2000AD - The Early Years

[MacNimon]

Steve's right, Stuart. The only place the complete series was reprinted was in Alan Moore's Complete Future Shocks, although the individual stories were reprinted elsewhere over the years.

Today we have a Strontium Dog cover, courtesy of Carlos Ezquerra, from Prog 345, dated 3rd December 1983 which features the final chapters for the latest Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog stories..

Inside this issue:
Judge Dredd - Rumble in the Jungle (part 3 - final part) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Ian Gibson)
Slaine - Heroes' Blood (part 1) (Pat Mills - Mike McMahon)
Nemesis the Warlock - book three (part 11) (Pat Mills - Kevin O'Neill)
Strontium Dog - The Moses Incident (part 11 - final part) (Alan Grant - Carlos Ezquerra)
Rogue Trooper - The Gasbah (part 3) (Gerry Finley-Day - Cam Kennedy)

[MacNimon]

Back to the 70s today (just!) with this issue which still featured material (Wolfie Smith) originally planned for the cancelled Tornado comic. Prog 142, cover dated 8th December 1979, with a Blackhawk cover by Massimo Bellardinelli.

In this issue:
Judge Dredd - The Black Plague (part 3) (John Wagner - Ron Smith)
The VCs (part 3) (Gerry Finley-Day - Cam Kennedy)
The Stainless Steel Rat - Stainless Steel Rat (part 3) (Kelvin Gosnell - Carlos Ezquerra)
The Mind of Wolfie Smith - Night of the Carnivore (part 11) (Tom Tully - Vanyo)
Black Hawk (part 15) (Alan Grant - Massimo Belardinelli)
Starlord's Guide to the Galaxy - collectable cut-out booklet (part 3) (art: Massimo Belardinelli and Carlos Ezquerra)

[Andrew Curnow]

Now we're talking! I really enjoyed Black Hawk, even when it was in Tornado as a pure historical (it's like the Hartnell era all over again). It was a bizarre twist to 'space it up' for 2000AD, but it was a really good strip - I think there was a character called Bataak (sp?) in in it, who started off as a bit of a bully but ended up if not exactly friends, at least working with Black Hawk. Weird ending that strip, from memory, but the Soul Sucker monster really stuck with me as a kid - not scary exactly, but disconcerting.

The VCs was good stuff too, although a lot of the 'political subtext' or the echoes of Vietnam, etc would have gone over my head of course. Well, I was only 8!!

[MacNimon]

Although I remember the character from both Tornado and 2000AD, I don't actually remember ever reading the end to the Black Hawk story, I'll have to search it out soon! Simply because of the sheer variety of comics available back in the day (even with the cheap prices) I simply couldn't get everything I wanted and I tended to read this for months at a time then fall away for a while, then come back to it a while later and repeat the cycle until the mid-late 80s when I stopped reading it totally. So there are gaps to be filled in!

Anyway, today we have an anniversary issue...quite a major achievement back in the day, not many comics ever reached their 500th issue....and of course, 2000AD well surpassed that, reaching its 2000th edition earlier this year. But Prog 500 appeared in 1986 with a cover date of 13th December 1986 and a wraparound cover montage by various artists...

I've never read this issue myself, but it sounds like a good jumping on point when reading the description below (especially Thargs Head Revisited!)...

2000AD's souvenir cover artists (from the back cover first - top left to right):

Judge Hershey (Brian Bolland)
Ro-Jaws and Torquemada (Kevin O'Neill)
Dan Dare (Dave Gibbons)
Hammerstein (Steve Dillon)
Judge Death (Cliff Robinson)
Ace Garps (Massimo Belardinelli)
Judge Anderson (Barry Kitson)
Kano (Brett Ewins)
Swifty (Brendan McCarthy)
Bad City Blue (Robin Smith)
Mean Machine Angel (Ron Smith)
Nemesis the Warlock (Bryan Talbot)
Slaine (Glenn Fabry)
Halo Jones (Ian Gibson)
Rogue Trooper (Cam Kennedy)
Fink Angel and Ratty (Mike McMahon)
Tharg the Mighty (Eric Bradbury)
D.R. and Quinch (Alan Davis)
Judge Dredd (John Higgins)
Johnny Alpha (Carlos Ezquerra)

Inside this issue:

Behind the glossiest cover yet (by 20 of the comics top artists) lies an all-new line-up of stories to celebrate the 500 prog achievement (with the exception of Nemesis which continues from prog 487).

This prog also includes the scandalous 'Tharg's Head Revisited' - a five page free-for-all starring a cast of thousands, where the cream of the comics creators vent their frustrations about character rights, artists disappearing to America and reprint fees.

Pat Mills and Mike McMahon's original page had to be rewritten and redrawn as their first attempt (Dredd and the bloodsuckers) criticised artists who swiped from other artists...


Slaine - The King (part 1) (Pat Mills - Glenn Fabry)
D.R and Quinch (half page panel celebrating 500 issues) (art: Alan Davis)
Bad Company (part 1) (Peter Milligan - Brett Ewins and Jim McCarthy)
Judge Dredd - The Witness (part 1) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Brendan McCarthy)
Nemesis the Warlock - book six: Torquemurder (part 7) (Pat Mills - Bryan Talbot)
Tharg's Head Revisited page 1 (Pat Mills - Dave Gibbons)
Tharg's Head Revisited page 2 (Alan Moore - Ian Gibson)
Tharg's Head Revisited page 3 (Pat Mills and Mike McMahon - Mike McMahon
Tharg's Head Revisited page 4 (Steve MacManus and Simon Geller - Cam Kennedy)
Tharg's Head Revisited page 5 (Pat Mills - Kevin O'Neill)

[MacNimon]

We have another Dredd cover today from Ron Smith, this time from Prog 295, 18 December 1982.

Inside this issue:
Sam Slade: Robo-Hunter - Play it Again Sam (part 4) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Ian Gibson)
Harry Twenty on the High Rock (part 9) (Gerry Finley-Day - Alan Davis)
Judge Dredd - Jimps (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Ron Smith)
Rogue Trooper - Fort Neuro (part 5) (Gerry Finley-Day - Cam Kennedy)
Tharg's Time Twisters - Ultimate Video (Roy Preston - Jose Casanovas)
2000AD Star Pin-Up - Tharg's Droids (06) Art Robot Belardinelli (art: Robin Smith)

[Andrew Curnow]

Funny, I don't remember that 500th issue at all, even thought I was definitely still getting it then. I have half a memory of a celebratory issue with a sort of giant Tharg-shaped birthday cake on the front, maybe 10 years or something...?

Today's cover is a bit more familiar, and a couple of fave strips inside. Harry Twenty on the High Rock was a really good (from memory anyway) 'Great Escape in Space' sort of thing, and I remember one particular cliffhanger being the old guy that was helping him escape turning out to be a robot? And Robo-Hunter, that particular strip was 'the one with all the singing' I believe, very very ingenious. The artwork on Robo-Hunter was very distinctive, almost 'sketchy' - not to everyone's taste I expect, but I really liked it. Ah, great days!

[MacNimon]

The cover you're thinking of, Andrew, is indeed the 10th Anniversary 520th issue and is a wraparound cover which will appear in this thread in due course...

Today though, we have Dredd once again in a cover by John Higgins...Prog 552 from December 12, 1987. You can see a change in style of the cover art here, a more modern approach they would take for the new look coming in the New Year...

In this issue:
Bad Company II - The Bewilderness (part 5) (Peter Milligan - Brett Ewins and Jim McCarthy)
Strontium Dog - The Rammy (part 9) (Alan Grant - Carlos Ezquerra)
Bradley - The Bandit (Alan McKenzie - Simon Harrison)
Judge Dredd - Oz (part 8) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Brendan McCarthy and Whitaker)
Nemesis the Warlock - book seven: The Two Torquemadas (part 7) (Pat Mills - John Hicklenton)

[Rob McCow]

Fantastic. Enjoying this thread, even though I have no real background with 2000AD. Blooming well should have though! I suppose being 8 in 1987, I might have been a bit young for it still.

[Andrew Curnow]

I think the following year was when I stopped getting it. I must admit I was never a huge fan of John Higgins' art (did he also do some DWM stuff, Mac, or maybe the Star Wars comic?). That sort of stylised 'squareness' is distinctive, but doesn't 'do it' for me I'm afraid.

I think by this time the Nemesis stuff had gone VERY weird, the artwork was from memory very bizarre, even a bit unsettling, and the stories didn't really do much for me either - maybe it just went over my head, or maybe I was just a teenage moaner!

Bad Company I can't remember much about except that the first run of it seemed a bit dull, until suddenly there was a superb cliffhanger to one of the later instalments which sort of turned it around. I wish I could remember what that was, but the impact if not the detail obviously made an impression!!

The cover you're thinking of, Andrew, is indeed the 10th Anniversary 520th issue and is a wraparound cover which will appear in this thread in due course...

Thanks Mac!

[Rob McCow]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I quite like the new cover for 2000AD's Christmas issue:

[Stuart Wallis]

or maybe I was just a teenage moaner!

No change there then! Actually this was about the time that I was starting to go off 2000AD a bit (still getting it up to about 1993, but then only for Dredd and force of habit). I'd have to agree with you about Nemesis at this point - I think this was the Gothic/Victoriana-in-space Empire period, and the ghost of Torquemada as lead character, trying to convince the aliens to hate aliens and all that nonsense. And I never got into Bad Company at all. (Unless you count The Lads of course...)

[MacNimon]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I quite like the new cover for 2000AD's Christmas issue:

I like it too, Steve. 2000AD has a long history of good Christmas covers

[Andrew Curnow]

No change there then!

Well, I'm no longer a teenager, but...

[MacNimon]

We go way back to Prog 42, 10th December 1977, today with another 'Supercover' based on a text story inside. This is one of only a handful of issues where the cover artist is unknown.

Inside this issue:
Judge Dredd - Luna-1 (John Wagner - Ian Gibson)
Tharg's Future Shocks - Time Past (Martin Lock - Jose Ferrer)
Invasion - The Prince (part 6) (Gerry Finley-Day - Mike Dorey)
Bonjo From Beyond the Stars (part 2) (script/art: Kevin O'Neill)
Dan Dare - Star Slayer (part 7) (Gerry Finley-Day - Dave Gibbons)
M.A.C.H.1 - Death Ray (part 3 - final part) (Alan Hebden - Lozano and Marzal Canos)
Inferno (part 7) (Tom Tully - Massimo Belardinelli)

[Stuart Wallis]

This is one of only a handful of issues where the cover artist is unknown.

It does look a bit like Ron Smith.

[MacNimon]

It could be...you can often tell an artist just by the way he draws faces. Unfortunately here, there's not enough facial detail to tell much...

[MacNimon]

We have a Dredd/ Walter The Robot cover today, courtesy of artist Ian Gibson this time round...Prog 191, 20 December 1980...

Inside this issue:
Strontium Dog - The Doc Quince Case (part 2) (Alan Grant - Carlos Ezquerra)
The Mean Arena - The Southampton Sharks (part 10) (Tom Tully - John Richardson)
Dash Decent (part 13) (Dave Angus and Kevin O'Neill - Kevin O'Neill)
Centrespread poster - Strontium Dog Johnny Alpha (art: Carlos Ezquerra)
Judge Dredd - Synthi-Caff (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Ian Gibson)
Return to Armageddon (part 7) (Malcolm Shaw - Jesus Redondo)
Meltdown Man (part 14) (Alan Hebden - Massimo Belardinelli)

[Andrew Curnow]

I sort of remember the cover (good old Walter the Wobot) and at least the names of the strips... except for Return to Armageddon. What on earth was that?

[Stuart Wallis]

Something to do with an demonic alien creature called the Destroyer being woken up on spaceship, causing havoc and being hunted down by his blonde, handsome "twin" brother Amtrak. Don't worry, for once even I had to look it up. the only thing I remember is wondering where I'd heard the name Amtrak from when it was on a TV show, mentioned as the nearest thing the US has had to British Rail.

[MacNimon]

This week, we have a look at some of the Christmas covers from the era. I featured most of them in a thread a few years ago (but they're well worth another look) but at least one was missed which I'll post today. An Eric Bradbury cover from Prog 348, 24th December 1983...

In this issue:
Judge Dredd - Bob & Carol & Ted & Ringo (part 3) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Ron Smith)
Slaine - The Shoggy Beast (part 1) (Pat Mills - Mike McMahon)
Nemesis the Warlock - book three (part 14) (Pat Mills - Kevin O'Neill)
Tharg's Time Twisters - The First Time Machine (Alan Grant - Geoff Senior)
2000AD Star Pin-Up - Rogue Trooper (art: Brett Ewins)
Rogue Trooper - Timeslip! (part 1) (Gerry Finley-Day - Boluda)

[MacNimon]

We feature the first ever 2000AD Christmas cover today, Prog 44 dated 24th December 1977. A long-standing Christmas tradition began here with this Kevin O'Neill cover featuring Judge Dredd and Walter The Wobot, as well as a Dredd Christmas tale inside...

Inside this issue:
Judge Dredd - Red Christmas (John Wagner - Mike McMahon)
Invasion - The Prince (part 8 - final part) (Gerry Finley-Day - Mike Dorey)
Bonjo From Beyond the Stars (part 4) (script/art: Kevin O'Neill)
Star Wars - movie photo spread
Dan Dare - Star Slayer (part 9) (Gerry Finley-Day - Dave Gibbons)
M.A.C.H.1 - M.A.C.H. Zero (part 2) (Steve MacManus - Ramon Sola)
Inferno (part 9) (Tom Tully - Massimo Belardinelli)

[Andrew Curnow]

Gosh, I guess that was about the time Star Wars launched in the UK did it? I must admit I'm just that bit too young to really remember it at the time (no, honest, I am!!) but I have a vague sense that my brother who's a couple of years older already knew about it before the film had even come out over here.

I don't really remember MACH1 either, that had more or less finished by the time I started getting Progs regularly - but I think there was a follow-up/spin-off with MACH Zero a few years later. I seem to think there was a period of time where 2000AD (and other comics presumably) were out of production, presumably strike-related, and the 'next week's issue' featuring Mach Zero on the cover was what seemed like weeks and weeks before it finally arrived!

[Stuart Wallis]

A strike in the 1970s? I don't believe it!

There was indeed a separate MACH Zero strip, and a political satire based on it in 2000AD many years later - B.L.A.I.R.1. Wasn't very popular by all accounts.

[MacNimon]

The strikes were the following year, 1979...there was only one single issue of 2000AD published in the month of December that year, which will make an appearance in this thread between Christmas and New Year. All publishers were badly affected by the strikes at the time, with Marvel (who were in the midst of a huge UK relaunch) opting to publish issues without cover dates simply because they didn't know when they'd actually reach the shops, and even then, when the next issue would actually appear!

[MacNimon]

We have an Alien Christmas wraparound cover today by Kevin O'Neill, Prog 398 dated 29 December 1984

Inside this issue:
The Stainless Steel Rat - For President (part 6) (Kelvin Gosnell - Carlos Ezquerra)
Tharg's Future Shocks - The Search for Spot (Peter Milligan - Jeff Anderson)
Nemesis the Warlock - book four: The Gothic Empire (part 12) (Pat Mills - Bryan Talbot)
Judge Dredd - City of the Damned (part 5) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Steve Dillon)
Ace Trucking Co. - Strike! (part 11) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Massimo Belardinelli)
The Helltrekkers (part 12) (John Wagner and Alan Grant - Horacio Lalia)