What a weekend! The 2000 AD droids have only just recovered from the best Thought Bubble yet!
Held amid the genteel tearooms and healing spa waters of Harrogate, Thought Bubble is the annual celebration of the comics medium – and this year was bigger and better than ever. As well as expanding the show floor and selling out of tickets, the show featured many of Tharg’s greatest creators, plus gave prospective droids that chance to get work with the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic!
Virtually cleared out of books over the course of the weekend, the 2000 AD booth was brimming with the best collections and comics in the universe and, hosted by PR droid Steve Morris, the 2000 AD panel featured two veteran and two brand creators – Judge Dredd artists Mick McMahon and Silvia Califano, Judge Dredd and Proteus Vex writer Michael Carroll, and the winner of last year’s Thought Bubble talent search competition, Sinu Senan.
Scream editor Chiara Mestieri, artist Silvia Califano, artist Sinu Senan, writer Michael Carroll & artist Mick McMahon
And once again, Thought bubble played host to the famous (infamous?) talent searches. The prize – paid work with 2000 AD! This year there were an incredible 38 entrants for the script competition, would-be writers vying for the chance to get just two minutes to pitch their idea for a Future Shock to a top panel of creative talent – writers Ned Hartley, Rob Williams, and former script competition winner Laura Bailey – in front of a live audience!
After subjecting ten randomly-selected entrants to the nerve-wracking experience, the judges chose Evie Roebuck as the winner! She’ll now work with 2000 AD editor Matt Smithy to turn her idea into a fully-fledged script that will appear in a future issue of 2000 AD.
Panel judges (from left to right) Ned Hartley, Rob Williams & Laura Bailey with script competition winner Evie Roebuck (second from right)
The art competition was no less hotly contested, with six entrants selected by 2000 AD graphic novel editor Oliver Pickles to go through to the final panel, with artists Jock, Alison Sampson, and DaNi on the judging panel. All the entrants had drawn the same story, and the panel gave them advice in front of a live audience.
And the winner chosen by the judges this year was Adam Stone!
But, for the first time, Tharg the Generous decreed that due to the incredibly high standard of this year’s entries a SECOND winner should be announced. The judges’ pick was Lucas McCoy, who at just 23-years-old is one of the youngest winners ever!
Congratulations to Adam and Lucas, and well done to all our finalists! The standard this year was incredibly high and the audience may well have witnessed the beginning of some illustrious careers!
The moon is high, the mists are settling, and the season for spine-chilling stories is upon us! We’re getting in the Halloween mood on the latest episode of the 2000 AD Thrill-Cast, as Molch-R and special guest Rosie Knight discuss the horrific, the monstrous, and the terrifying (and we’re not talking about Molch-R’s beard!), giving you the best recommendations for comics books about things that go bump in the night, specifically the most chilling 2000 AD collections but also our top tips for thrillers far and wide.
Don’t forget that you can download the 2000 AD app, where all our recommended titles from Rebellion can be found at the tap of a screen! Go to 2000ad.com/get-the-app/ and download now!
The titles Molch-R and Rosie recommend in this episode are:
The 2000 AD Thrill-Cast is the award-winning podcast that takes you behind-the-scenes at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic with creator interviews, panels, and more! You can subscribe to the Thrill-Cast on your favourite podcast app, including Apple, Spotify and all good podcast apps. You can also listen now at 2000AD.com/podcast or can watch at youtube.com/2000adonline
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The awards are given out each year at San Diego Comic Con, and recognise the outstanding works in comics and graphic novel publishing across the prior year.
Rebellion’s 2024 Eisner Award nominations are:
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books: The Ballad of Halo Jones Full Colour Omnibus Edition by Alan Moore, Ian Gibson and Barbara Nosenzo, edited by Olivia Hicks
Best Comics-Related Book:I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future by Michael Molcher
“We are thrilled to have two Eisner nominations this year,” said Ben Smith, Rebellion’s Head of Publishing. “The dedication and commitment behind these books from everyone who worked on them cannot be underplayed. Rebellion is exceptionally proud of the work we do to preserve, curate and contextualise the ongoing history of comics.”
“Both of these books show not just how important it is to give classics the best design and production treatment, but how Halo Jones and Judge Dredd are even richer when the reader can find the context in which they were first published alongside deep insight into the ongoing impact they have on readers and society at large. We are delighted for our nominees and for the creators whose work they illuminate.”
Rebellion look forward to celebrating alongside industry colleagues at Comic-Con International: San Diego in July. We would also like to congratulate Bryan Talbot, who will be inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame at this year’s ceremony.
If you would like to read copies of Rebellion’s Eisner-nominated releases, please contact your local comic shop. Graphic novels are also available to order via physical and digital bookstores and booksellers.
ABOUT THE EISNER AWARDS:
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comics world. Named for the pioneering comics creator and graphic novelist Will Eisner, the awards are given out in more than two dozen categories during a ceremony each year at Comic-Con International: San Diego. For more information about the Eisner Awards, visit the Eisner Awards page on the CCI website. Industry members seeking information on how to vote, fill out this form.
“True Detective in space, if True Detective was written by Philip K. Dick and fascinated by class struggle and labor issues while something ominously big — as in, disappearing planets, big — happens in the far reaches of space… feels like the promises of both Ridley Scott’s Alien and Prometheus fulfilled in ways he couldn’t have imagined” – The Hollywood Reporter
One of 2000 AD‘s most original and critically-acclaimed series, take a step into the brink of existence and madness with Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard‘s slowburn sci-fi horror series – available now in five stunning collections.
Earth has been abandoned, environmental collapse and industrial overload forcing mankind to evacuate the planet. Millions are now housed in floating habitats, the human race crammed into artificial worlds, living off synth food and nudge drugs to numb the anxiety of this crowded world on the edge of extinction. These pressure-cooker environments are hotbeds for crime and madness, policed by private security firms. When a routine drug bust goes wrong, no-nonsense Investigator Bridget Kurtis finds herself in a life or death struggle with a new sect of cultists. But evidence begins to point to something far more sinister going on behind the scenes…
Acclaimed by critics and fans alike, Abnett and Culbard have produced a series as full of tension, anxiety and mystery as the orbiting habitats mankind now calls home. A classic in the making, it’s not too late to jump onboard with one of comics’ greatest slowburn series…
“Prolific” doesn’t really seem to cover the career of writer Dan Abnett – from decades of writing for 2000 AD to his prominent work for Marvel UK, Marvel and DC, and bestselling novels for the Warhammer 40K universe, his career has been marked by both quantity and quality.
Dan returns to the The 2000 AD Thrill-Cast for a retrospective on his career (so far) and he talks to Molch-R about deadlines, managing creativity, slow-burn storytelling, the changing face of the industry, and coming up with endless puns.
The 2000 AD Thrill-Cast is the award-winning podcast that takes you behind-the-scenes at the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic with creator interviews, panels, and more! You can subscribe to the Thrill-Cast on your favourite podcast app, whether that is Apple, Google, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can also listen now at 2000AD.com/podcast or you can watch at youtube.com/2000adonline
* Get FREE COMICS when you subscribe to the 2000 AD newsletter: 2000ad.com/newsletter * Subscribe to the Thrill-Cast on Spotify: spoti.fi/2Six37I * Subscribe to the Thrill-Cast on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3wOvX1z
If you’re wanting to experience Chill-Power Overload this Halloween, 2000 AD have you covered, with a range of horrifying comics designed to get you hiding behind the sofa this October!
From the unsettling unease of Thistlebone though to the elevated horror of The Thirteenth Floor: The Return of Max, we have horror stories for every occasion! Whether you’re looking for supernatural suspense, ghoulish ghost stories, vampiric vignettes or something more down to Earth – and all the more horrifying for it – check out our list for some spine-tingling suggestions guaranteed to get you in the Halloween spirit!
And for even more suggestions as we approach The Midnight Hour, don’t miss our video on six 2000 AD comics every horror fan should read – all of which are available from our webshop and apps!
From the deepest, darkest recesses of the Nerve Centre vaults, the eerie alien editor of 2000 AD known as Tharg the Mighty presents the creepiest tales to ever grace the pages of the galaxy’s greatest Comic!
This fear-filled anthology introduces one-off stories full of ghosts, demons, mutants and killers and is thick with atmosphere, dark humour and mind-blowing twists. Written and illustrated by some of the biggest names in the comic book industry, this collection features strips by Mark Millar, Al Ewing, Simon Spurrier, Chris Weston, Richard Elson and Eric Bradbury amongst others.
Elevated Horror! Max, the A.I. superintendent of Maxwell Towers has found a kindred soul in one of his residents, a young, disturbed boy call Sam Bowers. Together they work to rid the building of all the ne’er do wells who lurk in the dark corridors of the block, luring them to the dreaded thirteenth floor. But this power has started to corrupt Sam, surprising even Max – and their activities have not gone unnoticed, as WPC Hester Benedict becomes more aware of the sinister events taking place at the building.
Okay, so it may not technically be a Tharg production, but no Halloween is complete without Misty!
In 1978 British comics were changed forever with the release of the classic cult horror comic for girls. Masterminded by Pat Mills, the original editor of 2000 AD, this weekly comic featured the best comics talent working on haunting, terrifying tales. From high 70s glamour to chilling stories that have haunted readers for decades, this Essential Collection curates the creepiest, campest Misty serials and short stories alongside critical essays, in a volume perfect for readers old and new.
After serving eight months at a Young Offenders Institution for arson, Shane Holt returns to his home on the Ravenglade Estate during a long, hot summer. Plagued by the ASBO generation, the estate has seen its fair share of problems but nothing comes close to the horror that lurks within Ted and Mary’s council home… From the extraordinary mind of John Smith (Devlin Waugh, Indigo Prime) with art by Edmund Bagwell (Tharg’s Future Shocks), this contemporary urban horror is guaranteed to deliver the chills!
Vatican exorcist, freelance paranormal investigator and altogether dashing rogue, Devlin Waugh is in the business of getting up close and extremely personal with the occult! This time he’ll have to rescue his debtor brother Freddy from a casino suspended over an unending interdimensional void, save Brit-Cit from a plague of mutagenic nightmare spores, and befriend a possessed demonic dildo, all while negotiating boyfriends ex- and current…
In March 2014, British comics lost one of its most creative and distinct voices in the form of Steve Moore. Inventor of the Future Shock, Steve created many other memorable comic book characters, including Axel Pressbutton and the psychotic Dalek killer, Abslom Daak and worked on such landmark publications as Sounds, Warrior and the Fortean Times. This collection features the highly-regarded fantasy series Tales of Telguuth which Moore developed and wrote for 2000 AD.
Midsommar meets The Wicker Man in this break-out original folk-horror series from the pages of 2000 AD! England, 2019. The secluded rural village of Harrowvale holds a dark past. Avril Eason escaped a cult that worshipped an ancient deity called THISTLEBONE – but can she ever truly escape the evil that stalks the woods? Presented in a large format hardcover edition showcasing the lush fully-painted colour artwork by world-renowned painter Simon Davis (Sláine), this first volume in an all-new series is a great jumping on point.
This month we’re celebrating 40 years since the first publication of Sláine in the pages of 2000 AD Prog 330. Created by Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid, the Celtric Barbarian is one of the most enduring characters in our history. But who is Sláine anyway? Here’s our ultimate guide into the Horned God, and his lasting legacy within the pages of The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic..
What exactly is Slaine?
A barbarian fantasy rooted in Celtic myths, fables, and history, the first Sláine strip appeared in 1983’s 2000 AD Prog 330, created by writer Pat Mills and his then-wife, illustrator Angie Kincaid. Inspired as much by the high fantasy of writers such as Robert E. Howard – whose Conan the Barbarian had already demonstrated the potential for comic book success of fantasy material – as real-life and mythical and figures, Sláine was named for the first high king of Ireland, Sláine mac Dela, although his adventures went further than historical re-enactments; Mills and Kincaid’s axe-swinging hero would face off against dragons and gods alike, fueled only by his righteous anger and ability to “warp spasm,” transforming himself into an unstoppable warrior monster.
An immediate hit with readers, the series quickly became a regular fixture of 2000 AD throughout the 1980s, with artists including Ace Trucking Company’s Massimo Bellarinelli, Judge Dredd’s Mike McMahon, and Preacher cover artist Glenn Fabry following Kincaid in subsequent runs, as Mills continually upped the ante in terms of adventure and mayhem told through a mythological lens. It was the epic 1989 Sláine: The Horned God run, which featured fully-painted artwork from ABC Warriors’ Simon Bisley, that transformed the strip’s fortunes forever, though; the combination of Bisley’s beautiful, Frank Frazetta-inspired artwork and Mills’ ambitious writing combining to create one of the most successful and critically acclaimed stories in 2000 AD’s history to date.
Even as The Horned God revolutionized what readers expected from 2000 AD as the anthology headed into the 1990s – Bisley’s painted artwork spawned countless imitators and followers, attempting to scale the same heights he’d seemingly effortlessly reached – it redefined what Sláine could achieve. Subsequent series, which featured painted and digital art from the likes of a returning Glenn Fabry, Clint Langley, Simon Davis, and — most recently — Leonardo Manco maintained the epic scope of what Bisley and Mills had managed, with Mills taking his warrior king deeper into Celtic myth and beyond.
At its best, Sláine offers something more than the traditional high-fantasy sword and sorcery stories that had become prevalent in comics before him: a foot in the door of real — and truly magical — mythology. Researched and molded by Mills to reflect genuine myth as well as the adventure and fantasy readers craved, Slaine finds itself nestled among the best when it comes to historical fantasy in comics history.
Sláine the character himself, however, has become far larger than just his creators…
What is Sláine about?
The saga of Sláine captures the stories of warring Celtic tribes and their people in Tir Nan Og — the ‘Land of the Young’; one of them being the Sessair, Sláine Mac Roth’s tribe that is as brutal in battle as they are unmatched — all of whom worship the earth Goddess Danu. Like many of his kind, Sláine possesses the power of the “warp spasm,” or the ability to channel the powers of the earth to become a monstrous, and wildly powerful berserker… a power that drives much of the tales of Sláine’s battle endeavors.
The stories themselves, however, are narrated by Sláine’s companion: a surly, cowardly dwarf by the name of Ukko. While Ukko is often a thorn in Slaine’s side, his recountings lay the groundwork for the Sláine we come to know: an arrogant but proficient warrior, whose banishment from his tribe – he is sent away as the result of his romance with the Sessair king’s wife to-be – would begin a series of adventures unlike any the world had ever seen before.
Not everything can be wandering and wildness though, as the land of Tir Nan Og is fraught with dangers, including dragons, mercenaries, and the wrath of a disappointed sacrificial maiden. Sláine eventually returns to Sessairian land to find his wife and lover, Niamh, the woman for whom he was banished, had given birth to his son Kai in his absence. Family life wasn’t the kind of thing to settle him down, however and Sláine becomes king of the Sessair and leads them to rise up against their oppressors, sea demons who call themselves the Fomorians (based on the supernatural race of Irish mythology). As if that revolution wasn’t enough, his victories continued as he soon united the Earth tribes against his primary foe, Lord Weird Slough Feg, whose reign of ancient evil has hovered like a cloud over his adventures. Upon Slough Feg’s death, Sláine’s devotion to the goddess of Earth leads him to become the new incarnation of the Horned God – a variation of Cernunnos in the Gaulish pantheon – and the first king of Ireland.
That wasn’t the end of the story, however; with a reign that ends with the Earth Goddess sending him traveling through time to fight alongside Celtic legends such as Boudicca and William Wallace, it should come as no surprise to discover that Sláine’s adventures didn’t simply stop when he became a god. From the search for his son and recovering treasure stolen by Slough Feg’s son to facing down a Trojan army and joining arms with a mind-altering druid, the saga of Sláine not only continues to surprise and ignite only the best of barbarian fantasies, but endures as a testament to the lasting Thrill-power in the art of mythical storytelling.
As part of 2000 AD‘s 45th birthday celebrations, graphic novel editor Oliver Pickles spoke with Pat Mills about the saga of Sláine, one of his most famous creations…
Newcomers lured into the historical, myth-filled lands of Sláine might be forgiven for being overwhelmed by the expansive fantasy realm of Tir-Nan-Og first created by Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid in 1983. Sláine is a vast and magical series filled with breath-taking art from visionary talents including Massimo Bellardinelli, Mick McMahon, and Simon Bisley. Where to start, though? If you’re wanting to slash and burn your way through time with the Celtic Barbarian, here are four collections which should have you fully immersed in Sláine’s world in no time!
This first collection, which features the first ten stories ever published for the strip, is essential reading when it comes to diving into the mythical world of Sláine.
Setting the stage for decades to come, Tir Nan Og (“the Land of the Young”) is a violent, malicious place where the Earth Tribes worship their gods and fight amongst each other. Among those tribes are the Sessair — the bravest and most skilled warriors of all of the tribes; but none so skilled as the young and arrogant barbarian by the name of Sláine MacRoth. This first collection sees Sláine, newly banished from the tribe, discovering the horrors of the world alongside his dwarf companion Ukko, including dragons, the wrath of a scorned druness, a burning wicker man, sky chariots, and the introduction of none other than the evil Lord Weird Slough Feg.
Written by Pat Mills and illustrated by a host of incredible and iconic artists (including Angie Kincaid, Ace Trucking Co.’s Massimo Bellardinelli, and The Last American’s Mick McMahon), the classic tales of Sláine’s origin not only offer a look back at the story’s humble beginning, but act as a cornerstone for everything awaiting down the line.
Above all else, Sláine: The Horned God is still, nearly 30 years later, regarded as one of the most impressive and masterful works of British comics — and for good reason! Fully painted by artist Simon Bisleyin a way that can only be described as awe-inspiringthrough a combination of kinetic photo-realism and exaggerated perspective, The Horned God has the wonderful benefit of standing alone in all its glory while not requiring its readers to have prior knowledge of the Sláine back catalogue.
Originally spanning three volumes, this Sláine collection is true fantasy from start to end, with Slaine first overcoming the Formian sea demons threatening Tir-Nan-Og and the Earth Goddess; only to face his greatest challenge that, if successful, would give him control of nature itself and become the new Horned God — a prominent figure among Gaulish and Irish mythology.
Far beyond the previous stories of fighting dragons or escaping death at the hands of a simple foe, The Horned God broadens the cast of Sláine characters — including its villains— into something larger than life and utterly engrossing. To say you should read The Horned God may be a misnomer, as many would agree that it’s not so much a book to be read, but one to be experienced.
Demon Killer sees Pat Mills taking Sláine in an entirely unexpected direction, as Earth Goddess Danu sends the hero through time to defend the future Tir-Nan-Og – or Ireland, as we know it – from the threat of Roman invasion, with his old foe Elfric leading the charge on behalf of Caesar. Reinventing the strip while maintaining the magic of what came before, Demon Killer is a bold step that broadens the definition of just what Sláine could be, even as it similarly expands the appeal of the strip to readers of all kinds.
Mills doesn’t manage this amazing trick alone, of course; he’s aided by a rogues gallery of some of 2000 AD’s greatest artists in the process, with Glenn Fabry, Dermot Power, Judge Dredd’s Greg Staples, and even V for Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd all providing breathtaking fully-painted artwork on this time-bending trip that rewrites history to make it that much more exciting – and far more filled with gods, demons, and axe-centric carnage, as well. Destruction on this kind of mythical scale has rarely looked better.
In a way that feels almost a little too timely, the collection of Sláine: Dragontamer is at heart a story about rebellion and pushing back against oppression. Delving into new parts of history previously left untapped within the ever-expanding Sláine universe, Mills continues to stretch the reign of Sláine across the European map in a way that feels like fierce and fantastical alternate folklore, made possible by artist Leonardo Manco, whose line-work and attention to detail brings dynamic new life to the stories of old.
Now facing off against the Trojans, it’s up to Sláine to lead the revolt against the tyrannical Emperor Brutus, whose rule over the people of Albion (which is to say, Britain) has gone on far too long. After traveling to New Troy with his companions and bringing the fight to Brutus’ door, Sláine discovers — after dealing with both fire breathing dragons and a dungeon filled with unspeakable secrets — that Brutus’ plague of terror is far worse than even he imagined.
When Sláine first appeared in 2000 AD Prog 330, who could have predicted the vast, time-travelling path the Horned God would carve his way through over the decades? Created by Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid (then-Mills) in 1983, with lettering from Tom Frame, “The Time Warrior” was the first of many Sláine adventures which would feature in The Galaxy’s Greatest.
As we continue to celebrate 40 years since Sláine first debuted, have some free thrills on us: here’s the whole of “The Time Warrior”, a mere prelude to the many years of bloodthirsty berserker action which were to follow!
