2000 AD in Stages

[Dark Jimbo]

That winter special is heavy on the Nemesis: it's also got a "the story so far" article and a reprint of [The Sword Sinister] from the '81 Sci-Fi Special.

It feels a bit like they were gearing up for the aborted 'Horned God-esque mega saga' - although the 'Hammer of Warlocks' prologue took another year or so to appear.

[Funt Solo]

Megazine: Vol. 2.2 (Mechanismo) (2.10-2.26)

The megazine has re-launch-itis, clearly, and here we get its fourth incarnation as the paper size goes wider:

Volume 01, issue 01 - logo #1 (giant Dredd, little Megazine), monthly, 52pp.
Volume 01, issue 08 - logo #2 (big Dredd, little Megazine).
Volume 02, issue 01 - fortnightly, 44pp.
Volume 02, issue 10 - logo #3 (tweak), wider pages.

The relationship between the Meg and the prog (after the tightly-knit crossover of Judgement Day) becomes one of creator influence. While the prog is a comparatively weak sauce Ennis-Dredd the Meg gets Wagner (of which, more later), and Alan Grant takes Anderson over to the Meg. These two experienced heavy hitters provide a strong foundation so that, at times, it's the sister comic that's shining as the progenitor prog struggles.




Judge Dredd
With the prog ignoring Judgement Day's aftermath, it's up to the Megazine to provide some post-epic adventures. The Taking of Sector 123 (titularly paying homage to the classic The Taking of Pelham One Two Three from 1974) tells some of the story. With the West Wall having taken a beating during the zombie attack and the Judge force having lost a third of its cohort, Sector 123 has declared independance and its up to Dredd to restore order.

And then Mechanismo stomped into view: a robot Judge force programmed to be as bad-ass as Dredd himself, but with Dredd dead set against the notion from the outset. His predictions come gorily true as the robots prove uncontrollably aggressive. We quickly get a follow-up in Mechanismo Returns, in which Number 5 (an homage to 1986's Short Circuit) reactivates and goes rogue.

Mechanismo stomps back into action in meg 2.37...


Calhab Justice
The result of taking a tartan gift shop on the Royal Mile, Oor Wullie's rhetoric, Judge Dredd's uniform and a box-set of Taggart, throwing them all into a blender and pouring the result onto some newsprint. It's a bit difficult to marry well the conspiracy drama of an impending nuclear apocalypse with someone in a tam o' shanter saying "crivvens".
More Calhab Injustice later in Volume 2...


Armitage
Sci-fi Morse in the nine-part Influential Circles (a mystery massacre with a Royal twist) and the three-part Flashback (which sets up why Drago San and Armitage have the mutual hates, whilst also nabbing a scene from 1987's Lethal Weapon).
We get a second Flashback starting in meg 2.31...


Anderson, Psi-Division
Reasons To Be Cheerful has two parts (not three). The first is a one-off in which Anderson tackles an Undercity vampire, but the second introduces the not subtly monikered Judge Goon and Anderson's growing disillusionment with the Judge system (explored further in the follow-up The Jesus Syndrome). The Witch? Report is a beautiful one-off by Ranson in which some young psi-cadets are taken on an ill-advised Halloween field trip.
Anderson's off to Mars next...

Judge Hershey
It's difficult to get to what makes Hershey a distinct character, and that's not helped by the many-headed hydra of scripters brought in to tell her tales. We had Downtime (2.09) in the previous stage by Dave Stone, now we get The Not-So-Merry Wives Of Windsor by Robbie Morrison (some light froth where Hershey could be any Judge), then Deathsquads by Peter Cornwall (Hershey takes down an SJS vigilante death squad) and Asylum (Morrison again with a supernatural thriller). So there's no sense of narrative continuity to hold onto.
It's Igor Goldkind's turn next with A Game of Dolls...


Judge Death: Tea With Mrs Gunderson
Astounding Dean Ormston art has Mrs Gunderson visit death in containment to get her back rent. Definitely sits in the comic horror section of the overall Death arc.
Death's next solo outing switches back to the prog in 2002 with My Name Is Death...


Al's Baby: Blood on the Bib
A crazy road trip where Al Besteradi and his terrible toddler travel the country on a series of mob assassinations.
Series three crops up in the prog in 1997...


Sleeze 'n' Ryder
A loose Cursed Earth road trip homage to 1969's Easy Rider: expect lava, dinosaurs, muties, deadly droids, forgotten nukes and mayhem.
Tis one series and done (even though it has a "we'll be back" coda).


Devlin Waugh: Brief Encounter
Replete with disposable gloves, this features perhaps the only immigration cavity search scene in any comic I've read, as Devlin tries to slip his pussy through Mega-City customs. No - not like that!
Given such a strong start with Swimming in Blood, it's almost barmy that we end up having to wait until 1999 for the next series (Chasing Herod), although Devlin does crop up in Judge Dredd's Fetish in 1997.

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References:
- Barney
- The 2000 AD ABC

[Colin YNWA]

Anderson, Psi-Division
Reasons To Be Cheerful has two parts (not three).

This will always go down as one of the greatest missed opportunties in the history of Tharg's organs. I mean the chaps a master of the pun and great 'Next time' line to have dropped the ball here is indicative of the greater maliase around the Nerve Centre at these times.

[TordelBack]

Gazumped! Just about to make the exact same  comment.as Colin.

So instead I'll observe that this is the golden age of Meg covers, despite that brutalist masthead. Just look at that run.

[Jim_Campbell]

These two experienced heavy hitters provide a strong foundation so that, at times, it's the sister comic that's shining as the progenitor prog struggles.

I'd just like to highlight this bit because I think it tends to get a little overlooked in the history of Tharg's Mighty Organs™. Not just "at times", either — there's a fairly extended period in the second half of the nineties where the Meg was streets ahead of the prog in terms of consistency and quality, covering as it does, the arse-end of the Burton/McKenzie years at 2000AD and the thankless period Tomlinson and Bishop spent running down the mountain of horrible inventory they inherited.

Which is why it's so nice that the Meg has been on top form again for several years now, with 2000AD largely firing on all cylinders alongside. Keeping in mind that 2000AD and the Megazine had separate editorial teams back then, I have literally no idea how Matt does it now.

[Colin YNWA]

... it's so nice that the Meg has been on top form again for several years now, with 2000AD largely firing on all cylinders alongside. Keeping in mind that 2000AD and the Megazine had separate editorial teams back then, I have literally no idea how Matt does it now.

While seeming to increasingly dabble in freelance writing and bringing on a new editorial team to produce specials and one would assume create succession plan. Its incredible.

All I can surmise is its experience. I know when I was leading a library service (which was nothing like as complex in my head) by the end of my 13 or more years of doing so I could just do it, eyes closed and was taking on various other responsibilities as FE needs dictated. Since moving jobs I've had to learn so much again, get used to different ways of working, expectations and whole new sets of folks and how they operate and think, which takes so much time and energy that you realise that experience in one organisation provides sooo many benefits and efficiencies.

I say this not to diminish the phenominal job Matt Smith has done as Tharg's little helper rather to enable me to rationalise how its even possible!

[Funt Solo]

2000 AD Stage #26: Spring Fever

This is the first time I recall the prog positioning itself with a seasonal jump-on: in this case the much-hyped Spring Fever, with a launch of two new series, a key new thrill, two postcards, some stickers and a pencil.




Judge Dredd
You may remember such classics as ... erm ... Hottie House Siege over in the Megazine? Cos the prog just gets some light froth from Ennis and Millar. There's the introduction of Jonni Kiss, which has the Gila Munja in it, I suppose (except they get easily defeated by Nick Kamen from the Levi's laundrette commercial). And Muzak Killer is a bit of a (dated) curio featuring the author's clear frustration with the existence of  Terry Christian.
Next up the infamous Inferno...

Armoured Gideon [Book II]
Frank Weitz is on a mission to switch (back) on Armoured Gideon and so save the earth from a demonic tsunami. A tricky second album.
With everything wrapped up neatly here, we get another series in 1994...

Firekind
Whenever anyone derides this particular era of 2000 AD, someone always brings up Firekind - because it's amazing! If someone describes James Cameron's Avatar to you, they might as well also be describing Firekind, as each has dragons, floating rocks, an alien culture, a group of exploitative humans and one particular human who could just (just) make a difference. The key thing to remember is that Firekind is great, and Avatar's just good, and mostly the difference is that the former seems unique whereas the latter falls too readily into cliche.
Quits whilst it's ahead with just the one perfectly formed (especially when it's published in the correct order) series. If you are reading the progs (and not eXtreme #8) and want to avoid the hiccup then after part #6 in prog 833, you should read part #7 in prog 840, then part #8 (which is labeled as #7) in prog 834. Then simply follow the now incorrectly numbered sequence to the finale in prog 839. Easy.

Kelly's Eye: Armed Response
Invincible man kills men who keep shooting at him for some reason. Dialogue could surely have solved these problems before it came to this.
It's over. You can come home now.

Bad Company: Kano
Kano is a farmer, but people from his hamlet are going missing in the jungle, and his dead war comrades have come to visit. This rather marks the point where Bad Company stopped being a straight narrative and entered a subtler realm where you can't really trust the narrative.
More oddness featuring characters dressed up like the ones in Bad Company in 2001...

Purgatory
People say: "...but I like the Ezquerra art." Quite an interesting premise (a riot on the Justice Department penal colony of Titan) is lost beneath a heaving, grunting pile of illogical rage as ex-Judge Grice gets angrier than a barrel full of bees rolling down a mountain and proves it by burning his own hand off in lava, but not feeling the pain! One of the key problems with a story like this is that it features a complete bastard who you wouldn't want to know fighting other complete bastards that you wouldn't want to know. Is this cool?
Continues under the Judge Dredd banner next stage as Inferno...

Tharg's Terror Tales
First Tharg shocked us with the Future. Ro-Jaws briefly shoved his way in to focus on robots but Tharg welded his mouth shut before twisting time, telling tales of dragons and finally going beyond even science. The only thing missing? TERROR!
Terror Tales continue to be one of the many options available to The Mighty One...

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References:
- Barney
- The 2000 AD ABC

[Colin YNWA]

Kano....This rather marks the point where Bad Company stopped being a straight narrative and entered a subtler realm where you can't really trust the narrative.

Which for me is exactly why later Bad Company is so good... well most of it...

Purgatory
....Quite an interesting premise (a riot on the Justice Department penal colony of Titan) is lost beneath a heaving, grunting pile of illogical rage as ex-Judge Grice gets angrier than a barrel full of bees rolling down a mountain and proves it by burning his own hand off in lava, but not feeling the pain!

Brilliant!

[Funt Solo]

2000 AD Stage #27: Summer Offensive

The prog was given over to the younger writers for an 8-prog sequence of brand new stories (and Dredd). This attempt to shake things up was a brave experiment, but none of the new stories have resulted in long-term hits (which maybe tells you something). It did succeed at being offensive (for some), so, on some level, job done.

When the creators were interviewed about all of this in Thrill-Power Overload (Bishop 2007) years later they were all like "The haters be hating, man: they so square!"





Judge Dredd: Inferno
The Harlem Heroes return as (no, wait)  A sequel to the risible Purgatory (Millar), where Grice took over the penal colony on Titan through the sheer power of RAGE and burning his own hand-off. For some reason, every single Judge who's been sent to Titan is a sadistic, piratical, murderous hillbilly. None of them are remorseful or see a chance to redeem themselves. Nope: just gurning pirates.

Anyhoo - Grice loads them all up on several spaceships, along with a magic plague, and they crash into Mega-City One, which Grant Morrison seems to think is about the size of Glasgow. Grice stands on top of the West Wall shouting and throwing amazingly resilient Chief Judges off of it until Dredd magically pops out of a hatch and punches him! But then Grice punches Dredd! But then Walter throws grenades! Wait - wtf?

You can't even have this conversation without pointing out that Ezquerra's art is stupendous throughout.

Still have four episodes left to go...it can't get worse, can it?


Big Dave
Summary: Manchester's hardest man (Big Dave, natch) is a violent, homophobic, drunken yob with two homicidal dogs. The creators called it satire, so who are we to argue? Thing is: at some point it just becomes a horrible man shouting "poof" a lot. Is that satire? Or is it just an excuse to be offensive?  See also: Ricky Gervais.

When someone wrote into the prog (849) to complain, Tharg-of-yore said "[It] isn't satire. It's a warning!". I'm not sure what satirical point (or warning) is being given when Big Dave is drowning Postman Pat in his toilet while his cat gets eaten by Dave's dogs. Is it that post shouldn't be delivered to the working class? The weird thing is that, ultimately, it's too mean-spirited for Viz (which means that Viz is subtler than I thought).

The most controversial new strip survives for a time, with a further two mini-series and a Yearbook special...


Slaughterbowl
Death Race 2000 meets Jurassic Park meets Silence of the Lambs as a deranged lunatic with multiple personality disorder gets imprisoned as a serial killer but chooses Option B: riding a heavily-armed dinosaur in a race to the death! This sound great, but in execution doesn't quite land. The protagonist is not someone we can sympathize with: couple that with, frankly, not enough racey-dino action, leaves this a struggle to wade through.
Tis one and done.


Really & Truly
This one's Marmite. It's like if you got trapped in Austin Powers' dreams. If you can go forty pages of Rian Hughes art with some thinly-characterized mannequins roaming around a sixtie's disco version of Downlode then you might just love this. In context, this is certainly the least controversial thing in the Offensive experiment.
Tis one and done.


Maniac 5
Actually first seen in the 1993 Sci-Fi Special, this tells the story of cybernetically controlled war robots (numbered 1 through 6, and each with a speciality) fighting off an alien invasion of sewer lizards. Its a bit like Thunderbirds meets the Fantastic Four. The interesting concept doesn't quite land, with odd cyber-organic robot designs from Yeowell, and moustache-twirling villainy from the generals.
Survives to spawn a second series after a couple of stepping stones through Winter Specials...

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References:
- Barney
- The 2000 AD ABC

[sheridan]

Seem to remember Really and Truly was the best of a bad bunch.  Was that the one where they dropped words of Nadsat in every now and then?

[IndigoPrime]

See also: Ricky Gervais.

Perfect. I still find it hard to fathom why people defend Big Dave. It's risible stuff. But then people still like Gervais, so...

[broodblik]

This stage of AD I cannot really recall any of the stories. It did not leave any impression on me.  The only thing I can really remember was Big Dave. This was the strip that let to final decision to stop with AD.

[Dark Jimbo]

Slaughterbowl, at least, was pretty good. I suppose that was the problem, though - it was only 'pretty good'. I like that it was just a one-and-done, though - even now there aren't enough of those in the prog.

[Colin YNWA]

This stage of AD I cannot really recall any of the stories. It did not leave any impression on me.  The only thing I can really remember was Big Dave. This was the strip that let to final decision to stop with AD.

That's fascinating as for good or ill the one thing The Summer Offensive' was for a lot of people was a talking point and memorable, often for all the wrong reasons as a real experiment and folks have a lot of opinions on it typically.

I read this not that long ago and blattered about them over at my Self-absorbed' thread - a way that almost lacks the style wit and brevity of Funt Solo's wonderful work. To that end I'll do the arrogent self quote here as I'm too lazy to have new thoughts about these thrills.

And so here we are Prog 842 has been and gone and I'm five issues into the 'Summer Offensive'... why has it taken so long for me to babble? Well truth be told I wanted to get past all the bluster and fuss and just give myself a chance to evaluate the stories as just that 2000ad stories. As frankly once past all the nonsense and I was pleasently surprised how little there was... well aside from a certain annoucement about a certain film, which I'd forgotten happened during all this... anyway yeah once past all that these actually aren't all that bad at all. Certainly in the context of the last few years.

Don't get me wrong they are far, far far from the best but they are also a long way from the worst. So lets do a chart run down, TOTP style... which I'm sure the creators of the Summer Offensive would have thought was soooo cooooool at the time.

And at Number 5 we have - Really and Truly ... which surprises me. I've always remembered this really fondly and quite enjoyed it last time I read it as I recall... but its so... pointless. Its just about nothing. I can neither hate nor enjoy it, glorious art aside, but then there's not a strip in this line-up that is any less than wonderful to look at. Its forgettable and that's the worse crime a 2000ad story can commit. Worse even than...

Number 4 Dredd - Inferno... which at least give me enough reason to truly hate it. Its bloody awful, but at least I care that its bloody awful!

Number 3 Big Dave I always bemoan this is a strip that proves the fact that 2000ad is such a broad church that it can host almost any story done well by being the exception that proves the rule. On this reading though it feels more like a 2000ad story in that it does what 2000ad does well, it takes a pop culture trope and makes it 2000ad's own. In this case it takes the massively popular at the time Viz comic and makes a 2000ad strip out of it. So strangely it is so very 2000ad... still don't think it fits in mind, but I do really enjoy it for its own sake.

Just held off the top spot at Number 2 we find Manic 5. I really enjoy this series it takes Mark Millar's greatest weakness on other strips and gives it a home where it works. Its takes his passion for thinking cranking it number 11 and builds a strip that really sustains that feeble idea. Its got no depth or value, but By George its relentless high octane fun and feels very 2000ad.

But top of the pops this week number one with a bullet is of course Slaughter Bowl John Smith finds a way to make a fantastic story even with the draft rules that seem to surround. Its not his best, but not John Smith's best is still better than most. He uses a frankly superb idea, of course 2000ad should have an armoured dinosaur racing story, like all the best ideas when you see it, it just seems so obvious. John Smith however doesn't just stop there he layers it with a deeply creepy background, fun, rich supporting and even background characters. So intriguing is Stanley - our potentially psychotic protagonist and his hard luck (or is it) story the cool gun toting giant killer reptiles almost becomes an unwanted distraction... well almost they are after all  cool gun toting giant killer reptiles. So yeah this is a superb strip.

The most chilling thing about the summer offensive ... well actually its the coming soon ads. Is that more Fleischer Rogue I see coming... oh and Clown 2... I hope these 'Offensive' strips stick around longer than the 8 episodes I think they all get!

[Greg M.]

Seem to remember Really and Truly was the best of a bad bunch. 

I'd call it the worst of a bad bunch - at best, a throwaway nothing of a story, at worst, a tossed-off-in-a-night insult to the readership, bundled with Morrison's trademark helping of 'Look, look, drugs! Recreational drugs in 2000AD! Snort! Sniff! Toke! Comics have grown up! We're all cool now! 'Cos of drugs!' (See also his book 'Supergods' which intersperses some insightful comics commentary with a dose of chemically-induced self-lionisation.)