Just as the Current Team need a break the big names keep coming for the Classic Team. This time the Current Team have pulled out an artist responsible for one of, if not the, most popular new strips in years, last year. So this could get interesting.
Ron Smith though got to the semi final of the Classic Art Droid tourney and then was voted favourite over Mike McMahon to claim third place. So unsurprisingly confidence must be high in the Classic Team for this tie.
Mark Harrison got to the second round of the Current Tourney to only very narrowly get knocked out by the eventual runner up in that competition. Looking for signs of hope? Well Mark Harrison ran D'Israeli very close - D'Israeli then went on to run Ron Smith very close in the Champion of Champions event. So it will only take a slight shift in form for either of these artists for an apparent upset to come about. Is that possible...
Time for you to decide your favourite as the droids square up to the tee...
Mark Harrison - more info (http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=markh)
OR
Ron Smith - more info (http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=RSMITH)
Remember for this tourney you have 5 votes to distribute as you please between these two artists, whole numbers only. So you can vote 5 - 0; 4 - 1; or 3 - 2; either way depending on how much more you like one artist's work over the other.
If you can't be doing with that just name your favourite - remember bold tags, or other ways of highlighting always appreciated - and I'll give them 3 votes and nowt to the other droid.
Three day votes, so this one ends morning of Thursday 13th May
Remember we only consider work for Tharg in these Tourneys
What the heck is all this about - well we have a thread for that (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=47534.0)
How does this new voting work? Look here (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=47534.msg1059536#msg1059536) and why again? (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=47534.msg1059557#msg1059557)
I don't understand how this works, what are the rules of the Ryder Cup - yep got ya covered there too (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=47534.msg1059595#msg1059595)
Anything else just ask and I'll make something up. Most importantly have fun!
Mark 3: Ron 2
Mark has done some fantastic work - Durham Red, the Ten-Seconders - but for me Ron will always be one of the original classic Dredd artists.
Ron Smith 3, Mark Harrison 2.
Ron Smith 3, Mark Harrison 2.
Ron "straight to inking with no pencils" wins the day for me. The crazy Meg at its best.
Mark has done some top work though, so it's points all round!
Ron 3 Mark 2
Mark Harrison has done some great work, but you know it's Ron Smith we're talking about here:
Mark Harrison 0 : 5 Ron Smith
Smith = one of the best Dredd artists ever - but when it comes to 2000AD, there's little else.
At this point, Harrison has turned his hand to a LOT of thrills, and he just keeps getting better each time (admittedly he started from a point of being not especially good, in my view).
So Harrison 3, Smith 2.
Ron 2
Mark 3
SBT
Hm - I am going:
Mark Harrison - 1
Ron Smith - 4
Smith Sounders 3 - Harrison Harlequins 2
Harrison is probably THE definitive Durham Red artist (apologies Carlos) but the breadth of Ron Smith's output is hard to beat: Otto Sump; Chopper; Reverend Flatface; Faro; The Galactic Salesman; Captain Skank.
I mean, come on.
Ron Smith 4 | Mark Harrison 1
The degree to which I dislike smiths non-Dredd work make me wonder about the mechanisms in my head which make me love his Dredd work. Whereas I just love Harrison's work full stop. A respectful against-the-tide 4-1 Harrison
Ron Smith 3, Mark Harrison 2
Smith's MC1 citizens are some of the best, and he draws a near perfect Dredd. Harrison's work on Glimmer Rats makes it still one of my favorite thrills. Points for each.
Harrison 4 : 1 Smith
Tough draw- Pug Ugly and the Bugglys vs Resting-Bitch-Face...
Smith Spartans 2 Harrison Bohemians 3
Mark Harrison (3) Ron Smith (2)
Last chance to get your voting hats on and dance around the voting tree on this one as I've count up results and post them here in the morning.
So time that I voted too then. I've always had issues with the clarity of Mark Harrison's art, but there is no denying the astonishing talent he has and unique design sense. Ron Smith however brought life to Mega City One like no one before and seen. So
Mark Harrison 1 : Ron Smith 4
Loved Mark Harrison forever, and he's never been better than he currently is on Grey Area and The Out, but Ron Smith in his looong heyday is Top 3 material.
Ron Smith 3 : 2 Mark Harrison
An easy win for the veteran here. Harrison works on a lot of good strips and I like aspects of his art but other aspects of it are too distracting for me. With Ron Smith, on the other hand, all the extra details on the background characters work to deepen the sense of the world the story is taking place in.
Harrison 0 - 5 Smith
Shameless nostalgia vote.
Mark Harrison 1 : Ron Smith 4
VOTING CLOSED
There seems to be no stopping relentless march of the Classic Arts. Their winning was pretty pedictable you could say, but the relentless march of these early rounds is even stronger than I'd expected. Mark Harrison was running Ron Smith close at times, but a strong closing meant the result pushed further in favour of the master of Mega City One.
The question now is where can the Current Team find its next win?
Current Team 1 : Classic Team 5
Current Team 241 : Classic Team 369