Dave Evans, RIP

We are devastated to hear of the death of Dave Evans - also known as Bolt-01 - a much loved member of the 2000 AD fandom, as well as editor of Futurequake, Zarjaz, Dogbreath and a host of other fanzines. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.

See you at the bar, Bolt. pic.twitter.com/8QU75z3bww
— 2000 AD Comics (@2000AD) May 7, 2021

I've been trying to process the news about the passing of Dave "Bolt-01" Evans, but it's just too unbelievable, too wrong an idea to take in.

Dave was the driving force behind FutureQuake, Zarjaz, Dogbreath, Something Wicked and loads more. He - along with Rich Clements - gave me (and many, many others) my first shot at getting a published comic out into the world, via FutureQuake, which started off a long and fruitful collaboration, and - more importantly - a friendship that's lasted over a decade. We've worked together on countless stories and proposals, in his capacity as both letterer and artist (we even "swapped roles" on Mansion Of Madness, where I became editor and he was a creator under my purview).

His contributions to the UK comics scene are truly immense, and can't be overstated. Not only was he an accomplished letterer, but he was a great editor and a fine artist, too; I had the pleasure of working with him on several "Daily Zarjaz" stories, where he let his artistic side shine through. His approach to those helped shape my scripting for the later stories, and, in turn, made me a better writer. It's something I can't ever thank him enough for.

I only ever met Dave in the flesh twice, and both times, he made me feel like an old friend he hadn't seen in years. I really wish I'd managed to spend more time in his company, rather than just emailing back and forth. I'm forever grateful that we built a friendship on that, but I regret that I never got the chance to sit and have a drink and a proper face-to-face natter with him.

Dave really was an integral part of the UK comics scene, and it genuinely won't be the same without him. He was an absolute titan, and the legacy he's leaving behind will stretch on for a long time. Even so, I can't imagined how much greater the loss is to his many close friends and family. My heart goes out to them all.

Rest in peace, Dave.