the latter episodes. 

D'Israeli, well there's a man who was clearly born an art genius and just keeps ramping it up year after year.  As good and as definitive as any artist who has ever appeared in the Prog. 

[Spikes]

And talking of Henry Flint, ive always thought he must have studied and re-read that episode where Dredd and co end up trapped inside that living planet til the print came off on his hands.
Nowt wrong with being influenced by the master, of course.

But the Judge Child Quest is always worth a re-read. Always think its the forgotten Dredd epic, in a lot of ways. But glorious, and golden era stuff.

Never really cared for Bolland work until this story, but from the first episode its knockout, and i agree his style reached its peak with Judge Death lives, which i think is the best ever drawn for a Dredd story.
Mick's work is just outstanding. Amongst his very best - what i wouldnt give to see the work first hand...... sigh.

But Ron was the relative unknown quanity for me on this. I honestly cant remember what i thought of Ron's work prior to this. So it represents my euraka moment. The strip where they come across the alien salesman was when the light went on in my head, and the love affair began.
And of course not long after this it was Ron Smith drawn Dredd's aplenty. A true golden age.

[Ancient Otter]

Is Ron Smith one of the under-appreciated masters of Dredd art?

[TordelBack]

Is Ron Smith one of the under-appreciated masters of Dredd art?

He surely is. Leaving aside The Judge Child, DtLD and the other epics, he has so many definitive stories under his belt that he could be considered the Dredd artist of record, second only to Carlos. 

Consider:

Question of Judgement / Case for Treatment (the most important Dredd story of them all).
The Graveyard Shift (the quintessential MC-1 story)
The Black Plague (surely the most work ever put into a single story by any artist, and an early study of how Dredd sees justice and his role in it).
Unamerican Grafitti (the first real Dredd-as-villain story, and I think the only Dredd story my Dad has read).
Battle / Pirates of the Black Atlantic (The beginnings of the Apocalypse War and all that followed)

Add to this a slew of fun stories, like Hotdog Run, Shanty Town, Father Earth, Dredd Angel and Bob and Carol and Ted and Ringo.

He also co-created so many essential elements of MC-1 fabric:  Otto Sump, Blobs, League of Fatties, Citizen Snork, Mayor Dave and my personal fave Karl Heinz-pilchards-in-tomato-sauce Clayderman.

That he ended his run on Dredd (and indeed 2000AD itself) struggling through some of the worst scripts ever to see print in the comic is a tragedy, but shouldn't take away from the fact that he made as significant a contribution to Dredd and particularly his world as any artist who ever worked on the strip.

Also, cool 'tache, Spitfire pilot, etc.