2000ad's Golden Age?

[Colin YNWA]

Not sure if I'm right in saying this BUT I think percieved wisdom has it that 2000ad's golden age was sometime around the 200s and 300s?

Regardless I'm curious to hear what other people think was 2000ad best period, of say around 100 issues.

I'm currently slowly but surely making my way through 2000ad 100 issues at a time (inbetween reading a host of other things) and having got to 500-600 I'm relatively confident that this will be my choose of the greatest time in 2000ad's history (the next 100 issues when read might put this to the test so I might come to regret saying that.)

During this period though the first wave of amazing talent had been shallowed up by the American's Tharg went out and found a whole new generation of genius and unleashed them on the world. Zenith started, Bad Company started, Slaine was back to form, Rogue Trooper was good for the first time ever (was never a fan of Finley-Day), Anderson was great, ABC Warriors returned better than ever, Nemesis was back to a high, Dredd was brillant (with the exception of OZ which I was never a fan of), Strontium Dog had some real highes and set the scene for it (then) conclusion is great style. This just touches the highlights of the era and there is alot of great stuff inbetween. As with every era there were bits of filler and the early 500s were awash with Future Shocks, but many of these were great. The new generation really took advantage of the more teen focus of 2000ad while having the benefit of having read the early stuff and being blessed by its anarchic past.

Genius comics all round. Oh of note having said this I've never read the issues between 1000 - 1500 so have no idea how good this period was and have heard (from this board) very good things.

So yeah what do people think was 2000ad's Golden Age (around 100ish) issues?

[Jim_Campbell]

Well, since this topic is also -- by a strange coincidence -- also on the 2000AD review site, I can't really do any more than repeat my comments from there ...

Progs 250 - 350, however, gets you:

The Apocalypse War Edit to add: although my memory was slightly faulty when I made this claim - it ACTUALLY starts in issue 245.

Rogue Trooper with Colin Wilson and Cam Kennedy on art as Gibbons bows out

Ace Trucking

Harry 20

Robo-Hunter

More Dredd (including Trapper Hag, The Stupid Gun and Cry of the Werewolf)

Nemesis Books II and III

Slaine (including the debut of McMahon, although we miss Sky Chariots with this selection)

And ... the start of DR & Quinch.Edit to add: although you lose this if you move your 100 progs back to 245-345 to get the start of the Apolcalypse War.

You might shift these 100 issues forward by about 10-12 and include the whole of DR & Quinch and Sky Chariots, but you lose the Apocalypse War as a complete story in doing so.

I will roll up my sleeves and fight any man who says that this is not an absolute epoch of thrill power!

Edit: I would add to the above -- having Ezquerra pretty much full-time on Dredd costs us Strontium Dog during this period, which is the only thing that keeps this from being an absolutely perfect run of progs. There are some pretty bad Mean Arenas during these two years. Imagine if we'd had classic Wagner/Grant Stront in that slot!

Cheers!

Jim