2000 AD Online Forum

Okay a trip to The Megaverse* the 2000ad fan site that will twist any narrative to suit its anti-Rebellion** agenda I was reminded that sometimes it does have some fantastic stuff and this weeks best is the fact that

Bill Savage's only 'Invasion' era cover appearance is a small montage image (reprinted I think) of the character leaping from Tharg's brain on Prog 13's front

... this addled my brain... its easy to do... but I couldn't think of any others - so I checked Barney and yep that's right.

So any other 2000ad facts that boggle your brain?

*Hi Wullie if you still stalk here - I don't know you're too ashamed of me to share your missives!

**Some of the lead folks there just come across as jealous of the fact Jason K owns a horse. Damn Jason K for treating himself to a horsey with the money he has earned***. I'd like horsey too - shakes virtual fist.

***Though of course they also say he doesn't earn any money from 2000ad cos that's all but a bust... BUT should defo pay everyone more money from the fortune it loses Jason... how can a man own a horsey when not all the talent that works for him doesn't parade around on their horseys too???

Okay I need to stop this as I promised myself I'd just ignore the nonsene that goes in there and focus on what good there is to be found... I failed today and I beg your forgiveness ... back to * I guess...

So, Invasion ran for 51 episodes with that poor cover showing, but six of those progs were taken up by Dan Dare story-covers, and 25 were taken up by the Supercover Saga series, so really it was only 20 issues that failed to put Bill on the cover. That's still quite a lot, though.

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Judge Dredd shows up on the cover of four progs in a row (295-298) - is this the record?

The 'Judge Dredd Mega History' from 1995 cites Dredd's non-appearance on the cover between Progs 18 and 44 as proof of how comparatively unpopular the character was perceived to be in the early days... without mentioning the whole Supercover thing.

(With hindsight its insistence that 2000AD was going to be dead by the end of the century and Lawman of the Future was the future of Dredd is also amusing in a sad sort of way)

I'm going to bet that the Summer Offensive (8 progs worth of comic) probably generates the most chatter from the smallest amount of content - it's only 0.35% of the entire output of the comic.

Original content Rogue Trooper is in the comic more than Judge Dredd in a span from prog 303-355 (where we saw Mutie the Pig reprinted).

The average prog contains up to 75% more Vitamin C than sixteen and a half kestrels, but less than a quarter of the polyester.


Scientifically, this indicates that most progs are capable of independent volitation.

Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 22 March, 2021, 08:39:59 PM
The average prog contains up to 75% more Vitamin C than sixteen and a half kestrels, but less than a quarter of the polyester.

Hold on, hold on is that Kestral the small bird of prey or Kestral the cheap lager.

If its the cheap lager that's amazing that has more Vitamin C in it than favour.

Name the artist who worked for Warrior, the Beano and 2000 AD (kinda). Is this the game we are playing? :D  Ill stick the answer up in an hour or so if no one gets it.

Who's done the most covers? Is it Cliff Robinson? Barney has him at 120 for the prog, which is 5.39% of the total.

Quote from: Funt Solo on 23 March, 2021, 01:57:20 AM
Who's done the most covers? Is it Cliff Robinson? Barney has him at 120 for the prog, which is 5.39% of the total.

Here is the top 20 (up until prog 2223):

Cliff Robinson   125
Carlos Ezquerra   98
Simon Davis   93
Clint Langley   83
Greg Staples   63
Ian Gibson   57
Mark Harrison   53
Brain Bolland   46
Henry Flint   46
Ron Smith   44
Jason Brashill   42
Kevin O'Neill   38
Massimo Belardinelli   38
Dave Gibbons   38
Mike McMahon   37
Steve Yeowell   37
Brett Ewins   36
Steve Dillon   34
John Higgins   32
Robin Smith   31
Kevin Walker   31

Which person edited the fewest number of progs?

Is that one Pat Mills?

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 22 March, 2021, 08:56:45 PM

Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 22 March, 2021, 08:39:59 PM
The average prog contains up to 75% more Vitamin C than sixteen and a half kestrels, but less than a quarter of the polyester.

Hold on, hold on is that Kestral the small bird of prey or Kestral the cheap lager.

The lesser-spotted Arctic Kestrel, a very confused breed of hamster native to Namibia.

Quote from: maryanddavid on 22 March, 2021, 10:38:37 PM
Name the artist who worked for Warrior, the Beano and 2000 AD (kinda). Is this the game we are playing? :D  Ill stick the answer up in an hour or so if no one gets it.

Apparently Jim Baikie's worked for all three

Quote from: davidbishop on 23 March, 2021, 08:49:33 AM
Which person edited the fewest number of progs?

I agree with Colin - must be Pat surely

Assuming Wikipedia's information is accurate, longest to shortest tenures would be:

Matt Smith: #1274–[incumbent] — 950 issues (2002–present)
Steve MacManus: #86–519 — 506 issues (1978–87)
Richard Burton: #520–872 — 353 issues (1987–94)
David Bishop: #978–1199 — 222 issues (1996–2000)
Andy Diggle: #1200–1273 — 74 issues (2000–02)
Kelvin Gosnell: #17–85 — 69 issues (1977–78)
John Tomlinson: #915–977 — 63 issues (1994–96)
Alan McKenzie: #873–914 — 41 issues (1994)
Pat Mills: #1–16 — 16 issues (1977)

Smith's editorship has lasted almost 20 years. That's quite something in publishing. If he stays for another year from now, he'll have over 1000 issues under his belt, which is astonishing.

Quote from: Dandontdare on 23 March, 2021, 12:19:36 PM

Quote from: maryanddavid on 22 March, 2021, 10:38:37 PM
Name the artist who worked for Warrior, the Beano and 2000 AD (kinda). Is this the game we are playing? :D  Ill stick the answer up in an hour or so if no one gets it.

Apparently Jim Baikie's worked for all three

Oh I like that one - good answer and good question - though the kinda throws me a little?

I forgot to answer this! The answer I was looking for was Hunt Emerson, the 'kinda' is that he  worked on Diceman rather than the Prog.

Quote from: maryanddavid on 23 March, 2021, 01:28:39 PM
I forgot to answer this! The answer I was looking for was Hunt Emerson, the 'kinda' is that he  worked on Diceman rather than the Prog.

That question works even better if you add Fiesta Magazine in there to really mix things up!

Quote from: davidbishop on 23 March, 2021, 08:49:33 AM
Which person edited the fewest number of progs?

Was it Lenny Henry?

Didn't Simon Pegg guest edit once? Or did I dream that?

So - 2000 AD should have guest editors.

Simon Pegg contributed a one-off story to promote Sean of the Dead, but he didn't guest edit.

I think there might have been a competition winner who got to guest edit the Megazine once, but I may have imagined it and I have no idea where to begin looking for that.

Quote from: Funt Solo on 23 March, 2021, 02:48:12 PM

Quote from: davidbishop on 23 March, 2021, 08:49:33 AM
Which person edited the fewest number of progs?

Was it Lenny Henry?

Changing my answer - it was me, at zero. (Clearly, I'm tied with several other people.)

Some cover facts!
January 2020 is the only time when female characters have outnumbered men on the cover for a four-Prog stretch.

I've been trying to note down all examples of film poster homages:
anyone got any to add to:
1030 = The Usual Suspects
1055 = Heat
1087 = For Your Eyes Only
1096 = Pulp Fiction
1105 = Scarface
1187 = The Phantom Menace
1344 = Tarantula
1412 = Phantom of the Opera (at least one version!)

(There are a few others that are surely homages to scenes from films, too: 144: Close encounters, 267: Dr Strangelove, 475: Belle et la Bete / Repulsion)

And times when the Prog has had homages to its own past covers:
1098, 1234, 1639, 1657, 1979, nu2000

Honestly, I'm surprised there hasn't been more of this sort of thing. Very restrained, Tharg!

An album cover homage:




And last time I posted these two...


...someone pointed out they were both a homage to...

AlexF - I don't know if you include Megs, but here's one from Meg 2.15:




And, not from a movie, but just another art riff from Meg 2.10:

I hadn't looked through the Megs, but I remember that hershey one when it came out, it totally works! I guess it was a Bishop thing, the movie poster homage cover.