Comic artist and archivist David Roach, currently working on a new an Apex Edition of the 2000AD art of Dave Gibbons is seeking help identifying an early cover artist for the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.
The cover of 2000AD Prog 13 features a major cover appearance by alien editor Tharg – but who drew it?
“I’m guessing the collage here would have been by someone in the art department,” David pondered on Facebook, “such as Jan Shepheard, Kevin O’Neill or maybe Doug Church? Does anyone know for sure?”
And who drew The Mighty Tharg? While he does appear on the cover of Prog One, drawn by Kevin O’Neill, appearing under the cover mounted spinner, this is his first major cover appearance.
“It’s based on a photo,” David notes, “but very delicately stippled so it would appear to be a talented artist. It’s a bit or a mystery…”
Can you help identify the artist? If so, please comment below!
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David’s quest prompted Mac Mac Anorak to share these early 2000AD gems. Enjoy!
Via David Roach, Steve Green and Mac Mac Anorak
2000AD ©️ Rebellion
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
Another mystery is why Tharg gives his home planet as Betelgeuse VI when Betelgeuse is a variable supergiant star fond of blowing out clouds of superheated plasma that would scroch any planets, that has only existed for a few million years (an eyeblink compared to the Sun and hardly time for any planets to have cooled to the point where water can exist on them, never mind for life to have evolved) – also, it’s almost certainly going to go supernova within a few thousand more years!
Methinks the Mighty Tharg is having a laugh!
You don’t just have comic nerds reading this, you know 🙂
PS “scroch” is a new word I just invented, it means roughly the same as “scorch”.