2000 AD Prog 2218 is out now, with more new Judge Dredd, Durham Red, Proteus Vex, Sláine and Hershey!
BORAG THUNGG, EARTHLETS – Prog 2218 is OUT NOW!
It’s time once again, Terrans, to have your frontal lobes blasted with pure excitement as this week’s issue of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic drops into your reality.
Alongside the latest instalments of Durham Red, Proteus Vex, Sláine and the penultimate chapter of Hershey: The Brutal, there’s another complete case for Judge Dredd, this time from Rob Williams and Simon Coleby.
You’ll also find within Toby Willsmer’s winning entry in the Robo-Hunter Art Stars competition — if you fancy trying your hand at having a pin-up published in this Mighty Organ (and receive a lovely bunch of groats for it, to boot), then head over to 2000AD.com where you’ll find all the entry details.
Next subject is the ABC Warriors — we’re looking for bold and exciting interpretations of these classic characters so go wild, proto-pencilbots!
Meanwhile, we’re just two weeks away from the first of 2021’s Regened issues. Regular Squaxx will know the drill by now, but for the uninitiated, Tharg’s nephew Joko-Jargo takes control of four progs a year, collating a batch of all-ages stories in bumper 48-page specials. Steel your circuits for Prog 2220!
2000 AD Prog 2218 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps! Don’t forget that if you buy an issue of 2000 AD in the first week of its release then postage in the UK is free!
Mega-City One, 2143 AD. Home to over 160 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, with the irradiated wasteland known as the Cursed Earth to the west. Unemployment is rife, boredom universal and crime is rampant. Tensions rest on a knife-edge and only the zero-tolerance Judges can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!
DURHAM RED // SERVED COLD // Part Seven!
Late 22nd century. Of all the mutants that have operated as Search/Destroy agents, perhaps the most feared is vampire DURHAM RED, who requires blood to survive. Mistrusted by both the criminals she hunts and her fellow Strontium Dogs, Red has a formidable reputation that precedes her. Now, she’s trapped in the Hawks-Carpenter Holding Station and Stillwater’s extraction team are closing in on her…
SLÁINE // DRAGONTAMER // Part Seven!
Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer, seeking adventure where the Goddess directs him. Following Sláine’s slaughter of Trojans at Beal An Atha in an ongoing battle for Albion’s freedom, Emperor Brutus sent Dragon Squadrons to dispose of him at Inniscrone, but the barbarian defeated them. Now a Drune Lord aids Brutus…
PROTEUS VEX // THE SHADOW CHANCELLOR // Part Seven!
Another galaxy, the far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict brought to an end with the deaths of billions when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX was charged with finding Chancellor Rho 7 Baryon, and when the flesh-pilot that controls Vex entered Baryon’s body he absorbed some of his memories…
HERSHEY // THE BRUTAL // Part Seven!
Judge Barbara Hershey was one of Justice Department’s most respected and capable young officers before she became Chief Judge. Leading the city through numerous challenges, she only occasionally clashed with Dredd — until the ‘Small House’ affair and the revelation of Judge Smiley’s clandestine operations on her watch. Now, seriously ill from a microbial virus, she’s faked her death to deal with Smiley’s legacy…
2000 AD Prog 2217 is out now, with more new Judge Dredd, Durham Red, Proteus Vex, Sláine and Hershey!
BORAG THUNGG, EARTHLETS – Prog 2217 is OUT NOW!
Welcome, Squaxx, to your latest salvo of circuit-shattering excitement, courtesy of our crack squad of creator droids, beavering away under the toughest of social-distancing restrictions.
Script and art-bots have been programmed to stay well out of each other’s way (always a good idea, even when there’s not a pandemic on), and Mek-Quake has been fitted with an extra-long electro-lash to ensure punishments can continue to be delivered safely and responsibly.
Tharg is, after all, an employer that cares for his minions — unless, of course, they fail me, in which case we are reliably informed he will CRUSH THEM! CRUSH THEM UNTIL THEIR DIODES SQUEAK!
If that still doesn’t satiate your hunger for sci-fi excitement, make sure you don’t miss this month’s Judge Dredd Megazine, which features a complete Dredd thriller from Ken Niemand and Patrick Goddard alongside the latest chapters of Megatropolis, Dreadnoughts, The Returners and Deliverance.
Anyway, all these precautions are undertaken so you humes can enjoy your weekly prog, and as ever we have another zarjaz issue for you, with scrotnig instalments of Hershey, Proteus Vex, Durham Red and Sláine joined by a rather saucy complete case for Judge Dredd from Ken Niemand and Dan Cornwell.
Remember, if the lockdown is interfering with your 2000 AD experience, do the smart thing and take out a subscription — you’ll find all the info at shop.2000AD.com!
2000 AD Prog 2217 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps! Don’t forget that if you buy an issue of 2000 AD in the first week of its release then postage in the UK is free!
Mega-City One, 2143 AD. Home to over 160 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, with the irradiated wasteland known as the Cursed Earth to the west. Unemployment is rife, boredom universal and crime is rampant. Tensions rest on a knife-edge and only the zero-tolerance Judges can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!
DURHAM RED // SERVED COLD // Part Six!
Late 22nd century. Of all the mutants that have operated as Search/Destroy agents, perhaps the most feared is vampire DURHAM RED, who requires blood to survive. Mistrusted by both the criminals she hunts and her fellow Strontium Dogs, Red has a formidable reputation that precedes her. Now, she’s trapped in the Hawks-Carpenter Holding Station and Stillwater’s extraction team are closing in on her…
SLÁINE // DRAGONTAMER // Part Six!
Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer, seeking adventure where the Goddess directs him. Following Sláine’s slaughter of Trojans at Beal An Atha in an ongoing battle for Albion’s freedom, Emperor Brutus sent Dragon Squadrons to dispose of him at Inniscrone, but the barbarian defeated them. Now his fight continues…
PROTEUS VEX // THE SHADOW CHANCELLOR // Part Six!
Another galaxy, the far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict brought to an end with the deaths of billions when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX was charged with finding Chancellor Rho 7 Baryon, and when the flesh-pilot that controls Vex entered Baryon’s body he absorbed some of his memories…
HERSHEY // THE BRUTAL // Part Six!
Judge Barbara Hershey was one of Justice Department’s most respected and capable young officers before she became Chief Judge. Leading the city through numerous challenges, she only occasionally clashed with Dredd — until the ‘Small House’ affair and the revelation of Judge Smiley’s clandestine operations on her watch. Now, seriously ill from a microbial virus, she’s faked her death to deal with Smiley’s legacy…
2000 AD Prog 2216 is out now, with more new Judge Dredd, Durham Red, Proteus Vex, Sláine and Hershey!
BORAG THUNGG, EARTHLETS – Prog 2216 is OUT NOW!
Another week, another jaw-droppingly zarjaz issue of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, guaranteed to energise your diodes and keep your imaginations firing during these lockdown days.
Within these scrotnig pages you’ll find the latest instalments of Sláine, Proteus Vex, Durham Red and Hershey, plus the ghafflebette climax to Dredd’s current case, Desperadlands!
If that still doesn’t satiate your hunger for sci-fi excitement, make sure you don’t miss this month’s Judge Dredd Megazine, which features a complete Dredd thriller from Ken Niemand and Patrick Goddard alongside the latest chapters of Megatropolis, Dreadnoughts, The Returners and Deliverance.
In addition to that there’s the third part of the serialised 2000 AD Encyclopedia (covering F-G), and a fascinating interview with former IPC Youth Group head honcho John Sanders to coincide with the publication of his memoirs King’s Reach: 25 Years at the Top of Comics.
One of Tharg’s first contacts upon arriving on Earth in 1977, the Sanders humanoid was instrumental in getting 2000 AD into Terrans’ hands!
2000 AD Prog 2216 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps! Don’t forget that if you buy an issue of 2000 AD in the first week of its release then postage in the UK is free!
Mega-City One, 2142 AD. Home to over 150 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only the zero-tolerance Judges can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, outside Ciudad Barranquilla, Dredd has been captured by former Judge Syan Hegedos, who plans to sell him to the highest bidder. But he’s broken free…
DURHAM RED // SERVED COLD // Part Five!
Late 22nd century. Of all the mutants that have operated as Search/Destroy agents, perhaps the most feared is vampire DURHAM RED, who requires blood to survive. Mistrusted by both the criminals she hunts and her fellow Strontium Dogs, Red has a formidable reputation that precedes her. Now, she’s trapped in the Hawks-Carpenter Holding Station and Stillwater’s extraction team are closing in on her…
SLÁINE // DRAGONTAMER // Part Five!
Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer, seeking adventure where the Goddess directs him. Following Slaine’s slaughter of Trojans at Beal An Atha in an ongoing battle for Albion’s freedom, Emperor Brutus has sent a Dragon Squadron to track him down at Inniscrone, but the barbarian has a plan…
PROTEUS VEX // THE SHADOW CHANCELLOR // Part Five!
Another galaxy, the far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict brought to an end with the deaths of billions when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX was charged with finding Chancellor Rho 7 Baryon, and when the flesh-pilot that controls Vex entered Baryon’s body he absorbed some of his memories…
HERSHEY // THE BRUTAL // Part Five!
Judge Barbara Hershey was one of Justice Department’s most respected and capable young officers before she became Chief Judge. Leading the city through numerous challenges, she only occasionally clashed with Dredd — until the ‘Small House’ affair and the revelation of Judge Smiley’s clandestine operations on her watch. Now, seriously ill from a microbial virus, she’s faked her death to deal with Smiley’s legacy…
The annual 2000 AD writer and artist talent search at Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival 2019 took place in November, where potential new script and art droids threw themselves on the mercy of the Mighty Tharg in a desperate attempt to get a chance to work at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic!
Well, actually, the competition entrants had the onerous task of either pitching their Future Shock script or getting a grilling on their art in front of a distinguished panel of judges. This year it was Leah Moore, Mike Dowling, and Frazer Irving judging the artists, and Matt Smith, Andy Diggle, and Leah Moore (pulling a double shift!) judging the writers.
This year, this unique opportunity for new writers and artists to break into the house of Tharg was won by writer Liam Johnson and artist Robin Henley. You can expect to see their first 2000 AD work hitting the pages of the Prog sometime in 2020, but before then Richard Bruton sat down to talk to them about the competition and just what winning means to them…
Liam, Robin… congratulations to you both on winning the 2000 AD talent search contests at this year’s Thought Bubble.
Now that your wins have had chance to sink in, what does it all mean for you?
Liam Johnson: Firstly, thanks for the congratulations. It still hasn’t sunk in yet!
It’s probably poor form for a writer to say I can’t think of the words to truly describe how it felt! I’ve wanted to be a writer forever. To get something published, in a comic that is so near and dear to my heart, voted for by three judges that I greatly admire… it’s literally a dream come true.
My wife and I recently had our first child and a lot of people joked that it signalled the end of my aspirations of being a writer. Instead, I’ve used it as the reason to be more focused on my writing and set myself clear and achievable goals. Winning this year’s competition is proof that it’s working.
Robin Henley: It’s been a real confidence boost. I have an annoying tendency to be quite self-conscious about showing my work, so to get such a positive response from the judges was really good for me. Also, the feedback I’ve received online since the win was announced has been incredible.
(The Art search judges and winner left to right; Leah Moore, Mike Dowling, Frazer Irving, Robin Henley)
How did you first hear about the 2000 AD talent search, what convinced you to enter, and was this your first time entering the contest?
LJ: I can’t actually remember the first time I heard of the search. It may have been from the podcast or possibly the website?
I’ve been a fan of 2000 AD and have attended Thought Bubble for so long that it feels like something I’ve always been aware of. I decided to enter having been unsuccessful in the annual written submissions to 2000 AD several times. I felt that pitching a script in person would achieve two things, firstly helping my anxiety of public speaking and secondly, it would get me some much-needed feedback on my work.
I can’t stress enough how amazing it is that 2000 AD is so open to new talent. I hope it never goes away and Matt Smith and his team should be applauded for their amazing generosity in regards their open submission policy.
As I say, I’d previously entered the written submissions. But, with a bit of distance, I know I was probably leaning too heavily on inspiration from previous published works and my submissions just weren’t up to scratch. Last year was my first time entering the Thought Bubble talent search competition and I learned a lot doing it and it really informed my writing this time around. I don’t think I’d have won this year if I hadn’t gone through that experience of submitting and losing! So, if anyone feels dejected after this year’s contest, I encourage you to brush yourself off, take everything that was said on-board and have another go.
(Liam Johnson – winner of the script contest)
RH: This was my first time entering the Thought Bubble competition, but I’d been vaguely aware of it as a thing since I heard people excitedly talking about the then winners at Thought Bubble in 2017. I heard about this year’s competition via twitter, and apart from the exciting prize of a chance to work for 2000 AD, I think what really convinced me to have a go was the fact that I didn’t want to draw anything in the script! Drawing a bus interior, a nighttime setting, a skeleton bus driver and a load of fog sounded like a nightmare, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and really push my drawing.
For those who don’t know, the writers are asked to live pitch a Future Shock script in front of the judges and artists are asked to submit samples but also to complete a sample script for judging. This year, the sample was the 2018 Tharg’s Terror Tale from Prog 2090, The Ticket, by Paul Tobin and Dan Cornwell.
Once you’d decided to enter the contest, what was the actual pitching or portfolio review like at Thought Bubble?
RH: I decided quite late that I was going to take the plunge and enter, so I didn’t have long to work up my strip and was still drawing on the Thursday before the con! Thankfully this meant I didn’t have too much time to get nervous and overthink it, and also as it was my first time entering I had no idea what to expect. However, waiting in line to get an on the spot critique from editor Matt Smith at the 2000 AD table and find out whether or not I was going to be a finalist was a nerve-wracking experience.
As for the actual judging panel, I was one of the last to be called up, so I’d built up a lot of nerves while watching all of the other amazing entrants being critiqued on stage while their work was shown on the projector. But, when I got up there I was blown away by the positivity from the judges. It was an amazing event, and even if I hadn’t won, I think I would have been really happy to have taken part.
LJ: I went over a lot of my favourite Future Shocks to learn the techniques of how to pull off the twists, set up the payoffs, show character in a short space of time etc. In past years I borrowed too heavily on them. Who would have thought pitching ideas that were fresh and creative 30 years are now cliched? Ha! This year I then took a step back, looked at the world around me and pitched a story that was unique to my voice.
I rehearsed my pitch a few times, timing myself so I came in comfortably under the two minutes, and had my notes prepared for the day. Nerves did take hold on the day, you can certainly hear the tremble in my voice, but clearly the judges saw past that.
Having gone through the process and come out the other side victorious, what advice would you give to those who may be reading this thinking about entering next year?
RH: Focus on your storytelling. Read the script you’re given very carefully, and spend the time getting your thumbnails and pencils right. Ask yourself what you’re trying to say with each drawing, and what the focus is. If your composition and visual storytelling doesn’t work then no amount of beautiful inking, hatching or painting is going to save it, so don’t skimp on the fundamentals.
LJ: I feel slightly patronising giving advice to people that are really only 4 pages behind where I find myself now. Instead, I’m going to echo advice that infinitely more talented creators shared with me:
Read a lot. Not just comics, everything.
Try to reverse engineer your favourite comics into script form. And then do it with comics you don’t think are written that well. You can learn just as much, if not more from them.
And do your thing every day. I’ve written religiously at the crack of dawn before work for about ten years now.
Liam, as for the FS pitch that you and Robin will be bringing to life in a future Prog, without giving too much away, what can we expect from the story?
LJ: It’s set in a world that’s just over the horizon, about the risks of our over-reliance on technology and the increasing intelligence these handheld devices contain.
If I may add, having seen Robin’s winning submission and her artwork, she is going to make me look way better than I actually am. It really feels like winning the competition twice.
Robin, can you go into a little detail about what sort of art you brought to the session, what style(s) of artwork you work in and pitched, and what your process for your art is?
RH: I completed the six-page terror tale script, ‘The Ticket’, which was supplied for the competition. My work is fairly stylised, and I worried it would be a little too cartoony for the judges’ tastes, but thankfully I was wrong.
I do my pencils in Photoshop, which I find helps me try out lots of options, and be a bit more daring than if I was working straight on to the page. I then print out a blue line and ink by hand at A3 size with a couple of different brush pens. Then I scan the pages, clean up the inks and, for this comic, I added some grey tones and textures in Photoshop.
This might be your first time in 2000 AD, but has there been other work out there from you before this?
RH: I’ve completed a few short comics for competitions and anthologies, and have some other uncompleted projects. My dream has always been to work in comics, but I’ve taken a few detours, meaning my professional background is actually in illustration and graphic design. I’ve been a freelance illustrator for nearly two years, and before that I worked as an in house illustrator/designer in a London studio, specialising in packaging design.
LJ: This will be my first published work. I’ve worked on a number of other projects which didn’t reach the finish line for one reason or another. I really hope this is the start of something and encourage any artist who may want to work with me to reach out. At worst, it’s a new comic book friend and at best, perhaps we can create something awesome! I’ve also made a number of short films, to various degrees of success and accolades.
Now, as it’s your first time here on the 2000 AD news site, we’re going to hit you with a couple of old favourites!
When did you first come across the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic?
LJ: Ashamedly, I came to comics quite late. A long story short (perhaps one to share at a later date) but at the age of fifteen I suddenly found myself with nothing but spare time. Having devoured pretty much every book, TV show and film I could find (this was pre-streaming, now this would be an impossible task) I was in desperate need of something new. And that’s when I discovered comics.
I suddenly realised so much of what I loved growing up either originated from or was heavily inspired by comics. Then I read every single comic book I could find. Weirdly, even though I’ve been reading for sixteen years now, I still feel like a newbie.
RH: Despite always having been aware of it, I came quite late to 2000 AD, and initially got into it by reading the collections rather than the magazine. I started off with older stuff like The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson and the Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks, and then got into newer titles like Brass Sun by Ian Edginton and Ian Culbard.
And now that your 2000 AD journey has begun, what would you see as a dream character or strip to work on?
LJ: Is Dredd too obvious an answer? I would love to write not so much him but about the characters who live in the gutters of his world. I’m drawn to the stories where he’s a presence that can serve as either antagonist or protagonist (or both). I think the minutiae of his universe has infinite possibilities.
RH: Well, I’d love to draw an original series for 2000 AD, but if I was going to work on an existing character, I’d like it to be for a female-led strip, perhaps a Judge Anderson story. And then outside of 2000 AD, my dream would be to work on revivals of other Rebellion titles, like Misty, or Tammy and Jinty.
(A recent Robin Henley Halo Jones)
When it comes to your own work, where do your influences come from?
RH: My introduction to and journey through comics has been quite varied. When I was a kid my Dad had stacks of Mad Magazine paperbacks from the 60s which he used to let me read, and artists like Dave Berg definitely influenced my work and sparked a love of clean inks and solid blacks that I still have now.
Then when I was a little bit older I discovered manga through finding a single issue of a Urusei Yatsura comic. As a teenager, manga eventually led me to UK indie comics, although I’d say that now most of my comics reading comes from graphic novels.
Some of my favourite graphic novels include David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp, Glyn Dillon’s Nao of Brown, Emil Ferris’s My Favourite Thing is Monsters and The Black Project by Gareth Brooks, and I’m continually inspired by artists like Christophe Blain, Jaime Hernandez, Alberto Breccia and Darwyn Cooke.
LJ: I find this a tough question as I don’t necessarily think my influences display in my work and I’m inspired by new material each and every new comic book day.
If you pushed me, Brian Michael Bendis will always be a favourite. I just love his dialogue, even though it breaks every rule on word count. I know Steven Spielberg isn’t in comics but I certainly aim to emulate the way he tells stories from the common man looking up at epic situations beyond their comprehension. It goes without saying that Alan Moore is a genius. I find Grant Morrison fascinating, not just his outstanding concepts, but how experimental he is with the format. And Terry Pratchett was the first author who made me realise you could read for pleasure. I read his work way too young, not understanding any of the subtext and themes until much later in life, but I fell in love with reading because of him.
And I haven’t even touched on artists! I think Liam Sharp, Christian Ward and Marcos Martin are on top form right now. I could really list a thousand artists. I admire them so much, probably because my drawing ability peaked at eight years old. The amount of creativity in the form displayed over the last ten years or so has been outstanding. No two books look the same these days and nothing excites me more.
With the contest over, what’s coming up for you in the near, or not so near future?
LJ: I’m working on a four-issue mini-series with entitled Missing Persons with co-creator Bernardo Vieira. It’s a time-travel heist story I wrote a couple years ago that should be ready for publication next year.
I’ve been working on a novel for a while now, starting as a passion project for my own amusement, but I hope to start shopping that around next year. And finally, while I can’t announce it yet, I do have something on the horizon that may keep me chained to the computer for most of next year. I hope next time we speak I can give more definite answers but there’s lots of exciting things coming up!
RH: Well, the most exciting thing coming up for me is undoubtedly getting to work on a 2000 AD strip! But aside from that, I’m going to be focusing on trying to get some other paid comics work and perhaps work up a pitch for an original graphic novel.
Congratulations once more to Robin and Liam for their wins and we’ll be looking forward to seeing their Future Shock when it appears, sometime in 2020. In the meantime, you can follow them on Twitter at @LiamJohnsonType and @RobinHenley.
And of course, 2000 AD will be at Thought Bubble 2020 with yet another fabulous talent search, looking for the very best new writers and artists of the future!
Finally, just because it’s a fascinating thing to do, here’s the original Dan Cornwell published art for ‘The Ticket’ page one and page two and Robin’s winning artwork based on the same script that so impressed the judges…
The circuit-shattering one-two punch of Judge Dredd Megazine 400 and Prog 2100 may have been one of the most reality rupturing events in the annals of Thrill-power, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if your diodes were still tingling over a week later. But time waits for no Betelgeusian, and if your Thrill-buffers are fully charged, humes, then get ready to do it all over again as we plunge into Prog 2101 without further ado.
Immerse yourselves in the zarjaz glory of the second episodes of Judge Dredd, Brink, Fiends of the Eastern Front, Skip Tracer and Kingdom, and let the scrotnig cosmic energy flow through you!
2000 AD Prog 2101 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps! Don’t forget that if you buy an issue of 2000 AD in the first week of its release then postage in the UK is free!
By Rob Williams (w) Henry Flint (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)
Mega-City One, 2140 AD. Home to over 100 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, Dredd and a small team of colleagues have been tracking covert operatives, under the command of the mysterious Smiley…
BRINK // HIGH SOCIETY
By Dan Abnett (w) INJ Culbard (a) Simon Bowland (l)
The late 21st century, and through environmental catastrophe and industrial overload Earth has been reduced to a wasteland. Mankind finally evacuated the planet in 2072 and millions were housed in a number of deep-space Habitats. Bridget Kurtis, investigator with the Habitat Security Division, was involved in a sect-crime case that saw her partner murdered. Now, she’s gone undercover on Yuliya Habitat…
FIENDS OF THE EASTERN FRONT // 1812
By Ian Edginton (w) Dave Taylor (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)
In 1980, the diary of German soldier Hans Schmitt was discovered in Berlin, detailing events that occurred in 1941, when he and his comrades encountered the terrifying Captain Constanta and his Romanian platoon, who feasted on the blood of their Russian enemies. But Schmitt was not the first trooper to encounter Constanta on the battlefield, as General Armand D’Hubert of Napoleon’s Grand Armée recounts…
SKIP TRACER // LEGION
By James Peaty (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Dylan Teague (c) Ellie DeVille (l)
The Cube, the 27th century. This vast city floating in the depths of space was once a monitoring station, but has been refitted by the Earth-led Consociation as a solution to a universal housing problem. It’s now home to every kind of undesirable and wanted criminal. That’s where SKIP TRACER Nolan Blake comes in, a former soldier turned tracker-for-hire, whose military past is coming back to haunt him…
KINGDOM // ALPHA AND OMEGA
By Dan Abnett (w) Richard Elson (a) Abigail Bumer (c) Ellie DeVille (l)
Earth, the far future. Mankind has been all but destroyed, those still surviving forced into hiding by Them — insectile creatures that have taken over the world. Charged with protecting humanity are genetically engineered dog-soldiers like Gene the Hackman — savage warriors that patrol the wilderness. Now, Gene, Pause and Leezee Sower have escaped the Masters’ orbital, but have encountered mysterious riders…
It’s that time of the week once again, when you can put aside the demands of mundane reality and plunge head-first into the scrotnig contents of Tharg’s illustrious organ!
The Eglington and MacNeil droids bring their Dredd thriller Icon to a close this prog, plus there’s another complete Sinister Dexter story from Dan Abnett and Steve Yeowell, alongside the ongoing excitement of Grey Area, Sláine and Indigo Prime!
2000 AD Prog 2052 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps!
Judge Dredd: Icon by TC Eglington (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l) Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to over 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Unemployment is rife, and crime is rampant. Only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a Chaos Day memorial statue is being built, and certain individuals are capitalising on the unrest…
Sláine: Archon by Pat Mills (w) Simon Davis (a) Ellie De Ville (l) Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer. Having journeyed to Monadh to rescue Sinead from the Drune Lords, he’s discovered that they have been experimenting on their own creations, much to the displeasure of the Cyths’ jailer, the Archon Yaldabaoth. Now, the Archon has awoken and unleashed his army of stone warriors…
Indigo Prime: A Dying Art by John Smith (w) Lee Carter (a) Simon Bowland (l) The multiverse. There are an infinite number of parallel realities, and all need managing in case of dimensional instability. This is where INDIGO PRIME comes in, the multiverse’s troubleshooters, whose agents — recruited post-death — are trained to deal with space/time catastrophes. Now, IP’s Imagineers have been sent into psychic shock following the Christhulhu event, and a team must enter their heads to save them…
Sinister Dexter: Snake-Skinned by Dan Abnett (w) Jake Lynch (a) John Charles (c) Ellie De Ville (l) Gun-sharks Finnigan SINISTER and Ramone DEXTER are the best hitmen money can buy in the future city of Downlode. Having spent the last year offworld hunting for Holy Moses Tanenbaum, a ganglord from an alternate dimension whose presence threatened the fabric of reality, they’ve returned home, and are getting back to business. But whacking Tanenbaum has reset the continuum, meaning no one knows who they are…
Grey Area: Homeland Security by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Annie Parkhouse (l) The mid 21st century. Earth has a heavily armed defence network, and any ETs arriving on the planet are housed in the Exo Segregation Zone, known as the GREY AREA, which is policed by squads of Exo Transfer Control officers like Captain Adam Bulliet and his team — wife Birdy, linguist Kymn, weapons expert Feo, and alien transfer Resting Bitch Face. Now, they must head into the Red Zone in Old Kuwait to stop hostile forces…
Welcome to your latest salvo of scintillating sci-fi and fantasy, continuing the line-up of on-going stories from the ghafflebette ‘jumping on’ issue of Prog 2050!
Whether you’re new to the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, a returning Squaxx Dek Thargo, or a loyal reader – you’ll find within the Thrillpacked pages of Prog 2051 some of the finest script and art droids this side of the known universe!
We’ve got everything in this week’s Prog from political hot potatoes in Judge Dredd to dimension-warping trouble in Indigo Prime, tricky jobs for Sinister Dexter and stone foes in Sláine, to an unfair firefight in Grey Area!
2000 AD Prog 2051 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps!
Judge Dredd: Icon by TC Eglington (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l) Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to over 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Unemployment is rife, and crime is rampant. Only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a Chaos Day memorial statue is being built, and certain individuals are capitalising on the unrest…
Sláine: Archon by Pat Mills (w) Simon Davis (a) Ellie De Ville (l) Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer. Having journeyed to Monadh to rescue Sinead from the Drune Lords, he’s discovered that they have been experimenting on their own creations, much to the displeasure of the Cyths’ jailer, the Archon Yaldabaoth. Now, the Archon has awoken and unleashed his army of stone warriors…
Indigo Prime: A Dying Art by John Smith (w) Lee Carter (a) Simon Bowland (l) The multiverse. There are an infinite number of parallel realities, and all need managing in case of dimensional instability. This is where INDIGO PRIME comes in, the multiverse’s troubleshooters, whose agents — recruited post-death — are trained to deal with space/time catastrophes. Now, the majority of IP’s Imagineers have been sent into psychic toxic shock following the Christhulhu event…
Sinister Dexter: Snake-Skinned by Dan Abnett (w) Jake Lynch (a) John Charles (c) Ellie De Ville (l) Gun-sharks Finnigan SINISTER and Ramone DEXTER are the best hitmen money can buy in the future city of Downlode. Having spent the last year offworld hunting for Holy Moses Tanenbaum, a ganglord from an alternate dimension whose presence threatened the fabric of reality, they’ve returned home, and are getting back to business. But whacking Tanenbaum has reset the continuum, meaning no one knows who they are…
Grey Area: Homeland Security by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Annie Parkhouse (l) The mid 21st century. Earth has a heavily armed defence network, and any ETs arriving on the planet are housed in the Exo Segregation Zone, known as the GREY AREA, which is policed by squads of Exo Transfer Control officers like Captain Adam Bulliet and his team — wife Birdy, linguist Kymn, weapons expert Feo, and alien transfer Resting Bitch Face. Now, they must head into the Red Zone in Old Kuwait to stop hostile forces…
Ever wanted to start reading 2000 AD but waiting for the right issue? YOUR WAIT IS OVER, EARTHLETS!
Welcome, Thrill-hungry humanoids, to the latest of 2000 AD‘s regular jumping-on issues! – Prog 2050!
Within its bumper 48 pages you’ll find a scrotnig lineup of new stories to wrap your cranial circuits around:
the Celtic barbarian returns for the final book of Sláine: The Brutania Chroniclesby Pat Mills and Simon Davis
Captain Adam Bulliet and his team head off for a new mission in Grey Area: Homeland Securityby Dan Abnett and Mark Harrison
the interdimensional troubleshooters are back in Indigo Prime: A Dying Artby John Smith and Lee Carter
the future’s greatest lawman is cracking heads on the mean streets of Mega-City One in Judge Dredd: Iconby T.C. Eglington and Colin MacNeil.
return to the wasteland of N Earth with a complete Rogue Trooperstory by James Robinson and Leonardo Manco
the mercs with the mouth are back in Sinister Dexter: Down In The Dumpsby Dan Abnett and Steve Yeowell
Judge Fairfax steps into the lair of the undead in The Fall of Deadworld: Home by Kek-W and Dave Kendall
And InSight magazine catches up with superhero Zenith as he turns fifty!
What a veritable feast for your eye-pods! Immerse yourselves in the zarjazosity, Squaxx Dek Thargo!
And if you’re a new, hooked reader then don’t forget that you can have your weekly progs delivered direct by subscribing. Just visit shop.2000AD.com, and you too can be plugged in to a vast wealth of Thrill-power!
2000 AD Prog 2050 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps!
Judge Dredd: Icon by TV Eglington (w) Colin MacNeil (a) Chris Blythe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l) Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, where unemployment is endemic, boredom universal, and crime is rampant. Tensions run a constant knife-edge, and only the zero-tolerance Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!
Rogue Trooper: A Soldier’s Duty by James Robinson (l) Leonardo Manco (a) Simon Bowland (l) Nu Earth, just one planet among many caught up in a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers. Strategically vital, both sides are desperate to secure it but use of chemical weapons has rendered the atmosphere poisonous. Only Genetic Infantrymen like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind, can survive on its surface — and he, together with his biochip buddies, is hunting for the Traitor General that betrayed them…
Grey Area: Homeland Security by Dan Abnett (w) Mark Harrison (a) Annie Parkhouse (l) The mid 21st century. Earth has a heavily armed defence network, and any ETs arriving on the planet are housed in the Exo Segregation Zone, known as the GREY AREA, which is policed by squads of Exo Transfer Control officers like Captain Adam Bulliet and his team — wife Birdy, linguist Kymn, weapons expert Feo, and alien transfer Resting Bitch Face. They have to keep the peace amongst all manner of off-world life forms…
Sláine: Archon by Pat Mills (w) Simon Davis (a) Ellie De Ville (l) Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer. Having journeyed to Monadh to rescue Sinead from the Drune Lords, he’s discovered that they have been experimenting on their own creations, much to the displeasure of the Cyths’ jailer, the Archon Yaldabaoth. Now, the Archon has awoken and unleashed his army of stone warriors…
Indigo Prime: A Dying Art by John Smith (w) Lee Carter (a) Simon Bowland (l) The multiverse. There are an infinite number of parallel realities, and all need managing in case of dimensional instability. This is where INDIGO PRIME comes in, the multiverse’s troubleshooters, whose agents — recruited post-death — are trained to deal with space/time catastrophes. Now, the majority of IP’s Imagineers have been sent into psychic toxic shock following the Christhulhu event…
Zenith: Permission to Land by Martin Howe (w) Steve Yeowell (a)
Sinister Dexter: Down in the Dumps by Dan Abnett (w) Steve Yeowell (a) John Charles (c) Ellie De Ville (l) Gun-sharks Finnigan SINISTER and Ramone DEXTER are the best hitmen money can buy in the future city of Downlode. Having spent the last year offworld hunting for Holy Moses Tanenbaum, a ganglord from an alternate dimension whose presence threatened the fabric of reality, they’ve returned home, and are getting back to business. But whacking Tanenbaum has reset the continuum, meaning no one knows who they are…
The Fall of Deadworld: Home by Kek-W (w) Dave Kendall (a) Annie Parkhouse (l) The planet that eventually became known as DEADWORLD was once a regular civilisation existing in a dimension parallel to our own. But the end of days is coming: riots, storms, undead creatures roaming the landscape. Now, Judge Fairfax, formally a part of this world’s brutal Justice Department, who fled the chaos with a young girl called Jess under his protection, has been captured by Psiren and her cronies and brought back to the capital…
All beginnings must have an end – and what an explosive conclusion to the current roster of strips! 2000 AD Prog 2049 is on sale now!
Prepare for a brain-sizzling, eye-popping experience, courtesy of the legendary SF anthology, with Judge Dredd, Hope, and The Alienistall ending their current stories while Greysuitreaches its final mission in typical Mills-ian style! PLUS you get a brand new Future Shock– THARG THE MIGHTY DOTH SPOIL YOU ALL!
And all of this clears the decks for the all-new roster of stories to commence in Prog 2050 – out on 27th September!
2000 AD Prog 2049 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps!
JUDGE DREDD // WAR BUDS by John Wagner (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Abigail Bulmer (c) Annie Parkhouse (l) Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to over 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Unemployment is rife, and crime is rampant. Only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, former members of the Apocalypse Squad are fleeing the city, having freed a friend… Judge Dredd created by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra
THE ALIENIST // INHUMAN NATURES by Emma Beeby, Gordon Rennie (w) Eoin Coveney (a) Ellie De Ville (l) England, 1908. Madelyn Vespertine, an Edwardian woman of unknown age and origin, investigates strange events of an apparently occult nature, accompanied by Professor Sebastian Wetherall. Little do those that meet the pair know that the Professor is actually an out-of-work actor called Reginald Briggs, a stooge covering for the fact that Madelyn is not human. Now, the host body of the sinister Professor Praetorius has been destroyed… The Alienist created by Gordon Rennie, Emma Beeby & Eoin Coveney
GREYSUIT // FOUL PLAY by Pat Mills (w) John Higgins (a) Sally Hurst (c) Ellie De Ville (l) Bolivaria, 2014. John Blake is a GREYSUIT, a Delta-Class assassin working for a branch of British Intelligence. Given superhuman powers through extreme mental conditioning, Greysuits are feared for their ruthlessness. But Blake’s programming has broken down, and his memories have returned. Now, he’s getting payback on his handlers, and has returned to the training ground of Smithereens, intent on bringing it crashing down… Greysuit created by Pat Mills & John Higgins
FUTURE SHOCKS // ALT-LIFE by Rory McConville (w) Jake Lynch (a) Annie Parkhouse (l) Out in the vast reaches of the universe, there are an infinite number of stories waiting to be told. These cautionary tales pass from traveller to traveller in the spaceports and around campfires on distant planets, acquiring the status of legend, their shocking ends a salutory lesson in hubris. Anything is possible in these twisted trips into the galaxy’s dark side. Abandon your preconceptions, and expect the unexpected… Alt-Life created by Rory McConville & Jake Lynch
HOPE // …FOR THE FUTURE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Simon Bowland (l) An alternate 1940s Hollywood. WWII is over, victory having been secured by occult means. Now, magic is a part of everyday life, its practitioners commonplace. Mallory HOPE is one such skilled operative, though calling on the dark arts takes its toll on the user. He’s also a private investigator, hired for all manner of down n’ dirty jobs, and now, tasked with finding missing child star Buster Ritz!, he’s uncovered the kid’s murderer… Hope created by Guy Adams & Jimmy Broxton
The tension continues to rise within the pages of 2000 AD as another synapse-shredding issue hits the newsstands both physical and digital – Prog 2048 is out today!
Former members of Judge Dredd’s Apocalypse Squad attempt to flee the city in War Budsby John Wagner, Dan Cornwell, Abigail Bulmer and Annie Parkhouse, while the sinister Professor Praetorius is aiming to stop a dimensional infection from spreading in The Alienist Emma Beeby, Gordon Rennie, Eoin Coveney and Ellie De Ville.
How sweet and right is it to die for one’s country? Find out in Greysuitby Pat Mills, John Higgins, Sally Hurst and Ellie De Ville, while private investigator Mallory has uncovered the murderer of missing child star Buster Ritz in Hope … For The Futureby Guy Adams, Jimmy Broxton and Simon Bowland.
And the cherry upon this Thrill-powered cake is a brand new Future Shockby rising stars Rory McConville and Tilen Javornik with letterer Annie Parkhouse – Terminal!
2000 AD Prog 2048 is out now from all good newsagents and comic book stores, plus digitally from our webshop and apps!
JUDGE DREDD // WAR BUDS by John Wagner (w) Dan Cornwell (a) Abigail Bulmer (c) Annie Parkhouse (l) Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to over 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Unemployment is rife, and crime is rampant. Only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, former members of the Apocalypse Squad are fleeing the city, having freed a friend… Judge Dredd created by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra
THE ALIENIST // INHUMAN NATURES by Emma Beeby, Gordon Rennie (w) Eoin Coveney (a) Ellie De Ville (l) England, 1908. Madelyn Vespertine, an Edwardian woman of unknown age and origin, investigates strange events of an apparently occult nature, accompanied by Professor Sebastian Wetherall. Little do those that meet the pair know that the Professor is actually an out-of-work actor called Reginald Briggs, a stooge covering for the fact that Madelyn is not human. Now, the sinister Professor Praetorius is aiming to stop a dimensional infection from spreading… The Alienist created by Gordon Rennie, Emma Beeby & Eoin Coveney
GREYSUIT // FOUL PLAY by Pat Mills (w) John Higgins (a) Sally Hurst (c) Ellie De Ville (l) Bolivaria, 2014. John Blake is a GREYSUIT, a Delta-Class assassin working for a branch of British Intelligence. Given superhuman powers through extreme mental conditioning, Greysuits are feared for their ruthlessness. But Blake’s programming has broken down, and his memories have returned. Now, he’s getting payback on his handlers, including Dunstan Wood, who Blake has ordered to shoot himself, whilst in the guise of a superior… Greysuit created by Pat Mills & John Higgins
FUTURE SHOCKS // TERMINAL by Rory McConville (w) Tilen Javornik (a) Annie Parkhouse (l) Out in the vast reaches of the universe, there are an infinite number of stories waiting to be told. These cautionary tales pass from traveller to traveller in the spaceports and around campfires on distant planets, acquiring the status of legend, their shocking ends a salutory lesson in hubris. Anything is possible in these twisted trips into the galaxy’s dark side. Abandon your preconceptions, and expect the unexpected… Terminal created by Rory McConville & Tilen Javornik
HOPE // …FOR THE FUTURE by Guy Adams (w) Jimmy Broxton (a) Simon Bowland (l) An alternate 1940s Hollywood. WWII is over, victory having been secured by occult means. Now, magic is a part of everyday life, its practitioners commonplace. Mallory HOPE is one such skilled operative, though calling on the dark arts takes its toll on the user. He’s also a private investigator, hired for all manner of down n’ dirty jobs, and now, tasked with finding missing child star Buster Ritz!, he’s uncovered the kid’s murderer… Hope created by Guy Adams & Jimmy Broxton