No. 83 Dylan Teague

First Prog: 1060

Latest Prog: 1982 (on the cover)

First Meg: 3.37

Latest Meg: 353

Total appearances: 106

-including a whole bunch as inker, and lately working as a colourist, too.

Creator Credits:

Rose O’Rion

Given that this was one of Teague's earliest published efforts, he's goot good pretty quick, no?
Words by Kek-W

Other art credits:

Judge Dredd

Carver Hale (inks)

Chopper (inks)

Inspector Inaba

Mean Machine (inks)

Rogue Trooper

Wardog (inks)

Young Middenface (inks)

Aquila (colours)

Various one-offs

Notable character creations:

Rose O’Rion

Notable characteristics:

Super smooth, super clean. There’s something about his work that puts me in mind of the classic adventure end of Science Fiction, but always with Science Fiction at the fore (I mean, this is 2000AD we’re talking about, but still).

For the life of me, I can't remember which strip this is from, or if it's Dylan solo rather than Dylan inking over another artist. Still an awesome bit of spaceship design, though, right?

On Dylan:

First of Tharg’s great inkers to make the list, although he’s had a few shots at full-on art duties over his long years of service, and in fact lately he’s providing colours working with Cliff Robinson (by coincidence one of 2000AD’s all-time great inkers). By his own admission, as a youngster he felt he was simply too slow an artist to really make a go of it solo, so he taught himself inking and drawing, under the guidance of 2000AD stalwarts (who will get their slot here soon enough!) Mike Collins and David Roach.

The simple overview goes something like:

Gets his break on Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future – the first issue, no less. (Haven;t seen it myself; this here's a cover from later in that series shownig his work)

In time, he earns a slot doing a handful of strips one-offs here and there for the Prog, and a few things for the Meg.

That central panel hides some serious terror.
Words by Gordon Rennie

Most notably, creating Rose O’Rion:

In fact, he was so good at the sexy lady in space motif that he was also called on to deliver this corker, featuring O’Rion alike Synnamon:

In my eyes, the hyper-detailed spaecship panelling and wires make up for the cheescake on display.

Finds himself on inking duty in a fruitful partnership first with Laurence Campbell, but then much more fruitfully with Patrick Goddard, especially on the Megazine: Inaba, DeMarco, Young Middenface, Wardog, more Dredd.

That's some silky smooth inkwork right there;
on top of Patrick Goddard; Words by Alan Grant

Solid blacks to convey stirring sadness

Teague on Goddard having a jolly time smashing up robots.
Word by Dan Abnett

This one's a Teague solo effort. Can you tell the difference from the panel above?
The face is a little dofter and shinier, maybe.

Teague on Goddard again, going for a grittier look
Context by Robbie Morrison, I think

Along the way, he turns out to be something of a covers legend (in my book, anyway),

 

 

 

 Including a bunch of covers on some of the more peripheral outlets of the Tharg stable that have stuck in my mind, even though they weren't in the public eye for nearly as long.

 

Rogue Trooper in particular is worth dwelling on, as it’s a rare example of seeing his earlyish work on total art duties. As you’d expect, it’s super-clean. But we also get to enjoy some character design. Teague it is who gets to visualise two major players in Rennie’s ongoing tale: a disgraced Souther General and a ‘rogue’ Gene Genie, who go off books to help find and cure our hero of a case of built-in obsolescence. 

More lovely attention to background detail, coupled with super-thin lines and deliciously solid blacks.
Words by Gordon Rennie

Here’s a much more recent Teague solo effort, in a rather busier style, and showing off his colouring skills, too. I've an idea this may be a style he's been developing as part of his work in Europe, Teague being a rare example of a 2000AD regualr who went on to work in France rather than the USA. Nice!

The colours add a lot of weight to everything, and there's a clear Euro-feel to it as well.
Words by Rob Williams

But, in the last few years, it's as inker and/or colourist on covers that Teague finds time to fly the flag for the House of Tharg, with belters like this:

Colouring over Cliff Robinson

and, of course, this:

Colouring over Cliff Robinson

 

More on Dylan Teague:

Here's his blog

And his Deviant Art page

 -neither of which have been updated especially recently

A recent interview from Judgement in Cardiff

And another on Jonathan Green's website

Personal favourites:

Pulp Sci-Fi: False Profits

Judge Dredd: Hard Day's Night; Hong Tong; Meat

Young Middenface: Parcel of Rogues; Brigadoom!

Rogue Trooper: Weapons of War

...and then there's this, one of my all-time fave Megazine covers.