Over on the indispensable John M. Burns Art Group on Facebook, archivist Colin Brown has posted a wonderful art tribute by the late 2000AD artist to some legendary British comic artists, which went through some changes in its creation.
Years ago, John was commissioned to paint a montage featuring himself and other veteran British artists, and has now unearthed the pencils, revealing a change in the lineup for the final art.
As fellow archivist Paul Duncan, editor of the newly-released Limited Edition Star Wars Comics Library Volume 1 by Taschen notes, the pencil sketch shows 2000AD and Eagle artist John M. Burns in the company of Sydney Jordan (the creator of “Jeff Hawke”), Ron Embleton (Thunderbirds), Frank Hampson (creator of Dan Dare), Frank Bellamy (Thunderbirds, Garth), and Brian Lewis (“Dracula” being a reference to the House of Hammer comic strips), and Don Lawrence (The Trigan Empire).
“John was a great admirer of Brian Lewis, and their work both appeared in Countdown/TV Action,” Paul notes, but for the final art, Ron Turner, whose credits include “The Daleks” for TV Century 21, replaced Brian in the final version, at the request of the commissioner.
If you’re on Facebook and are a fan of John M. Burns, we thoroughly recommend joining the well run John M. Burns Art Group, which is an invaluable, still growing resource documenting the late artist, who, sadly, we lost in 2024.
There’s another group dedicated to Brian Lewis, too, which is equally enjoyable.
Head downthetubes for…
• Frank Bellamy Checklist Website and Blog
Run by Norman Boyd, this is an invaluable resource dedicated to the life and work of the Eagle, TV Century 21 and Garth artist
• Ron Embleton: Lambiek Profile
• 21st Century Artists: Ron Embleton
Run by the Dan Dare creator’s son, Peter
Dedicated to Sydney Jordan’s best known creation
Excellent Facebook group
• The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner by John Lawrence, edited by Phil Harbottle (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Artist Ron Turner (1922-1998) was a British master of science fiction book and magazine covers, and a comic strip legend. In a career spanning five decades, he provided illustrations for hundreds of classic SF paperbacks, numerous periodicals and some of the UK’s most fondly-remembered comics, his strip work taking in everything from Doctor Who’s Daleks and the Supermarionation shows of Gerry Anderson to 2000AD’s Judge Dredd.
The Fantastic Art of Ron Turner, written by Turner’s long-time friend and agent John Lawrence (1944-2023), published by Telos, is the first-ever comprehensive biography of the artist, and presents a wealth of his incredible and highly distinctive work, all reproduced in unparalleled quality.
• Phil Harbottle’s 1950s British Science Fiction Channel
Phil Harbottle has been charting British science fiction on his amazing YouTube channel for some time now, with 88 fascinating episodes under his belt, many including art or references to Ron Turner
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
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, Art and Illustration, Comic Art, Comic Creator Spotlight, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Other Worlds
Leave a Reply