Finally, the 2000AD Messageboard Top 5 Covers of 2009!

This was supposed to be my first post of 2010 but real life got in the way, sorry folks!

The wonderful guys over at 2000AD online had a vote on the best cover of 2009. It was agonisingly difficult which shows just how high the standards have been in terms of cover images this year.

Here we go then, in reverse order. In joint 5th place we have Prog 1643, Defoe's Zombie Babies by the ever wonderful Leigh Gallagher. You can read in full how he made the cover on his blog here and below I've posted the idea, superb reference pic, roughs, pencils, inks and final coloured image. Wonderful stuff!
"I am woman, hear me roar!"
Love the 'Killing Zombies Since 1666' inscription on the cleaver...

The colours on the final image are wonderful. While they looked good on the printed image, they really come to life on the computer screen!
Sharing the honors for fifth place was Prog 1641's double-page 'Stormfront' cover for Savage, by the superb Patrick Goddard. Certainly the cover we were all hoping for, I think Patrick outdid himself with this wonderful image. The great covers feature in Prog 2010 showed us thumbnails of some of Patricks initial ideas...
I apologise for my terrible join in the inks below, I did my best!
Finally, the breathtaking finished version coloured superdroid Chris Blythe.
In fourth place we have our second zombie cover, Henry Flint's Prog 1634 featuring everyone's favourite new character of 2009, Zombo! Just check out that red posing pouch!
The cover in third place was the creepy Cradlegrave hoodies of Prog 1633 by Edmund Bagwell. John Smith, writer of this unsettling series is also a fan of the cover, calling it "a piece of bloody genius!" He goes on to say "I'd love to see 2000AD do hooded tops with it on - can you imagine hoodies in the streets wearing THAT top? It'd be like a recursive reflection of a reflection..."
Just missing out on top spot was Carlos Ezquerra's take on the classic 'Who's Gonna Mess With Us?' final page of Judgement Day. This iconic image adorning the cover of Prog 1664 features Dredd and Rico during their exile in the Cursed Earth, stirring stuff indeed!

Finally, and perhaps fittingly, is the genius that is D'Israeli's Stained Glass Window style Low Life cover of Prog 1631. I'm particularly pleased that this was named as the winner as Matt, in his phenominal blog, states that it was a real team effort between him, Matt Smith and super supporter of this blog, Simon Parr. You can read Matt's thoughts on the cover here.

Hearty congratulations to D'Israeli!
I'm sure you'll agree 2009 was certainly a vintage year for covers , let's hope that 2010 can live up to it. As I'm sure winner D'Israeli would agree, with the prog in such safe hands, the chances are it will!