Carlos Ezquerra, the "legendary Spanish artist who co-created Judge Dredd for 2000AD and gave the futuristic lawman his distinctive look," died October 1, the Guardian reported. He was 70. Ezquerra worked on Spanish war and westerns comics before beginning his career in British comics in 1973. He worked on Battle Picture Weekly, "drawing the adventures of the Dirty Dozen-inspired Rat Pack and later the strip Major Eazy, before editor and writer Pat Mills, who launched 2000AD in 1977, asked Ezquerra to come up with character designs for Judge Dredd.
"Carlos was without a doubt 2000AD's greatest artist, and, indeed the premier artist of British comics," said Mills. "He was also a great guy to hang out with and he had a fabulous dark sense of humor. We will all miss him hugely."
David Bishop, who was 2000AD editor from 1996 to 2000, called Ezquerra "a gigantic, innovative talent.... He put the work ahead of ego, turning down easier paydays to pursue strips like the ground-breaking El Mestizo, a black slave fighting in the American Civil War--hardly typical fare for British war comics. Decades into an incredible career he dove head-first into creating comics on computer when others were content to play it safe. His work is the imagery that generations of readers have grown up enjoying. Carlos was a true gentleman, and a terrible loss for everyone who loved him or his work."
In a statement, 2000AD said: "It is no exaggeration to call Carlos Ezquerra one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, and his name deserves to be uttered alongside Kirby, Ditko, Miller, Moebius, and Eisner. Yet this doesn't really do justice to someone whose work was loved by millions and has had an influence far beyond the comic book page."