The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic soared back into Harrogate this past weekend for Thought Bubble Comics Festival 2023, with the return of our Writer and Artist Talent Searches – the only contests of their kind anywhere in the country, offering new creative talent the chance to be published in the Prog! We also ran The Galaxy’s Greatest Panel, revealing secrets and surprises for everything that our editor Tharg the Mighty has planned in 2024 and beyond…
2000 AD: The Galaxy’s Greatest Panel!
Featuring the all-star creative lineup of 2000 AD droids El Sandifer (Tharg’s Future Shocks), Anna Morozova (Lowborn High), Rob Williams (Judge Dredd) Laura Bailey (DeMarco, PI) and Tom Foster (Judge Dredd), The Galaxy’s Greatest Panel looked at some of our recent stories, and what Earthlets can expect from 2024!
For a full read-through of everything discussed by our panellists, head to Popverse, who live-blogged the entire panel! For anyone who is interested in future art contests in particular, there’s some zarjaz hints and tips – both Laura and Tom started their 2000 AD careers through the Thought Bubble Talent Search, so there’s plenty of great advice!
But for now – onto the future…
With Dredd currently closing in on his target in Judge: Dredd Poison by Rob Williams, PJ Holden, Peter Doherty and Simon Bowland, his life isn’t going to get any easier in the new year. Even with Hershey’s killer discovered, there are plenty of other problems rising up in Mega-City One. The Williams Droid revealed that in 2024 he will be teaming up with Arthur Wyatt and Henry Flint for Judge Dredd: A Better World, continuing Judge Maitland’s interest in funding education and social reform. Would it actually improve Mega-City One if the Judge Department were de-funded as a result?
That isn’t everything Dredd will be contending with in the new year, however! Judge Dredd: Rend & Tear with Tooth & Claw pairs Williams with artist RM Guera (Scalped) and Giulia Brusco (The Goddamned) for a multi-part survivor horror story! Dredd and his team head out into the wilderness for a mission, only for things to go wrong in the snowy wilderness of the territory which once was called Alaska…
If it’s horror you’re looking for, then make sure you’re picking up the Prog in January! T.C. Eglington and Simon Davis‘ acclaimed folk horror story Thistlebone will be returning next year for the third book in the series, called “Thistlebone: The Dule Tree”.
And finally at the panel, artist Tom Foster announced that next year the trilogy of stories featuring former Judge Asher will be collected into a huge collection, called Judge Dredd: A Penitent Man. Written by Kenneth Niemand, this story follows Kyle Asher as he returns from the Titan penal colony, determined to find new ways to serve the city he once swore his oath to. Is Asher truly penitent, or will this all end in disaster? The collection will be released on 12th March 2024, with pre-orders available from our webshop now!
The 2000 AD Writer Talent Search 2023!
Every year at Thought Bubble we run a Writer Talent Search, where new creative talent have the chance to vie for a place in the Prog! Presided over by writers Laura Bailey, Leah Moore and Andy Diggle, this year saw us return to the pitching room, as writers were challenged to stand in front of the room and pitch their idea for a Tharg’s Future Shock. These five-page stories were the way into 2000 AD for many legendary talents in the comics industry: from Alan Moore to Al Ewing, Neil Gaiman and more. So mastering the Future Shock is key to finding Tharg’s favour!
There were some ghafflebette pitches at this year’s contest, but congratulations ultimately go to Ed Whiting, who was chosen as the winner for his pitch “Essence of the Piece”. Look out for Ed’s debut in the Prog in the near future, Earthlets!
The 2000 AD Artist Talent Search 2023!
Across the weekend we also held portfolio reviews for our 2023 Artist Search, with entrants challenged to draw Al Ewing’s script for The Gifts of The Magi, a Tharg’s Future Shock originally drawn by Lee Townsend and colourist Chris Blythe. After whittling down the huge lineup of entrants to a few finalists, the artists progressed through to our Talent Search Panel, presided over by judges Jock, Anna Morozova, and Tom Foster.
Each entrant got to hear feedback from the judges, giving them all some real experience from some of the most talented artists in the industry today, before the very deserving winner was chosen: massive congratulations to the judges’ choice Sinu Senon!
Here are Sinu’s pages which won the contest this year – and will now lead to him working directly with Tharg in 2024!
Andrei:
Lucas M:
Rose Plaxton:
Russ Dobson:
Tom Crielly:
