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Proteus Wrecks! 2000 AD Prog 2389 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2389 is OUT NOW!

I am The Mighty Tharg, cosmic source for all that is zarjaz — join me on a galactic journey!

We slip into July, and as we become fully embedded in the holiday season it’s fitting that this week sees the release of 2024’s 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special, a self-contained 48-page issue that’s the ideal accompaniment to your vacation travels, which features some of your favourite characters from the pages of the GGC. Or does it…?

For this year’s summer special has some rather unusual variations on the standard line-up, plucked from an alternate reality when the strips fell through a nearby interdimensional wormhole. In that universe, top cop in MC-1 is Judge Alpha, a mutant given Special Dispensation to enforce the law; alongside him you’ll find the Robo-Sharks, a pair of stone-cold guns-for-hire that hunt missing or malfunctioning droids, undead aeroball team the Harlem Zombos, dread pirate captain Stickleback, and wanted Search/Destroy agent Friday otherwise known as the Rogue/Dog.

It’s the mash-up to end all mash-ups — don’t miss it! Meanwhile, this prog contains the double-length final episode of the Proteus Vex saga — an alien extravaganza unlike any other!

2000 AD Prog 2389 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: Toby Willsmer

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: Richard Elson / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // THE BAM-HUNTERS, Part One

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, with the irradiated Cursed Earth to the west and the toxic Black Atlantic on the eastern side. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Twelve

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: Geoffrey D. Wessel / Art: Dan Cornwell /Colours: Chris Blythe / Letters: Jim Campbell

ROGUE TROOPER // SOUTHER BELLE, Part Four

Nu Earth, site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, where the atmosphere has been rendered poisonous. So the Southers created the Genetic Infantrymen, bred to be immune to the pollutants — G.I.s like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind. Together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, they’re searching for the traitor that sold them out. Now, they’re seeking to save a G.I. ‘Doll’…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Fifteen

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex has been presumed dead, but he’s alive…

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Fatal Extraction! 2000 AD Prog 2388 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2388 is OUT NOW!

Gaze upon me, The Mighty Tharg, for I am the bringer of Thrill-power — let it sizzle your optics!

Welcome once again, my Squaxx, to another weekly circuit-smasher, where the zarjazosity explodes from the page and frazzles your senses. Two new stories join the line-up this prog — there’s a complete Dredd thriller from the Niemand and McCrea droids, and I publish the winning story from Thought Bubble script and portfolio competition victors Ed Whiting and Sinu Chandrasenan, the chilling Terror Tale The Essence of the Piece.

Elsewhere, there’s more unsettling intrigue in Brink, high-octane mayhem in Rogue Trooper, and deep-space drama Proteus Vex reaches its penultimate episode — be here in seven for the scrotnig double-length finale!

If you experienced a rumbling in the galactic firmament recently, it’s no doubt because of the wormhole that opened in your star system the other day. Amongst the objects that tumbled through from a parallel dimension were pages from a version of 2000 AD that exists there. So curious was I about them that I’ve decided to publish them in this year’s Sci-Fi Special. Look out for it on 3 July and prepare to be amazed!

2000 AD Prog 2388 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: Andy Clarke

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: John McCrea / Colours: Mike Spicer / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // RADICALISED

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, with the irradiated Cursed Earth to the west and the toxic Black Atlantic on the eastern side. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Eleven

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: Geoffrey D. Wessel / Art: Dan Cornwell /Colours: Chris Blythe / Letters: Jim Campbell

ROGUE TROOPER // SOUTHER BELLE, Part Three

Nu Earth, site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, where the atmosphere has been rendered poisonous. So the Southers created the Genetic Infantrymen, bred to be immune to the pollutants — G.I.s like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind. Together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, they’re searching for the traitor that sold them out. Now, they’re seeking to save a G.I. ‘Doll’…


Script: Arthur Wyatt / Art & Letters: Pye Parr

TERROR TALES // THE ESSENCE OF THE PIECE

Experience the terrifying side of Thrill-power with these one-off tales from beyond the veil of sanity. Whether they be ghostly goings-on that send shivers up the spine or splatterfests that sear the retina and paralyse the mind, nothing is what it seems in these glimpses of a realm beyond our own. The artist Anagram’s pieces are struggling to sell at auction and her agent Jacob is becoming dangerously frustrated…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Fourteen

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex has been presumed dead, but he’s alive…

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War is Declared! 2000 AD and Judge Dredd Megazine Cross Over For “Nordland Rising”

War Has Been Declared!

This September, the Nort Army are setting out to conquer the 2000 AD Multiverse – and it’s going to take some unlikely allies to stop them!

The massive crossover event story Nordland Rising will see Rogue Trooper’s oldest enemies invade multiple different storylines from across 2000 AD’s history, as they take on Judge Dredd, Bad Company, Fiends of the Eastern Front, The VCs and more. Spread across 2000 AD Prog 2400 and Judge Dredd Megazine 472, this is an all-out action assault – and The Norts aren’t taking any prisoners!

Featuring stories from Ken Niemand, John McCrea, Peter Milligan, Ian Edginton, Nick Percival, Dan Abnett, Gordon Rennie, Simon Coleby, and more, Nordland Rising will see the return of familiar faces including Jaegir and Major Eazy as the War begins in 2000 AD and then crosses over for the epic climax in Judge Dredd Megazine. With both issues out on the 18th September, readers will be able to read the whole saga in one go – a veritable overdose of Thrill-power!

This is a great way to jump onboard 2000 AD for the first time and get a blast of action from some of The Galaxy’s Greatest writers and artists. Easily accessible for new readers – but packed with surprises for long-term fans – the crossover will then be followed by 2000 AD Prog 2401: a jump-on issue featuring the return of Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard on Rogue Trooper; the follow up to Judge Dredd: A Better World from Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt and Jake Lynch, and the return of fan-favourite series The Out for an all-new run!

Nordland Rising will begin in 2000 AD 2400 on the 18th September, and conclude the same day in Judge Dredd Megazine 472. Make sure to grab both halves of the story, Earthlets!

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2000 AD Prog 2387 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2387 is OUT NOW!

Call me Tharg The Mighty, ebullient emerald editor of this awe-inspiring SF anthology!

Welcome back to your weekly Thrill-storm, my Squaxx, where my droids and I do our utmost to expand your imaginations and pummel your senses through the graphic medium of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic. This prog contains the ghafflebette finales to both Judge Dredd chiller Iron Teeth and micro-actioner Intestinauts, while Proteus Vex builds towards its epic series climax in a fortnight’s time!

If such zarjazness isn’t enough for you Terrans, then you can also pick up Judge Dredd Megazine 469, which is on sale right now. Not only does it contain a pair of brand-new Dredd stories in the shape of Hard Copy by Alec Worley & Ben Willsher and the Mega-City 2099 one-off The Cuckoos by Ken Niemand & Conor Boyle, not only do you also get the latest instalments of Dreadnoughts, Harrower Squad and Armitage, but from this issue there’s two additional strips joining the mix! Relocating from the Regened stable, Pandora Perfect by Roger Langridge & Gary Welsh and Dept K by Ned Hartley & Mike Walters kick off an all-ages strand in the Meg — all for no extra groats!

2000 AD Prog 2387 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: Nick Percival

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: Nick Percival / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // IRON TEETH, Part Six

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a band of juves have headed into the Undercity to seek an mythical monster and Dredd’s in pursuit…


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Ten

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: Geoffrey D. Wessel / Art: Dan Cornwell /Colours: Chris Blythe / Letters: Jim Campbell

ROGUE TROOPER // SOUTHER BELLE, Part Two

Nu Earth, site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, where the atmosphere has been rendered poisonous. So the Southers created the Genetic Infantrymen, bred to be immune to the pollutants — G.I.s like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind. Together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, they’re searching for the traitor that sold them out. Now, they’re seeking to save a G.I. ‘Doll’…


Script: Arthur Wyatt / Art & Letters: Pye Parr

INTESTINAUTS // BUSTED FLUSH, Part Six

For stomach upsets, future tech has developed nano-robots called INTESTINAUTS, who fight parasites in the gut. These micro-droids are ingested orally, then once their battle against the various horrors that can be found in the stomach is over, they take the Big Flush, ready to be uploaded back to headquarters. Now, the lab has been compromised, and they’ve battled the terrifying Omega-Genocide-Four…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Thirteen

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex has been presumed dead, but he’s alive…

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How To Take Part in 2000 AD’s Writer and Artist Talent Searches at Thought Bubble 2024

The 2000 AD writer and artist talent searches return for Thought Bubble 2024!

Do you have what it takes to be a 2000 AD creator?

The 2000 AD talent search is BACK at Thought Bubble Comic Convention 2024! The search for the next generation of talent offers the prize of paid work with 2000 AD, where legendary creators such as Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Jock, Brian Bolland, Frazer Irving, Charlie Adlard, and many more got their big break.

Previous winners like Rory McConville, Laura Bailey and Will Morris have all gone to regular work with the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and beyond – and you could be joining them! Whether you’re into sci-fi, horror, fantasy or anything in between: everyone is welcome, and we’re especially looking for pitches from women and creators from marginalised communities.

Click the link below to find full details of how to enter – for writers, we’re looking for you to bring a pitch to the 2000 AD booth ahead of the judging session on Saturday 16th November; while for artists we have a trial Future Shocks comic script from the fantastic Ned Hartley for you to download and pencil, before bringing to our booth ahead of the judging session on Sunday 17th November.

Good luck, Earthlets!

Read the full competition details and terms & conditions here!

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2000 AD Prog 2386 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2386 is OUT NOW!

Call me The Mighty Tharg, the being from Betelgeuse, who brings you galactic Thrill-power!

Welcome, my Squaxx, to the second bumper prog of 2024 — these 48-page issues allow me to include extra stories alongside the ongoing series and also provide a venue for the launch of brand-new strips. Within these Thrill-packed pages, you’ll find the latest instalments of Judge Dredd, Proteus Vex, Brink and Intestinauts as well as the start of a scrotnig new Rogue Trooper thriller Souther Belle from writer Geoffrey D. Wessel and artist Dan Cornwell. Add to that there’s also two complete stories — the Future Shock Happy Wife from Laura Bailey and Stewart K. Moore, and Gemma Sheldrake provides an unsettling horror-western tale in The Lord Provides!

The extra sixteen pages of content inevitably means there’s a rise in the cover price for these progs but if you take out a subscription there’ll be no additional cost within your monthly or annual sub. As well as having the convenience of your issues delivered direct to your door, subscribers also receive zarjaz free gifts and have access to exclusive offers over at 2000AD.com. Head there right now and push the button on a sub today!

2000 AD Prog 2386 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: John McCrea and Jack Davies

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: Nick Percival / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // IRON TEETH, Part Five

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a band of juves have headed into the Undercity to seek an mythical monster and Dredd’s in pursuit…


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Nine

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: Geoffrey D. Wessel / Art: Dan Cornwell /Colours: Chris Blythe / Letters: Jim Campbell

ROGUE TROOPER // SOUTHER BELLE, Part One

Nu Earth, site of a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers, where use of chemical weapons has rendered the atmosphere poisonous. So the Southers created the Genetic Infantrymen, bred to be immune to the planet’s pollutants — G.I.s like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind. Together with biochip buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, they’re searching for the traitor that sold them out…


Script: Gemma Sheldrake / Art: Petite Creme / Letters: Jim Campbell

THE LORD PROVIDES

Nevada, 1833, and a young preacher arrives at an isolated mid-western town to replace the former priest, who has taken unwell. Although the town is recovering from a meteor shower that destroyed several buildings and blocked roads, the people seem strangely upbeat and unconcerned. Resources have also taken a hit, and yet no one appears to be going hungry…


Script: Arthur Wyatt / Art & Letters: Pye Parr

INTESTINAUTS // BUSTED FLUSH, Part Five

For stomach upsets, future tech has developed nano-robots called INTESTINAUTS, who fight parasites in the gut. These micro-droids are ingested orally, then once their battle against the various horrors that can be found in the stomach is over, they take the Big Flush, ready to be uploaded back to headquarters. Now, the lab has been compromised, and they’ve battled the terrifying Omega-Genocide-Four…


Script: Laura Bailey / Art: Stewart K. Moore / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

FUTURE SHOCK // HAPPY WIFE

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…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Twelve

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex has been presumed dead, but he’s alive…

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2000 AD Prog 2385 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2385 is OUT NOW!

Weep with joy and buckle your diodes — I am The Mighty Tharg and I bring you Thrill-power!

We surge into summer like a squad of Intestinauts falling upon a bacterial cluster in your upper colon — June is upon us and the Thrills are hot, hot, hot! Dredd edges closer to a confrontation with the Undercity entity known as Iron Teeth; Kurtis and Lind wrestle sigils in Brink; the net is closing in on Proteus Vex; the microbial cover stars come face to cerebellum with the mysterious Dr Globulon; and 3riller Blue Skies Over Deadwick reaches its explosive finale. All in all, another packed prog of searing sci-fi to fry your imaginations!

I expect many of you Squaxx picture the Command Module to be a dark and gritty environment, in which stories of anti-heroes battling hostile worlds are conjured into being — and, to be fair, it is ninety per cent of the time like that — but here at Thrill-Central we’re not averse to a little romance, which is why my droids have been working hard on a new Kickstarter project that sees the return of classic title Roxy as an eighty-page special.

The crowd-funding launches this month — check it out, Terrans!

2000 AD Prog 2385 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: PJ Holden and Pye Parr

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: Nick Percival / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // IRON TEETH, Part Four

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a band of juves have headed into the Undercity to seek an mythical monster and Dredd’s in pursuit…


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Eight

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: David Baillie / Art: Nick Brokenshire / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

THARG’S 3RILLERS // BLUE SKIES OVER DEADWICK, Part Three

Three episodes, one complete, self-contained story — a condensed hit of super-charged Thrill-power beamed to you directly from the Nerve Centre! Earth, the far future. The settlement of Deadwick, last refuge of the humans, is under constant assault from gigantic robots, and to defeat them they must be climbed and their brains deactivated. But still the mechanoids come, under the mysterious direction of an unknown entity…


Script: Arthur Wyatt / Art & Letters: Pye Parr

INTESTINAUTS // BUSTED FLUSH, Part Four

For stomach upsets, future tech has developed nano-robots called INTESTINAUTS, who fight parasites in the gut. These micro-droids are ingested orally, then once their battle against the various horrors that can be found in the stomach is over, they take the Big Flush, ready to be uploaded back to headquarters. Now, the lab has been compromised, and they face the terrifying Omega-Genocide-Four…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Eleven

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex has been presumed dead, but he’s alive…

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Interview: Nick Percival talks all things Iron Teeth & his ‘Classically Grotesque’ art.

Time for a chat with the artist hell-bent on bringing some of the deep, dark horrors back to the world of Dredd – Nick Percival.

Nick’s latest dark dive on Dredd, Iron Teeth, written by Ken Niemand, is running in 2000 AD right now and we’re already up to episode 3 in Prog 2384, out right now! It’s classic lone Dredd, venturing into the Undercity after a group of juves who’ve got some dumb idea about confronting one of MC-1’s urban legends, the mysterious and mythical Iron Teeth. Their problem, and now Dredd’s problem, is that there’s nothing mythical about this particular urban legend. Iron Teeth is very, very real and very, very dangerous.

Nick, lovely to talk to you. How the devil are you?

NICK PERCIVAL: Bloody tired to be honest – but of course, living the dream creating those comic books!

Your new Judge Dredd series with Ken Niemand, Iron Teeth, began in Prog 2382 and it’s turning into a great Dredd horror, the classic Dredd against the monster, having to do it all on his own. Can you give us your idea of just what Iron Teeth is all about?

NP: It’s a full-on horror strip which was something I was keen to do. It focuses on Dredd searching for some missing juves that have gone on a quest to find the sinister creature known as ‘Iron Teeth‘ – an urban legend if you will  – he’s a supernatural being, living deep underground beneath Mega City who preys on children foolish enough to wander into his lair.

It’s classic visual horror – all dark shadows, things hiding in the dark, limited light sources and so on with a great, creepy slow build written by Ken.

This runs for just six parts but we have an extended final episode and it intentionally doesn’t end cleanly -we’re setting up some cool spooky stuff that’ll pay off in the future.

From Iron Teeth part 1 (Prog 2382 – introducing the legend of Iron Teeth

When did you come on board for Iron Teeth?

NP: I was finishing up on the Dark Judges and after nearly 400 pages of those guys, I was looking for something new and was already thinking about some possible horror-related things I could do next for the House of Tharg. This was around the end of 2023, I think.

So that led into you and Ken working together on The House On Bleaker Street (Progs 2247-2249) Was it always the plan to work together again and was it a case of you and Ken working this one up together after Bleaker Street had finished?

NP: Oh yeah, we wanted to work together again after Bleaker Street – we’d been meaning to work together before that and at one point I was going to be involved doing some of the Zombie Dredd stuff in the first 2000AD/Megazine crossover event a while back – I did get to paint the cover art for the Megazine issue at least, which was good fun. I also illustrated his Dredd script for the most recent 2000AD/Battle Action crossover last year, so we’re getting to know each other better from a work point of view.

We’d been messaging back and forth about what to do next and wanted to expand the horror/supernatural side of Dredd’s world, which we’d started to dip our toes into with the Bleaker Street story and Iron Teeth kind of grew out of that.

From The House On Bleaker Street – Prog 2248 – the place Niemand and Percival first took us down deep into the Undercity’s horrors

In Iron Teeth you really up the ante by making it all about Dredd alone with just a group of MC-1 juves for company in the underworld beneath the city – no other Judges, it’s just Dredd versus the monster under the city.

NP: I do love stories that take Dredd a bit out of his comfort zone and see him isolated, not being able to rely on tech or other judges, which is perfect for supernatural-themed stories.

It’s a good change of pace for me with the limited cast of characters, since working on the Dark Judges stories felt like doing a team book like the X-Men or something -it had a very large cast which can be very draining to do on a regular basis.

In your Covers Uncovered for Prog 2382, you mentioned that you and Ken had talked about the film ‘Stand By Me’ as a starting point. It’s one of the great films of its time and one of the few really great Stephen King adaptations. Are you a fan or was it just that you and Ken figured there was a way to transpose the themes and tone into Dredd?

NP: I’m a big fan of that film (and the original story) but the main influence we took from it was the dynamic of the four kids and maybe a couple of visual ticks here and there. I wanted each kid to be distinctive both in physicality and personality which was all there in Ken’s scripts from the start.

I know that for Ken, the biggest influence came from Scottish folklore, particularly the story of the Gorbals Vampire, “In September 1954 in Gorbals, Glasgow, rumours had spread among the school children of a terrible, 7-foot tall vampire with iron teeth. Rumour had it that this vampire had kidnapped and murdered two young boys and feasted on their corpses. Despite the adults and the police trying to calm the hysteria, the children decided that action had to be taken to bring this terrible ‘Gorbals Vampire’ to justice.” – I found that fascinating and it really set the tone for what we were going to do with the series.

First look at a monster in part 1 of Iron Teeth (Prog 2382)

As far as the titular monster of Iron Teeth is concerned, where did the idea for the imagery of him come from and what was your thinking when creating the new character?

NP: We talked a little bit about Nosferatu (one of my favourite films and movie monsters), so I wanted to lean heavily on that but also adding a few modern horror elements – things like the Slender Man, the creature from Sinister and so on but with a twist and putting my own visual spin on everything.

I also imagined him somewhat spider-like, crawling around his lair, all gangly limbs and wild hair. I worked up a teaser painting first, just to demonstrate the kind of style and tone I was going for which was ultimately used as a pin-up to promote the story.

Nick’s teaser painting for Iron Teeth to give an idea of the style and tone

You’re certainly well-known for bringing a horror element to the Dreddverse, most notably with your Dark Judges saga (written by John Wagner and then David Hine) that recently finished in the Megazine. But here and in The House on Bleaker Street you’ve brought the horror to Dredd right in his back yard.

NP: Yeah, it’s something I really wanted to do and would want to continue. It’s nice sometimes to move away from some of the sci-fi slickness of the Mega City and delve a bit deeper into the darker and hidden, grisly places that maybe the Judges don’t know too much about. I’m more than happy to be typecast as the horror guy for sure.

Oh yes, Nick Percival – Horror Guy. You should have that on your business cards!

A perfect example of Nick Percival – Horror Guy – the big Iron Teeth moment from episode 2 (Prog 2383)
– all done with a page-turning break to really make it the equivalent of a jump scare.

It’s something that’s hard-coded in the DNA of Dredd right from the start – whether it’s the horrors of the world Dredd exists in or, as here, the horrors that exist in Dredd’s world, all those insanely dark things that come up from the depths, that sort of thing.

Indeed, going back to that Covers Uncovered for Prog 2382, you talk about how you and Ken are not only linking this one back to Bleaker Street and how it is all part of a plan to ‘expand the horror side of Dredd’s world and are sowing some dark and crusty seeds that will hopefully pay off down the line.’

So first of all, do you fancy sharing just how you’re going to link it into Bleaker Street – we doubt you will, but hey, always good to ask!!

NP: Ha. Well, since the series is still running I can’t give too much away but obviously we’re back underground again in areas of the Undercity (and we go even deeper this time) but things do link up and there’s a nice reveal on the very final page that might get fans talking. You’ll see from that, we’ve been playing the long game and there’ll be many more horrors to come…

Bleaker Street was about the horror of the dispossessed in MC-1 after Necropolis and how the city lets its Cits down way too often. Oh, and it was about something damn nasty in there as well. Could it be that the nastiness that infected Bleaker Street is bubbling up in the underworld of Iron Teeth?

NP: It’s linked in some ways but a lot of this is deep-rooted in horror much older than Necropolis. I can say no more.

Tight-lipped art droids living in fear of Tharg… no fun!

More of Nick Percival – Horror Guy – Iron Teeth part 3 (Prog 2384)

As far as expanding the horror side of Dredd – do tell! How far have the plans got so far? Anything concrete, anything big and juicy you can tell us about?

NP: Ken and I were talking throughout Iron Teeth about what would come next. It’s crazy but in Part 3 of this story, you’ll see some new horror/supernatural elements that we just throw out there and any one of them could easily link into their own series, so we’re doing some new horror world-building with this.

But yeah, we know what comes next and if The Mighty One is game, we’re ready to start scaring folks once again. I have some seriously dark stuff ready that will make Iron Teeth look like Aunt May, so I’m good to go. The response I’ve had back just from the first two episodes has been fantastic, so it does seem that most people are liking it and hopefully we can do more.

Yep, across a couple of pages of part 3, I reckon you’ve got the makings of any number of new horror Dredds exploring the folklore of the Undercity!

One of the pages from Iron Teeth Part 3 in Prog 2384 where Niemand and Percival show us Undercity folklore

Now, I’ve long described your art as beautifully grotesque. Would you be happy with that as a shorthand for your art or can you think of something you like more?

NP: Grotesque is fine, I guess – I do like classical horror rather than out-and-out gore, though. It’s the things hiding in the dark, the strange creatures and disturbing narratives that I think make the perfect package. So… Classically Grotesque, maybe…?

Classically grotesque it is! That’s perfect!

And presumably, given the classically grotesque horror of your art, horror’s been something you’ve been interested in for a long time?

NP: I’ve always been a horror fan since I was a kid, I have a huge horror collection (many life-size busts of the Frankenstein Monster, Nosferatu, etc) – my house and studio are like mini horror museums with the amount of collectables on display – I’m trying to compete with Guillermo del Toro but I have a very understanding wife who puts up with all this! I love the Universal Monsters, old pre-code horror films through to the modern stuff, when it’s done well. The 50s EC horror comics, 70s Marvel (Tomb Of Dracula, Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, etc.) the old Warren horror mags – the list goes on and on. I just absorbed it all and still go back to it regularly for inspiration

As long as it’s a good story with good characters, then I’m always interested. As an artist you spend so many hours at the drawing board that it has to be stuff that you’re into to produce good work and not go mad!

More from part 3 of Iron Teeth, more of that Undercity folklore, and more of the incredible detail Percival gets into every page

As for your art in general, how would you describe what you do and how has your art developed over the years?

NP: I got my first professional work when I was pretty young (19 years old), so even though I’d been drawing comics since I was a kid, I basically developed through my published work, so was learning the craft in public, so to speak. It was a trial-by-fire learning curve with all your novice mistakes there forever for everyone to see, unfortunately. Can’t do anything about that but it’s all a process and shaped me into the artist I am today.

I think I’ve finally got the hang of it, maybe. I suppose the biggest artistic evolution was going from using traditional paints to painting digitally but ultimately, the technique and thoughts behind it are all the same.

Again, in that Covers Uncovered you did for Prog 2382, you said this about your art – ‘I wanted to experiment a little more with my style, getting a bit more scratchy and raw in places, rather than keeping everything super slick’. So what was the impetus for making that change in your art and are you satisfied with the results here?

NP: Yeah, I wanted to get a bit looser and not as tight and slick in the imagery. I’m getting there but it’s a slow process since I don’t want to shock people with an instant, radially different style from what I’m known for. It has to be gradual and has to work for the story I’m working on at the time, not just for the sake of it.

Some of the changes are slight and may only really be noticeable to me. I’m working a few things into the Iron Teeth work and the teaser image had more elements of that. When I finally move over to just drawing stick men, then I’ll be sorted but I’m not sure how pleased Tharg would be!

I would say, however, that if you really want to see how the art was intended to look, you need to pick up the digital versions of the comics as well. So much of the detail and subtle colour work is lost on the printed page (I’d say a good 40%), which is always a huge pain when you’ve put so much effort and time into the pages (especially with painted art). It can be quite disheartening seeing it in print sometimes but I’m used to it and at least we do have digital copies now that are nearly perfect. Buy both – keep those sales up!

Oh absolutely – it’s one thing that is such a highlight when looking at your work in digital, the ability to zoom in to see absolutely everything you put on every page. Like this, a blow-up from that last page we showed from page 3 of Iron Teeth

For something new like Iron Teeth, does it all start off with talking to the writer and seeing what sort of visual vibe you’re picking up for the piece?

NP: When Ken sends me his ideas and influences we always tend to be in agreement. I may come back with some other film or art references and so on, just to to indicate some the visual mood and tone we could go for. I do tend think cinematically with my art in regards to lighting, textures, framing, etc but the storytelling and pacing is all good comics.

Dredd’s always Dredd no matter what environment he’s in or what genre of story you’re working on which is useful, since you know where you are at all times. We may beat him up, maim him and fuck up his uniform now and again but he’s always so rock solid and consistent.

For me, as an artist it’s more working on things like the metallic effects, visor reflections and so on -just little stuff that keeps him interesting to illustrate. I never get bored of painting a big close-up of his grumpy old face.

Is there plenty of sketching and drafting of characters and the like to get into the right place prior to actually sitting down for the very first page of script?

NP: I don’t do a lot of prep work, since I don’t have the time and deadlines can be tight. I also like to keep things fresh, so I don’t bore myself by doing a ton of sketch work before hand – you’ve seen how loose my cover roughs are.

To give you an idea of Nick’s loose roughs are compared with his finished digital paints, he sent over some pages from Iron Teeth (small versions here, but we’ll show you them in all their glory below).

First, Nick’s very rough roughs and very polished finished pages – Iron Teeth Part 2, page 1 above and page 5 below (Prog 2383)…

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NP: If it’s something super important, I may try out a few things but with something like Iron Teeth, the creature felt fully formed right from the start, so I knew what I wanted to do. For each page, I will create thumbnail layouts before getting to tighter pencils just so I know where I’m going and to check that the storytelling all flows but that’s about it.

And once you do sit down to start, what media do you work in – what’s the breakdown of physical – pen on paper – stuff to working digitally now?

NP: Each page is still pencilled traditionally – pencils on paper – and then scanned in to be painted digitally.

Again, you talked about the colour palette you used in Iron Teeth starting as very cool and slowly becoming hotter as the story goes on. What was the thinking behind this choice?

NP: I wanted to experiment more with the colours and use them creatively to help with the storytelling and to draw focus to certain things. It helps that my work is fully painted, so there’s a lot you can do with shades, colour values, textures, FX and so on.

The palette is much cooler at the beginning – lots of blues, sombre shades to reflect the mood of the story. When the kids are exploring, we’ve also got very limited light sources from their torches, so I wanted to reflect that -the same with Dredd and the droid using his light beam – a little bit like the movie, ‘The Decent’, where when they’re underground, the helmet lights were the only source of illumination.

Obviously, I cheat in few places for dramatic effect (artistic licence) but I wanted to keep it pretty consistent. As the story progresses and the danger increases where we slowly introduce Iron Teeth, we move into hotter colours – reds and hot yellows, especially in his lair.

Yep, we saw the cooler palette in the pages you sent over from part 2, and here we have pages 4 and 5 from part 3 (Prog 2384), where the palette’s changing and things are really hotting up…

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NP: When we’ve got these colours in play, Dredd stands out because of his blue/black uniform, signifying he’s an intruder and shouldn’t be there. It’s all a bit ‘A’ level art wanky colour theory but there you go. I never did finish my art ‘A’ level anyway, so what do I know?

Now, nearly at the end, but a fun one for you – if there’s one 2000 AD strip or character you’ve always fancied doing, how about pitching something to our lord and master, the Mighty one himself?

NP: I was asked this recently and I mentioned a horror Rogue Trooper series could be good fun and I always loved the old Harry Twenty series. I did have ideas for a Dark Knight Returns style Leopard From Lime Street series and even got close to doing a teaser painting, but then the character made his comeback elsewhere. There are some other series ideas knocking about that are in the early stages and Dredd of course, so hopefully much more to come.

Oh yes, horror Rogue would be a blast and the DKR-style Leopard From Lime Street – well we just had to ask Nick if we could see that one and here it is…

That’s definitely not the Billy Farmer we all know and love! Who knows, maybe there could be some Treasury Of British Comics alt-universe title some time and you could dust off the idea!

Nick, you’ve presumably finished with Iron Teeth now – or hopefully you have, Tharg can be a harsh master on those who turn in the art late – so can you let us know what to expect next and further down the line from you – both here at 2000 AD and elsewhere?

NP: Yep, Iron Teeth is all done and dusted. I’m just finishing off a strip for a new 2000AD later this year (combining two famous 2000 AD strips which has been fun) and I’m also busy pencilling out a cool Dredd one-off written by Mike Carroll – as well other stuff which we can’t talk about yet.

Elsewhere it’s some film concept and production art, commissions and the usual cover artwork amongst other stuff.

Hang on… which two famous 2000 AD strips?

Nick? Nick?

Oh dear. The spoiler alarms went off with just the barest mentions of a crossover and all I heard after that was something that sounded very much like multiple Rigelian hotshots and then screams of the Percival droid being taken away to face the wrath of TMO. Oops.

Dredd being Deredd – A sneak peek from next week’s Prog 2385 and Iron Teeth part 4

Thank you so much to Nick for taking the time to answer all that – hopefully Tharg will be merciful and not have you spending too much time in the special rooms reserved just for droids who give that little bit too much away!

You can find Judge Dredd: Iron Teeth running right now in the Prog – it began with Prog 2382 and will end in Prog 2387. It’s really a great horror Dredd and it sounds like Niemand and Percival are planning a lot more trips into the nightmares of MC-1 for the future.

We’ve plenty more from Nick here at 2000AD.com for your delights, more of that ‘classically grotesque’ and utterly gorgeous cover art in a load of Covers Uncovered pieces – starting off with the most recent, his intro to Iron Teeth on the wrapround cover of Prog 2382 and then the Covers Uncovered for the latest Prog 2384. After that, plenty of brilliance for Prog 2247Megazine 425Megazine 427Megazine 430Megazine 433Megazine 430Megazine 443Megazine 448Megazine 453Megazine 456, and Megazine 458.

As for interviews – Molch-R talked to David Hine and Nick all about the Dark Judges in the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast Lockdown Tapes here and we’ve interviewed Nick a few times, with David Hine discussing Dark Judges: Deliverance here and Dark Judges: Death Metal Planet here. And there’s a great chat with Nick about wrapping up the six years worth of work on the Dark Judges work here.   

Finally, here are the full-sized versions of Nick’s roughs and final versions of the pages we showed you in galleries through the interview…

Iron Teeth Part 2, page 1 (Prog 2383)…

Iron Teeth Part 2, page 5 (Prog 2383)…

Iron Teeth part 3, page 4 (Prog 2384)…

Iron Teeth part 3, page 5 (Prog 2384)…

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2000 AD Prog 2384 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2384 is OUT NOW!

I am The Mighty Tharg, all-powerful alien editor of this brain-sizzling soup of Thrill-power!

Indeed, the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic is much like a cauldron into which various ingredients are dropped and stirred, creating a flavoursome mix where the components complement each other and the result is a tasty stew of zarjazness.

Take, for example, the dark, bitter tang of Judge Dredd, smoky with menace as the lawman heads deeper into the Undercity in pursuit of the juves searching for the mythical monster Iron Teeth — its spine-tingling texture works perfectly with the dayglo sweetness of Intestinauts, that sugar underscored with notes of gut-bot. Then there’s the slow-burn unease of Brink, lingering on the palate long after the story is finished, its myriad elements revealing themselves over time, clashing with the oddball sprinkles of alien weirdness that Proteus Vex brings, sharp snaps that blossom in the imagination like synaptic fireworks.

Add to that the caffeine rush of the 3riller, superheated for maximum impact, and you hold in your hands quite the delicacy, carefully put together by this Betelgeusian chef and my minions. Consume with a favourite beverage, and enjoy, Terrans!

2000 AD Prog 2384 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: Nick Percival

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: Nick Percival / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // IRON TEETH, Part Three

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a band of juves have headed into the Undercity to seek an mythical monster and Dredd’s in pursuit…


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Seven

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: David Baillie / Art: Nick Brokenshire / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

THARG’S 3RILLERS // BLUE SKIES OVER DEADWICK, Part Two

Three episodes, one complete, self-contained story — a condensed hit of super-charged Thrill-power beamed to you directly from the Nerve Centre! Earth, the far future. The settlement of Deadwick, last refuge of the humans, is under constant assault from gigantic robots, and to defeat them they must be climbed and their brains deactivated. But still the mechanoids come, under the mysterious direction of an unknown entity…


Script: Arthur Wyatt / Art & Letters: Pye Parr

INTESTINAUTS // BUSTED FLUSH, Part Three

For stomach upsets, future tech has developed nano-robots called INTESTINAUTS, who fight parasites in the gut. These micro-droids are ingested orally, then once their battle against the various horrors that can be found in the stomach is over, they take the Big Flush, ready to be uploaded back to headquarters. Now, the lab has been compromised, and they face the terrifying Omega-Genocide-Four…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Ten

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex has been presumed dead, but he’s alive…

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2000 AD Prog 2383 out now!

ATTENTION, EARTHLETS – 2000 AD Prog 2383 is OUT NOW!

Call me The Mighty Tharg, Betelgeusian overlord at the helm of this awesome anthology!

This prog a new story joins the ghafflebette line-up of Judge Dredd, Brink, Proteus Vex and Intestinauts as script-droid David Baillie and artbot Nick Brokenshire collaborate on the latest 3riller to be fired from my Thrill-creation tank, Blue Skies Over Deadwick! Talking of blue skies, at the time of writing it looks like spring in the UK has finally arrived, and the incessant rain that marked April has at last ceased and been replaced by some warmer days.

It makes little difference to my creator-meks — they toil in their work-cubicles whatever the weather, and the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic is delivered onto the shuttles every week regardless — but even for a being from Quaxxann such as myself, spend enough time in the UK and you become involved in the national obsession.

If the Command Module had landed in a different country back in 1977, maybe I wouldn’t be as interested as the varying temperatures outside the Nerve Centre — but for a twist of the navi- comp, 2000 AD could be coming to you from the North Pole, and Judge Shako would be the lead character…

2000 AD Prog 2383 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!

DOWNLOAD THE APP >>

SUBSCRIBE NOW >>

GET COVER PRINTS >>


Cover Art: INJ Culbard

Script: Ken Niemand / Art: Nick Percival / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

JUDGE DREDD // IRON TEETH, Part Two

Mega-City One, 2146 AD. Home to over 200 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, a band of juves have headed into the Undercity to seek an mythical monster…


Script: Dan Abnett / Art: INJ Culbard / Letters: Simon Bowland

BRINK // CONSUMED, Part Six

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. But life on these cramped, overcrowded stations is tense, often spilling over into madness. Sects are rife, and Bridget Kurtis of the Habitat Security Division is investigating their reach…


Script: David Baillie / Art: Nick Brokenshire / Letters: Annie Parkhouse

THARG’S 3RILLERS // BLUE SKIES OVER DEADWICK, Part One

Three episodes, one complete, self-contained story — a condensed hit of super-charged Thrill-power beamed to you directly from the Nerve Centre! Earth, the far future. Three climbers have been tasked with an important mission, one that cannot afford to fail. They have heard the rumble, and so must make the arduous, dangerous ascent if they are to save their settlement of Deadwick…


Script: Arthur Wyatt / Art & Letters: Pye Parr

INTESTINAUTS // BUSTED FLUSH, Part Two

For stomach upsets, future tech has developed nano-robots called INTESTINAUTS, who fight parasites in the gut. These micro-droids are ingested orally, then once their battle against the various horrors that can be found in the stomach is over, they take the Big Flush, ready to be uploaded back to headquarters. Now, the lab has been compromised, and they face the terrifying Omega-Genocide-Four…


Script: Mike Carroll / Art: Jake Lynch / Colours: Jim Boswell / Letters: Simon Bowland

PROTEUS VEX // DEVIOUS, Part Nine

The far future. The centuries-long war between the Alliance and the Obdurate people is over, a conflict ended when the Alliance teleported a dying white dwarf star into the Obdurate system. Imperium agent PROTEUS VEX — who is operated by a flesh-pilot — became an enemy of the Alliance when he released info about past war crimes. In the wake of the war with the Scorchers, Vex is missing, presumed dead…