Comics UK

Just heard that the great DC Thomson and Judge Dredd artist Ron Smith has passed away.

It is always sad when great artists, or indeed writers, pass away, but in the case of Ron Smith, I suspect that Ray Moore could well be more upset than most folk outside Ron's immediate family, given that Ron illustrated Kashgar The Terrible, the title in The WIZARD in 1961/62 from which I feel certain that Ray took his comicsUK username. R.I.P. Ron.

Ron's grand-daughter sends her thanks to all the love everyone has given. It's appreciated at a time like this.

Phoenix wrote:It is always sad when great artists, or indeed writers, pass away, but in the case of Ron Smith, I suspect that Ray Moore could well be more upset than most folk outside Ron's immediate family, given that Ron illustrated Kashgar The Terrible, the title in The WIZARD in 1961/62 from which I feel certain that Ray took his comicsUK username. R.I.P. Ron.

It is indeed sad news but not because he provided the illustrations for 'Kashgar the Terrible' Derek, my comicsUK username came from the Hotspur strip featuring the Wolf of Kabul 'The War Gong of Kashgar' drawn by J T Higson, a horse of an entirely different colour.
Ron was a brilliant artist and I still remember having conversations with him when I did an article/stripography on him in issue 4 of British Comic World. At the time he sent me a photograph of himself sat at his drawing board in which he bore an uncanny resemblance to that other great comic artist, Dudley Watkins.
It must be over forty years ago now that I first learned Ron's name when Bill Swinton, editor of the Beezer, informed me that the artist who drew 'Blood Brother's of the Spanish Main' had the rather ordinary name of Smith. But there was certainly nothing ordinary about Ron's talent.

Kashgar wrote:It must be over forty years ago now that I first learned Ron's name when Bill Swinton, editor of the Beezer, informed me that the artist who drew 'Blood Brother's of the Spanish Main' had the rather ordinary name of Smith. But there was certainly nothing ordinary about Ron's talent.

Yes, Ron was always a wonderfully versatile artist. For anybody who only remembers his later work on SF characters like King Cobra and Judge Dredd here's an example of his meticulous historical art from 'Blood Brothers'.
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Kashgar wrote:It is indeed sad news but not because he provided the illustrations for 'Kashgar the Terrible' Derek, my comicsUK username came from the Hotspur strip featuring the Wolf of Kabul 'The War Gong of Kashgar' drawn by J T Higson, a horse of an entirely different colour.

Well Ray, at least you had a choice of Kashgars!! Sorry about the delay in replying, but I've only just got in from a couple of jars in the Copperhouse with Russ, Lois and Alex.