Y'know, thinking about it over a re-read, stuff like this week's Thistlebone is what makes 2000AD for me. I know I've said that I'm not sold on the story so far, and it's definitely overshadowed in those stakes by this week's Dredd, but the inventiveness and impact of the imagery just bowls me over. It's that magic you get when a top-tier artist like SBD is so obviously completely engaged with what he's drawing, and you get the feeling of something truly unique being created that you absolutely would not get anywhere else in English-language comics. I'm thinking Firekind, Necronauts, The Dead , Necropolis or Shamballa here: perfect confluence of script and artist = alchemy.
I'm not saying I want every strip to do this, or even that there always has to be one like this, but when it does happen it's the 'why' of 2000AD.