Confirmed by 2000AD Facebook and several of the droids on Twitter it seems that Steve Dillon has passed away in New York.
One of the great Dredd artists.
RIP
My condolences to all those squaxx's at the 2000AD Command Center who knew or worked with Steve Dillon. Very sorry for the loss of your esteemed colleague and brilliant artist who made twoothy indispensable reading. :'( :'( :'(
Really sad news, I grew up with his art. My condolences to his family and friends. I'll raise a glass of the black stuff to him. Slan leat mo cara. Z
BLOODY HELL!
I managed to grab a quick chat with him at the bar and thank him for his work at LSCC and only last month had some of my books signed by him at NICE, this was while he was in great demand for his sketches.
What a sad day in the world of comics but especially for his family and loved ones.
R.I.P. Steve :'(
:o
Fuck!
Aw no!
I can't wrap this around my noggin, just awful news.
My absolute favourite comics artist, so upset right now.
RIP
Oh fuck! I loved his art and spent many a hour tracing Cassandra Anderson's curves...I loved his clean lines and his work on Rogue trooper Hit was a personal fave.
I also loved his punisher and preacher.
rest in peace.
Well, this is awful news to come back to!
What a gutpunch! :(
So, so sad. A giant, really. An epic storyteller and by all accounts, an absolute gentleman.
Very sad.
Bloody hell. Just seen this. That's a such a shock. Terrible new. My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Terrible news indeed. My thoughts are with his loved ones.
What a shocker. His clean line was so distinctive and his Punisher and Preacher strips were always gorgeous. I met him at a London Comic Event about 25 years ago and he seemed a great guy. Will be missed.
What horrible news. My favourite Dredd artist of all time. Such a huge influence on me.
I spent many happy days in my early teens copying his Dredd from the pages of 2000AD, and to this day any sketches of Dredd I do still have a hint of Dillon. My recent sculpted werewolf Dredd was obviously taken from his incredible art from Cry of the Werewolf.
What a loss to the art and comic world, and my thoughts go out to his family and friends.
I've followed Steve Dillon's work since he first started, drawing Nick Fury for Hulk Comic aged just 16. A phenomenal talent. From Laser-Eraser & Pressbutton, Mean Arena, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper and Be-Bop & Lula to Hellblazer, Preacher and Punisher his art has been there for practically the whole of my comic reading life. No-one quite drew sexy like Steve Dillon did. Sometimes his name alone was enough for me to pick a comic up because you knew you were always going to get an incredible job. Can't believe he's no longer with us. RIP Steve Dillon.
Aw no. One of the all-time greats, not just on Dredd but comics in general.
Like Jimbo said, this is a real gutpunch.
My heart goes out to his family, and all who knew him. Devastating news :'(
Shocked.
Very sad news - RIP.
I've tweeted my thoughts and commented on the RIP thread but wanted to finish on here.
Steve Dillon was my first favourite artist, anything he drew I was instantly attracted to, loved his Dredd and his version of the Lawmaster was the best! His work with Ewins on Skreemer really affected me and Preacher was just great...
RIP Steve, you'll be sorely missed... :'(
Quote from: Arkwright99 on 22 October, 2016, 05:47:35 PM
I've followed Steve Dillon's work since he first started, drawing Nick Fury for Hulk Comic aged just 16. A phenomenal talent. From Laser-Eraser & Pressbutton, Mean Arena, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper and Be-Bop & Lula to Hellblazer, Preacher and Punisher his art has been there for practically the whole of my comic reading life. No-one quite drew sexy like Steve Dillon did. Sometimes his name alone was enough for me to pick a comic up because you knew you were always going to get an incredible job. Can't believe he's no longer with us. RIP Steve Dillon.
Yeah, was only re-reading Cry Of The Werewolf fairly recently and was struck by how beautifully cinematic his art and storytelling was. Feels so sad even typing this in the past tense. Fucking hell. 54. That's hardly old.
Desperately sad news.
Such a natural talent and so accommodating to us fans, I remember him sketching away all day at the Bedford cons. Such precise and elegant lines made to look completely effortless.
Undoubtedly one of the greats.
Really sad to hear....one of my all time favorite artists.
Truly awful. His work was a massive part of my childhood, and adulthood for that matter.
Such sad news...
Just awful, awful news. I have always rated his work on Alone in a Crowd, Trapper Hag, City of the Damned and Cry of the Werewolf as some of the best Dredd art ever, but most particularly Beyond the Wall from the SciFi Special which gave us a whole new side to MC1. His work with Kev Walker on Cinnabar was a highpoint for the character, and I was always sorry Hap Hazzard didn't have a longer run, it was never less than charming. His run on Hellblazer was definitive, and his stamina on Preacher gobsmacking.
My sincerest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. What a terrible loss.
54 is far too young. I loved Preacher in my student days and discovering Steve's 2000 AD work over the last few years has been a joy. One of the definitive Dredd artists and one of the all-time greats.
Desperately sad news, and my thoughts go out to all his family and friends.
Completely gutted.
When I scraped together enough money to buy what was definitive original artwork (for me) I had to own an ezquerra strontium dog page and a mcmahon dredd page. The only other comic art I actively sought out was a dillon page from "city of the damned". It's still one of my most prized possessions. He is a definitive dredd artist and had produced some of the strips most beautiful artwork. More recently I loved his run on Punisher, getting me back I nto the character decades after I had moved away from it. Steves work will be greatly missed and my heart goes out to his family.
😢
Absolutely gutted by this news... 54 is no age at all.
Steve has always been one of my favourite Dredd artists, especially his Judge Dredd, and his work has been a great influence to me. So very saddened by this, and my thoughts go to his friends and family.
When I first got in to 2000AD, Steve was one of the regular Dredd artists along with Ron Smith and Carlos Ezquerra. When i bought other comics, his werewolves managed to get in to them as well (Scream!) By the time Vertigo was built up around Swamp Thing and Sandman, he was illustrating Animal Man. I cut back down to comics from the House of Tharg though not long after that Preacher got reprinted in the Meg. Not many in the comics world leave a mark on mainstream pop culture, but waiting for series two of Preacher, Steve Dillon definitely has left a legacy in the world at large (and not just among us ageing comics geeks).
My first 2000ad purchase was the 1989 Sci-Fi special - The Woody Allen cover by Steve and the Tyranny Rex story inside by John Smith blew my mind open to this stuff. I loved his Rogue Trooper in the same mag too and thus began my adoration for Steve's work. So I went and found Deadline (or did it find me?) and off we went...
His work on Cinnabar a few years later gave one of the comics highlights that will forever shine out through the years and when I stumbled across the second Preacher collection at Uni, well it was like coming home.
I did always hope that he would come back to 2000AD at some point for maybe a cheeky Hap Hazzard or a stellar return to Dredd, but I did manage to get Skreemer after 25 years of procrastination which gave that special Dillon space in which to emerse.
Thanks Steve, hope you and Brett are sharing the good times once again.
Si
Sad stuff. He had such lovely clean artwork. I loved his big imposing Dredd and also his work on the Blake's 7 cartoon strip in the Marvel B7 Monthly. Tragically young.
RIP Steve.
Truly a SAD blow for us All. As already said 54 is no age and as recent as it is 10th anniv of my mum's passing and she was only 59 :(
Anyway Steve For me was One of the pinnicle artists of How I have my own Image of Dredd. It's more a mix up of Bolland, Dillon and Carlos with tidbits from others. Steve however That CHIN of his for Dredd, That's the Dredd I know.
Marvel, Preacher, 2000ad etc.
Truly a sad loss to so many.
Devastating news. Everybody on here knows how wonderful he was as an artist, and for those of us lucky enough to have met him, how wonderful a person he was.
A very sad day indeed. My thoughts are with his family and friends and my sincerest condolences to his colleagues.
2016 can fuck right off.
Very sad news.
My first exposure to Steve's art was his work on BLOCKMANIA. All of us in Form 7 art-class at school thought his art was sublime...RIP to a master.
(http://ukko1.fortunecity.ws/jgiant.jpg)
Very sad, a fantastic Dredd artist and THE definitive Punishes artist. I think a lot of us had hopes he would return to Dredd someday - RIP
Horrible news. I always loved Dillons work on Dredd-a highlight for me was the "Nightmares" storyline set after necropolis.. whenever one his runs finished it always left me wanting to see more. Such a shame..
Man, this has come completely out of the blue; I am super sad.
Loved Dillon's Dredd, and the way he made everything look so effortless.
only just caught up with this news.
Bugger :'(
Top artist. Top fella apparently.
Created Deadline for which I'll always be grateful.
Sad news.
Dunk!
Hope Tharg's got a fitting tribute lined up in the Prog.
We lost one of the greats yesterday! :'(
So sad. In the year after Brett Ewins passed away, both Deadline founders have left us.
Didn't expect this kind of recognition in traditional media, but I suppose a TV show goes a long way towards legitimation. One of Steve's relatives pointed out he was trending on social media last night:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37743510
sad news. Chalk me down for 'one of my favourite comics artists' too.
R.I.P.
Sorry to hear: such an amazing artist - I used to trace out his work in 2000AD because I loved it so much. A lot of artists have a thing that makes them interesting (McMahon's big Dredd boots, O'Neill's spikiness, Belardinelli's surrealism), but Dillon was the cleanest, crispest and most realistic work in the prog - only ever matched by Bolland, and surpassed by no-one.
An absolutely legendary talent.
This was posted by Mike Collins on Facebook and I don't think he will mind me posting it here. Another fitting tribute from a fellow professional and again stories of how supportive Steve was to younger creators.
"News came through at the show I'm at in Ghent about the passing of Steve Dillon. The reaction of all the comics professionals here was electric. All of us are gutted. No one had a bad word to say about Steve, ever.
For me, Steve was one of those touchstones of my career. The fact he was a year younger than me and got into the biz before me spurred me to get my act together. As a fan I remember showing him my work and him being complimentary. When I was chosen to succeed him on Laser Eraser and Pressbutton for Warrior/Eclipse as he'd gone on to bigger things he was absolutely gracious and generous: I was petrified to show him my first issue but he was great about it.
More than once I've stated that Steve's Dredd was MY Dredd, more so than even Mick Mahon or Bolland's.
The guy was a consumate storyteller, with an efficiency of line that was just masterful.
Yes, there are the drinking stories of Steve (and have involved me more than once, too) but at his heart he was a raconteur whether in words or pictures.
The world is a damn sight less fun and less classy without him."
That is a great tribute :) Z
Fuck this year just fuck it.gutted
Such a talented artist.
Heartfelt condolences to family and friends.
RIP.
When I was 15, I won a competition in 2000 AD. It was that one where you had to apply to be a judge. I was a runner-up.
But I never got the prize, due to some sort of admin error. Months later my mum, who was acutely aware of how much it meant to me to have some small contact with this comic, rang them up and asked what had happened. They apologised, and said they'd send a book with "something extra" in it.
When it arrived, it was a Rogue Trooper book. One of the Titan ones, collecting The Hit. Because he'd been in the office visiting, they'd had Steve Dillon sign it. He wrote "cheers and stuff". I cannot begin to express how much that little thing meant to me at a difficult time in my life.
I loved Steve Dillon's art, then and now, and from the very first panel I saw. I can't believe what has happened. I never met the man, but I'm grieving.
Thanks, Steve, for everything. Cheers and stuff.
It seems almost silly to die from this but alas it happens -
"His friend and collaborator Garth Ennis, a comic book writer, said the cause was a ruptured appendix, which Mr. Dillon at first assumed was food poisoning."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/24/arts/steve-dillon-comic-artist-who-helped-create-preacher-dies-at-54.html?_r=0
What an even crueler twist to an already tragic event!
An amazing artist... My First meeting with his art was with a comic which contained a tyranny Rex story. I loved the art and The story.
My thoughts goes to his family and loved ones...
Such sad news has only been balanced by the outpouring of love for the man and his work. An amazing response to his passing and as good a testament to a Life Well Spent as anyone could hope for.
I've loved Steve's work for longer than I've been a regular 2000AD reader, since I started off on Doctor Who Weekly (1979) before moving over to the Prog. Abslom Daak was an instant hit with me and the coolest thing ever to my eight year-old self. I graduated full-time to 2000AD at around Prog 180 and soon after that Steve Dillon's work started working for Tharg and the roll-call of Classic Thrills that followed doesn't need repeating here.
Cheers for all the Thrills, Steve - you will be missed!
Remember when some of his artwork for City of the Damned got lost, and he had to redo the pages in double time?
Weren't they - years later - reprinted side by side in one of the Sci-Fi Specials or annuals? Firstly, you couldn't tell that the "rush job" pages were rushed. secondly, some of the slight changes to the "camera angles" he'd made on the second pass seemed to my mind to actually improve the story telling.
That level of skill actually boggles my mind. Jeez but he was good. He was SO SO DAMNED GOOD!
As many have said over the years about 2000AD, it reached me at a time in my life where I believe it had a hand in shaping my developing brain. I have deeply imbedded neural pathways now that our comic and all it contributors helped to shape. To a degree that will be measureless 2000AD has had a part in making me the person that I am now. Steve Dillon is right there in that mix; inextricable from that alchemy that is now and forever more a part of me.
What I'm trying to say is thank you. Thanks, Steve. Thank you.
He busted a gut while helping other comic book artists in need. If that doesn't tell you about the man nothing does.
Can't add much more to what has already been said about one of the best artists ever to grace the pages of 2000AD. My sympathies and condolences to Steve's friends, family, colleagues and fans. :'(
Quote from: mejustnow
Weren't they - years later - reprinted side by side in one of the Sci-Fi Specials or annuals? Firstly, you couldn't tell that the "rush job" pages were rushed. secondly, some of the slight changes to the "camera angles" he'd made on the second pass seemed to my mind to actually improve the story telling.
Referred to here (http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php?topic=16271.msg934233#msg934233) with links on the RIP thread.
Might be worth a mod merging Steve's mentions on that thread into this one?
So sad. Steve's art, like so many others here, tracks my life in comics. To me his art was never flashy. It was always told the story elegantly, cleanly and with grace and style. From the death of Giant to the excellently paced sequence in Preacher where Cassidy wraps a truck around The Saint of Killers. His art served the story, told the story superbly and that's what counts.
Gutted to hear the sad news, first Brett and now Steve. The main pull in my youth was always towards 2000ad and the incredible artists and storytelling. Highlight was the early 80's when Steve just 19 was drawing block mania in esteemed company that was McMahon & Bolland. Artwork that stood up with the best.
I was hooked, 2000ad then led to titles Such as Warrior and Deadline. My love of comics and art started then, mainly as a result of Steve's brilliantly clean line work and dynamic narrative. So many great memories. Thanks Steve, god bless and condolences to your family.
Another tribute and an interview
http://sexdrugsandcomicbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/steve-dillon-farewell-interview.html?m=1&zx=3cd19412b1bb4e29
Quote from: Dog Deever on 23 October, 2016, 06:04:27 PM
sad news. Chalk me down for 'one of my favourite comics artists' too.
R.I.P.
This^^^^
Sad news indeed.
I commented on the RIP thread.
Steve Dillon was in my Top 11 Comic Artists to influence me getting in to comics. Sad loss.
Abslom Daak is one of my favourites.
http://heroinitiative.org/steve-dillon-1962-2016-and-forever/
I'd not heard of the Hero Initiative before and you putting the link up and the message from Steve Dillon's family prompted me to donate. Thanks for posting this Eamonn.
Just heard of the Great Steve Dillon's passing and im like the rest of you on here im gutted, prayer's go out to Steve and his familey and a big thank you to you Steve for the amazing art you gave us down the years your one of the best mate.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/preacher-creator-steve-dillon-receive-posthumous-sketchbook-tribute-at-new-york-comic-con-1044152?utm_source=twitter&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral
Wow. Now that is something special. Pity it's only going to be available at the tooth booth at the con. Would have been nice if a few could have been listed in the shop but hey ho.
Dillon gets my vote for artist on my all time favourite stand alone Dredd: Alone in a Crowd. IIRC it was his first Dredd to boot. His work perfectly captured the paranoia and anguish of the characters, not to mention the parallels between the judges and the criminals. He brought, to my mind, the perfect snapshot of MC1 life to reality.
Quote from: Tjm86 on 29 September, 2017, 07:40:00 AM
Pity it's only going to be available at the tooth booth at the con.
For unknown reasons the article excludes the detail that any left over after the shows will be available from our online shop. Full details at CBR: http://www.cbr.com/preacher-co-creator-steve-dillon-charity-sketchbook/
Tidy. Any chance we can show our interest in advance. Even to the extent of stumping up cold hard cash?
Quote from: Tjm86 on 29 September, 2017, 01:52:55 PM
Tidy. Any chance we can show our interest in advance. Even to the extent of stumping up cold hard cash?
No, sorry - it'll only be at the shows and what's left will be on the shop.
Bugger!
Oh well, here's hoping.
On the 4th (!) anniversary of his death I've put up a new (to me anyway) piece of fanzine art by Steve
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2020/10/steve-dillon-cmni-30.html (https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2020/10/steve-dillon-cmni-30.html)
Wow that's fantastic - thanks Richard S.
It crazy to think that given how young he was when he started at Marvel UK (I think it was?) there even earlier stuff out there. He's the UKs Jim Shooter!
Its also incredible how quickly his work came on even here. That image of Princess Projectra in issue 39 just looks so Dillon as we know him. Then Nick Fury and the Shield agents in issue 40 is utterly early Dillon as we've seen him published. Mind he might well have been close to starting, if not started at Marvel UK at this point?
4 years already?! :'(
That's certainly a new (to me, and I'll bet, most others on here) piece.
Lovely stuff - thanks for posting.
A while back I came upon one of my old senior school workbooks, in which I'd listed Mick Austin and Steve Dillon as "my favourite artists"- and from those (1978!) spot illustrations it's easy to see why. He really did appear damn-near fully formed, didnt he? All bar the earliest are absolutely recognisably his work and considering he was- what, 16?- younger than my eldest- that is astonishing.
We really are worse off without him and I'm just glad that we got to see so much over the too-short time.
SBT
Mornin', all!
On my comics blog I've posted an interview with Steve conducted in 1990 -- complete with a rare chance to see some of his original Dredd artwork unhindered by colours or lettering!
https://michaelowencarroll.wordpress.com/2020/10/30/retro-interview-steve-dillon-1990/
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Mike, enjoyed it.
It still feels unreal losing such a talent artist.
Love seeing that art from Nightmares. Having listened to the Spacespinner chaps talk about Harlem Heroes I''ve started to wonder what Steve Dillon thought about that series and the fact he says so little about it, aside from the process of working with Kev Walker might speak volumes!
Nobody drew like Steve Dillon.
If i could own art from any comic, i'd take every page of Nightmares.
Quote from: Rately on 30 October, 2020, 02:03:36 PM
Nobody drew like Steve Dillon.
If i could own art from any comic, i'd take every page of Nightmares.
For me it would be a Dredd werewolf page.
A stunning talent, sadly missed.
That first Dredd, Alone in a Crowd, from the early 200s, has to be the most flawless Dredd debut of any art-droid. And then when he jumps right in between Smith and Bolland on Block Mania and the quality only goes up. Some lad.
That panel in Alone in a Crowd where a shot perp falls from a window looks so dynamic it almost looks like the picture is really moving! Such a good artist. A good writer too, his Hap Hazzard stories were quite funny.
I loved his clean lines - I used to photocopy bits of the prog and then trace over them to make my own copies of things he drew.