2000AD stories - with artists changes half way.

[Skullmo]

For me, the biggest artist change shock came when I first started collecting 2000AD.  The change of artists on the run of Rogue Trooper... the Friday stories.  I fell in love with that Rogue Trooper not least because of Henry Flint's fantastic artwork that still remains amongst my favourites of his work.  Steve Tappin taking over was cool, I still enjoyed the artwork.  The Alex Ronald got his hands on Rogue Trooper. 

Alex Ronald's work in the 90's was just terrible.  The worst artwork I think I've seen in 2000AD.  I've seen that he has improved greatly since, which is cool.  His work on Rogue Trooper is certainly the worst.  Which is a shame as I loved Friday and his companions, enjoyed that take on the Rogue Trooper universe (clunky continuity aside) and thoroughly miss it to this day.  (I really enjoyed Sancho Panzer as well, another strip from Flint).

Good God man, have you lost your mind?

Alex Ronald's style has changed but he's always been a great illustrator. I loved his old style. It was atmospheric and distinctive.

I have to say as much as I love his art now the older art does stick out as some of my least favourite. He did improve a great deal however no one ever opened their mouths!!

[pictsy]

I used to wonder why the eyeless potato people had invaded 2000AD.  His work had thrill suckers all over it.

[Jon]

Alex Ronald's work in the 90's was just terrible.  The worst artwork I think I've seen in 2000AD.

Ha ha ha, then you're really not looking hard enough.

Anyway...I thoroughly disagree with this standpoint. For whatever that's worth.

[Link Prime]

I quite liked Alex Ronald's texture rich work on Sinister Dexter & Missionary Man- I even contacted him looking to buy a page or two of original art, but he'd previously sold 'em all.

These days he could be potentially considered one of the best cover artists at Tharg's disposal, and Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht is just superb; http://www.vampirevixens.co.uk/

[pictsy]

Ha ha ha, then you're really not looking hard enough.

Anyway...I thoroughly disagree with this standpoint. For whatever that's worth.

Seriously, when I think back over the years of reading 2000AD, his work always springs to mind as my least favourite.  I really am not especially fond of re-reading stories that he has illustrated because of the artwork.

[Jim_Campbell]

Seriously, when I think back over the years of reading 2000AD, his work always springs to mind as my least favourite.  I really am not especially fond of re-reading stories that he has illustrated because of the artwork.

You may dislike Alex' art from that period, but at the very least he's competent! Figures are proportioned, perspectives are drawn properly, and he pays attention to lighting and 3D space. There are a significant number of artists from that period for whom none of those things is true...

I'm not sure his ink style back then showed off his drawing skills to their best advantage, and I think Alex would admit that he didn't necessarily make the best storytelling choices — I'm struck, looking back at some of his 90s work, that there are entire pages composed entirely of mid-to-long shots that are just crying out for a close-up or two, for example.

Cheers

Jim

[Jon]

I quite liked Alex Ronald's texture rich work on Sinister Dexter & Missionary Man- I even contacted him looking to buy a page or two of original art, but he'd previously sold 'em all.

These days he could be potentially considered one of the best cover artists at Tharg's disposal, and Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht is just superb; http://www.vampirevixens.co.uk/

I've a lot of time for Alex's work in general. I agree there's been an improvement - there's meant to be - and not just in a linear way, there's genuine innovation there, in some large to do with the route his art has taken him, or so I'd imagine. I get into the occasional debate over emerging tools and methods of production because there seems to be something of a desire, in certain areas, to hang on to "traditional ways" of doing things, for no good reason other than that's how they were done before. I think these arguments are going to mean nothing to the upcoming generation anyway, and Alex is pioneering in an approach that is going to become far more commonplace in the future, IMO. That said, it will come with all the initial bad art and mistakes of people who haven't had such a solid background in learning the craft, developing a proper eye for art and great story-telling. All of which Alex has done. And God knows there's already enough people out there who watch a couple of Feng Zhu videos, download some Photoshop brushes, scribble a bit and claim to be concept artists (and don't get me started on the term, "speed-painting".)

One of the beautiful things I've always loved about 2000AD is the privilege of seeing an artist develop and make those leaps and epiphanies that make them great.

If you want to see a really shaky start, look at Kev Walker's early stuff (which is weird because he used to produce amazing paintings for the first game's company I worked for in 95, prior to his initial AD work - but he was real shaky in certain areas and, when I asked him about it, initially admitted that he could draw anything but people in those early days - a bit of a drawback for a comic artist?) Or Carl Critchlow's very early Thrud strips in White Dwarf.

I think these guys did okay though...?

In the end.

[Jim_Campbell]

If you want to see a really shaky start, look at Kev Walker's early stuff (which is weird because he used to produce amazing paintings for the first game's company I worked for in 95, prior to his initial AD work - but he was real shaky in certain areas and, when I asked him about it, initially admitted that he could draw anything but people in those early days - a bit of a drawback for a comic artist?)

I've mentioned this before: Steve MacManus spotted Kev as a potential front-rank talent but, recognising the weaknesses in his artistic range, got him to ink Steve Dillon for two or three years solid to help him with figure drawing and just so that he could see how Dillon approached pages from a storytelling point of view.

Cheers

Jim

[Jon]

If you want to see a really shaky start, look at Kev Walker's early stuff (which is weird because he used to produce amazing paintings for the first game's company I worked for in 95, prior to his initial AD work - but he was real shaky in certain areas and, when I asked him about it, initially admitted that he could draw anything but people in those early days - a bit of a drawback for a comic artist?)

I've mentioned this before: Steve MacManus spotted Kev as a potential front-rank talent but, recognising the weaknesses in his artistic range, got him to ink Steve Dillon for two or three years solid to help him with figure drawing and just so that he could see how Dillon approached pages from a storytelling point of view.

Cheers

Jim

Yeah, Harlem Heroes, wasn't it?

He couldn't half paint though....

[Colin YNWA]

I have a lot of time for Alex Ronald's work from the late 90s but there's no denying he divides option, or certainly did his current stuff seems to meet almost universal approval. Even some of his writers have said less than pleasant things here as I recall.

For me he's an artist that really showed progression at an astonishing rate and by the end of his first spell with The Galaxies Greatest he's among my favourite of the period and I have a lovely Missionary Man page by him in my original art collection (good range of shots as it goes too). I'm one of those wrong headed people (I say cos we do seem to be very much in the minority) that prefers his old inking style to his new more 'painted' current work, though that is nice too.

Dragging this back on topic around the time he did Rogue Trooper there was also some changes on Dredd 'The Pit'. Now while Dredd always has a rota of artists I do wonder if this story was well served by some of the latter choices and whether they were planned or came about due to Ezquerra and MacNeill who started the story not being available to finish it? I dream of a version of that greatest (well possibly) of Dredd epics by just those two in the way Cursed Earth, that greatest (possibly) of Dredd epics has just McMahon and Bolland.

[Jim_Campbell]

Yeah, Harlem Heroes, wasn't it?

Rogue Trooper: Cinnabar first, then Harlem Heroes.

Cheers

Jim

[pictsy]

I honestly don't think Ronald's 2000AD work was competent.  On my big re-read of 2000AD I was shocked at just how technically poor his artwork was.  It really solidified my dislike of his style.  I am really pleased that his new artwork doesn't resemble the old artwork in  any way but it doesn't strike me as particularly original or trail blazing.  From what I can see, the techniques he is using are ones that have been already well established by other artists many years ago.

I can appreciate people liking his old artwork for it being different (even if I can't understand why you would) but I am never going to be convinced that his 2000AD work was competent.

Kev Walker's start was a bit shaky but I still rate his early stuff as being of better quality than Alex Ronald's entire run.  I am surprised that there are so many vocal advocates of Ronald's work, so at least he has a loyal fan base. 

I think I'm done with my Ronald bashing as it's getting pretty off topic now.

[Dark Jimbo]

I can't believe this thread is three pages in and nobody's mentioned Karl Richardson! He and Dom Reardon seem to suffer a similar problem (though what that is, whether poor time management or just really bad luck, I don't know) - with the notable exception of Caballistics, I think I'm right in saying neither of them has ever finished the artwork on an ongoing series that they started.

I'd love to know the reasons, but obviously not if it's personal issues. Just curious as to why it keeps happening to those two in particular.

[Recrewt]

Dragging this back on topic around the time he did Rogue Trooper there was also some changes on Dredd 'The Pit'. Now while Dredd always has a rota of artists I do wonder if this story was well served by some of the latter choices and whether they were planned or came about due to Ezquerra and MacNeill who started the story not being available to finish it? I dream of a version of that greatest (well possibly) of Dredd epics by just those two in the way Cursed Earth, that greatest (possibly) of Dredd epics has just McMahon and Bolland.

Colin, you are not wrong - the artwork in The Pit does not serve the story well.  It would be nice if IDW picked up this gem and created new artwork using someone like Simon Coleby.  I'd rather see that then their poorly sized re-coloured classics.

I dream of a world where John Ridgway's Dead Man leads straight into Carlos Ezquerra's Necropolis without stopping by Will Simpson or Jeff Anderson on the way.

[Call-Me-Kenneth]

I remember talking to Steve Dillon about 'Cinnabar' back in 93-94 and him telling me:

'The inker completely killed that story...!'

I was gutted, Kev Walker was (and still is) one of my favourite 2000ad artists and 'Cinnabar' my all-time favourite Rogue story...

As for Alex Ronald, the art in 2000ad at this time was generally so ugly that I stopped buying it altogether.

I also don't really agree with perspectively correct/lit bgs and proportioned figures being the basis of good art (I'm a trained artist) as to judge art on that meter, would be to dismiss something like Picasso's 'Guernica', arguably the most powerful artistic statement in history...


Not a comic, I know, but just saying....