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Review: 2000 AD – A Tribute To Carlos Ezquerra

Nemesis

If you hadn’t heard or aren’t a regular reader of 2000 AD, the comics world lost a true legend with the passing of Carlos Ezquerra a while back.  A seminal and ever present figure in 2000 AD’s publications, Carlos was responsible for some of the most iconic art and design work in the business to include such figures as Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog.  Included in this book are stories featuring characters created by Carlos Ezquerra and John Wagner.  Those included Judge Dredd, Fiends of the Eastern Front and Wulf Sternhammer.  Additionally, before he passed away, it was revealed that Carlos was collaborating on a new character and story with John Wagner.  This title was to be called Spector.  Those first two issues of Spector, along with scripts for the next two, are also included in this book and show that even up until his death, Carlos was going strong and providing iconic art for wonderful new comics.

The first story in the book features what may be Ezquerra’s most well known creation, Dredd.  The story, ‘Night At The Museum’, is classic Dredd fare and features a group of criminals on the run after murdering a man.  Dredd comes upon the body and takes off in pursuit, chasing the group into a sci-fi museum.  The easter eggs on display in the museum are numerous and pay homage to 2000 AD history and Ezquerra making the whole story not only enjoyable but nostalgic.  The script by Alan Grant (Detective Comics, Lobo) is straightforward but pure Dredd, his no nonsense style and dogged pursuit of criminals on full display.  The art by Robin Smith (Bad City Blue, The Bogie Man) also conveys that classic Dredd action, the wide and firmly set chin ever present under the unfeeling visor of a Mega-City One Judge.

The second tale on offer is from Fiends of The Eastern Front and is titled ‘Strange Meeting’.  Fiends of The Eastern Front was perhaps ahead of it’s time in the early 2000’s, combining vampires and the infamous ‘Eastern Front’ conflict between The Soviets and The Germans during World War II.  In fact, though my memory is by no means infallible, the only time I can remember anything similar being done before this was in the video game Silent Storm.  I digress.  The script by Guy Adams (Goldfinger, Judge Dredd Magazine) is very well done, combining the futility and hopelessness of The Eastern Front with a horror sensibility that builds steadily through the story before reaching it’s crescendo as the story ends.  The art by Dave Kendall (Necroscope, Fall of Dead World) is a classic fusion of 2000 AD style with Gothic horror by the one of the best comic book artists working today.

The third story is the aforementioned debut of Spector by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.  Long time collaborators, the pair had kicked around the designs for this character for decades but had never settled on a script that they had liked.  Finally, the had dusted off the concept and began work on an android detective in the late 21st century, one of the few good cops in a city full of vice and corruption.  Seeming to borrow from the ‘Major Crimes Unit’ concept from Gotham City, Spector, shorted from Inspector, is tasked with rooting out the official corruption rotting the city from the inside.  The scripts are a page turning fusion of crime noir and science fiction with stories that could easily take place in Gotham City but are richer for taking place

in a fictional near future.  The art is classic Ezquerra.  The backgrounds, vehicle designs and architecture are highly stylized and provide a unique aesthetic in much the same way that Mega City One is brought to life in Dredd.  The character of Spector is also iconic, his throwback look paired with a sneering indifference as he looks out upon the world with an eye that misses nothing.  Unlike Dredd’s sneer of righteous anger, Spector’s grimace is one of detachment as he relentlessly analyzes the world around him.  There is some talk of continuing Spector in the future and I certainly hope they do.

The final story is Valhalla featuring Wulf Sternhammer.  Transported in time, Wulf Sternhammer is a viking living in Norway in the future.  The juxtaposition of ancient barbarian and modern living is the them on offer in this story by Mike Carrol (Time Twisters, Tales From The Black Museum).  Wulf struggles with his nature in this ‘new’ land of his birth and finds himself nostalgic for the loss of all he knew by the end of the tale.  The art by Patrick Goddard (Chopper, Armitage) is done in black and white and features classic pencils with heavy inking, something commonly seen in Goddard’s work.  The effect works well with Goddard’s texture work particularly well done and complemented by his inking.

All together, this is an incredibly good book and a fitting tribute to the master, Carlos Ezquerra.  His iconic work will be sorely missed and I hope to pick this book when I’m able.

Overall
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Night At The Museum
Writing – 3.5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Color – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Overall – 4 of 5 Stars

Strange Meeting
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 5 of 5 Stars
Overall – 5 of 5 Stars

Incorruptible
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 5 of 5 Stars
Overall – 5 of 5 Stars

Valhalla
Writing – 4 of 5 Stars
Art – 4 of 5 Stars
Overall – 4 of 5 Stars

Night At The Museum
Writing – Alan Grant
Art – Robin Smith
Color – Matt Soffe
Letters – Annie Parkhouse

Strange Meeting
Writing – Guy Adams
Art – Dave Kendall
Letters – Ellie de Ville

Incorruptible
Writing – John Wagner
Art – Carlos Ezquerra
Letters – Jim Campbell

Valhalla
Writing – Mike Carrol
Art – Patrick Goddard
Letters – Simon Bowland

Author Profile

Nemesis
Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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