# Carlos Ezquerra, Judge Dredd Co-Creator, Dies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346 "2018-10-03T02:03:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/1 "2018-10-03T02:03:21Z")
Sad news from the world of British comics with the death of legendary Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra, mainstay artist of 2000AD for over 40 years. He was best known for co-creating Dredd and establishing a look for the strip and character which has altered little in 40 years, but he also created Strontium Dog and any number of other strips: the guy was astoundingly prolific, and probably drew more pages than any other artist on the comic. He could turn his hand to anything, from grim and moody WWII strips like [Major Eazy](http://silverandbronzeagesubjects.blogspot.com/2012/07/major-eazy.html) - Fiends of the Eastern Front wasn’t great art, but few artists could sell you a concept like [Wehrmacht grunts battling Romanian vampires in the ruins of Stalingrad](https://www.comixexperience.com/savagecritics/reviews/at-least-a-soldiers-enemies-are-flesh-bloodcomics-sometimes-war-is-even-worse-than-hell) like Ezquerra could - to lightweight SF romps like his fun, freewheeling adaptation of [The Stainless Steel Rat.](http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-stainless-steel-rat.html) Everything he drew had a quality which was both enormously cinematic - he loved to draw on actors for his character archetypes - yet completely grounded in a world you believed existed: look at his work on [El Mestizo](http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2016/05/el-mestizo-1977.html), for Battle: it’s a Tarantino Spaghetti Western, 30 years early. His was a gigantic talent, and comics are a much smaller place without him. Rest in peace, Carlos. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/2 "2018-10-03T02:16:12Z")
[Guardian obit here, with some lovely tributes from colleagues and contemporaries.](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/01/judge-dredd-co-creator-carlos-ezquerra-dies-aged-70) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/3 "2018-10-03T02:43:52Z")
I thoroughly enjoyed watching [Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2822584/) because it gave me faces and names and histories for artists and writers I’d been reading since about 1980 but knew nothing about, unlike my favorite Marvel, underground and Heavy Metal-contributing artists that I grew up with. Mr. Ezquerra was indeed a rare and wonderful talent. I’ve been re-reading [The Best of Judge Dredd](https://www.amazon.com/The-Best-of-Judge-Dredd/dp/1853757187) for the past few evenings before I go to sleep, actually. The stories are still top notch and the art is phenomenal. Plus: Johnny Alpha rules. RIP Mr. Ezquerra; you done good. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/4 "2018-10-03T03:35:49Z")
Garth Ennis’ “Judgement Day” crossover story with Dredd and Alpha teaming up to fight zombies never quite worked as a story, but [_everyone_ remembers Ezquerra’s iconic final panel](https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/judgement-day-600x805.jpg): who the hell’s gonna mess with us? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/5 "2018-10-03T04:21:28Z")
I read 2000AD from its inception to the mid 1990s (prog 900) and barely an issue went by that didn’t have an Ezquerra strip in it. He was so deeply tied to the comic, his style was almost its signature. His legacy will live on. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/6 "2018-10-03T04:27:51Z")
Sneck! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/7 "2018-10-03T05:34:22Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I read 2000AD from its inception to the mid 1990s (prog 900) and barely an issue went by that didn’t have an Ezquerra strip in it. He was so deeply tied to the comic, his style was almost its signature. His legacy will live on. [Not the least of which was his amazing covers. Howdy!](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55d9a2ebe4b090d1642480e9/t/5a3e929c53450ae78e9283f4/1514050289769/Top+Evil+Mean+Machine+022.jpg?format=750w) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/8 "2018-10-03T06:08:46Z")
One of the greats. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/9 "2018-10-03T09:59:03Z")
Ezquerra’s take on \*The Stainless Steel Rat \*was exactly how I imagined it when I read the books. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/10 "2018-10-03T10:04:19Z")
RIP sir. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/11 "2018-10-03T14:48:48Z")
I remember as a teen being excited to be able to buy the actual British Judge Dress and Stainless Steel Rat issues at a comic book convention. Back when they were only about comic books. I liked his style. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/12 "2018-10-03T15:42:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I remember as a teen being excited to be able to buy the actual British Judge Dress [I LOL’ed.](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2013/11/Judge-in-Dress-262x394.jpg) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/13 "2018-10-03T16:02:24Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Judge Dress Ten years in the iso-cubes for **Loach**! Sad to hear about Ezquerra. 2000AD was by some distance my favourite mag growing up. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/14 "2018-10-03T17:27:43Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > [I LOL’ed.](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2013/11/Judge-in-Dress-262x394.jpg) 🙂 I just gave you a 90 second suspension for that. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/15 "2018-10-03T17:43:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I just gave you a 90 second suspension for that. 90 seconds in the cubes, creep. Gratuitous familiarity. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carlos-ezquerra-judge-dredd-co-creator-dies/822346/16 "2018-10-05T22:18:25Z")
[Just bumping this because I found an excellent blog summary of his career.](http://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2018/10/carlos-ezquerra-1947-2018.html) [God, his covers were good.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IUab-Y_PmkM/W7JC3gcTiFI/AAAAAAAAiqc/AkfFJUpq-mg5DXHctpkfH3LT7fJET8IiACLcBGAs/s640/FURY.jpg)