Written by Scott Montgomery
Illustrated by Various
Published by 2000 AD
2000 AD seemed like the far future when the UK weekly comic, 2000 AD debuted in 1977. It certainly seemed that way to me when a local Ohio comic shop began carrying the thin, partly color pamphlet-style comic about four years later and I began trekking out there weekly via two busses to get it!
I had read about the violent Judge Dredd feature in fanzines and was intrigued by what sounded like a satirical, helmeted Dirty Harry.
I was not, however, prepared for 2000 AD to be such a fully immersive experience.
You see, the comic is ostensibly edited by a green-skinned alien with a stark white hanging mohawk, Tharg, and Tharg uses a jargon all his own mixing words from his alien language with newly coined futuristic-sounding English words. Tharg hosts some stories, appears in texts and sometimes comics features of his own, and even pops up in actual photographs from time to time! The Judge Dredd feature also has its own jargon, as do many of the other series.
And what series they were! I started getting the progs (as issues are called) during what is now considered its Golden Age, and thrilled to such zarjaz features as Robohunter, The Ace Trucking Company, Strontium Dog, Nemesis the Warlock, Rogue Trooper, Ro-Busters, and A.B.C. Warriors. Even better was the fact that Alan Moore, now respected as perhaps the greatest of all comics writers, was just coming into his own with features such as Skizz, D.R. & Quinch, and the amazing Ballad of Halo Jones.
Other writers of note while I was a regular follower include Pat Mills, John Wagner, Pete Milligan, Alan Grant, and Grant Morrison.
The real editors nurtured a number of artists, some of whom had been doing more staid work for years, and encouraged them to go wild. Thus, new names became prominent in the field—Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Mike McMahon, Carlos Ezquerra, Kevin O’Neill, Simon Bisley, Ian Gibson, and others, many of whom later moved into US comics.
What made 2000 AD different from other weekly British comics papers was that its stories tended to be violent, even as they were clearly aimed at a younger, pre-teen, and clearly male audience. That violence might have helped sales but once they were roped in, young readers were treated to some consistently well-done science fiction and fantasy stories, all tied up in a sense of community and fan participation.
The regular features tended to run in serialized stories and thus they came and went. If they had been popular, they later came again. If not, they were consigned to the past. As time went on, the strips became even more violent, but also more satirical. Except for Dredd. After a number of epic serials, 2000 AD’s flagship series, later adapted into a newspaper comic strip and two feature films, seemed to start taking itself too seriously. At least that’s what it felt like to me.
That was when I bailed. The spotty distribution to this country and the closure of the store where I had been getting the issues for years also contributed. I had dearly loved 2000 AD and still have a big, heavy box of those now-classic 1980s issues. But I didn’t miss 2000 AD…and it didn’t miss me. 2000 AD continues on to this day, about to celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2022.
Which is my roundabout way of bringing us to today’s new book, The 2000 AD Encyclopedia!
At more than 300 pages, this new reference volume may be designed for looking things up but it makes a fun read in and of itself as well. Beautifully laid out, with well-chosen art and an amazingly crowded cover by Stewart K. Moore featuring scores of classic 2000 AD characters, the book itself is credited to writer Scott Montgomery. Montgomery goes the traditional route, with alphabetical listings of every series ever to have appeared in the progs, as well as individual listings for important characters—mostly from Judge Dredd. The listings are informative and most contain supplemental material which includes behind the scenes info, trivia, and writer/artist histories.
Of course, I particularly enjoyed reading up on the various series I enjoyed most back in the day, but also on Zenith, which was just starting as I was leaving (I later bought the collected volumes), and many of the newer strips that arrived long after my time such as the intriguing Spector or Pandora Perfect.
There is, of course, a brief Foreword by the ever-humble Tharg, the Mighty, as ghosted by 2000 AD’s current editor, Matt (not the Doctor) Smith.
Bottom line: The 2000 AD Encyclopedia is a reference book, designed not for reading bit for consultation, but it’s also a nostalgia fest for those of us who followed 2000 AD for any length of time. If that doesn’t include you, then none of its contents will mean a thing to you. But if it does include you, you’re in for a 45th anniversary treat!
To quote Tharg, “Splundig Vurr Thrigg!”
Booksteve recommends.
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