2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-orientedcomic magazine first published in 1977, which serialises stories in each issue. Although most noted for itsJudge Dredd stories, it has published many others.
Absalom[1] is ahorror story spin-off fromCaballistics, Inc. byGordon Rennie andTiernen Trevallion.
The stories were "Noblesse Obligie" in2000 AD #1732–1739 (May–June 2011), "Sick Leave" in2000 AD Prog 2012 (December 2011), "Ghosts of London" in2000 AD #1765–1771 (January–February 2012), "Dirty Postcards" in Prog 2013 (December 2014), "Old Pals' Act" in Prog 2014 (December 2013), "Under a False Flag" in #1934–1942 (June–August 2015), "Family Snapshots" in #1961 (December 2015), and "Terminal Diagnosis" in #2053–2060 and #2136–2143 (October–December 2017 and June–August 2019).
The firsttrade paperback,Ghosts of London, was published in June 2012 (ISBN 1781080429).
Ampney Crucis Investigates[2] is anoccult detective story byIan Edginton andSimon Davis starring the fictional investigator Ampney Crucis and hisman servant Eddie Cromwell. It started in2000 AD #1611 (2008) and up to the end of 2011 has spanned four parts.
The firsttrade paperback,Vile Bodies, was published in January 2012 (ISBN 1907992944).
Babe Race 2000[3] is a story written byMark Millar, with art byAnthony Williams, which ran in aneponymous story in2000 AD #883-888 (1994) and a one-off, "Bounty Hunter Mom", in the 19952000 AD Yearbook.
Bato Loco[4] is a story written byGordon Rennie, with art bySimon Coleby that had two outings in theJudge Dredd Megazine. It features Carlito "Bato Loco" Agarra from the Barrio Blocks who was introduced in the story "Bato Loco" inJudge Dredd Megazine #202 (February 2003).
Carver Hale[5] is a story about a London mobster possessed by a demon. It was written byMike Carey with art byMike Perkins (with some fill-in inking byDylan Teague). It came about because then editorAndy Diggle was commissioning more horror stories[6] and Carey said he "was aiming to get some of the flavour ofHellblazer, but in a more in-your-face, action-oriented story."[7]
It was published in2000 AD #1236-1240 and 1247–1249 in 2001 (split because of deadline problems[7]), and collected into a hardback volume in 2005 (ISBN 1-904265-62-6).
Citi-Def[8] byTony Lee, with art byJack Lawrence. The series is set in theJudge Dredd universe, focusing on the City Defence units of armed militia. The first instalment has been described as a good start with "cute" and "cartoony" art,[9] and the second part as "an awesome romp" and "a fabulous idea, and here it's executed with great aplomb," although the same reviewer felt it was pitched at a younger audience than usual.[10] Another reviewer felt that while the artist "is pretty good at this sort of art, but I hate it" and reiterated concerns about the lack of sophistication but did acknowledge that "there are bags of fun ideas here."[11]
The first story, "Field Trip", ran inJudge Dredd Megazine starting in issue #279.
Cradlegrave[12] is abody horror comic story which ran in2000 AD #1633-1644, written byJohn Smith, with art byEdmund Bagwell.[13]
It is set in the Ravenglade Estate (nicknamed "Cradlegrave"), somewhere in Lancashire. It follows the story of teenage Shane Holt, who has recently been released from Thorn Hill young offenders institution.
The story was collected into atrade paperback, with a foreword byRamsey Campbell (ISBN 1907992464). In his foreword Campbell describes the story as one "as simultaneously hideous and desolate as anything inDavid Cronenberg".[14]
Cursed Earth Koburn[15] is a character who has appeared in aneponymous series inJudge Dredd Megazine, written byGordon Rennie, with art byCarlos Ezquerra. It is about ajudge who has taken the Long Walk into the Cursed Earth.A Judge who looks a lot like Major Eazy. A character from Battle ( a 1970s Comic ) who Ezquerra drew much like James Coburn
Dinosty[16] was the first seriesPat Mills andClint Langley had collaborated on (Langley's first job at2000 AD had been aFuture Shock with Mills) and they would go on to work together on Mills' long-running storiesABC Warriors andSláine.
The story, featuring anthropomorphic dinosaurs, was originally supposed to appear in the spin-off comicEarthside 8, but this title was never published. However, this was not the end of the problems as the move to2000 AD happened when Mills felt his relationship with the editors was breaking down and he came to believe that "Dinosty suffered from covert and non-verbalised editorial opposition, or maybe just disinterest."[17] The story would eventually run in 1994, in issues #873 - 882.
Doctor Sin was originally created by writer Pat Mills; the character first appeared in the 19792000 AD AnnuaL and has made only sporadic appearances since.
In early planning for2000 AD, Mills devised an occultist character called Judge Dread (named afterthe reggae artist) who would star in a mystical strip called "Black Magic". However, as2000 AD developed into more of a science fiction during planning the character was dropped.[18][19] At the suggestion of editorKelvin Gosnell, the name was modified toJudge Dredd and used for another 2000 AD character, a futuristic lawman devised byJohn Wagner.[20][21] Some time later, with2000 AD firmly launched, Mills revisited the idea and reworked it as Doctor Sin.[19]
A single strip featuring Doctor Sin appeared in the 19792000 AD Annual, written by Mills and with art by Horacio Lalia.[19] No further appearances followed until 1992, when a revamped version appeared in the2000 AD Action Special, which features several re-imaginings of extantFleetway Publications characters. This version was written by John Smith and John M. Burns, and looked considerably different, leading to some confusion as to whether they were intended to be the same character.[19][22][23]
Doctor Sin then undertook another long hiatus before returning in the 2017 one-shotScream and Misty Halloween Special, where his spirit appeared to transfer his powers to his grandson, and resembled the 1979 version. His grandson, the hip-hop artist Sin Tax, became the new Doctor Sin, a change written byRob Williams and with a redesign by Luca Pizzari.[24] The character was now owned byRebellion Developments, and the new Doctor Sin was then part of their super-teamthe Vigilant.[19] The original version's debut appearance was reprinted inThe Vigilant: Origins, a pack-in comic included withJudge Dredd Megazine #421.[25] Mills would complain he was not paid or credited for the use of Doctor Sin by Rebellion.[26]
Glimmer Rats[27] is amilitary science fiction story which appeared in2000 AD, written byGordon Rennie, with art byMark Harrison. It was collected into a sixty-page hardcover (ISBN 1904265006). Rennie has described the inspiration for the story as "Sven Hassel novels and a certain oblique pretentiousness."[28]
The Grudge-Father[29] is a "lurid"[17] 1994 story written byMark Millar, withJim McCarthy providing the art, which ran in2000 AD #878-883.
Insurrection[30] is a series byDan Abnett published inJudge Dredd Megazine starting in January 2009.[31] Abnett explains that "the actual brief was to bring to the Dredd Universe something of the epic war-in-space scale of the stuff I write forWarhammer 40K.Tharg (Matt to his friends) wanted a stonking big space war story that would suit the universe of the Mega-Cities".[32]
The series was drawn by artistColin MacNeil, who has also worked on a number of Warhammer 40K stories, and one reviewer notes the similarities suggesting "MacNeil is reprising exactly the same art style that he used on the "Bloodquest" strip in theWarhammer Monthly comic."[33]
The reception has been positive with reviews of the first episode suggesting "With cracking art and a storming first episode I have to say ‘Insurrection’ has the potential to be the best Dredd off world spin-off ever" and "This was as good a first episode as I can remember reading and I can see Insurrection having the legs to deliver on that initial promise."[34] Reviews only got better after that, including: "Quite simply, this is the best non-Dredd story ever to run in the Megazine"[33] and "glorious"[35]
A sequel series entitled "Lawless" was later published inJudge Dredd Megazine.
The first two instalment are being collected into atrade paperback (ISBN 1907992499).
The Journal of Luke Kirby[36] is a long-running series, first appearing in 1988[37] and published until 1995. It was written byAlan McKenzie and has art byJohn Ridgway,Steve Parkhouse andGraham Higgins. Luke Kirby predates other boy wizards, such asHarry Potter and theVertigo characterTimothy Hunter.[38]
Maniac 5[39] was, along withRed Razors, one ofMark Millar's major solo series at2000 AD, the others being co-written withGrant Morrison. It formed part of the "Summer Offensive" in 1993,[40] along withJudge Dredd: "Inferno",Slaughterbowl,Really & Truly andBig Dave.[41] The initial, eponymous story was drawn byRed Razors artistSteve Yeowell, who would also draw the final story "Maniac 6".[42] Other artists worked on the one-offs:David Hine on "War Journal", in2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1993, andRichard Elson on "Maniac 6 Prologue", in2000 AD Winter Special 1993.
Necrophim[43] is a story byTony Lee, with art byLee Carter. The prologue ran in2000 AD #1628-1632, with the main story starting in #1655.
Pulp Sci-fi[44] is anotherFuture Shock-style series, designed byDavid Bishop to replaceVector 13.[45] It would be the launch pad for other series likeRose O'Rion but failed to prove popular with writers and ended two years after it started.[46]
Purgatory[47] is aJudge Dredd spin-off that focuses onJudge Grice, written byMark Millar, with art byCarlos Ezquerra. The series ran in2000 AD #834-841 in 1993 and led straight into up the Judge Dredd story "Inferno", with Ezquerra remaining on art andGrant Morrison taking over writing duties.
Rain Dogs[48] is ascience fiction story set in a flooded New York, which appeared in2000 AD progs 1213–1222. Written byGordon Rennie, with art byColin Wilson, it was later collected into a fifty-two page hardcover.
Rose O'Rion[49] spun out ofPulp Sci-fi, was written byKek-W, with art byAndy Clarke. The character returned in the2000 ADfanzineZarjaz #10 as an illustrated text story, with art fromDylan Teague.
Sancho Panzer[50] is a story which ran in seven consecutive stories in2000 AD #1112-1123 in 1998. It was written byDan Abnett, withHenry Flint providing the art, and features the eponymous character, who pilots a giant tank calledMojo with the assistance of his technician Tool. He is pursued by reporter Lynx Fahren/Farren,[note 1] who is trying to get to the truth behind the legend, and General Herman Spurn, who was defeated by Panzer and is looking for revenge. Everyone has to pull together when the planet, Vainglory Five, is invaded by giant worms.
Abnett had tried to repeat the success ofSinister Dexter by seeing what worked and basing another story on those elements:
I looked at what was popular with Sinister Dexter - extreme violence and witty dialogue, catchphrases galore and as many puns as you can fit in. Then I added heavy artillery action, something Henry did well. It should have been a blast, but wasn't popular... I assume Sancho's failure was due entirely to the strength of the story, because the art was so good.[51]
Silo[52] wasMark Millar's first series at2000 AD which was greenlit after he had had just twoFuture Shocks published.[53] It was drawn byDave D'Antiquis and ran in issues #706-711 in 1990 and was reprinted inExtreme Edition #14 and involved two American soldiers in anuclear missile silo apparently haunted by the ghost ofEdward Bulwer-Lytton who was intent on ending the world.
Slaughterbowl[54] is a story byJohn Smith andPaul Peart that ran in2000 AD #842-849 as part of their "Summer Offensive". It features convicts piloting cybernetic dinosaurs as a sport of the future.
Snow/Tiger[55] is a story featuring "a mixture of paranoid politics and extreme violence" written byAndy Diggle: originally pitched toVertigo, it was turned down as being "too mainstream".[56] He reworked it, "I just took out the politics and left in the extreme violence", but the politics that remained still proved controversial,[57] although Diggle concludes that "the fact the story pissed people off on both sides of the political spectrum suggest I probably pitched it about right."[58]
Only one story was published, "Pax Americana", in2000 AD ##1336-1342 and it was collected in a free trade paperback given away in theJudge Dredd Megazine #276.
Stalag #666[59] is a fifteen-part story, with a double-length (ten page) first instalment, byTony Lee, with art byJon Davis-Hunt. Lee describes it as "a futuristic space story that happens to be set in a prison camp. and it's (and I'll be honest here) a mash of clichés and homages as let's be truthful here, you couldn't do a prison camp story and not be like that."[60]
The story ran in2000 AD #1600-1614, between August and November 2008.
Tales from Beyond Science[61] is a series of one-offFuture Shock-style stories all drawn byRian Hughes with scripts byMark Millar,Alan McKenzie andJohn Smith. The story was devised by Millar and then-editor McKenzie who brought Smith and Hughes in as the last members of the team.[62]The series was published in 1992 in2000 AD #774-779 and as part of a couple of special issues. Hughes has had these stories collected, along with new material, byImage Comics (ISBN 1607064715).
Thirteen[63] is a one-off story written byMike Carey, with art byAndy Clarke. The story had been on Carey's mind for seven years before appearing in the comic. The writer has said "I wanted to do a story that was an insane, over-the-top space opera combined with the seventies paranoid thriller. I also had this idea for a narrative structure that would start small and then just keep on opening outwards like Chinese boxes until it was working on a cosmic level"[64]
The story appeared in 2002 in2000 AD #1289-1299 and has been collected into atrade paperback (ISBN 1-904265-36-7)
Tyranny Rex[65] is a story byJohn Smith andSteve Dillon. The main character is an artist and reptile, whose story crossed over withIndigo Prime. The stories appeared between 1988 and 1994, with a number of artists includingWill Simpson,Dougie Braithwaite,Steve Sampson,Duncan Fegredo,Mark Buckingham,Paul Marshall andRichard Elson, and the character made a comeback in 2004, withSteve Yeowell on art duties but no further stories appeared.
Witch World[66] is a series that appeared twice in2000 AD, written byGordon Rennie, with art provided bySiku,Paul Johnson,Will Simpson andJohn M. Burns.
Rennie describes the origins of the story (one of his first in2000 AD after stories being published inJudge Dredd Megazine): "It came about when I and a number of other writers were asked to put together pitches for a new fantasy strip, with guidelines suggested by the editor".[28] However, he does not rate the story highly:
I didn't think my idea was much cop when I came up with it, I still didn't think much of it when I pitched it, and I absolutely fucking hated it while I was writing it. [...] Chopping and changing artists every few episodes didn't help, but the fact that the series was generally just crap to begin with was probably the biggest drawback. Of everything I've ever written,Witch World is easily the one thing I wish I hadn't done. One or twoVector 13s aside, it was the first thing I did for2000 AD, a comic that's been part of my life for 25 years, and the fact that it was hackneyed old rubbish is still a source of eternal mortification.[28]
Zombo[67] is a story written byAl Ewing, based on ideas by series artistHenry Flint, who also provided the art. The first series was set on a "death planet", one of a number of hostile and malevolent living planets, where the eponymous character has to lead the passengers of a crashed space ship to safety.[68]
Zombo first appeared in2000 AD #1632.
There was even a story in2000AD (called the Journals of Luke Kirby) which came out a few years before the 'Books of Magic,' which was extremely similar to both the 'BoM' and 'Harry Potter.'