I. TWO THOUSAND ISSUES LATER
After nearly forty years and sixty thousand pages, we have arrived! This week Tharg and his Droids celebrate the landmark 2000th issue of “2000 AD,” and that’s no small feat. This is a magazine that, over the course of the it’s history, has been bought and sold by a series of publishers, faced lawsuits and overcome censorship, all while launching the careers of numerous talents that would go on to become some of the biggest names in comics. Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Alan Grant and Brian Bolland are but a sample of the notable creators who began under the tutelage of Tharg the Mighty. And the most impressive part: this all happened without ever missing a week. “2000 AD” has hit stands like clockwork and without fail, save for once in 1980 when an industrial action in Britain interrupted the flow of thrills.
This track record puts “2000 AD” up there with other long-running comics anthologies. In the UK, weeklies like “The Dandy” and “The Beano” paved the way for quadruple-digit series runs, as both crept up nearly to four thousand issues. Japan has a long history with weekly serialization as well, with decades-old anthologies like “Weekly Shonen Jump,” “Young Magazine” and “Weekly Shonen Sunday” all presenting new material week in and week out. It’s a comics format that so far hasn’t seemed to quite catch on in the US, despite enormous success elsewhere in the world. In light of that, I suspect that if any publication can change the status quo, it’s “2000 AD,” which seems to have found a better foothold than ever here in the American market.
All of this is to say that, with its 2000th issue, “2000 AD” finds itself in rarified air. Its successes are many, and despite its long history, has a way of renewing and refreshing itself so as to never lose its relevance. There are a lot of nods to the past in this issue, but never does the issue feel stuck in the past. Many of the names may be familiar, but all of the material is fresh and new with an eye towards the future. Let’s get to it!
II. THIS WEEK IN PROG 2000
NOW ARRIVING
Counterfeit Girl, Part 1
Credits: Peter Milligan (script), Rufus Dayglo (art), Dom Regan (colors), Ellie de Ville (letters)
Mike Romeo: This week see the launch of an all-new strip with all the hallmarks of a 2000 AD classic! In a world where every tic and behavior of a human being can be stolen and downloaded into another a new type of identity thief exists.
Writer Peter Milligan and artist Rufus Dayglo make a hell of a team. Reading this strip really hammered home the idea that Dayglo’s mark-making is the illustrated version of Milligan’s storytelling. There’s a real sense of irreverence and sarcasm that they each utilize, but neither feels overly cynical. I think that comes from their shared sense of humor, which is so inline with the type of funny the magazine strives for. It can be biting, but it’s so matter of fact that it cuts out any maliciousness.
I’m absolutely thrilled by what Dayglo and colorist Dom Regan put on page. Every inch of this strip is packed to the gills with color and detail, which serves the narrative really well. It’s in this sort of environment that one would be able to hide in plain site, posing as someone they’re not. Plus, it feels at times to be an interpretation of the world as Lulu, our lead identity thief, must see it. Every day is packed with potential marks and technological dangers, so she’s hyper-aware of certain things. So when the strip opens with streams of faceless people and hovering security cams, these are her main focuses. Sure, everyone we see must be aware of the overpopulation and litany of eyes-in-the-sky, but probably to varying degrees. I’d bet that if we were following one of them around instead, the environment would look a little different.
Continued belowOf course, all of this artistic achievement is hung on the scaffolding that Milligan assembled. It’s his vision of this world that gave Milligan and Regan the room to run, and there is a lot going on for them to play off of! The world of “Counterfeit Girl” feels like a patchwork assemblage of old infrastructure and inelegant new technologies, which is exactly how I like my future sci-fi. Plus, the though he’s put into the idea of identity theft is intriguing, as he’s brought the concept as near to a literal interpretation as possible without crossing into hoaky FACE/OFF territory. Instead, we’re treated to an attention to detail that makes this type of thievery an almost elegant part of an otherwise inelegant world. Everything we see in this strip is boisterous and over-the-top, so the fact that Lulu and her ilk have to operate in in a passive sort of way adds some nice texture to the story.
All in all, a fantastic start to a highly enjoyable comic. I’m really glad to see that this was chosen as the face of the future in this high-profile issue.
If you missed it, we got to talk with Milligan and Dayglo about their work on this strip yesterday.
Judge Dredd: By Private Contract
Credits: John Wagner (script), Carlos Ezquerra (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Adrian Johnson: A bounty has been placed on Dread’s head – – from nearly 100 years into in the future by a mystery contract. A small pack of mutant bounty hunters have been tasked with Dredd’s capture; which includes a surprise appearance by none other than Johnny Alpha, Strontium Dog. Things continue to become much more familiar and deadly once Dredd discovers the identity of the mystery sanctioner…
I must say that I found this story extremely satisfying on multiple levels. Foremost, the team-up of writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra will always yield fantastic results. It’s also fitting that the pair would collaborate on the first story in Prog 2000 with the characters that they created and built the renown of 2000AD — Judge Dredd and Johnny Alpha.
The script by Wagner is tight and surprises repeatedly throughout its 12 page count. As faithful 2000AD fans would know, Johnny Alpha was killed back in Prog 687 and remained dead for many years in publication. However, Wagner reportedly admitted killing Johnny Alpha was “a mistake I’m doing my best to rectify.” Thus, having Johnny appear in this strip with Dredd was a treat and I was very pleased by how well they work together. Almost like one of those old issues of ‘Marvel Team-Up’ — only not. The craft of Wagner is how he is able to craft such tight scripting and deliver a suitable plot with characterizations true to both Dredd and Alpha and ably supported by a quirky supporting cast (such as ‘Kid Knee’ – a headless bounty hunter with his head on his knee). It also makes sense with the reveal of the mystery person who contracted the bounty on Dredd as Wagner had a hand in their creation as well. A couple of clues are dropped in the script; but it’s still a surprise and elevated the affair to unbridled classic 2000AD madness!
Ezquerra delivers his stalwart solid artwork; though it’s also great to see him adapting and taking over the digital coloring and effects in addition. There’s a scratchy ruggedness that I’ve always loved about Ezquerra’s inking that adds a level of directness to the storytelling. No frills or flourishes of illustrative genius are needed — just tell the story. Ezquerra’s storytelling is superb and as tight as Wagner’s scripting. There never feels like a panel out of place and his compositions are clear. Ezquerra has always been the quintessential adventure strip artist with his action hitting the mark and balanced with smaller character driven moments.
This was a superb kick-off to this celebratory Prog and, Grud willing, to many more!
Nemesis the Warlock: Tubular Hells
Credits: Pat Mills (script), Kevin O’Neill (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
Greg Matiasevich: Man, eternity just isn’t what it used to be, you know? Take, for example, the last time we saw the main characters on this strip. At that point, over 16 years ago as we understand time, Nemesis (the alien antihero fighting to free the world from tyranny) and Torqemada (the fascist human tyrant determined to eradicate all non-human life from the universe) were melded together for all eternity as the result of their last battle together. But this being comics, ‘eternity’ is a flexible term not immune to the realities of publishing. With a major anniversary Prog coming up, do you think Tharg was going to let a little thing like eternity stand in the way of getting the original ‘Nemesis’ creators back for one more strip? No, and all hail Tharg for his generosity in doing so!
Continued belowI have to confess to never having read ‘Nemesis the Warlock’, despite my affection for the work of Mills & O’Neill separately and as a duo. My ‘Nemesis’ familiarity leading up to this point is just what I’ve gleaned from Wikipedia, some Google Image searching, and a stray conversation here or there. Therefore, if there’s any one of the three of us here at Multiver-City One that would be a ‘new reader’ proxy, it would be me. And while I might not have picked up on every nuance or in-joke referring back to ten books worth of story, I did enjoy the tubular hell out of this strip.
Mills & O’Neill are one of the best creative teams in the history of comics. I really don’t think of that as hyperbole because if the best teams are the ones that tell stories that no other team could tell in quite the same manner, can you think of any two comics creators who turn out comics like O’Neill and Mills? Between their “2000 AD” work and “Marshall Law”, you know exactly what you’re going to get when you crack open the comic and yet they STILL surprise you with going as far as they do. Having read a large chunk of Mills’ strips over the last few years of Progs, and while his anti-authoritarian streak has come through in every instance under the pencils of some great artists (Goddard, Langley, et al.), none of them gave it the full weight of gonzo O’Neill artwork.
I’m ecstatic Tharg was able to pry O’Neill away from “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and “Cinema Purgatorio” long enough to get these pages for Prog 2000. The world of ‘Nemesis’ gives O’Neill free reign to go bonkers in terms of setting & prop/character design, and you can almost feel the whimsy he puts into his work, just below the demonic surface. And ‘whimsy’ might not be the correct word to use, in retrospect, but I can’t really think of another reason why so many other artists draw characters less grotesque than O’Neill that don’t have nearly the life that his do.
So whether you are an old-time ‘Nemesis’ fan or a brand-new reader, strap yourself in for quite the ride with this strip!
Rogue Trooper: Ghosts of Nu Earth
Credits: Gordon Rennie (script), Richard Elson (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
AJ: This story is a short synopsis of the world of Rogue Trooper; though Rogue doesn’t show up until the end of the tale. It reminded me off-hand of the classic Sgt. Rock stories published by DC in the late 1960s where occasionally Rock was only a minor character in a story that related a tale about his unit, Easy Company. Rock would arrive at the closing of the story to seal the deal.
That is pretty much the same scenario here and ably done by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Richard Elson. I encountered Rennie’s work initially this year with my first reviews of his series ‘Aquila’ in this very column. I enjoyed his scripting there and it makes sense that he would be great for ‘Rogue’ with his capable handling of militaristic/martial tales with plenty of crusty dialogue and action. Rennie scripts a Nort unit waiting out bombardment by the Southers while they guard a treacherous prisoner. The unit relates stories about the war while they are bunkered that serve the dual purpose of exposition of the history of the strip itself and setting up the present situation. The revelation of the prisoner will be definitely familiar to longtime 2000AD readers and boy, does he make quite an exit. Oddly enough, I’ve never read a lot of ‘Rogue Trooper’ for whatever reason. I’m a huge fan of war/military stories and I’ve always loved the visual of Rogue. This has pushed me over the edge in terms of finally seeking out some more Rouge Trooper stories.
For the uninitiated, Rogue Trooper was created by writer Gerry Finley-Day and artist Dave Gibbons back in Prog 228. Rogue is a G.I. (Genetic Infantryman) with the personalities of the deceased members of his unit downloaded on biochips and carried on his gear such as Gunnar (his gun), Bagman (his field pack) and Helm (his helmet). Rogue can dialogue with the biochips in the course of his adventures. Returning to my previous analogy, Sgt. Rock also had a story where his rifle talked as well— no, really.
Continued belowRichard Elson’s artwork is incredibly solid. I thoroughly enjoyed it and only very recently found out Elson had been a longtime 2000AD stalwart in both the artwork and coloring departments. Thus, it’s apropos that Elson also handles the coloring for the story as well. Of note, his single panel renderings of the Nort soldiers stories relating the Valhalla Express, Ghost Comms and Nu-Topia are beautiful. I wanted to see more of those stories immediately with Elson drawing and coloring them. The aforementioned sequence of the prisoner’s revelation is also adroitly handled and violent. I was disappointed to tun the page and see that the story had ended; though Rogue Trooper will always be in pursuit.
Anderson, PSI Division: A Dream of Death
Credits: Alan Grant (script), David Roach (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
MR: After a brief time in the capable hands of Emma Beeby, long-time Judge Anderson scribe Alan Grant returns to the character.
Of all the classic characters to make a showing in this issue, it’s “PSI Division” lead Cassandra Anderson that is most firmly planted in the mythos of the character. It’s no coincidence that Grant made this a Judge Death story, as Anderson made her debut in the seminal strip “Judge Death” all the way back in 1980’s Prog 150. All those years ago, the Wagner and Bolland created Anderson seemed to be a character created solely to be the victim of Judge Death, a sort of red shirt intended to show the scope and horror of a sinister new villain. The story ended with a Death-posessed Anderson being encased in Boing™ and put on display in the hall of justice. Anderson’s story, as well as Death’s, could have simply ended there if it weren’t for Grant joining Wagner and Bolland to bring the character back into the fold. After a year of being sealed in synthetic amber, Anderson was returned to the land of the living and freed of Judge Death. This was the beginning of Grant’s long and fruitful run of Anderson stories that continue to this day.
In light of all that Grant’s done to build the character of Judge Anderson into the capable and complex character she is today, her earliest appearance still stands as a testament to an old way. However you want to argue it, Anderson was created solely to be a victim. Wagner needed to show the danger of Judge Death, and didn’t want to do it at the expense of an established character. It makes sense, since death is supposed to be inescapable, that you’d want someone the readers weren’t attached to. Now, after 36 years, Alan Grant returns to Anderson’s origins to set things right.
On art for this strip is the phenomenal David Roach, who’s line style is classic 2000 AD. Roach is a real figure guy, as all of his characters are perfectly proportioned beings that inhabit a Mega-City One that is composed of clean lines and metallic surfaces. Every artist is free to put their own vision of the city on the page, and Roach’s feels clean, advanced and cool to the touch. This is in direct contrast to the aforementioned figure work, which is rendered with curve and warmth. His version of Anderson is prototypical, which helps harken back to the character’s earliest days. Roach uses what looks to be ink and graphite to to build his forms, casting soft but dramatic light to give Anderson her shapely form.
At first, since we’re fresh off of and Anderson tale which focused on a much older version of the character, I was surprised by this direction in art. But by the time I reached the end of the strip, I was left remembering one of the great joys of “2000 AD,” which is that a litany of hyper talented artists are free to interpret these characters in the way that they see best. Roach’s art is gorgeous, and he obviously enjoys the female form, so asking him to present this character in any other way would be disingenuous.
It’s tough not having an Anderson strip to look forward to next week, so here’s hoping for her speedy return!
Continued below
Sinister Dexter: Replica
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Mark Sexton (plus Special Guest) (art), Gary Caldwell (colors), Ellie de Ville (letters)
GM: For being considered a failure of a car when it first rolled off the assembly line in 1958, the Edsel has quite a pedigree in comics as the favored car of not only Kevin Matchstick from Matt Wagner’s “Mage” series, but also our two favorite gun-sharks: Finnegan Sinister and Ramone Dexter.
Abnett and Sexton spend this anniversary Prog given readers a little insight into why these two hitmen would choose this particular vehicle to go about their business in. Surely, when getting away from armed pursuers is a constant occupational hazard, one would want a vehicle with a little more ponies under the hood than Ford decided to bless the Edsel with. I will give it to the creators: in this strip, they had me thinking of the Edsel like the Bluesmobile from The Blues Brothers. Not the most aesthetically pleasing vehicle, to be sure, but it was an essential member of the team dynamic and as important in the execution of their duties as the guns they fire. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Sexton is a beast when it comes to rendering detail. The whole strip has a real Chris Weston-level sheen to it that manages to lovingly render machinery while keeping characters from looking stiffer than frozen mannequins. No mean feat, to be sure.
While ‘Replica’ is completely accessible to new readers and gives a pretty good sense of Dexter & Sinister as a general concept, Abnett does bump the overall story a tad forward with it at the same time. Sin & Dex are still living in plain sight yet completely off everyone’s radar in Downlode. Nobody, from their closest friends to their most bitter enemies, can place their faces. This setup has been intriguing to read, but I’m thinking it’s time for Abnett to start putting a few potholes in the Easy Street these two have been cruising lately. Does the first bump take place in this Prog? Maaaaaybe….
Regardless, it’s my sincere hope the next time we see this Edsel roll into the “2000 AD” lineup, Abnett & Sexton are the ones behind the wheel. Give ‘Replica’ a read and you’ll be jazzed to see where they can take ‘Sinister Dexter’ next.
III. THE EXTRAS IN-BETWEEN
MR: Every strip this week is given a one-page intro, partly as a set-up but, I think, more as a way of paying an homage to the greats who’ve come before. Some are still regulars in the mag, some have found other venues for their work, but all of them are among the best Tharg has to offer.
Of course the great Brian Bolland would be tapped to introduce us to Judge Dredd. While many, many artists have worked on the character, it’s Bolland who is irrefutably one of the highest profile, and most impacting, creators to have drawn the badge and helmet.
While Mick McMahon could’ve also filled the Dredd spot with ease, I think his style is far more fitting to introduce a Kevin O’Neil drawn strip. McMahon’s version of Slaine is the perfect appetizer for what’s to follow in “Nemesis.”
Next up is comics laureate and legend amongst legends Dave Gibbons. A perfect fit here, as he leads us into “Rogue Trooper,” a series that he co-created back in 1981.
Robin Smith worked as an art editor for “2000 AD” for a spell, in addition to pulling art duty for a number of strips. Here he get’s to pull from the A and C lists of “2000 AD” mainstays as he draws both Judge Death and Sam Slade the Robo-Hunter as a lead-in to the issue’s Judge Anderson strip.
Regular readers of this column will know how much we adore Colin MacNeil’s work. His bold line style and affinity towards flat, black shadows make his most recent run of works not only striking, but drastically different from his earliest “Judge Dredd” contributions. Now, perhaps because of his work on “Insurrection” with writer Dan Abnett, he’s here to bring us into a new “Sinister Dexter” tale.
Continued below
Finally, we’ve got Boo Cook. Possibly the youngest of our interstitial artists, Cook was clearly chosen to precede “Counterfeit Girl” because of his overlap in sensibilities with Rufus Dayglo. Cook is someone who’s art I always look forward to, so seeing him here is a great way to round out these one-pagers.
All in all, I think that this was a fantastic way to bring even more quality content to this landmark issue. Pages are a finite resource, so allotting a half dozen of them to pack as many familiar faces as possible (both real and fictional) was a stroke of brilliance.
IV. THIS MONTH IN JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE 376
Judge Dredd: Monkey Business, Part 1
Credits: Arthur Wyatt (script), Jake Lynch (art), Richard Elson (colors), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
MR: What’s the old saying? The one about comics with a gorilla on the cover selling best?
Whatever it is, there’s some real science behind the idea, I’m sure. I mean, really, who’s going to see a magazine with a gorilla dressed as Judge Dredd and not pick it up? Certainly not me! I’ve got a pulse, so surely I enjoy funny books with rampaging gorillas. Thems just facts.
So who is this gorilla? The one who’s set about upholding the law? Why, he’s none other that Judge Harry Heston, of course! Sworn to protect the shanty town that exists outside of the Mega-City One wall, affectionately referred to as ‘the burbs,’ Heston lives by the example of Judge Joseph Dredd. This is a character created for Judge Dredd fanzine “Class of ’79” by Jake Lynch and the late Stewart Perkins. So much of this strip has the feel of a fanzine, as it jubilantly parades out ideas that’d feel to outrageous for the source material, even by Judge Dredd standards. There are nods and in-jokes that, in some instances, are primarily intended for the circle of friends who put the thing together. It seems like every piece of graffiti, every street sign have some sort of meaning that I don’t really get, save for the obvious nods to PJ Holden and John Wagner. All of this adds up to a comic that feels as if it was made solely for the joy of it, which is given a bit of metatextualness when Heston actually meets Dredd.
This story reunites the aforementioned Lynch with writer Arthur Wyatt. These two work so damn well together, and I think it stems simply from their shared love of this world. I mean, they did an Orlok series where the character visits seldom-seen Mega-Cities around the world. They’re into that type of minutia, and it’s because they’re fans of the stories they get to tell.
And I particularly enjoy that Lynch draws Dredd’s helmet like Ezquerra, even though the rest of the story is in his own style. The sawtooth linework around is a nice touch from a guy who came up through a fanzine. And is it just me, or is he rendering out Dredd’s chin as fellow “Class of ’79” Henry Flint would?
Realm of the Damned: Tenebris Dios, Part 8
Credits: Alec Worley (script), Pye Parr (art), Annie Parkhouse (letters)
GM: ‘Realm’ comes to an end the same way it came into this world: vampires, weapons, vampire-hunting, biting, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. Balaur, the resurrected half-vampire that just happens to be all-badass, is coming for both his sister (vampire queen Madame Petrova) and the last remaining vampire hunter Alberic Van Helsing, who just happens to be working for Petrova in getting rid of Balaur. So things are coming to a head quite nicely for the finale. Maybe Worley & Parr will zig when we expect them to zag and have all three sit down for a nice cup of tea to resolve their differences peacefully?
Is it a spoiler to say that doesn’t happen? That doesn’t happen. But if I can tease at what DOES happen, I will say that this is the piece of entertainment that does the best job of capturing the same vibe as the Batman/Superman fight from the final issue of “Dark Knight Returns”, and I’m definitely including the Batman v Superman ‘adaptation’ in that sample set.
Continued belowParr doesn’t have the palette choices that Lynn Varley had at her disposal; ‘Realm’ has been essentially monochromatic with a strong red accent motif since page 1. But he sure plays up the armored technohuman versus flying demigod visual dynamic something fierce. When you have a fight scene taking up the majority of your issue, pacing and layout are big factors in whether that scene works, more so than usual. You don’t have the luxury of just zipping through things. One of the downsides to all this slow-motion action technique popularized by the aforementioned Snyder is that it keeps what should be blinding fast on the screen longer than it should. That doesn’t mean you CAN’T have slow motion action done successfully; it just means you better have done your homework in terms of what you emphasize and what you showcase, because it’s going to be scrutinized intently. Worley’s setup and Parr’s execution makes this mano e vampiro final battle interesting to follow, page after page after page.
This is the last installment of ‘Realm of the Damned’ in the Megazine, but the entire story (so far) will be collected and released as a graphic novel by Maniacal Publishing on October 19th — just in time for Halloween! If you can’t get your hands on the Megs to relive the black-metal-inspired vampire horror story firsthand, do yourself a favor and pick up the collection. You wouldn’t want to make Balaur angry, would you?
Blunt, Part 5
Credits: T.C. Eglington (script), Boo Cook (art), Simon Bowland (letters)
AJ: The mission to save the downed crew appears at an end as Blunt and the rescuers finally make contact. Even in the midst of this minor triumph, Eglington continues to find ways to whittle down the rescue party mercilessly. The deaths are shocking though not unwarranted as not everyone was promised to return from this mission alive. Nevertheless, Eglington’s scripting really ratchets up the dire need for survival quite effectively with Blunt’s pragmatism leading the way.
Boo Cook’s artwork continues to be superb. His lush linework bristles with energy and his colors are sublime. It’s interesting how Cook is able to make this otherworldly jungle seem at once inviting yet whole dangerous. There are small creatures hidden in the flora and fauna that you see in certain panels that are unessential to the story, but rather enhance the environment that Cook is rendering. Speaking of dangers, there is a scene near the end of this installment where Blunt and the rescue party have to contend with huge carnivorous jungle dogs. One of the dogs goes after a young member of the party and meets Blunt and his trusty huge cleaver-blade. Cook renders the dog’s evisceration by Blunt with an almost whole-page splash that is pretty damn awesome.
Lawless: Of Munce and Men, Part 6
Credits: Dan Abnett (script), Phil Winslade (art), Ellie de Ville (letters)
MR: Remember last month, when I gave “Lawless” a fond farewell and wished for it’s speedy return? Well, seems I just had to wait until the next issue.
I really thought we were at the end of the series, what with the cover, double length chapter and bit Thrill Cast interview Abnett and Winslade did. Turns out there was one last strip for us before the pair take a little hiatus. Which I’m totally glad for, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely adore this series, and this installment has left me eager to see it’s return.
Writer Dan Abnett has a real knack for telling very big stories through the tiniest little lens. In this instance, readers are getting a new side of Mega-City One’s colonial expansion from the vantage point of a small mining town. Because of it’s setting, series lead Metta Lawson has had to deal with her share of small town problems, but wouldn’t you know it, Abnett gave her a path to direct conflict with an inter-galactic mega-corporation. Up to this point, it seemed that we saw the entire scope of the Lawson’s larger problem, but this month Abnett pulled the camera back to show us the real issue, and the try villain of this series.
Continued belowOf course, through it all, artist Phil Winslade continues to turn out career best work. Every issue of this strip is eye-catching, as he meticulously and delicately turns out every possible detail in this rough terrain setting. Last issue he was tasked with a high speed train chase that involved a giant gorilla, wild perspective and and eventual multi-car pile up. So, to take it easy this time around, Winslade just drew page after page of dense crowd scenes. You know, to relax. His art is absolutely astounding, and judging from his marked improvement between chapters, I’d guess that his best is yet to com
So here’s looking ahead to 2017 and the return of “Lawless.” As I said last month, I’ll be counting the days!
V. MEGAZINE FEATURES
Thrill-Power Overload: 40th Anniversary Update, Part 1 by Karl Stock
GM: It has been mentioned in this column before, but one of the best books about 2000 AD and its history is “Thrill-Power Overload”, written by former “2000 AD” editor David Bishop. Ranking right up there with “The Mighty One: My Life In The Nerve Centre”, the recent Steve MacManus autobiography, and the Future Shock! documentary last year, the only real downside to “Thrill-Power” that I can think of is that it stops in 2006. Necessarily so, since that was the year of its publication, but still. Tharg’s comic has kept right on blowing minds and melting psyches for another ten years, so why can’t we have an accounting of that time in the Mighty “Thrill-Power” manner?
It turns out, we can! Grabbing the torch from Bishop and running with it is regular “Megazine” columnist Karl Stock, and he does a good job of filling in those missing years in this first of several update installments. Things kick off with Prog 2007 (the December 2006-shipping year-ender issue) and Stock hits every high (and some low) points along the way. One of the strengths of “Thrill-Power” is also on display here, even with a writer shift, and that’s a willingness to not sugarcoat things. Not every strip worked and not always for the same reason, but in giving a warts-and-all accounting, Stock is doing Tharg and his posterity a greater service than if those statistically necessary misfires were swept under the rug. This issue’s installment runs 8 pages, so I guarantee there’s something for even the most diehard fans to find out about 2000 AD.
VI. AN EARTHLET’S GUIDE TO 2000 AD
GM: At Multiver-City One, we understand trying to figure out to start with a selection of almost 40 years worth of comics can be daunting. What do they publish? Where can I get it? What’s up with Judge Dredd? Can I still read “2000 AD” if I don’t like Judge Dredd?
To help all you new & potential readers, we’ve put together something we call An Earthlet’s Guide to 2000 AD. This FAQ collects everything you need to make your initial foray into the 2000 AD Thrill-verse as easy and simple as possible.
That’s gonna do it for us this week! “2000 AD” Prog 2000 and Judge Dredd Megazine 376 are both on sale today and available digitally worldwide on:
- The 2000 AD Newsstand app for iPad and iPhone,
- The 2000 AD app for Android devices,
- 2000ADonline.com in DRM-free PDF and CBZ formats.
They are available in print today from:
They are available in print in North America next month from your local comic shop.
So as Tharg the Mighty himself would say, “Splundig vur thrigg!”
