2000 AD will soon have lived at Rebellion longer than everywhere else

[IndigoPrime]

On another thread, I remarked that 2000 AD has been with Rebellion for 23 years. That's quite an achievement, not least given that the company wasn't at that point a publisher of print, and the comic was busy in a death dive. Since then, we had that flirtation with DC before Rebellion went all-in on being a full-on publisher itself. From that, we've had more graphic novel collections than we could have imagined, partworks, Apex Editions, and the Meg evolving several times and yet surviving. Not nothing for a title that's flirted with cancellation (and was clearly on kill-or-cure more than once).

But that year – 23 – sparked something in my head, and I realised 23 years before the Rebellion buy-out was when 2000 AD began. The first issue's publication date was 26 February 1977, which under UK comics presumably means it rocked up on 19 February 1977. A Spong article reports about Rebellion buying 2000 AD on 6 July 2000 (although I obviously don't know the actual date the sale was made). That's 8538 days.

That suggests on 21 November this year (or thereabouts) 2000 AD will have been a Rebellion property more than it was an 'anyone else' property. Blimey. (Sorry if that makes anyone here feel really old. It turns out 2000 AD the year was some time ago...)

[JohnW]

I remember when all this was fields!

[The Legendary Shark]

According to some quantum theoreticians, it still is.

[Dash Decent]

I remember when all this was fields!

All in all, I'd rather be in Philadelphia.

[Colin YNWA]

If I'm reading this right should be

"2000 AD will soon have lived at Rebellion longer than EVERYONE else"

I might be miss understanding as I'm old and get confused easily.

Either way impressive feat and good spot. We have so much to be grateful about with how Rebellion has handled the Prog and indeed comics beyond. We live in times it would have been hard to imagine 23 years ago.

[IndigoPrime]

Yeah, that's a better title. I've edited the thread accordingly.

Funny to think how sceptical people were at the time (and I count myself among their number). After all, these 'games' people were coming in. They'd just ruin 2000 AD, surely! Only no. And Rebellion has in recent years gone so much further, becoming the steward of the majority of British comics history.

[GordonR]

Yes, it passed the 'longer than anyone' milestone about 10 years ago.

But, as I keep hearing online and on podcasts, their mismanagement really is running the comic into the ground.

[Jim_Campbell]

But, as I keep hearing online and on podcasts, their mismanagement really is running the comic into the ground.

Makes you pine for the good old Egmont days, when no one worried about what the comic would be called in the year 2000, because no one* expected it to make it that far...

*No one in the business, certainly.

[Funt Solo]

Given that Tharg is a superior alien being who has decided to gift us the galaxy's greatest comic - it's not even possible for mismanagement to occur. To suggest otherwise is a sign of faulty circuits. I hear Mek-Quake can help with that.

[davidbishop]

But, as I keep hearing online and on podcasts, their mismanagement really is running the comic into the ground.

Makes you pine for the good old Egmont days, when no one worried about what the comic would be called in the year 2000, because no one* expected it to make it that far...

*No one in the business, certainly.

Oh ye of little faith! We were getting the GGC to the year 2000 no matter what.

[Richard]

Yes, it passed the 'longer than anyone' milestone about 10 years ago.

Longer than everyone else put together then.

It's quite a feat. I'm glad it isn't passing unnoticed.

[Jim_Campbell]

Oh ye of little faith! We were getting the GGC to the year 2000 no matter what.

...Which was what made Prog 2000 (the first one!) so glorious. No one is more appreciative than me of the efforts you and Tharg's other minions at the time made to pull the Galaxy's Greatest out of its death spiral.

(Especially John Tomlinson, who, I feel, gets somewhat overlooked in the clearing-out-the-plan-files-full-art-fully-painted-with-mud-and-making-the-comic-readable-again phase of 2000AD's history...  )

[The Monarch]

i already mentioned it in the 2350 thread but i was part of the problem as a teenager i said a lot of stupid shite back then that makes me legit cringe now

[Richard]

Well nobody is proud of anything they said when they were a teenager.