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Wednesday, September 14, 2005

2000AD

I wasn’t going to post this rambling post as it doesn’t really have any point (and, you know, isn’t very good). Then I thought “bugger it” and I may as well, particularly as I’m thinking of coming back to looking at some Judge Dredd comics down the road.

Of late I’ve been increasingly more and more interested in that staple of British comics, 2000AD. As a weekly anthology running since 1977 it’s pumped a wealth of material out into the world, some of it top quality, some of it full of good ideas, some of it utter crap. It’s also been a breeding ground for a lot of British talent that’s since shifted over into the American market. As a comic reading kid I was brought up initially on Thundercats and Transformers (UK) comics, then Turtles (the UK comic reprinting the regular colour US series rather than the original black and white source, as far as I’m aware. 2000AD wasn’t something I was allowed aged 6 to 12, my parents frowned on its gore ridden adult approach to comics. After that I found my wallet distracted by other things and never really pursued it.

Luckily the wonders of friendship meant that between the ages of 10 and 16 I had a friend whose room housed several treasures: an Atari 2600 console (later replaced by a Sega Megadrive) and a healthy stack of 2000AD, Starlord and Judge Dredd annuals. I spent many a day there whilst my brother and the friend gamed, devouring those annuals. Some of my most influential comics experiences (after Transformers UK) were those strips of Harlem Heroes, Ro-Busters, Flesh, Invasion, M.A.C.H. 1, Strontium Dog and (to an oddly lesser extent) Judge Dredd. They were steeped in a merciless attitude, dipped in dark comedy. The mix of storytelling with extreme violence, varied art and darkly comic subject matter is probably responsible for my modern day love of titles like Preacher and Transmetropolitan.

Now I have begun to obtain these comics again, alongside the other stories from those days. I can revel in the better pieces and cringe at the worst. Zarjaz!

Posted by Alex Hopkinson @ 4:03 PM

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