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Yeah, it seems unlikely that this has been overlooked all these years - however, doesnt it seem even more unlikely that Lalia would draw two Black Magic themed four parters that end with the same cliffhanger and feature a vampiric looking retired professional?  The fact that the art for the story has been amended and two pages added are the clinchers for me that this story is most likely Judge Dread.  

If not, where else would the four page unfinished Black magic story have come from?

Rereading it, that first page is crying out for the guy to be saying "Wheres his HEAD?!" rather than right hand....  I'd love to see the original script hooked up to the original art if that was the case - groovy!

Heh - true enough, though it appears to be heavily rewritten to make the dead guy on page 1 Harry Ellis's brother (look at the art - the dead guy's head looks drawn in by the artist on page 5 and 6 - maybe it was his head missing in the original?!), and added all that stuff about his missing hand (which you see no evidence of until page 5.  That last panel on page 4 is soooo cliffhanger, with its wibbly lines!

Its likely that Pats script was very different to this version.  With the problems around toning down Invasion and Mach 1, maybe a scarred headless body was just too much?  It could well be that the story was rewritten by someone in editorial, based on the art and maybe the original script?  That said, the Satanists are opposing a motorway, so maybe if the story had continued Pat might have made them the heroes! :)

Looking at the artwork on page one, the dead guys head looks like its been redrawn by the artist who did pages 5 and 6 to look like the fellows brother!

If this is the stroy (and I'm pretty sure it is - its definitely Lalia art for the first four pages(he's signed the first page) - the only thing is the Sabbat is not being held at Stonehenge, as PAt Mills recalled, but even so, surely this must be the strip?

...heavily rewritten of course, so that the name is changed, and the and the stuff about his brothers hand added - I wonder who rewrote the story?

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but reading through the old annuals, something struck me about a comment in the first TPO article..

"Mills had been working on a series about black magic and the Occult, called Judge Dread" The first story "had something nasty going on at Stone henge, a black mass.  Judge Dread recognises the leader of the Satanists as someone he had sentenced to hang. That was the cliffhanger to the forst episode."

Obviously, the story never appeared and Wagner used the name for his own strip - "The concept was shelved, along with the art for the first episode by Lalia. Plans to publish it in a subsequent annual came to nothing"

However, in the 79 Annual, there is a story that fits this description perfectly called Doctor Sin Its six pages long, but the art on the last two pages appears to be by a different artist - and the cliffhanger on page 4 is the "Doctor" revealing he recognises the cult leader as a man he believes dead!  So surely this is the original Judge Dread?


Judge Dread

Lovely covers both...

I'm planning on setting up a website dedicated to other mags that have featured 2000AD material - all the old fanzines like BEM, Fantasy Advertiser, Arken Sword, Speakeasy etc,. plus those great covers that graced computer games mags back in the 80s (Fabry Slaine, Ezquerra Stront, Talbot Nemesis...).  On top of that there have been appearances in mags such as Timeout, Loaded, Select, ID, NME.. the list goes on.

Just as soon as I get my act together - you wouldnt happen to have any more old mags about would you Manga...? If so I'm interested...

Boollocks...

Didnt think my earlier post had worked....

Still, you cant have enough mugs

Fantastic looking mugs on sale soon I see (see news section)

Good work, Jock!

Those mugs look darn fine! (see the news section)

How long til we can get our hands on em?

Sorry El S - its mentioned in the Megazine - not very clear of me there

Having just reread that post, its worth pointing out that Telguuth is a few weeks away..., but news still worthy of an Urk!, surely?

Pat Mills hair is back to normal - hurrah!  Look no further when casting Dredd, Rebellion...

TPO is good this month - nice to see David Bishop give such warm credit to Mr Diggle.

The Meg Dredds another rerun of old themes unfortunately, but OKish I suppose - Wagner really likes his muscley women...

The Juliet November thing is a bit weak though - a mishmash of ideas that doesnt seem to hang together very well - and STUBBLE!! Grrrr....

Daily Star Dredd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More please.

Over in the prog, Dredd/Aliens starts to develop a plot - Lets just say "I thought as much" about the last page...

VCs is a great self contained tale, though remain to be convinced by the art - its all a bit washed out for a start.

Dante as good as we expect, but whats this? More Telguuth - urk!

All in all, worth taking the day off for - keep up the good works

 



 

Pat Mills hair is back to normal - hurrah!  Look no further when casting Dredd, Rebellion...

TPO is good this month - nice to see David Bishop give such warm credit to Mr Diggle.

The Meg Dredds another rerun of old themes unfortunately, but OKish I suppose - Wagner really likes his muscley women...

The Juliet November thing is a bit weak though - a mishmash of ideas that doesnt seem to hang together very well - and STUBBLE!! Grrrr....

Daily Star Dredd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More please.

Over in the prog, Dredd/Aliens starts to develop a plot - Lets just say "I thought as much" about the last page...

VCs is a great self contained tale, though remain to be convinced by the art - its all a bit washed out for a start.

Dante as good as we expect, but whats this? More Telguuth - urk!

All in all, worth taking the day off for - keep up the good works

 



 

How did you all get on?  It must have been better than the pathetic Birmingham comic mart yesterday - absolutely bloody nothing 2000AD related there