John Smith (comics writer)

John Smith (born 1967) is a

Career

Smith's earliest published work appeared in the

Many of Smith's series created for 2000 AD shared the same

• Renegade
  Future Shocks installment, "A Change of Scenery", Smith stated he always considered the stories taking place in the same world:

  "They were both part of the same tailor-made Universe. That was intended right from the start."^[4]

• Characters from
  Devlin Waugh.^[6]
• The character Mr. Cheetl originally appeared in Firekind,^[7] while Mr. Vathek, another member of the Chadarisq-Khan species,^[8] appears in Pussyfoot 5.^[9]
• Two members of Indigo Prime, Dazzler and Creed, appear in Scarab #7.

  "By that time I was probably just so sick of the thing I thought – 'Fuck it. I'll rip off my own story' – and stuck in Indigo Prime as a lazy way out."^[4]

• Winwood and Cord appear in the last few pages of Dead Eyes, uploading Danny's soul into a cloned body after the human race in his home universe (Reality 377) are killed.^[10]

Style and influences

Smith's work, told in an elliptic, fractured narrative style reminiscent of Iain Sinclair or the cut-up technique of William S. Burroughs, is characterised by intricate, sometimes obscure plots and an interest in taboos and the occult.

Other notable influences include Michael Moorcock, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Alan Moore and Noël Coward.

Bibliography

UK publishers

• Starblazer (anthology, DC Thomson):
  • "Head Hunter" (with Segura, in #163, 1985)
  • "Timeslay" (with Enrique Alcatena, in #168, 1986)
• Fleetway/Rebellion
  ):
  • Tharg's Future Shocks
    :
    • The Best of Tharg's Future Shocks (tpb, 160 pages, 2008,
      ISBN 1-905437-81-1
      ) includes:
      • "Time Enough to Tell" (with Barry Kitson, in #473, 1986)
      • "Video" (with Geoff Senior, in #478, 1986)
      • "A Change of Scenery" (with Nik Williams, in #490, 1986)
      • "No Exit" (with Simon Harrison, in #559, 1988)
      • "One Man's Meat" (with Massimo Belardinelli, in #563, 1988)
      • "The Osmotic Man" (with Horacio Lalia, in #605, 1988)
      • "Opening Moves" (with Mick Austin, in #629, 1989)
      • "Earthsong" (with Steve Parkhouse, in #1480, 2006)
  • Tyranny Rex
    :
    • "In His Image" (with Steve Dillon, in #566–558, 1988)
    • "Under Foreign Skies" (with Steve Dillon, in #582–584, 1988)
    • "Untitled" (with Steve Dillon, in Sci-Fi Special '88, 1988)
    • "Soft Bodies" (co-written by Smith and Chris Standley, art by Will Simpson, in #595–598 and 604, 1988)
    • "Systems of Romance" (with Doug Braithwaite, in Sci-Fi Special '89, 1989)
    • "Untitled" (with Steve Sampson, in Winter Special '89, 1989)
    • "Shadowground" (prose story with illustrations by Duncan Fegredo, in Annual '91, 1990)
    • "Touched by the Hand of Brendan" (prose story with illustrations by Mark Buckingham, in Sci-Fi Special '91, 1991)
    • "A Twist in the Tale" (prose story with illustrations by Paul Marshall, in Sci-Fi Special '93, 1993)
    • "Bitter Fruit" (with Paul Marshall, in Yearbook '94, 1993)
    • "Deus Ex Machina" (with Mark Buckingham (#852–855), Paul Marshall and Richard Elson (#877–880), in #852–859 and 873–880, 1993–1994)
    • "The Comeback" (with Steve Yeowell, in #1395–1399, 2004)
  • ISBN 1-781-08230-8
    )
  • Inside Moves (with Chris Weston, in #631, 1989)
  • Order of the Beast (with Dave D'Antiquis, in #632, 1989)
  • Indigo Prime:
    • The Complete Indigo Prime (tpb, 168 pages,
      ISBN 1-904265-42-1
      ) collects:
      • "Fervent and Lobe: The Issigri Variations" (with Mike Hadley, in #642–649, 1989)
      • "Indigo Prime" (with Chris Weston, in #678, 1989)
      • "Winwood and Cord: Downtime" (with Chris Weston, in #680–681, 1990)
      • "Fegredo and Brecht: How the Land Died" (with Chris Weston, in #682, 1990)
      • "Fervent and Lobe: Holiday on Ice" (with Mike Hadley, in Winter Special '90, 1990)
      • "Almaranda: Solstice" (with Mike Hadley, in #720–721, 1991)
      • "Winwood and Cord: Killing Time" (with Chris Weston, in #735–744, 1991)
    • "Requiem" (prose story with illustrations by Chris Weston, in Sci-Fi Special '90, 1990)
    • "Weird Vibes" (prose story with illustrations by Pauline Doyle, in Yearbook '93, 1992)
    • "The Loa in the Machine" (prose story with illustrations by Mick Austin, in Winter Special '92, 1992)
    • Indigo Prime: Anthropocalypse (tpb, 160 pages, 2013,
      ISBN 1-7810-8111-5
      ) includes:
      • "Everything and More" (with Edmund Bagwell, in #1750–1753, 2011)
      • "Anthropocalypse" (with Edmund Bagwell, in #1756–1763, 2011)
    • "Perfect Day" (with Lee Carter, in #1880–1887, 2014)
    • "A Dying Art, Parts 1 and 2 (of 9)" (with Lee Carter, in #2050–2051, 2017)
      • The storyline was continued and finished by Kek-W.
  • Danzig's Inferno (with Sean Phillips, in #718–719, 1991)
  • Rogue Trooper (Friday):
    • "Hollow Town" (with Simon Coleby, in Sci-Fi Special '91, 1991)
    • "Enfleshings" (with Chris Weston, in Yearbook '93, 1992)
    • "Shock Tactics" (with Chris Weston and Mike Hadley, in Sci-Fi Special '93, 1993)
  • Revere (with Simon Harrison, in #744–749, 809–814 and 867–872, 1991; 1992; 1993–1994)
  • John Burns
    , in Action Special, 1992)
  • ISBN 1-60706-471-5
    )
  • ISBN 1-906-73543-3
    )
  • Tales from Mega-City One: "Animal House" (prose story with illustrations by Chris Weston, in Sci-Fi Special '92, 1992)
  • Firekind (with Paul Marshall, in #828–840, 1993)
  • Slaughterbowl (with Paul Peart
    , in #842–849, 1993)
  • Judge Dredd:
    • "Hate Inc." (with
      ISBN 1-9079-9221-9
      )
    • "Roadkill" (with
      ISBN 1-7810-8141-7
      )
    • "Darkside" (with Paul Marshall, in #1017–1028, 1996–1997) collected in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 25 (tpb, 320 pages, 2015,
      ISBN 1-78108-331-2
      )
    • Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 32 (tpb, 304 pages, 2018,
      ISBN 1-7810-8661-3
      ) includes:
      • "Survivor Type" (with
        Simon Davis
        , in #1190, 2000)
      • "New Model Phoord" (with Paul Marshall, in #1197–1199, 2000)
    • "Meatmonger " (with
      ISBN 1-78108-941-8
      )
    • "Jumped" (with Simon Fraser, in #1491–1494, 2006)
  • Strontium Dogs
    : "Fast Breeder" (prose story with illustrations by Pauline Doyle, in Sci-Fi Special '94, 1994)
  • Vector 13 (Series 5): "Case Three: Graven Images" (with Cliff Robinson, in #1064, 1997)
  • Pulp Sci-Fi
    : "Feast of Skin" (with Chris Weston, in #1163, 1999)
  • Pussyfoot 5:
    • "Fast Breeder" (with Nigel Raynor, in #1184–1188, 2000)
    • "Alien Sex Fiend!" (with Steve Yeowell, in #1251–1256, 2001)
  • ISBN 1-904265-77-4
    )
  • ISBN 1-905437-31-5
    )
  • ISBN 1-7810-8111-5
    )
  • ISBN 1-907992-46-4
    )
  • Tharg's Terror Tales:
    • "Blackspot" (with Edmund Bagwell, in #1801, 2012)
    • "Night Shifts" (with Peter Doherty, in #1957, 2015)
• Crisis
  (anthology, Fleetway):
  • New Statesmen (with Jim Baikie
    , Sean Phillips (#5–6, 13–14) and Duncan Fegredo (#7–8), in #1–14 and 28, 1988–1989)
    • The serial was first reprinted as an American format 5-issue limited series titled New Statesmen (1989)
    • Collected as The Complete New Statesmen (tpb, 240 pages, 1990,
      ISBN 1-85386-217-7
      )
  • Straitgate (with Sean Phillips, in #50–53, 1990)
• Judge Dredd Annual '91: "Tales from Mega-City One: Resyko" (prose story with illustrations by Sean Phillips, Fleetway, 1990)
• Revolver Romance Special
  : "Still Life" (with Sean Phillips, anthology, Fleetway, 1991)
• The Comic Relief Comic (among other writers and artists, one-shot, Fleetway, 1991)
• Judge Dredd Megazine (anthology, Fleetway/Rebellion):
  • Strange Cases: "Skin Games" (with John Hicklenton, in #17, 1992)
  • Devlin Waugh
    :
    • Devlin Waugh: Swimming in Blood (tpb, 288 pages, 2014,
      ISBN 1-7810-8228-6
      ) collects:
      • "Swimming in Blood" (with Sean Phillips, in vol. 2 #1–9, 1992)
      • A Judge Dredd story featuring Devlin Waugh:
        • "Brief Encounter" (with Sean Phillips, in vol. 2 #26, 1993)
      • 2000 AD: Judge Dredd Mega-Special #6: "A Love Like Blood" (prose story with illustrations by Sean Phillips, 1993)
      • Several long-form installments originally published in Judge Dredd Megazine's sister title 2000 AD:
        • "Chasing Herod" (with Steve Yeowell, in #1149–1157, 1999)
        • "Reign of Frogs" (with Steve Yeowell, in #1158–1167, 1999)
        • "Sirius Rising" (with Steve Yeowell, in #1168–1173, 1999)
      • "Mouthful of Dust" (with Michael Gaydos, in vol. 3 #72–73, 2000–2001)
    • Devlin Waugh: Red Tide (tpb, 224 pages, 2015,
      ISBN 1-7810-8344-4
      ) collects:
      • 2000 AD: Judge Dredd Yearbook '94: "Body and Soul" (prose story with illustrations by Sean Phillips, 1993)
      • "Red Tide" (with Colin MacNeil, in #201–213, 2003)
      • Another Judge Dredd story featuring Devlin Waugh:
        • "Bite Fight!" (with John Burns, in #224–225, 2004)
      • "Vile Bodies" (with Colin MacNeil, in #227, 2005)
      • "All Hell" (with Colin MacNeil, in #231–235 and 237, 2005)
      • "Innocence and Experience" (with Peter Doherty, in #253–256, 2007)
  • Judge Dredd:
    • Judge Dredd: Heavy Metal Dredd (tpb, 128 pages, 2009,
      ISBN 1-9054-3796-X
      ) includes:
      • "Mort Rifkind Rises Again" (with John Hicklenton, in vol. 2 #23, 1993)
      • "The Big Hit" (with John Hicklenton, in vol. 2 #24, 1993)
      • "Monkey Beat" (with John Hicklenton, in vol. 2 #34–35, 1993)
    • Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 19 (tpb, 320 pages, 2012,
      ISBN 1-9079-9296-0
      ) includes:
      • "The Jigsaw Murders" (with Xuasus, in vol. 2 #27–29, 1993)
      • "Ladonna Fever" (with David Millgate, in vol. 2 #30, 1993)
    • Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 24 (tpb, 320 pages, 2015,
      ISBN 1-7810-8339-8
      ) includes:
      • "The Ballad of Cindy Crawlskin" (with Ashley Sanders, in vol. 3 #12, 1995)
      • "Killing Grounds" (with Dean Ormston, in vol. 3 #13, 1996)
      • "Mondo Simp" (with Paul Marshall, in vol. 3 #15–16, 1996)
    • "Fetish" (with Siku, in vol. 3 #26–30, 1997) collected in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Volume 26 (tpb, 320 pages, 2016,
      ISBN 1-7810-8431-9
      )
    • "Old Wounds" (with Peter Doherty, in #287–288, 2009)
  • Judge Karyn: "Skin Games" (with Ashley Wood
    , in vol. 3 #8, 1995)
  • Holocaust 12 (co-written by Smith and Chris Standley):
    • "Skyfall" (with Jim Murray, in vol. 3 #20–23, 1996)
    • "Storm Warning" (with Clint Langley, in vol. 3 #29–33, 1997)
  • Tales from the Black Museum:
    • "Burn!" (with Adrian Salmon, in #247, 2006)
    • "Feeders and Eaters" (with Vince Locke, in #250, 2006)
  • ISBN 1-7810-8414-9
    )
• ISBN 1-871592-08-9
  )