The late John Hicklenton was one of Britain’s leading comic book artists, famous for the brutal, visceral draughtsmanship he brought to the 2000AD/Judge Dredd titles and Nemesis the Warlock, transforming cartoon dystopias into circles of hell. 100 Months is John’s final worka and testament.

A parable of environmental devastation, it depicts the quest of Mara, Warrior and Earth Goddess, as she seeks revenge against the Longpig: a Satanic personification of capitalism, red in tooth and claw, whose followers, a legion of the damned, look quite a lot like...us. The world of the Longpig is rich in killing fields and scenes of mass crucifixion that recall Goya, Blake and Bacon, and represents a true crossover of the graphic novel form with fine art.

John took his own life with the assistance of Dignitas on the 19th March 2010, following a heroic struggle with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. 100 Months was drawn and written in foreknowledge of his imminent death, and its insight into universal themes of life, death, salvation and damnation seems to come from a place between worlds, to have been transmitted from the Hades, Western Lands or Sheol of the ancients as an urgent cry of warning. Its words are those of a prophet, its artwork transcending the comic book form, 100 Months will redefine the adult graphic novel.