IDW Reprints 'Cry of the Werewolf' As Tribute To Steve Dillon

Last week, IDW announced Judge Dredd: Deviations, a new story that takes a "What If" style approach to John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Steve Dillon's "Cry of the Werewolf," asking what would happen if Mega City One's toughest lawman never recovered. If you've never read the original story, though, don't worry.

Before the Deviations special hits shelves in March, IDW will be reprinting the original "Cry of the Werewolf" with a new version that serves as a tribute to Dillon, who passed away in October. In addition to the full story, IDW's version will include a section of pinups from artists like Duncan Fegredo, PJ Holden, Jock, and more, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated in Dillon's name to his favorite charity, the Hero Initiative.

Cry of the Werewolf art by PJ Holden

Here's the full list of artists providing art for the tribute, as well as thoughts from Deviations artist John McCrea and Jim McLauchlin of the Hero Initiative:

I've known Steve since I was 22 and he was 26. Incredibly he was already a veteran of the comics industry. Steve was always like the cool uncle of the group- he was living in Dublin at the time and I'd pop down on the train from Belfast to see him a fair bit... he'd already drawn Cry of the Wolf by then. We had great times, Deadline was going strong and hanging out with him and the Deadline crowd was always a blast!
When IDW asked me to write and draw a Deviation of any Dredd story from the cannon, this was my first choice by a country mile- in no small part due to Steve's amazing art. I started working on it back in March and it was to be my love letter to Steve's art, but when he died, we realised it was to be a tribute to the man as well, and we've gathered an amazing array of people to do variant covers and pin ups in his memory.
I'm pouring my he(art) and soul into it and I hope people enjoy it.
--John McCrea

I think Steve's greatest gift as an artist is that he's a master of conveying what’s in a character’s soul through facial expression. There's great extreme of emotion in his drawings. When characters are joyous, they're over the moon. When they're pissed off, it's a four-alarm fire.
It occurred once to me that there are no thought balloons in Preacher. They’re just not needed. I think Steve and Garth Ennis were working on that book at a time when thought balloons were on the way out in comics, but I think they helped lead that trend. Steve was a quiet leader. Other artists saw what he did, and followed.
--Jim McLauchlin

More information about the Hero Initiative can be found at HeroInitiative.org, and the official solicitation for IDWs printing of Cry of the Werewolf is as follows;

Judge Dredd: Cry of the Werewolf
John Wagner & Alan Grant (w) • Steve Dillon (a & c)
Re-presenting the classic tale that inspired this month’s Judge Dredd: Deviations! In the full-blooded horror of “Cry of the Werewolf,” Judge Dredd must descend into the Undercity to investigate how a flesh-eating werewolf ended up in Mega-City One and make sure no others make their way to the surface.
B&W • 48 pages • $5.99
Expected in-store date: 3/15/17

Next: The Understated Brilliance of Steve Dillon