RIP Ron Smith

[sheridan]

2000AD facebook announcement.


He was the main Dredd artist when I joined the Squaxx.  The Stupid Gun, The Weather Man and the Graveyard Shift, punctuated with stories by other artists, such as the Starborn Thing, Cry of the Werewolf and Requiem for a Heavyweight.  So yes, my introduction to Judge Dredd was through the pens of Ron Smith, Carlos Ezquerra and Steve Dillon.

[Bolt-01]

The tribute image by Pye-Parr is just beautiful.

So gutted by this.

[broodblik]

Sad news.  Always loved his Dredd

[sheridan]

Gamers Web

Everything Comes Back to 2000AD

[Funt Solo]

[broodblik]

A tribute to Ron: https://2000ad.com/post/4802

[Rackle]

Gutted. I always loved Ron's style of art. He'll be missed greatly.

[radiator]

RIP - one of the true greats.

[Dandontdare]

Nobody could depict massive-scale disasters like Ron, and I always loved his "two-gun" Dredd. RIP

[broodblik]

Some more attributes for Ron:

http://www.comicon.com/2019/01/10/2000ad-artist-ron-smith-passes-1924-2019/

https://www.newsarama.com/43411-ron-smith-dies.html

http://www.multiversitycomics.com/news/ron-smith-rip/

[Robin Low]

Okay, I'm going to say it: Ron Smith was the best Dredd artist.

Given our recent loss of Carlos Ezquerra that's a hard thing to say and I'd respect the opinion of anyone who disagrees.

What's particularly sad is that he retired before Dredd became more focused on semi-serious procedurals. His realism would have worked well for this kind of tale, while at the same time his humour and background detail would have kept the sense of craziness the strip has perhaps lost.

I'm glad he knew how much he was admired and respected by us.

Regards,

Robin

[JOE SOAP]

Okay, I'm going to say it: Ron Smith was the best Dredd artist.

We've been lucky to have so many great ones that there's no desire or need on my part to argue with that.
In this merry court of great and individual talents, Ron is the Jester to Carlos's King.

[Tjm86]

Over the years we have been truly privileged to have some of the finest artists of the last forty years work on Dredd.  No two ever produced exactly the same rendition whilst staying true to Ezquerra's original vision.  It would be interesting to see a repeat of the "Changing Faces of Dredd" feature from the first Dredd annual.  With the veritable feast of artists since it would make for an interesting work.

[Greg M.]

Ron was undoubtedly one of the greats - an amazing talent - and may he rest in peace. Though his clean-lined style was, on the surface, very different from Carlos's rougher, rawer art, in many ways they were two sides of the same coin. They were both absolute masters of the grotesque; of glorious, characterful ugliness, wildness, and madness. Dredd was a natural home for both geniuses.

[SpaceSpinner2000]

Nobody could depict massive-scale disasters like Ron, and I always loved his "two-gun" Dredd. RIP

No one could destroy Mega City One like Ron Smith! Between his long run in the progs and doing the Daily Star comic strip Smith had a massive impact on the design of Dredd (though few followed his two gun design), that is still felt in the comic today. For me though the key thing Smith did was establish the character and look of the mega-citizens themselves. In the 80s he seemed to be Grant/Wagner's choice for stories about the crazy people that lived in the city, be it Otto Sump, Marlon Shakespere (at least at first), Citizen Snork, or even the Hunter's Club, as well as stories about the day to day life in the city, like the Midnight Shift or the League of Fatties. He made an indelible mark on these comics we all love, and will be sorely missed.