John Hicklenton's '100 Months' Goes on Sale

100 Months, the final work of the late, great 2000AD artist John Hicklenton is now available from publisher Cutting Edge Press. Pat Mills describes it as "magnificent" and hints that despite John's passing earlier this year there is more work yet to be seen.

100 Months is John Hicklenton's final graphic novel, a parable of environmental devastation in which Mara, Warrior and Earth Goddess, seeks revenge against the Longpig: a satanic personification of capitalism, red in tooth and claw, whose followers, a legion of the damned, look quite a lot like... us.

John is best known for his work on 2000AD, Nemesis the Warlock and Heavy Metal Dredd was one of Britain’s leading comic book artists, famous for the brutal, visceral draughtsmanship he brought to the 2000 AD/Judge Dredd titles, transforming their cartoon dystopia into a circle of hell. His artwork was and remains uniquely disturbing and powerful, and often too much so for some comic book fans, and his career was dogged by requests that he 'tone it down'.

In writing and drawing 100 Months, John faced no such censorship, and gave free reign to a vision that is both starkly beautiful and apocalyptic. The world of the Longpig is rich in killing fields and scenes of mass crucifixion recalling Goya at his darkest.

The title, taken from HRH Prince Charles's warning that there were 100 months remaining to prevent cataclysmic climate change, reflects the urgency of both the book's prophetic voice, and the spirit and circumstances in which it was written.

"I was lucky enough to have Johnny Hicklenton draw my first published story, and I knew from the start that his was a unique and powerful vision," says Neil Gaiman. "100 Months is a heartbreaking final vision: one man going head to head with death, and with Death, and with life. I felt lucky to be allowed to read it and fortunate that Johnny made it for us before he left. It lingers and it haunts, and, ultimately, affirms."

John took his own life with the assistance of Dignitas in Zurich on the 19th March 2010, following a heroic struggle with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (His life, work and illness are the subject of the Animal Monday documentary Here's Johnny, which was broadcast on More4 and was the first film in history to win two Grierson awards). 100 Months was drawn and written in foreknowledge of his own imminent death, and its quality of intimate insight into universal themes of life, death and the planet's own survival seems at times to come from a place between worlds, to have been transmitted from the Hades, Western Lands or Sheol of the ancients to the 21st century as a cry of warning.

Despite Johns death, in a recent Facebook post, Pat Mills praises 100 Months, calling it "magnificent", and also hints that John left a lot of other unpublished work, including "artwork for a book with the title Bedlam," which he would love to see in print, too.

"You can imagine what that looks like!" he enthuses. Johnny lives on...

• More info: www.cuttingedgepress.co.uk/100months.html

In Review: Crikey! pays tribute to John Hicklenton, O'Donnell

The latest issue of Crikey! - which has notched up an imprejavascript:void(0)ssive 15 issues, none too shabby for an independently published comics magazine these days - has changed its planned line up to pay tribute to the passing of creators John Hicklenton and Peter O'Donnell.

Dropping a planned Dalek cover in favour of a striking image from John's upcoming graphic novel, 2000AD co-creator Pat Mills pays tribute to the controversial but never dull Judge Dredd artist, while Jody Kihara shares her thoughts on the sad passing of Peter O'Donnell.

Despite such downbeat items, both fitting tributes to the creators, Crikey! overall has plenty to celebrate, not least of which is a rare interview with veteran cartoonist Peter Maddocks, who now lives in Malaga. The artist talks extensively about his career, which includes his time as cartoon editor of Lord Beaverbrook's newspapers, which included nursing the early development of the James Bond newspaper strip, and his own strips such as Four D Jones. It's an informative piece (despite requiring just a touch more copy editing, perhaps) and a welcome insight into newspaper strip cartooning, all too rarely covered by comics magazines.

Equally enjoyable is David Slinn's continued look at all things Eagle, which provides an informative overview of the much-loved weekly's early days; while Tony Ingram takes a look at the 1980s Eagle, another title rarely given much coverage despite its huge following.

All in all, this is another fine issue and fully deserving the support of downthetubes readers. Recommended.

• For more information and stockists visit: www.crikeyuk.co.uk

John Hicklenton: A Tribute by Pat Mills

Earlier this month, the phenomenal comics artist John Hicklenton sadly passed away.

Pat Mills, who often worked with John, looks back at the career of an extraordinarily talented artist here on the downthetubes main site, a version of his feature for Judge Dredd: The Megazine which has also appeared elsewhere online.

Best known for his brutal, visceral work on flagship 2000AD characters like Judge Dredd (in particular Heavy Metal Dredd) and Nemesis the Warlock during the 1980s and 90s, John suffered from multiple sclerosis and recorded an award-winning documentary, Here's Johnny, about living with the condition.

He chose to end his life at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.

John was working right up to the day before he died, completing work on a new book, 100 Months, which will be published later this year.

• Read the tribute by Pat Mills

Hicklenton hits out at MS in new film

2000AD artist John Hicklenton has reacted angrily to becoming ill with MS, inviting cameras into his home for a new documentary, Here's Johnny, to record the destruction of his life by the disease, and to campaign for better treatment for sufferers.

A screening of the film, will take place at the Dana Centre in the Science Museum, London, on 30 January and John will be speaking at the event.

John cannot move without a wheelchair and is often confined to his west London home. He talks candidly about his problems in the film, but also with great humour; at times he has relied utterly on that to see him through some very bleak days.

The Daily Telegraph reports that when the 40-year-old British comic artist, perhaps best known for his brutal, visceral work on 2000AD characters such as Judge Dredd, learnt that he had multiple sclerosis, the news was delivered with a brutality that stuns him still - nearly seven years later.

"The doctor, a locum, just stared at her computer screen," he told the Telegraph, "and never once looking at me, said: 'You've got MS. You'll be dead in 12 to 15 years.' Just like that." Her remit, he says, was presumably not to become emotionally engaged. Johnny's is the opposite, and is now passionately involved in a fight against what he terms "this terrorist illness".

Now virtually bed-bound, John talks candidly about his illness in the documentary, made by Animal Monday and funded by the Channel 4 British Documentary Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. It's due for international release later this year.

The film shows how John, whose work also includes record covers for Switzerland-based Red Light Records as well as comics, escapes the confines of his front room by drawing. In Here's Johnny, you'll learn about the disease that he is forced to co exist with through the expression of his brilliant, and sometimes troubled, imagination.

"For Johnny," the Animal Monday web site reveals, "to draw is to live." Unfortunately, even that is now being taken from him, but he is beginning to face up to the fact that MS is stealing away his powers to draw.

"I haven't got MS when you are looking at my pictures," he says in the film. "I haven't got MS when I am drawing them." But in the past month, the spasms have begun to affect his arms and the Telegraph reports Johnny has found himself making excuses not to get the drawing board out.

''I am grateful for the amount of drawing I have done so far, but I'm scared to put pen to paper now," he told the newspaper. "The last time I drew anything was last year."

Despite this, he remains remarkably upbeat, with strong support of friends and family. "The more intense the disease gets, the more intense my relationships become," he says. "I never feel excluded because people are really sweet and they forget I am ill. My mum has been particularly helpful."

• To book tickets for the free Dana Centre screening of Here's Johnny call 020 7942 4040 (you must reserve a place to attend) or e-mail tickets@danacentre.org.uk
• For a clip of the film or more information, visit www.animalmonday.co.uk or www.danacentre.org.uk.
• MS Society Helpline: 0800 800 8000

(With thanks to Dave Windett for the link)

Update: John died in early 2010. Pat Mills, who often worked with John, looks back at the career of an extraordinarily talented artist here on the downthetubes main site, a version of his feature for Judge Dredd: The Megazine which has also appeared elsewhere online.