Comics UK

2000 AD was always a patchy read, but there was always more than enough quality material to counteract the dross. It was the only comic I bought circa late 70s-mid 80s. [even when I worked doing 'cartoony' stuff]. The colour revolution around 1987 saw a lot of great artwork, but too much 'arty' material from this point on ruined it for me...

They also lost many of thir best early artists from the old days [BOLLAND/Mc Mahon/Kev O'Neill etc]: a bit like the BEANO, who never really replaced the gulf left by WATKINS and LAW, despite the undoubted talents of their successors...

At it's best though, 2000 AD was a brilliantly eccentric , very British comic of high fantasy, and I'm glad I caught it at the time I did.....

2000 AD was always a patchy read, but there was always more than enough quality material to counteract the dross. It was the only comic I bought circa late 70s-mid 80s. [even when I worked doing 'cartoony' stuff]. The colour revolution around 1987 saw a lot of great artwork, but too much 'arty' material from this point on ruined it for me...

They also lost many of thir best early artists from the old days [BOLLAND/Mc Mahon/Kev O'Neill etc]: a bit like the BEANO, who never really replaced the gulf left by WATKINS and LAW, despite the undoubted talents of their successors...

At it's best though, 2000 AD was a brilliantly eccentric , very British comic of high fantasy, and I'm glad I caught it at the time I did.....

[post numero 999]

Ever since it come out in 1977, 2000AD has always been the comic for me. Yes, it has had it dips but on the main it has been good.

One of its strengths (and I think why it has survived for so long) is that it has kept up with its readership. Unlike other comics which were pitched to a certain age group and so its readers eventually grew out of them , it seems that 2000AD matures along with you. So whilst 2000AD of the seventies appealed to me as a boy, today's 2000AD suits me (swearing and all) as an adult.

But like all men, we still have the 'kid' inside, there are still eliments of the younger comic still there. Look at Strontium Dog of today, not much different to when he first started in Starlord.

And to me, it is the last of the comics. That, the Beano and Commando.

Judge Dredd Megazine (which I also get) is really just an extension of 2000AD.

Likewise BeanoMax is another extension.

The Dandy is slightly different in that like 2000AD, it has tried to keep up with the times. But instead of just maturing, it has instead had xtreme cosmetic surgery to the point you almost cannot recognise the original comic (if you took out the Dandy name, Desperate Dan, Bananaman and Cuddles & Dimples and would you?). So in name, it has survived with the rest, but in essence???

Anyway, I plan to keep getting 2000AD until its demise (or mine) and hopefully both will be a very long way off.

you're clearly a real fan of the comic, Sid, I have came acrross a few diehard fans like yourself who have stayed the course since 1977: I never would have dreamed the comic would still be around well after the year 2000.....

Apparently neither did the publishers, or they wouldn't have used the then futuristic but now dated 2000AD name.

I agree with the comment about 2000AD, Beano and Commando being the last of their breed - the last adventure anthology, funny anthology, and adventure library comic respectively.

I stuck with 2000AD until about issue 1000 and then I found I was only reading maybe 2 stories out of 5 if I was lucky. I suppose in my case, I grew up but only so far, so the 'new' style of stories are not my cup of tea. As you can tell from my comments over on the What comics did you buy thread, I am still a massive fan of Judge Dredd, but Tor Cyan, Sinster 'n' Dexter, Stickleback et al just do nothing for me. I will hear howls of derision from die-hard 2000AD fans, but I have stuck with the Megazine and I heartily recommend the current Armitage series The Mancunian Candidate to anyone, whether old-school or new-school. And to have John Cooper illustrating it is the icing on the cake.

What do people think of 2000AD currently?

Dredd is great as usual.

Flesh being back is a breath of fresh air.

Kingdom is another good strip.

SID wrote: Kingdom is another good strip.

Gene the Hackman and Co. are definitely among the better characters to come along in recent years, I agree.

Speaking of 2000AD, I wanted to ask you about this comic.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DC-COMICS-2000-AD-P ... 518d0a53af

Is this an actual issue or an promo comic for 2000AD? If so, was it released independently or along with a regular issue of 2000AD? Hope someone knows...

ramirez wrote:Speaking of 2000AD, I wanted to ask you about this comic.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DC-COMICS-2000-AD-P ... 518d0a53af

Is this an actual issue or an promo comic for 2000AD? If so, was it released independently or along with a regular issue of 2000AD? Hope someone knows...

I think it's a promo giveaway produced by DC Comics when they acquired the rights to reprint 2000AD material in the US back in 2004. The cover image is taken from one of the Christmas issues (prog 2000, maybe?).

I have 2000AD on subscription - but that's really on loyalty as i've been buying it from the start.
Just lately its been a real slog, with just Judge Dredd being the draw but, even with him, its been hard going sometimes.
But, Shakara is truely excellent and a throwback to when the title started and there was real imagination in the strips with drop-dead stunning art going on, the likes of which you'd never seen before. So hats off to the Flint Art Droid for that.
And now Flesh is back and, intentional or not, the strip has that 70's feel of outlandish concepts combined with outlandish art.
Am back to looking forward to the Postie on saturdays again.

tony ingram wrote:I think it's a promo giveaway produced by DC Comics when they acquired the rights to reprint 2000AD material in the US back in 2004. The cover image is taken from one of the Christmas issues (prog 2000, maybe?).

I 've checked 2000AD 's covers on www.2000adonline.com and I can 't find that cover anywhere (I checked the issues of the years 1999-2000-2001). Does anyone knows for sure if that Bolland cover was on a 2000AD issue or just on that promo comic?

ramirez wrote:

tony ingram wrote:I think it's a promo giveaway produced by DC Comics when they acquired the rights to reprint 2000AD material in the US back in 2004. The cover image is taken from one of the Christmas issues (prog 2000, maybe?).

I 've checked 2000AD 's covers on http://www.2000adonline.com and I can 't find that cover anywhere (I checked the issues of the years 1999-2000-2001). Does anyone knows for sure if that Bolland cover was on a 2000AD issue or just on that promo comic?

As Tony rightly guessed above, the image is indeed taken from the cover of Prog 2000: http://www.comicvine.com/2000-ad-prog-2000/37-118587/

Thanks. Funny it 's not on the list with the other issues...

I happened across my collection of 2000AD annuals while tidying my office today. They're mostly sh*t, aren't they? Ironic for the version of 2000AD that'll remain in most collections in most ordinary homes, these books (and I thumbed through the annuals from 1979 to 91, which is I think all of them isn't it?) mostly have second rate or up-and-coming artists and writers interspersed with reprint which, in the early years, was pre-2000AD stuff.

The lowest point is around the late 80s when they let Robin Smith do the cover. God 2000AD went through some bad times even at its peak.

I hope it's still looking good these days. Sadly I went off it during my time running the Comic Festival and it never won me back.

Kev F