Carlos Ezquerra receives the Gran Premio de cómic aragonés in recognition of his career at the 2014 Salón del Cómic de Zaragoza

Spanish fans of 2000AD and Battle artist Carlos Ezquerra, who died recently, are trying to move the council of his home town of Zaragoza toward realising plans to honour him by naming a street or space after him.

The campaign petition on Change.org complements other work to honour Carlos, which includes a GoFundMe campaign that raised over £4000 in his memory. Monies raised went to his widow, Conchita Ezquerra.

Launched by the Asociación Aragonesa de Autores de Cómic the petition to the City Council of Zaragoza notes the numerous voices within the world of Ninth Art, and not only from Aragon but also from abroad, who have paid tribute to Carlos. Among them, to name but one, the organisers of the Salón del Cómic de Zaragoza are dedicating a special edition of their Tebeíco to the co-creator of Judge Dredd – a project that has been welcomed with enthusiasm by both professionals and amateurs.

Las Fuentes, Zaragoza. Photo: Ben Binder

The association now feels recognition of Carlos work and influence needs to go further.

“Carlos Ezquerra is known in the comics world,” said a spokesperson, “and as a prominent personality in a discipline, he deserves that the recognition of his special contribution in this art.

Plans to honour Carlos Ezquerra has been discussed by Zaragoza’s city council for some time. The association is now calling on the Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza to make good on those proposals, and the petition calls for  a street or a space in Zaragoza to be named after him.

“It is never too late to value the work and the impact of his work,” say the association, who are not alone in wanting him honoured, with signatures in support from around the globe.

• You can sign the petition, which is in Spanish, here on Change.org 

• The Organización del Cómic de Zaragoza has also announced an initiative to publish a Tebeíco del Salón special edition in December in time for its annual festival, paying tribute to Carlos – read the news item here

• Read Joe Gordon’s tribute to Carlos Ezquerra

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John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “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: downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Events, Other Worlds

Tags: Asociación Aragonesa de Autores de Cómic, Carlos Ezquerra, Change.org, downthetubes News, Petitions, Salón del Cómic de Zaragoza, Zaragoza