COVER STORY The 2000 AD Design Art of Robin Smith

The early '80s saw 2000 AD hit its golden era. With Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, Sláine and more firing on all cylinders it became the UK's most exciting and innovative comic. Its covers played no small part in its appeal, and those covers were the brainchild of Robin Smith whose job was to lay out a cover design to pass to an artist who would transform it into the finished product. This collection of Smith's cover layouts -- accompanied by each finished, full color cover -- shows just how integral his ideas were to some of 2000 AD's most famous and revered covers. Cover art by Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Carlos Ezquerra, Kevin O'Neill, Mick McMahon, Ian Gibson, Alan Davis, Steve Dillon, Cam Kennedy and 11 others.  Here are the others: Massimo Belardinelli, Eric Bradbury, Brett Ewins, Glenn Fabry, Ian Kennedy, José Ortiz, Cliff Robinson, Kim Raymond, Ron Smith, Brendan McCarthy, and Bryan Talbot.