Ezekiel Chief Librarian of the Dark Angels

Sculpted by Jes Goodwin

Release date 1997 (unconfirmed)

Another model on the hit list of things I must paint before I shuffle off this mortal coil. The work Jes done on the initial Warhammer 40K character models went on to define the very character of the armies themselves. The Blood Angels had the late antiquity/ renaissance vibe, the Imperial Guard had Yarrick, Space Wolves = Dark Age nordic raiders. The foundation of Dark Angels lore was made manifest in three models - Azrael, Asmodai and Ezekiel. 

This model is made all the more impressive due to the relative technology of the time. Most characters were limited to single pose (think of Eldrad Ulthran or Rangar Blackmane) moulds. Jes' brilliance here is creating a back history as well as a dynamic pose. It doesn't feel forced, the story isn't super imposed nor is the pose hyperbolic. I was always a little unsettled by Ezekiel's missing eye and lower jaw, hidden under that monastic hood. The contrast between an archaic religious order and the futuristic tech encapsulates one of the defining themes of the 40K universe. Old meets nightmarish new. 

Myles