RIP Kevin O'Neill.

[Glebe]

Alerted to this by SweetPomPom in the 2000AD thread, dreadful news:

R.I.P. Kevin O'Neill 1953 - 2022.

Never read Marshall Law but his work on Nemesis the Warlock had quiet an impact on me as a kid, then later of course there was the absolute delight of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Alan Moore.

Got my LoEG books signed by him in Forbidden Planet here in Dublin some years back which made me very happy indeed. Rest in Peace mate.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Bugger.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

League reread is in order I think.

[Small Man Big Horse]

As mentioned in the other thread, I love his Nemesis work so much, and this is the one I've printed out and currently have on my wall:



The amount of detail in his work astonishes me, and it's so sad that he passed away at an age where he still loved comics and was happy to draw more.

[George White]

TOok my confirmation name in partial tribute to him.

[badaids]

Ah fuck that's sad.

His amazing work in 2000ad on Metalzoic was what very first attracted me into comics, as a very young kid.

Nemesis and Dredd stuff equally amazing. There was always so much stuff folded into every frame.

[madhair60]

An incredible, dynamic artist. Very sad loss.

[jobotic]

I only really know him from my younger 2000ad days but Nemesis was fantastic and I loved his artwork. RIP

[Pink Gregory]

Did anyone see the 2000AD documentary that came out like 5 years ago?  Good value in that.  Talks a out thinning down a strange ethereal walkway until it looks sufficiently un-like a penis to the satisfaction of the publisher.

[SweetPomPom]

I know they're all the same generation but it feels like all the artists of my childhood are dropping like flies now.

I still have Cinema Purgatorio on my to-read pile, is that his last published piece of work?

[George White]

Did anyone see the 2000AD documentary that came out like 5 years ago?  Good value in that.  Talks a out thinning down a strange ethereal walkway until it looks sufficiently un-like a penis to the satisfaction of the publisher.

O'Neill appeared at the 2015  Dublin Horrorthon, when the film played there. Richard Stanley was absent that day, having been at all the other days.

[Mister Six]

Shite news.

[bgmnts]

Fucksake. Gutted.

[13 schoolyards]

Yeah, it's a massive loss for sure. Supposedly it was after a long illness, which makes me wonder if that talk about him retiring from comics when LOEG ended might have been related. Of course, he then said he wasn't retiring after all and did a couple of things for 2000AD with Garth Ennis, so who knows. Had lengthy careers working with both Pat Mills and Alan Moore, so he certainly knew how to pick his collaborators.

Years ago I found a copy on sale of that giant book reproducing the original art of the first League of Extraordinary Gentlemen story, best purchase I ever made. I know the art is scattered to the four corners, but if they could do similar with O'Neill's Nemesis work that'd be amazing.

[SweetPomPom]

Pat Mills has just posted a fairly epic obit thing:
https://iconoblast.substack.com/p/kevin-oneill-remembered?utm_medium=email

[madhair60]

I know they're all the same generation but it feels like all the artists of my childhood are dropping like flies now.

I still have Cinema Purgatorio on my to-read pile, is that his last published piece of work?

Tempest came out after that, ditto his stuff in Battle Action this year, and he's got some 2000AD stuff coming up soon as well, a return of a very early humour strip - though that might not be happening now due to being dead?

[Shaxberd]

A damn shame. League, Nemesis and Marshal Law all blew my mind as a teenager - previously being raised on the Beano and Asterix, the baroque, gothic detail of his work was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Also the only artist afaik to be let go by DC Comics not for obscenity or objectionable views but just for his art style being too damn unsettling for them. (Tygers, the Green Lantern Corps short he did with Alan Moore, is wonderfully bleak.)

[bgmnts]

Pat Mills has just posted a fairly epic obit thing:
https://iconoblast.substack.com/p/kevin-oneill-remembered?utm_medium=email

Quite a nice read. Led me down a wormhole.

Really want to read Caning Commando who wants to cane the Germans back to Berlin, that idea has me howling.

Also, the mention of Trina Robbins brought me to the comic Tits and Clits!

[Pink Gregory]

Quite a nice read. Led me down a wormhole.

Really want to read Caning Commando who wants to cane the Germans back to Berlin, that idea has me howling.

Also, the mention of Trina Robbins brought me to the comic Tits and Clits!

Tits n' Clits, contributed to by Melinda Gebbie, which brings us around to Alan Moore, full circle!

[13 schoolyards]

Tempest came out after that, ditto his stuff in Battle Action this year, and he's got some 2000AD stuff coming up soon as well, a return of a very early humour strip - though that might not be happening now due to being dead?

The 2000AD tribute says they'll be publishing his final work later this year, so it seems it's still happening: https://2000ad.com/news/kevin-oneill-1953-2022/

[SweetPomPom]

https://www.thegutterreview.com/be-pure-be-vigilant-be-trouble-in-remembrance-of-kevin-oneill/

Another blog piece about him.
Good to see the love for someone who was fairly niche for the duration.

[Norton Canes]

[SweetPomPom]

https://www.tcj.com/an-appreciation-of-kevin-oneill-1953-to-2022/

Well worth your time, if only for the panels.

[jobotic]

Remember Prog 349 well. Think it was on my wall.

Good to see Ro-Jaws as well.

[13 schoolyards]

2000AD have just announced a big collection of O'Neill's original art (in the style of their earlier Apex editions with Brian Bolland and Mike McMahon's Dredd art) - looks pretty impressive (and expensive): https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/XB820

[SweetPomPom]

Cheeky fuckers charging the same price as the luxury McMahon and Bolland ones when they were signed.

I imagine his stuff is truly terrifying at this scale, these books are huge.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Cheeky fuckers charging the same price as the luxury McMahon and Bolland ones when they were signed.

I imagine his stuff is truly terrifying at this scale, these books are huge.

I'm tempted to buy one but it's a hell of a lot of money for a 160 page book whatever the size (and if's too big I've no idea where I'd store it!), though I might put a bit aside for the next couple of months and see how I feel when it's released.

[SweetPomPom]

I've got the Bolland one - managed to get a normal one signed rather than the really expensive slipcase version.
It is huge, have to open it on the floor.

[13 schoolyards]

I grabbed the Bolland one from a comic shop that's nowhere near my house, and getting the bastard home on the train was not fun. Bolland's artwork up close just looks as inhumanly perfect as it does regular size, whereas I reckon O'Neill's work is probably even more eye catching at the larger size

[madhair60]

wow, that's really expensive... I want it badly but I doubt I will ever afford it