Nineteen years ago today, to publicise the forthcoming release of their ‘rom-zom-com’, Shaun of the Dead, writer and director Edgar Wright and writer and actor Simon Pegg penned a special tie-in comic that was published on this day!
There’s Something About Mary serves as a prequel to the critically-acclaim and BAFTA-nominated movie, which has since acquired a cult following. The story takes one of the minor characters from the beginning of the film, a young shop assistant called Mary played by Nicola Cunningham, and shows how she came to be one of the first of the undead horde that Shaun, played by Pegg, and Ed, played by Nick Frost, must battle to survive. In just a few pages, the comic shows how her story becomes interwoven with that of Shaun and eventually leads her to one of the movie’s most hilarious scenes!
The story that ran in 2000 AD Prog 1384, published on 7 April 2004, was written by Pegg and Wright and illustrated by fan favourite artist Frazer Irving, who after his work on Necronauts and Judge Death for 2000 AD was already well on his way to comics stardom on titles such as Batman, Iron Man, Annihilator, Klarion the Witch Boy and many others, and with letters by legendary Judge Dredd lettering droid Annie Parkhouse.
The story was included on the movie’s DVD extras, and is also available in the Storming Heaven digital collection.
And if you’re a fan of horror comics, check out this video featuring just some of 2000 AD‘s greatest horror hits, including Cradlegrave, Stone Island, Devlin Waugh: Swimming in Blood, Tales of Telguuth, Tharg’s Terror Tales, and Thistlebone
Shaun of the Dead: There’s Something About Mary
Published in 2000 AD Prog 1384, 7th April 2004. Script: Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright, Artist: Frazer Irving, Letters: Annie Parkhouse
