John Hicklenton
Encyclopedia
John Hicklenton was a British
comics artist
best known for his brutal, visceral work on flagship 2000 AD characters like Judge Dredd
(in particular Heavy Metal Dredd) and Nemesis the Warlock
during the eighties and nineties.
He suffered from multiple sclerosis
and recorded an award-winning documentary about living with the condition. On 19 March 2010, Hicklenton chose to end his life at Dignitas
in Switzerland.
's daughter so he made her a Judge Dredd Christmas card.
However, regular work remained elusive until, on the advice of his mother, he phoned Pat Mills
directly and their working relationship developed from there. He did other work with Mills including a strip in the now defunct CoolBeansWorld site. He also drew ZombieWorld (as John Deadstock) for Dark Horse Comics
, who commissioned him because, as Mills has said "John is the ultimate horror artist ... I defy anyone to show me an artist whose monsters are more grotesque, whose zombie
s have a more ghastly look in their eye."
in 2000. Here's Johnny, a documentary about his illness produced by Animal Monday, launched at the Science Museum
on January 30, 2008, followed by its world première at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas. It got its television debut on More4
on February 17, 2009. The film took over 5 years to make and documents his brave and often humorous battle against MS. The film was favourably reviewed by the British Medical Journal
and in 2008 won an unprecedented two Grierson Awards
for "Best Newcomer" and "Best Arts Documentary".
that Hicklenton had died the previous week following his battle with multiple sclerosis. Hicklenton had travelled to Switzerland and died on March 19 at Dignitas
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
comics artist
Comics artist
A comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...
best known for his brutal, visceral work on flagship 2000 AD characters like Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
(in particular Heavy Metal Dredd) and Nemesis the Warlock
Nemesis the Warlock
Nemesis the Warlock is a story created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neill which appeared in the pages of the weekly comics anthology 2000 AD. The title character, a fire-breathing demonic alien, fights against the fanatical Torquemada, Grand Master of the Terran Empire in Earth's distant...
during the eighties and nineties.
He suffered from multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
and recorded an award-winning documentary about living with the condition. On 19 March 2010, Hicklenton chose to end his life at Dignitas
Dignitas (euthanasia group)
Dignitas is a Swiss assisted dying group that helps those with terminal illness and severe physical and mental illnesses to die assisted by qualified doctors and nurses...
in Switzerland.
Comics
Hicklenton got his first break when he realised a friend at college was Ron SmithRon Smith (artist)
Ron Smith, born 1924, is a retired British comic artist whose career spanned almost almost fifty years, during which time he built a solid reputation as one of the most popular and well respected illustrators working in his field....
's daughter so he made her a Judge Dredd Christmas card.
However, regular work remained elusive until, on the advice of his mother, he phoned Pat Mills
Pat Mills
Pat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since....
directly and their working relationship developed from there. He did other work with Mills including a strip in the now defunct CoolBeansWorld site. He also drew ZombieWorld (as John Deadstock) for Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, who commissioned him because, as Mills has said "John is the ultimate horror artist ... I defy anyone to show me an artist whose monsters are more grotesque, whose zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s have a more ghastly look in their eye."
Here's Johnny
He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
in 2000. Here's Johnny, a documentary about his illness produced by Animal Monday, launched at the Science Museum
Science Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
on January 30, 2008, followed by its world première at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas. It got its television debut on More4
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
on February 17, 2009. The film took over 5 years to make and documents his brave and often humorous battle against MS. The film was favourably reviewed by the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
and in 2008 won an unprecedented two Grierson Awards
Grierson Awards
The Grierson Awards celebrate innovative and exciting new documentary films. The awards have been set up by The Grierson Trust to commemorate the life and work of world renowned Documentary Filmmaker John Grierson. The awards were first set-up in 1972 and have run annually...
for "Best Newcomer" and "Best Arts Documentary".
Recent activities
He continued to draw, working on projects like Sand for Renegade Arts Entertainment, and also focused on bringing multiple sclerosis as a disease to the public's attention in order to help its sufferers fight for better treatment and research from the medical community. In his final year he wrote and illustrated his graphic novel, 100 Months (published by Cutting Edge Press), which he finished the day before he died.Death
On 23 March 2010 Pat Mills announced via the 2000 AD forumsInternet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
that Hicklenton had died the previous week following his battle with multiple sclerosis. Hicklenton had travelled to Switzerland and died on March 19 at Dignitas
Dignitas (euthanasia group)
Dignitas is a Swiss assisted dying group that helps those with terminal illness and severe physical and mental illnesses to die assisted by qualified doctors and nurses...
.