First Prog: 142 (but Tornado issues 9-22 came before that)
Final Prog: 1479
First Meg: 1
Final Meg: 239
Total appearances: 249
-and sad to say that due to
failing health it seems unlikely he’ll be contributing again, although one can
but hope.
Creator credits:
Kenny Who?; Zancudo*
Other art credits:
Judge Dredd
The VCs
Rogue Trooper
Batman / Judge Dredd
Banzai Battalion
A couple of Future Shocks
Storm (a sort of Stig of the
Dump riff that ran in Tornado)
The Bogie Man (Kennedy’s
version ran in Toxic! magazine, not counted towards his total, but still worth
a read if you can find it!)
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| Storm discovers the 1970s diet Words b y Scot Goodall |
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| One of my first ever progs! |
Notable character creations:
Chopper**
Two-Ton Tony Tubbs
Kenny Who?
Jacob Sardini
Bland & Brass
Colonel Kovert
-and was Kennedy the first to draw the full face of the Traitor General? Or was it Colin Wilson?
 |
| This man is a bad guy. Words by Gerry FInley-Day |
Notable characteristics:
Swarthy figures;
gritted teeth; spiky hairdos; cheek bones; masked raiders
 |
| Determination Words by Gerry Finley-Day |
 |
| Only bad guys have eye holes. Words by Gordon Rennie |
On Cam:
Although he got his
start much earlier, in my head Cam Kennedy will always be the artist who drew a
run of amazing funny/weird/hard-nosed Judge Dredd stories from the mid-80s, at
the time when I was old enough to read my big brother’s Progs, but only the
stories with art I liked the look of and could follow. Kennedy (along with
Ezquerra, Belardinelli and Gibson) epitomized that. And for a lot of people,
he’s drawn the strongest sustained period of Judge Dredd ever published (not
counting the mega-epics). So, as one of the artists who first drew me into 2000
AD, I’m massively predisposed towards his style.
 |
| Comic violence Situation by Wagner & Grant |
 | |
| Dramatic violence Words by Wagner & Grant |
 |
| A little romance Words by Wagner & Grant |
On a worldwide level,
I’d guess Kennedy is most famous for a run on some of the better Star Wars
comics in the 1990s, back when the idea of new Star Wars material seemed
genuinely exciting rather than eye-roll inducing. And, based on his 2000 AD
work before that time, it’s easy to see how he got the gig. Before he embraced
the absurdist humour of Mega City 1, he was a steady hand on spacewar epic the VCs, and then one of the longest-serving
artists on Rogue Trooper, another
future war series - some might dare to say, the definitive future war comic series.
 |
| It's war... in space. |
Kennedy has a
seemingly effortless talent for designing and drawing weapons, vehicles, aliens
and robots. In particular, versions of these things that seem like they could
actually work, and also that seem like they’re a bit old and battered, while
still being definitely based on some future tech we haven’t invented yet.
 |
| Grenades! Words by Gerry Finley-Day |
 |
| Spaceships! Words by Gerry Finley-Day |
 |
| Improvised weapons! Sound effects by Gerry Finley-Day |
 |
| Crazy English toffs! Words by Gerry Finley-Day |
Let’s not forget that
he came up with the signature look of Chopper in the much-loved micro-epic ‘The
Midnight Surfer’, one of the top 5 antagonists in Judge Dredd history. Just a
year later, his work on ‘The Taxidermist’ helped make it such a memorable tale
that Jacob Sardini became a recurring character. It’s tenuous, perhaps, but
noteworthy that Chopper and Sardini remain two of an incredibly tiny number of
citizens who have technically broken the law and got away with it, sometimes more
than once. Whatever look that kind of character needs, Kennedy found it.
 |
| Chopper - the original sympathetic perp |
At one point, it
seemed as though Kennedy was another in long line of greats who had moved away
from 2000 AD to work for the Americans. Luckily, this didn’t happen. Never
quite as prolific as he had once been, Kennedy was welcomed warmly back into
the world of Dredd to help kickstart the Judge Dredd Megazine. Somewhat
ironically, it was with a new story about semi-autobiographical character Kenny Who?.
The hapless Mr Who? first appeared in a Judge Dredd story that was a direct response to Kennedy’s
experiences with Marvel and DC (or one of them, at least). First, Kennedy is
told that they love his work – then they forget his name.** Then, they decide
not to hire him, but do hire other artists who can work in a similar style.
This last bit may not be entirely true in the real world, but it informs the
story, a searing indictment of the ability of mainstream comics to force its
artists to work to a house style, something utterly anathema to 2000 AD.
 |
| Kenny Who? Words by John Wagner |
 |
| Faceless robot editor Words by John Wagner |
Anyway, whatever the circumstances, Kennedy was once again a
regular(ish) recurring artist on Judge Dredd again, and every bit as
accomplished as before. He even got his first work on a Dredd Mega-epic, with
the opening chapters of the saga that would eventually be collected under the
name ‘Doomsday’.
His art style had chaged a little, but the same dependable highlights
remained – strong poses, exciting action, clear panel-to-panel storytelling,
and some wonderful haircuts.
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| Orlok the Assassin: a sinewy hardman Kennedy was born to draw. Words by John Wagner |
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| Judge Anderson: a shapely telepath Kennedy was not born to draw. (although actually that first pic is kind of great) Words by John Wagner |
In time, he moved a little bit away from Dredd for more fun with robots
on Banzai Batallion, and then the unclassifiable lunacy of Zancudo.
 |
| Carumba indeed. Words by Si Spurrier |
Very sadly,
failing eyesight has made it incredibly unlikely that he’ll draw for the Prog
again, but Kennedy can perhaps take some comfort that his signature style continues
to be a part of 2000AD, thanks to artist Nick Dyer.*** And virtually all his work has been collected and will live on and on.
 |
| Poignancy by Cam Kennedy Words by Gerry Finley-Day |
Personal favourites:
The VCs
Judge Dredd: The Suspect; Midnight Surfer; Magnificent Obsession; The Falucci Tape;
The Warlord; The Big Sleep; The Taxidermist; Return of the Assassin; SABs; Big
Deal at Drekk City
Rogue Trooper: Body Looters; Bio-Wire; Milli-Com Memories; The
Gasbah; Colonel Kovert; You Only Die Twice
Banzai Battalion
More on Cam Kennedy
A short interview from Eircom
*Kenny Who? first appeard in a Judge
Dredd story, but did have a solo outing, too.
Zancudo is sort of a spin-off from both Ant
Wars but also set in the wider world of Dredd. It’s pretty much its own
thing, though!
**A tale much better
told in Thrill-Power Overload and elsewhere!
***No slight intended – I love Dyer’s work – but he’s clearly a Cam
Kennedy fan (aren’t we all?)
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