Posted in: Comics | Tagged: 2000ad, Comics, coop, john cooper, judge dredd, rip

2000AD's John Cooper Dies, Aged 72 – The Man Who Drew The First Judge Dredd

2000AD posted,

We're so sad to hear of the passing of another 2000 AD great: John Cooper, artist on Judge Dredd and Armitage, as well as classic comics series such as Johnny Red and One-Eyed Jack. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Known better as "Coop", John Cooper was born in Featherstone, West Yorkshire in 1942. Working on licensed titles in the sixties, he moved onto girls and boys action adventure comics in the seventies, including Battle and Valiant. He drew the first commissioned Judge Dredd strip in 2000AD – though it was only published months later in Prog 19 as it was considered too violent and Coop had to tone it down. He drew many strips for the magazine, including Alan Moore's Future Shock Abelard Snazz.

In the eighties he returned to licensed comics, the nineties to football comics – even a parody of his own football comics for Private Eye, before moving to painting, caricature and a courtroom artist.

He returned to comics in 2008 on Armitage in Judge Dredd Magazine.

An unassuming man, Coop was a very much liked figure in the comic book community, and will be missed a great deal.

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