During the XXXVII Edition of Romics, the International Festival of Comics, Animation, Cinema, and Games, held at the Nuova Fiera di Roma complex from October 1st to 4th 2026, Passion4Fun had the pleasure of interviewing the British comic book artist and illustrator John McCrea, whose career spans nearly 40 years in the industry.

John McCrea was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1966, and from a young age, he cultivated a keen interest in the world of comics. Following his studies, in 1985, he co-founded “Dark Horizons” – Northern Ireland’s first comic book shop – alongside Fred Collier, the owner of the record store “Good Vibes,” which housed the venture.
During this period, McCrea submitted his work to various publications, eventually seeing his first works appear in the renowned magazine 2000 AD, including “What’s Up Doc?” (2000 AD Sci-Fi Special #11, 1988) and “Flash Forward” (2000 AD #615, 1989) making also several “Future Shocks” and worked on “The Centurions” – a comic book adaptation of the animated television series of the same name – which marked his debut as an artist on a full-length issue.
At that time, he also worked on “Action Force” (reprints of the American G.I. Joe series, featuring adapted scripts created specifically for the UK market) and “Blaam!” a pioneering, tabloid-format comic distributed for free in British specialty shops funded by advertising and designed to provide exposure to emerging talents.

At the “Dark Horizons” comic book shop, he met a young Garth Ennis, with whom he collaborated in 1989 on “Troubled Souls”, published by Crisis, laying the groundwork for a fruitful partnership between the two that worked together again on the 1990 sequel “For a Few Troubles More”.
That same year, he illustrated several stories for the “Carla Allison” series in Deadline.
In the early 1990s, he worked on Judge Dredd: The Magazine and 2000 AD, before breaking into the American market in 1993 by working for DC Comics on the series “The Demon”, centered on the character Etrigan, created by Jack Kirby in 1972, once again in collaboration with Garth Ennis.

In 1996, DC Comics launched “Hitman”, a series written by Garth Ennis and illustrated primarily by John McCrea. It ran until 2001, spanning 60 regular issues, in addition to various specials and tie-in stories, and centered on Tommy Monaghan, a character who had previously appeared in “The Demon”.
Alongside his work for DC Comics, McCrea continued his collaboration with Ennis on projects aimed at an adult audience; notable among these is the 1996 series “Dicks” which originated as a comedic expansion of characters first introduced in “For a Few Troubles More.”
McCrea also worked on several other series published by DC Comics drawing characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Jenny Sparks.

McCrea’s versatility also opened doors for him at Marvel Comics, where, throughout the 2000s, he created stories featuring some of the most famous characters in American comics.
His notable collaborations include work on Spider-Man, Wolverine, Deadpool, Hulk, and The Punisher. Furthermore, McCrea has produced stories based on iconic franchises such as Star Wars, The Simpsons and Scooby-Doo.

In 2009, he collaborated once again with Ennis on “The Boys,” a series that explores the more scandalous and hypocritical side of the superheroes. Another part of McCrea’s body of work includes his collaborations with Image Comics.
Projects from this period of his career include “Mythic” and “The Atheist”, written by Phil Hester, as well as “Dead Eyes”, created alongside writer Gerry Duggan and published in 2018.
In addition to his various projects for different publishers and his own personal work, McCrea has also produced numerous covers and illustrations. Over the years, he has continued to create various stories and covers for “Judge Dredd” which have been published in 2000 AD.

John also teaches at schools and colleges as a lead facilitator and collaborates with charities and local authorities to create comics that highlight issues such as children’s rights, drug abuse, homelessness and safe sex.
Upcoming releases include “The Snail”, published by Image Comics and created in collaboration with Garth Ennis and due out in November, and “Hitman: It Was the Nineties Special,” a Christmas-themed one-shot set once again in the world of Hitman, scheduled for release in December.
Furthermore, John McCrea revealed that he is working on a four-issue miniseries for Titan Comics – not yet officially announced – featuring a well-known female character from the 1990s whom he has long wanted to work on.

Here’s down below our interview with John McCrea, whom we thank for his availability.