Your first Prog - which & why?

[exilewood]

Which was the first Prog you bought & got you into 2000AD & why?

Back in the mists of time, September 1983 to be exact, I used to get The Eagle each week, but had just moved up into secondary school - a new friend showed me Prog 335 - I was instantly hooked, but I continued getting The Eagle & we used to swap issues.

But then came "The Killing" , "Sector House 9" & "Dragonheist" - once Strontium Dog "Outlaw" started, I decided that I just couldn't wait for him to finish his copy & had to place a regular order with my local thrill-merchant. That was Prog 368.

Tharg bless that friend!

[The Legendary Shark]

Prog 1

Because I saw Tharg advertising it on telly.

[Mark Taylor]

I wasn't sure exactly which prog was my first (all my old progs grew mold and had to be chucked out) but on browsing the covers I've narrowed it down to prog 223. I remember that Alien Pit cover (from Nemesis the Warlock) with the hideous drooling alien on it clear as day.

It was pretty much 100% Nemesis that sucked me into 2000AD, as well. As far as I was concerned it was the stand-out strip in the Prog at that time. I guess I was only about 10 years old - my previous experience of comics was limited to stuff like The Beano and The Dandy - and the whole world full of incredible aliens of all shapes and sizes just blew me away. Even Dredd took quite a while longer to grow on me, although I remember I did like Strontium Dog quite a lot right from the start.

[Mark Taylor]

As for why (since I forgot to say) - again, probably the hideous alien on the cover. It really was a cool cover!

[exilewood]

Ah Shark - you're just too cool. Afraid I was just too young in '77  

It was definitely Stront & 'The Killing' in particular that first really hooked me - but after that I wasn't so much hooked, as obsessed. Then it was trips to Odyssey 7 in Manchester for all the back-progs & Titan reprints that my schooldays pocketmoney could afford!

[Daveycandlish]

Prog 1 - 'cos I like space spinners (and Dad was buying)

[malkymac]

Prog 1 because it had cowboys and dinosaurs.

[SmallBlueThing]

Prog 1, because my dad bought it for me on his way home from my nana's. It was Flesh that kept me reading though. Coyboys and dinosaurs and the best artwork i'd ever seen in a comic... mmm, zarjaz.
SBT

[bluemeanie]

Prog 1

Because I saw Tharg advertising it on telly.

Yup, exactly the same here

ahhhh.... ZOOOAD, how I miss you.

[Van Dom]

I will have to consult Barney but it was one of the issues in which the Robohunter story with the Goonies was running. I loved Robohunter, that was the number 1 strip for me and the one I bought the comic for in those early years. In fact, after Sam Slades Last Case I was so disappointed I stopped buying for a couple of years.

[Kev Levell]

425. A friend who used to go on my bus to school had the 1985 annuals in his bag and he showed me how cool they were... the next day he brought a couple of progs for me to see... one of which was that week's issue. I went home and ask my Mum if I could have it reserved at our newsagents...

Why, why? THE MIDNIGHT SURFER and STRONTIUM DOG blew my tiny little mind.

[Mike Carroll]

Prog 1 - but I'm not sure where I heard about it first. I remember a newspaper article that my dad showed me (it caught his attention because Dan Dare was heavily featured, and he used to read the original Eagle), there was an advert in Battle, a couple of mentions on the radio... One thing I do recall was that I happened to be in the newsagents when the comics were delivered, so I was the first person in Ballybrack to get 2000 AD!

-- Mike

[stacey]

prog 1600, because Tony Lee had a strip starting and I had loved the other stuff I'd read by him. I think I'd always dismissed 2000ad as a "boys" comic and I was big fat wrong. And very glad to be proved it.

[The Adventurer]

Okay, history time.

Spring. America. 2005.  Over the course of the previous year DC comics had hooked up with both Humanoids Publishing and Rebellion to bring 'Euro-Comics' to the uncultured American masses.  I was initially attracted to the Humanoids titles the most, The Incal, The Technopriests, Freddy Lambert... completely bonkers stuff.  Its important to note that I was coming down off of a serious Crossgen kick at the time. I'm not sure if Crossgen titles ever made it to the UK or Europe, but for a brief time American comic shelves were overflowing with sci-fi and fantasy titles of the highest order, pouring out of the publishing offices of Crossgen.  But, as usual, they didn't find an audience, the money dried up and the company crashed and burned.  To say I was in serious sci-fi/fantasy comic withdrawals come the winter of 2004 would be a massive understatement.  

The DC/Humanoids line brought relief. But at first I ignored the 2000AD offerings.  Mostly because of a misguided opinion of Judge Dredd being shit (thanks JD film, bad 90s crossovers, and Heavy Metal Dredd type stuff. EDIT: Oh and Judgement Day being the first reprint DC offered).  But then something amazing happened, I picked up Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty (it seemed kinda 'humanoids' to me) and I was floored.  I had to check out where this bit of genius came from.  Fortunately the local comic shop had a stack of progs from 2004 (I assumed they ordered a few due to the DC push of the TPs). And the first issue I picked up was 1406.  As well as Extreme Edition #8 (Firekind!)

I then spent the better part of 2005 tracking down back issues from 2004 to fill out what I'd missed, and spent 2005 onward picking the comic up regularly.  Not to mention buying every DC/Rebellion trade they put out and the Extreme Edition.  It didn't take long for the DC trade line to fail, but Rebellion quickly picked up the slack and within two years I was a completely enamored with Thrill Power. I often thank my lucky stars I came in when I did, I can't imagine there being so much 2000 AD related reprint material floating around then between 2004 and 2007.

Since then, my interest in Humanoids and other Euro-Comics has waned (sometimes they can be a little too artsy fartsy for their own good IMO) but my love for 2000 AD only continues to grow.

[Richmond Clements]

Prog 1

Because I saw Tharg advertising it on telly.

Yup.