John Ridgway (comic Artist)

John Ridgway (born 4 May 1940) is an English comic book artist. He is best known as the first artist of the comic book series ''Hellblazer'', featuring John Constantine.

Career

Ridgway began his career initially as a hobby, drawing D.C.Thompson's Commando War Stories alongside professional work as a design engineer. In 1984 Ridgway became a full-time professional, broadening his employment to include ''2000 AD'', Guttenberghus, Marvel Comics and DC Comics.

Ridgway's full-colour work is immediately distinctive for its unusual realism coupled with a delicate, sketchy pencil line, the two combining to give a slightly old-fashioned look influenced strongly by classic British artist Frank Hampson. This has made him ideal for illustrating strips such as the 1960s set ''Summer Magic'' and Enid Blyton's ''The Famous Five'', but it is also a look that lends itself well to large-scale science fiction such as ''Babylon 5''. His portfolio incorporates ''Doctor Who'', ''Zoids'', the '' Incredible Hulk'' and ''My Name is Chaos''.

Ridgway has been responsible for creating the look for a number of series, including ''Hellblazer'', ''Luke Kirby'' and ''Junker'', a sign of the high regard in which he is held by many editors. He was also the artist chosen to depict Judge Dredd without his helmet - albeit severely disfigured by an acid river - in ''The Dead Man'' saga.

He has recently begun experimenting with incorporating computer graphics into his work.

Bibliography

Comics work includes:

*''Commando'':
** "Weekend Warriors" (in No. 748, 1973)
** "Counter Spy" (in No. 864, 1974)
** "No-Man's Land" (in No. 896, 1974)
** "Advance!" (in #1490, 1981)
** "The Line-Shooter" (in #1565, 1981)
** "Depth-Charges Away!" (in #1654, 1982)
** "Night of Reckoning" (in #3009, 1996)
** "Honour!" (in #3362, 2000)
** "Viking Slave" (in #3471, 2001), continues in;
** "Free to Fight" (in #3482, 2001)
** "Mountain Warfare" (in #3530, 2002)
** "Unexploded Bomb!" (in #3546, 2002)
** "H-Boat Hunt" (in #3830, 2005)
** "The Final Flight" (in #3903, 2006)
** "H-Boat Havoc" (in #3986, 2007)
** "H-Boat Feud" (in #4035, 2007)
** "The Axeman" (in #4060, 2007)
** "H-Boat Hi-Jack" (with Alan Hebden, in #4098, 2008)
** "The Fighting Fisherman" (with Bill Styles, in #4113, 2008)
** "Commando versus Kommando" (with Alan Hebden, in #4121, 2008)
** "The Lost Tanks" (with Alan Hebden, in #4140, 2008)
** "The Fighting Brothers" (with Mike Knowles, in #4146, 2008)
*'' The Spiral Path'' (in ''Warrior'' #9–12, 1983)
*''Young Marvelman'' (in ''Warrior'' No. 12, 1983)
*''The Shroud'' (in ''Warrior'' No. 13, 1983)
*'' Marvelman Family'' (in ''Warrior'' No. 17, 1984)
*''Home is the Sailor'' (in ''Warrior'' No. 17, 1984)
*''Shandor Demon Stalker'' with Steve Moore (in ''Warrior'' No. 23)
*''Tharg's Future Shocks'': "Doing Time" (with Alan Hebden, in ''2000 AD'' No. 377, 1984)
*''Doctor Who'':
** First Doctor:
*** "A Religious Experience" (with Tim Quinn, in ''Yearbook 1994'')
** Fifth Doctor:
*** "Blood Invocation" (with Alan Barnes, in ''Yearbook 1995'')
** Sixth Doctor:
*** "The Shape-Shifter" (with Steve Parkhouse, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #88–89, 1984)
*** "Voyager" (with Steve Parkhouse, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #90–94, 1984)
*** "Polly the Glot" (with Steve Parkhouse, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #95–97, 1984–1985)
*** "Once Upon a Time-Lord..." (with Steve Parkhouse, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #98–99, 1985)
*** "War-Game" (with Alan McKenzie, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #100–101, 1985)
*** "Funhouse" (with Alan McKenzie, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #102–103, 1985)
*** "Kane's Story" / "Abel's Story" / "The Warrior's Story" / "Frobisher's Story" (with Alan McKenzie, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #104–107, 1985)
*** "Exodus" / "Revelation!" / "Genesis!" (with Alan McKenzie, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #108–110, 1986)
*** "Nature of the Beast" (with Simon Furman, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #111–113, 1986)
*** "Time Bomb" (with Jamie Delano, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #114–116, 1986)
*** "Salad Daze" (with Simon Furman, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' No. 117, 1986)
*** "Changes" (with Grant Morrison, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #118–119, 1986)
*** "Profits of Doom!" (with Mike Collins and inks by Tim Perkins in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #120–122, 1987)
*** "The Gift" (with Jamie Delano and inks by Tim Perkins in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #123–126, 1987)
*** "The World Shapers" (with Grant Morrison and inks by Tim Perkins in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #127–129, 1987)
*** "Facades" (with Scott & David Tipton), in ''Prisoners of Time'' No. 6, 2013
** Seventh Doctor:
*** "A Cold Day in Hell" (with Simon Furman in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #130–133, 1987–1988)
*** "Echoes of the Mogor" (with Dan Abnett, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #143–144, 1988–1989)
*** "Hunger From the Ends of Time" (with Dan Abnett, in ''The Incredible Hulk Presents'' #2–3; reprinted in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #157–158, 1990)
*** "Train-Flight" (with Andrew Donkin/ Graham S. Brand, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #159–161, 1990)
*** "Memorial" (with Warwick Gray, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' No. 191, 1992)
*** "Cat Litter" (with Marc Platt, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' No. 192, 1992)
*** "Flashback" (with Warwick Gray, in ''Winter Special 1992'')
*** "Time and Time Again" (with Paul Cornell, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' No. 207, 1993)
*** "Cuckoo" (with Dan Abnett, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' #208–210, 1993)
*** "Uninvited Guest" (with Warwick Gray, in ''Doctor Who Magazine'' No. 211, 1993)
* Torchwood
** "Overture: A Captain Jack Adventure" (with Gary Russell), in ''Torchwood Magazine'' No. 25, 2010
*'' The Liberators'' (with Grant Morrison, in ''Warrior'' No. 26 & the Warrior/Comics International flipbook, 1985 & 1996)
*''Transformers'': "Man of Iron" pt 1–2 (in ''Transformers'' #9–10, 1985, No. 33 S1987)
*'' Spider-Man and the Zoids'' #36–37: "Bits and Pieces" (with Grant Morrison, 1986)
*'' Spider-Man and the Zoids'' #51: "Getting Even" (with Richard Alan, 1987)
*''One-Off'': "Candy and the Catchman" (with Grant Morrison, in ''2000 AD'' No. 491, 1986)
*''Judge Dredd'':
** "The Raggedy Man" (with John Wagner and Alan Grant, in ''2000 AD'' #525-26, 1987)
** "Twister" (with John Wagner, in ''2000 AD'' #588–591, 1988)
** "A Night at the Opera" (with John Wagner, in ''2000 AD'' No. 597, 1988)
** "Alzhiemer's Block" (with John Wagner, in ''2000 AD'' #605–606, 1988)
** "Radlander" (with John Wagner, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #4.16–4.18, 2002)
** "Damned Ranger" (with John Wagner, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #218–220, 2004)
** "Cursed Earth Rules" (with Simon Spurrier, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' No. 236, 2005)
*''The Journal of Luke Kirby'' (with Alan McKenzie)

** "Summer Magic" (in ''2000 AD'' #571–577, 1988)
** "The Dark Path" (in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1990'')
** "The Night Walker" (in ''2000 AD'' #800–812, 1992)
** "Sympathy for the Devil Prologue" (in ''2000 AD'' #850–851, 1993)
** "Trick or Treat" (in ''2000 AD 1994 Yearbook'', 1993)
** "The Price" (in ''2000 AD'' No. 972, 1995)
*''The Dead Man'' (with John Wagner, in ''2000 AD'' #650–662, 1989–1990)
*''Junker'' (with Michael Fleisher)
** "Junker Part 1" (in ''2000 AD'' #708–716, 1990–1991)
** "Junker Part 2" (in ''2000 AD'' #724–730, 1991)
*''Strontium Dog'': "The Walking Lady (An Untold Tale)" (with Peter Hogan, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1992'')
*''Calhab Justice'' (with Jim Alexander):
** "Calhab Justice" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #2.10–2.13, 1992)
** "Hogmanay" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #2.18, 1992)
** "Family Snapshot" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #2.64–2.66, 1994)
*''Vector 13'':
** "Case One: Who Was the Mothman?" (with Shaky Kane, in ''2000 AD'' No. 951, 1995)
** "Case Seven: Are They Cats?" (with Peter Hogan, in ''2000 AD'' No. 957, 1995)
** "Case One: Berserkers" (with Brian Williamson, in ''2000 AD'' #965, 1995)
** "Case Six: A Salver in the Heavens" (with Dan Abnett, in ''2000 AD'' No. 970, 1995)
** "Case Eight: Worlds at War" (with Dan Abnett, in ''2000 AD'' No. 995, 1996)
** "Case Ten: Video Nasty" (with Pat Mills, in ''2000 AD'' No. 997, 1996)
*''Babylon 5'' (written by Timothy DeHaas, based on storyline by J. Michael Straczynski, DC Comics)
** "With Friends Like These..." (in ''Babylon 5'' No. 5, 1995)
** "Against the Odds" (in ''Babylon 5'' No. 6, 1995)
** "Survival the Hard Way" (in ''Babylon 5'' No. 7, 1995)
** "Silent Enemies" (in ''Babylon 5'' No. 8, 1995)
** " The Psi Corps and ''You''!" (in ''Babylon 5'' No. 11, 1995)
*''Darkness Visible'' (with Nick Abadzis, in ''2000 AD'' #975–979, 1996)Darkness Visible profile at 2000 AD
/ref>
*'' Missionary Man'': "Place of the Dead" (with Gordon Rennie, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #4.9–4.13, 2002)
*''Armitage'': "Apostasy in the UK" (with Dave Stone, in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #212–213, 2003)
*''Middenface McNulty'' (with Alan Grant):
** "Mutopia" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #205–207, 2003)
** "Killoden" (in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #224–229, 2004–2005)

Notes

References

*
John Ridgway
at 2000 AD online

at Lambiek's Comiclopedia

External links

David Roberston: An Interview with John Ridgway, Part One
an
Part Two
''The Comics Journal'', 22 February 2011

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridgway, John
British comics artists
1940 births
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)