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Legendary British Comic-Book Artist – Kevin O’Neill Passes Away At 69
It is with supreme sadness that we relay the tragic news of the death of one of the UK’s most prolific and innovative artists, the legendary Kevin O’Neill, who passed away last week at the age of 69.
Though most of my comic-book loving life has been consumed with DC Comics, being a Brit I also grew up with the iconic UK anthology comic series – 2000AD, and one of my absolute favourite creators for this compelling compendium was the venerable – Kev O’Neill, the ingenious co-creator behind some of the most treasured character creations to emanate from this small isle, including such luminaries as – Marshal Law, Nemesis the Warlock, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Kev was a titan of the comic scene, a unique and playful storyteller with a style unsurpassed by his peers, an idiosyncratic, quirky artstyle that stood out amongst a sea of artists. He began working within the industry at the age of 16 for UK publisher – IPC, working as help on the weekly brit comic – Buster, he moved into the position of colourer at IPC before moving to the fledgling anthology series – 2000AD, tasked with creating the iconic look of the compendium’s fictional editor – Tharg the Mighty, with his first comic strip project being – Ro-busters, for which he pencilled many stories for 2000AD writer and co-creator – Pat Mills.
During this time, Kev also co-created alien freedom fighter – Nemesis the Warlock, and anti-hero, superhero hunter – Marshal Law, he also worked extensively for DC Comics on projects – Omega Men, and the Alan Moore penned – Tales of the Green Lantern Corps annual, a project that was objected to at the time by the then – Comics Code Authority, who seem to object to Kev’s entire illustration style, the comic was still published by DC, without the CCA approval. In 1999, Kev began work, again alongside brit luminary – Alan Moore, on one of his most fascinating creations – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, originally published by Wildstorm, and later turned into a movie starring Sean Connery.
The comic-book world is left devastated by the loss of one of the most remarkable and incomparable creators, and our thoughts are with Kev’s family and friends at this tragic time. RIP.
2000AD Artist And Miracleman Co-Creator – Garry Leach – Passes Away At 67
British comic-book artist – Garry Leach – sadly passed away on March 26, at the age of 67. Garry was a frequent contributor to the UK’s biggest selling and most popular comic-book – 2000AD – where his fantastic art was regularly seen in Judge Dredd, Dan Dare and Tharg’s Future Shocks. It was during his tenure at 2000AD that he met future comic collaborator – Alan Moore – with whom he teamed up to update the golden age hero Marvelman, which was later altered to Miracleman due to copyright issues.
Garry was born in 1954 and attended Central St Martin’s College, his first work in the comic-book medium was inking the Dan Dare tale – The Doomsday Machine – in 1978. In 1981 he joined Quality Communications as an art director, and was the inaugural artist on Alan Moore’s revival of Marvelman for British Comic anthology – Warrior. In 1988, Garry set up Atomeka Press alongside Dave Elliot, whose first imprint was – A1 – an anthology series that boasted the talents of Alan Moore, Glenn Fabry, and Simon Bisley amongst many other comic-book greats.
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this sad time.
Great British Comic Book Characters: The Rise Of The British Superhero
American comic-books over the past decade have most assuredly become a much more mainstream field of interest, mostly due to the popularity of celluloid and small screen adaptations, bringing a larger audience to their outrageous spandex clad antics. Though established characters such as Batman and Wonder Woman have been with us now for well over eighty years, and are as readily recognised by even non comic-book fans by their symbolism and deeds, their popularity before said live action adaptations were nowhere near the stratospheric levels they have now reached through their various cinematic endeavours.
Superheroes and their villainous nemeses are now en-vogue, and comic-books as a medium are now more widely accepted as as a legitimate and serious form of storytelling. It wasn’t always this way of course. I have been collecting and reading comics since I was a mere six years of age, and have lost count over the years of the amount of times I have had to defend my choice of escapist literature to the non fan. Even with the rise in prevalence of the celluloid Superhero in recent years , I do tend, even now, to to get a stereotypical – “but comics are for kids” reaction when I profess my adoration for the medium. This situation though has improved in more recent times, again, mainly thanks to the introduction of these beloved characters through their filmic personae. Now more people than ever are buying and reading comics, and actively sharing their own passion for this new found hobby unashamedly with their friends and families. Geeks and Nerds are now de-rigeur.
With both the DC Extended Universe and the MCU going great guns at the box office, the American Superhero has firmly established itself in the public consciousness… But what of it’s British counterparts?
British comics differ greatly from their American brethren, though have endured since their introduction way back in 1937 with – The Dandy. Dandy is a long running children’s publication (in fact, the third longest running comic-book series in history after Action Comics and Detective Comics!) and introduced classic characters – Desperate Dan, and Korky the Kat. Following shortly after, in 1938, The Beano emerged, and presented the British buying public with the arguably more famous (than their Dandy counterparts at least) Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx and Billy Whizz.
These early comics were invariably aimed at the younger market and followed a format that is still primarily used in the UK comic scene today – the anthology. Several stories were contained in each individual issue, introducing the young fan to a plethora of cool characters in quick two or three page adventures, perfect at the time for the attention span of the younger readership. The Superhero archetype was still very much the domain of the American market at this time, and it wasn’t until 1950 that the UK conjured up their own equivalent with the classic sci-fi hero – Dan Dare.
In April of 1950 a new breed of comic-book hit the British news-stands – EAGLE, differing appreciably from from Dandy and Beano it focused on more sophisticated storylines and considerably more intricate artwork. It was the inaugural issue that introduced one of the UK’s most popular and enduring heroes in Dan Dare, though the stories themselves were set in the distant future, the dialog and mannerisms were very reminiscent of old Brit war movies, in fact Dare himself was described as “Biggles in space” (Biggles was a popular series of post WW1 novels starring an ace British pilot, which first published in 1932)
It was the quality of art that really set Dare’s iconic adventures apart from his competitors at this time, and was the first UK comic to use the centrefold ‘splash-page’ style approach to represent its galactic action sequences. Dan Dare endured in EAGLE throughout its initial seventeen year run until 1967. Though he has returned, like the proverbial phoenix, several times, not just in the later relaunched variant of Eagle Comics in 1982, but also Virgin Comics (founded by English entrepreneur – Richard Branson) where he was penned by fan favourite writer – Garth Ennis, and of course, his legendary run in the UK’s most popular comic – 2000 A.D.
2000 A.D. continued the long held tradition of the anthology that was evergreen in the UK, its first issue (known as Progs in the UK) was released in February of 1977, and introduced the Brit comic-book fan to brand new and exciting heroes, and villains hitherto unexplored in a UK publication. The initial line up of strips included – Harlem Heroes – a series that was heavily inspired by the 1970’s explosion of Kung-Fu movies, American basketball stars (specifically – The Harlem Globetrotters) and violent future sports movie – Rollerball. M.A.C.H – 1, told the tale of of a super powered British secret service agent, with obvious nods to both James Bond and The Six Million Dollar Man, and FLESH – an ultra-violent tale about time travelling cowboys heading to the Jurassic era to harvest dinosaurs for their meat, a story that presented a very young me personally, with one of my all time favourite non human protagonists – Old One Eye.
2000 A.D. has gone on to become the most widely read and circulated comic-book series in British history and has delivered some of the most archetypal and fascinating characters ever conceived in the world of the Superhero. As the publication became more in demand, new characters were added to the fold, with likes of Johnny Alpha – Strontium Dog, who found fame after transferring to 2000 A.D. when his original home publication – Starlord – was cancelled. Other terrific tales include – Rogue Trooper – the blue skinned genetically engineered soldier of the future, and the A.B.C Warriors – a team of battling bots who are able to withstand atomic, bacterial and chemical warfare.
Many other heroes and villains have since been presented in the pages of this hallowed publication, some of whom we have already covered in previous posts (of which I will link below for anyone who is interested in this particularly Brit rabbit hole) Of course, conspicuous by his absence is the UK’s biggest and most popular character of all time, the grimly determined lawman of the future – Judge Dredd – For a multitude of reasons Dredd didn’t make an appearance in the first Prog of 2000 A.D. his debut though, came a mere one week later in Prog #2, which cemented his well deserved place in comic-book history!
Has this wet your appetite for other classic Brit characters, then why not check out some of my earlier profile pieces –
Vampire Bounty Hunter – Durham Red
Alien Freedom Fighter – Nemesis The Warlock
Authoritarian Hero Hater – Marshal Law
Great British Comic-Book Characters: Zenith
Borag Thungg fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo and welcome back to another instalment of ‘Great British Comic-Book Characters’ our occasional series that aims to acquaint you with some of the classic characters that originate from the UK.
As we have highlighted in previous entries from this series, comics take on a very diverse approach in Britain in comparison to their American counterparts, the anthology style is (and forever has been) ubiquitous in its form over here in blighty. Whereas most comic-books in the USA usually centre themselves on a single character or story arc, British comics have almost always delivered a compendium of characters and stories in each issue, with easily the most popular and groundbreaking of these weekly digests being the phenomenal 2000AD.
We have posted in length about the other crazy characters that form the UK’s favourite comic anthology, but where they mostly differ from their American brethren is with their distinct lack of capes, cowls and secret identities. Brit comic persona are invariably made up of quirky non-conformist types or hard nosed, fascistic authoritarian figures with 2000AD’s leading export Judge Dredd being the ultimate example of the latter. Today’s guest star though belongs to the former camp and is somewhat closer to the American ideal of a comic-book stalwart, yet still retains the atypical Brit eccentricity and anti-establishmentarianism that pervades a majority of fictional British work.
Zenith was created by the great Grant Morrison and sensational Steve Yeowell in 1987, its debut appearance was in #535 of 2000AD, yet the story’s titular star didn’t actually appear until the second episode with the first instalment reserved for setting the scene for his introduction into this alternate fictional version of the UK.
Robert McDowell is the civilian name of the ’80s Pop star/Superhero Zenith, the son of two former members of the famed team of 1960’s British Superheroes known as Cloud 9, a group of super-humans initially formed by the military, who ultimately rebelled against authority becoming bohemian psychedelic fashion icons and rights activists. Zenith is possessed of bio-rythmic abilities that grant him the powers of flight, super strength, pyrokinesis and high physical durability. Yet rather than use these uncanny gifts to fight intolerance and crime he utilises them to further his music career. Zenith himself is a superficial, glib and self centred personality, overtly spoilt and extremely reluctant to be brought into any of the ongoing conflict that involves going up against the pernicious and malevolent antagonists – The Lloigor.
Reluctantly he is dragged into action by surviving members of Cloud 9 to help fight The Many Angled One (aka The Lloigor, beings from another dimension closely resembling Cthulhu mythos) Lok Sotot. It was during this violent encounter, after the unfortunate death of Welsh Superhero, Red Dragon, that Zenith began to realise the full extent of his incredible powers, and his ability to utilise them for the benefit of others rather than his own selfish needs.
Grant Morrison initially created Zenith as a “reaction against tormented Superheroes” you see, the 1980s was the decade for the anti-heroes’ ascendance, Batman became darker and grimmer than previous iterations and Watchmen (by fellow Brit creator Alan Moore) took the political dissonance and violent repercussions of masked vigilantism to a whole other stratospheric level. Zenith was Morrison’s way of railing against this methodology (that said, Morrison himself has gone on to become one of the most celebrated and longest running writers of Batman tales, with an extremely dark take on the character that is in stark contrast to Zenith’s raison-d’etre)
Zenith is a satirical and sardonic look at 1980’s British culture and politics (a favoured scenario for many Brit comic creators) Morrison described his creation as – “a dumb, sexy and disposable pop icon, Alan Moore by way of Stock, Aitken and Waterman”
Up until a few years ago Zenith was out of print due to ownership disputes between creators and publishers, causing previously released collected volumes to skyrocket in price, selling for up to an unbelievable ten times their original cover value! 2000AD owners Rebellion released a new set of collected editions late in 2014 that managed to sell out on pre-order in just 48 hours, cementing the fact that the UK’s love for the glibly shallow Superhero was (and still is) second to none.
A Guide To Speaking 2000AD…
Seminal British anthology series 2000AD not only brought fantastic characters and thrill-power to the universal masses but also introduced us to it’s iconic alien editor – Tharg the Mighty! Tharg has presided as its fictional Quaxxann leader since the first issue debuted in 1977, and alongside presenting stellar stories, he also brought his very own dialect, which most die hard 2000AD fans use on an almost daily basis (yup, guilty as charged!) So to those Terrans whom have never delved into Quaxxiann we proffer a list of his most popular catchphrases and their Terran translations…
Borag Thungg Earthlet – Greetings Human.
Zarjaz – Excellent
Krill Tro Thargo – Honoured By Tharg
Florix Grabundae – Many Thanks
Nonscrot – Someone Who Doesn’t Read 2000AD
Scrotnig – Exciting Or Amazing
Squaxx Dek Thargo – Friend Of Tharg
Splundig Vur Thrigg – Goodbye
And so, Florix Grabundae my fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo for visiting the Precinct and indulging in our Scrotnig post. Splundig Vur Thrigg!
Tharg the Mighty and Zenith are copyright: 2000AD and Rebellion.
Great British Comic-Book Characters: Nemesis The Warlock
“I am the shape of things to come, the lord of the flies, holder of the sword sinister… the death-bringer, I am the one who waits on the edge of your dreams… I am Nemesis”
Borag Thungg my fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo, and welcome to another instalment of “Great British Comic Book Characters.” In our last episode we introduced you to the UK’s biggest selling anthology comic of all time, 2000AD and its much celebrated principal star Judge Dredd, from this episode onwards we shall be exploring in detail the plethora of other characters that make up this diverse and innovative weekly comic book compendium.
Demonic alien entity Nemesis made his first appearance in 2000AD in prog #167 in July of 1980, created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O’Neill.
Protagonist Nemesis is a fire-breathing alien who opposes the tyrannical and oppressive subjugation and systematic extermination of alien races by the evil human Termight empire and their fascist leader Tomas De Torquemada. His self appointed pursuit of justice against the xenophobic human forces began after discovering that his wife Chira and son Thoth had been murdered by Termite’s terminators under orders from Torquemada himself.
2000AD prog #167 first introduced us to our eponymous alien advocate in a short story entitled “Comic Rock: Terror Tube.” This initial adventure saw our freedom fighting anti-hero escape from the clutches of the then Chief of tube Police, Torquemada, after a sustained chase through a complex tube travel system on a planet named Termight (later revealed to be Earth.) Though for his first ever appearance he was strangely conspicuous by his absence, all the reader saw of Nemesis was the exterior of his ship, the Blitzspear.
Though short, Terror Tube set the scene for the continuing crusade of Nemesis and his lifelong antagonist Torquemada, the Termight Police were modelled closely after the Spanish Inquisition and extreme right wing factions (Torquemada himself was named after notorious Spanish Inquisitor Tomas De Torquemada) which made it rather straightforward for the reader to empathise with the plight of the subjugated alien races and the violent struggle of our titular lead Nemesis. Though Nemesis himself is far from pure and virtuous, with his human aide and confidante Purity Brown ultimately realising that his mission of vengeance was primarily used as an excuse to cover his own hatred of Humanity and his mission to exterminate them from the known Universe.
Our main antagonist Torquemada began his contemptible quest as a young boy, embarking on a crusade to rid the galaxy of aliens. Betrayed by the crusade’s leader he was sold into slavery, ending up as a thrall for an alien race for over five long years. This scarred him badly leaving what little compassion and humility he possessed to be discarded, and his hatred of other lifeforms outside his own, intensified tenfold.
After his stint as tube police chief, he eventually rose to become the overriding leader of the entire Termight empire, with the assistance of his superficially religious police force The Terminators. Later in the series he became a powerful phantom like figure after losing his physical form in a bizarre teleporting accident. He continued his existence and zealous quest through the possession of a succession of host bodies, though these would have to be replaced often as the ostensibly undead host would decay at an escalated rate.
Nemesis’ continuing crusade takes place initially across ten volumes, with the odd short story inter-cutting in various annuals, one-offs and specials. Book one entitled “The World Of Termight” introduced the leading players and set the scene for the epic galaxy spanning war. Each subsequent chapter would add more layers to the expansive storyline, culminating in book ten, “The Final Conflict” which saw both Nemesis and Torquemada deceased at the culmination of the tale.
Like all of Pat Mills’ classic creations (Judge Dredd especially) he drew on real world politics and inherent human prejudices. Nemesis spoke on many levels other than the ones accepted in the comic strip at face value. Bigotry, hatred and fascism were all explored in detail, and none of the leads were of great moral fibre, including our hero Nemesis, who is tainted by much the same abhorrence and repugnance as his arch enemy Torquemada, ultimately leaving this dystopian tale exceedingly ambiguous.
Splundig Vur Thrigg!
Nemesis the Warlock and all imagery copyright: Rebellion
World’s Finest: An Exclusive Interview With Judge Death
Welcome fellow Agents of Precinct1313 to another exhilarating episode of “World’s Finest” a series of exclusive interviews that aim to introduce you to some of our very favourite convocation of comic-book characters of… all… time!
Each episode we cordially invite one of our most treasured – Superheroes, SuperVillains, Costumed Crimefighters, Dimension Dwelling Demons and, of course, Super-Pets, to answer a quotient of quintessentially quirky questions about life, the universe and cake (’cause everyone loves cake!)
And so, let us welcome to Precinct1313’s stately sanguine sofa of shockingly satirical secrets – the Emperor of Expiration, the Duke of Demise, the decidedly discorporeal, and defiantly deceased – Judge Death!
Precinct1313: W… w… welcome, uh, J… Judge Death, to this week’s World’s Finest…
Judge Death: Hsssssssssssss…
Precinct1313: It’s, erm, lovely to have you join us this evening?
Judge Death: You! you have the foul ssssstench of the Living!
Precinct1313: I, uh, am what you might currently call alive, yes.
Judge Death: Life isssssss crime, the sssssssentence is…
Precinct1313: …Death! yes, yes I know, I’ve been a big fan of yours since you first fought your nemesis, Judge Dredd way back in issue #149 of 2000AD…
Judge Death: You would do well to not interrupt me again, you missssserable mortal malignancy!
Precinct1313: I, uh, i..it won’t happen again, Mr Death, uh, sir…
Judge Death: Your feeble attempt at appeasement meansssss nothing foul fleshling, life isssss an aberration and I am itssssss cure
Precinct1313: Erm, if you don’t mind me interjecting for just a second, but if my history is correct haven’t you already “cured” your own dimension of it’s populace?
Judge Death: Yessssss, Deadworld now livessss up to itssssss appurtenant moniker.
Precinct1313: Of course, your personal reasoning for the slaughter of billions of lives was that because all crime is committed by the living, that life itself must be a crime?
Judge Death: Yessssss, with the help of the witch sisterssssss, Phobia and Nausea, and my fellow Dark Judgesssss I was able to finally bring those tortured and corrupt living soulsssss into the cold embrace of expiration…
Precinct1313: Ah yes, your infamous entourage of euthanasia, the other Dark Judges Fear, Fire and Mortis! together you make a most formidable and fatal foursome, I mean few have stood a chance against your potency for perishing.
Judge Death: Your alliteration is nonsenssssse and childisssh, and you will cease and desist immediately… or you will literally cease to exisssssst!
Precinct1313: Ceased… forthwith!
Judge Death: Good, my brethren Judges are almossssst here, and your wit and badinage will not be welcomed by them, in the ssssslightest!
Precinct1313: I’m sorry, did you just say that the other Dark Judges are, um, on their way here… right now!?
Judge Death: Yesssssssss, they want to meet you!
Precinct1313: They, uh, do? for like, my autograph, or something… right?
Judge Death: No, to judge you, though I fear I already know the outcome…
Precinct1313: Fear? oh no, come on…
Judge Fear: GAZE INTO THE FACE OF FEAR!!
Precinct1313: Eeeeep!
Precinct1313: Oh thank grudd… Dredd! you saved me from a fate worse than… oh hang on, from actual death…
Judge Dredd: I wouldn’t rejoice just yet citizen, you are charged with conspiring with the Dark Judges, how do you plead?
Precinct1313: Conspiring, erm, all I did was invite Judge Death over for an interview, it’s sort of what I do…
Judge Dredd: And unleashed him upon your dimension, where now millions of lives will expire, you are found guilty of collusion, the sentence is death!
Precinct1313: Ah, dammit!
GUILTY!
Judge Death, Fire, Mortis, Fear and Dredd are Copyright: 2000AD and Rebellion.
The Week In Geek… With Precinct1313
Welcome fellow agents of Precinct1313 to another episode of The Week In Geek, where we love to share our favourite, Comic Book, Video-Game, and Cult Movie news for your perusal and pleasure. And so once more unto the geek dear agents, once more…
Happy 40th Birthday Judge Dredd…
Not only did the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic – 2000AD reach it’s 40th anniversary milestone this year, but this month also brings us four decades of ol’ stony face himself, grim lawman of the future, the inimitable Judge Dredd. That’s right fellow fans of fantastic fiction, the UK’s biggest ever comic book star has been busting perps and incarcerating crooks for a fantastic forty years!
Dredd made his first appearance in prog #2 of 2000AD in March 1977, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, and became an instant hit with UK comic book fans, finally we had a character who could stand toe to toe with his American peers. Like many stories emanating from 2000AD, Dredd was an extreme satire of British culture and politics, often taking these themes to ridiculous extremes (though possibly not so extreme, considering the unfortunate direction that the UK has taken in the past year)
Dredd is the most infamous of the Judges who patrol the future city of Mega City One, riding his Lawmaster motorcycle through it’s mean streets and conferring justice utilising his Lawgiver sidearm. Judges literally are the law… judge, jury and executioner, dispensing justice as they see fit with complete autonomy, save their Book of Law. Dredd is one of the (very) few characters to have become successful outside of the British isles, and has always served as a harsh parody of how the world could end up lest it reins in it’s inherent fears and prejudices. Happy Birthday Joe, here’s to another 40!
Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Hailed As “Greatest Game Of All Time!”
Nintendo’s new hybrid console “The Switch” is now amongst us (well, at least the lucky few who pre-ordered the device, such is the way with new Nintendo machines… unfortunately!) and with their new machine comes a brand new entry in their (arguably) most popular series… Zelda, and the gaming media is going crazy for it!
Currently sitting with an astonishing ’98’ overall rating on Metacritic, it seems the professional game reviewers can’t get enough of Ninty’s magnum opus… with even the notorious, critically harsh gaming magazine, Edge giving it an incredible ‘100’ rating, that’s right… Edge!!
The Legend Of Zelda is an action RPG originally released on the Nintendo Famicom in 1986, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The series protagonist is a small elven boy named Link, who, at the start of virtually every game would be roused from slumber and tasked with saving Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule, from the evil shenanigans of chief antagonist, Ganon.
What makes Breath Of The Wild so different from it’s forebears though, is it’s abandoning of specific gaming tropes from previous iterations, the impressively vast world is entirely open to you from almost the get go, no slingshots, boomerangs or bombs holding you back from unlocking new areas, like earlier incarnations of the game. The physics are astounding, the graphics are gorgeous,with a rousing soundtrack and an infinite things to do, maybe this is the greatest game of all time.
Why not join us next time friends, for more Week In Geek…
Great British Comic Book Characters: Durham Red
“Now… your blood would be a different story, I bet it’s dark, rich, full of iron… What do you say, care to indulge in a bit of… transfusion?”
Uh, maybe later Durham… Welcome fellow fans of fantastic fiction to another episode of “Great British Comic Book Characters” our occasional series that aims to acquaint you with some of the classic dramatis personae that originate from this tiny island known as the United Kingdom.
Durham Red was originally conceived as a sidekick and possible love interest for 2000AD’s mutant bounty hunter Johnny Alpha, the character proved so popular to the fans that after Johnny’s untimely demise she was given starring role in the spin off series “Strontium Dogs”. Created by the astonishing alumni of John Wagner, Alan Grant and Carlos Ezquerra, Durham made her first appearance in prog #505 of 2000AD in 1987.
In the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war in 2150, that left over 70% of the British population wiped out, an increase of mutated births was prevalent due to high radiation fallout. As time progressed the mutants found themselves increasingly persecuted, facing a high degree of racism which included laws precluding them from owning businesses, sending their children to schools attended by “normal” humans and ultimately found themselves segregated from society and housed in ghettos, which included a giant mutant settlement established in the town of Milton Keynes.
One of the very few jobs available to the mutants was that of a bounty hunter, known as Strontium Dogs, named after the Strontium 90 fallout and their distinctive search destroy (S/D) badges. These positions were deemed too dangerous for “normal” humans and were offered to the most dangerous and strongest of the mutant society. SD agents operated out of an orbiting space station known as the Doghouse, tasked with hunting down the galaxy’s very worst criminals.
Mutations in the 2000AD universe differ greatly from their other comic book counterparts, most mutants rather than being gifted with extraordinary gifts and powers (a la Marvel’s X-Men) were usually hideously malformed, but a few benefitted from non malformation and incredible physical and mental gifts. Durham Red is one such mutant, her mutation resembles that of the classic literary vampire, her body must intake a constant supply of blood to continue existence. But the gains ultimately outweigh her bloodlust in that, as long as Durham drinks the life giving plasma she is infused with super strength, lightning fast reflexes and near immortality, yet she shares none of the classical drawbacks of vampirism (inability to venture out in daylight, silver, garlic, etc).
After spending decades hunting down the very worst the galaxy had to offer in it’s frontier planets, Durham grew weary of the constant cycle of death and devastation and voluntarily put herself into cryonic suspended animation, that lasted centuries.
She finally roused to a new order, a war had broken out between human and mutants and through the intervention of various alien races, a Pan-Species accord was reached, giving mutants the same rights of equality that “normal” humans held. Durham found that during her protracted slumber a cult had grown around her venerable legend, with her now known as the Saint of Mutants. The saint fanatic who awoke her, Judas Farrow, quickly found that the real item differed greatly to the legend that had been borne about her, but still found himself accompanying Durham on her many excursions in this new timeline.
Durham indirectly was the catalyst for the sterilisation of human kind after being betrayed by the mutant telepath The Offspring, who used Durham as a pawn to seek his revenge on human society. Durham filled with remorse for her part in this, retreated from the world, becoming feral, using her great gifts for survival only purposes.
A century passed before Durham was tracked down by one of her saint followers Godolkin, who needed her help in finally destroying the Offspring. After confronting Offspring in a distant section of space known as the Fracture, where time itself was ruptured, she realised that Offspring could not be killed by any normal means, so Durham dragged him down with her into a singularity, and within this space/time vortex Durham beheld many different instances of past and future selves.
Like most storylines barrelling out of 2000AD, Durham Red was a politically and racially charged tale of parochialism and intolerance, British comics have often moved along this paradigm, with the 1980’s giving birth to some of the greatest tales of fundamental liberalism and forbearance.
Durham Red lived for another millennia, adopting the identity of Empress Redwina and ultimately lived to see the time when the mutant race outnumbered their oppressive human norms.
The Week In Geek… With Precinct1313
Welcome fellow agents of Precinct1313 to another episode of The Week In Geek, where we love to share our favourite, Comic Book, Video-Game, and Cult Movie news for your perusal and pleasure…
Lara Croft Returns…
Lara Croft, the quintessentially English raider of tombs will be returning to the silver screen in 2018 courtesy of Swedish actress Alicia Vikander. The adventurous archaeologist was last seen at cinemas in the 2003 “Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life” starring Angelina Jolie. The new movie seems to be following heavily in the footsteps of the recent reboot of the game itself in 2013, right down to digital Lara’s actual outfit, as these recent set photos confirm.
Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft Looking Uncannily Like Her Virtual Reboot Counterpart
The movie is set for release in March 2018, starring Alicia Vikander, Walter Goggins, and Dominic West. Directed by Roar Uthaug.
2000AD Gets Set To Celebrate It’s 40th Anniversary…
Stalwart British Sci-Fi/Fantasy anthology comic (or Prog, as we call it here in jolly ol’ Blighty) 2000AD is preparing itself for celebrating it’s fortieth year in print! The Zarjaz zine was unleashed onto the British comic book scene in 1977 and has gone on to be the biggest selling and most loved comic book in the UK’s history, the classic comic has introduced such legendary creations as – Judge Dredd, Nemesis the Warlock, Slaine and Zenith amongst a cavalcade of others too numerous to mention.
Not only has this groundbreaking comic given us a cadre of classic characters, but it was also responsible for letting loose some of the UK’s most famed comic book creators, such luminous lights as – Alan Moore, John Higgins, Brian Bolland, Alan Grant, Grant Morrison, Simon Bisley, Pat Mills et al. And on February 11th, these creators and more will be attending Hammersmith, London in a celebration of mighty magnitude for a “Forty Years Of Thrill Power” festival that includes panel discussions, live drawing exhibitions, exclusive film screenings and prop displays. Happy Birthday 2000AD!
Netflix To Unleash Castlevania TV Show…
Netflix have announced an upcoming series based upon Konami’s much loved video-game franchise Castlevania. The Japanese action adventure game debuted way back in 1986 to instant acclaim, it is centered around the Belmont family, a clan of vampire hunters and their protracted war against Count Dracula and his minions.
Apart from this initial announcement (contained within a press release) very little else is known about the project, except one tantalising nugget, that the first season will be penned by none other than the great Warren Ellis, Comic Book author extraordinaire, who has given the world such astonishing series as Hellblazer and Transmetropolitan. If this turns out as great as I hope, maybe we could see more production companies mining the vast annals of video-game lore… Dark Souls TV series anyone!
Why not join us next time friends, for more Week In Geek…
Comic Book Artist Steve Dillon Passes Away
Steve Dillon Is Most Fondly Remembered For His Stunning Preacher Artwork
It is with great sadness that we report that veteran British comic-book artist Steve Dillon passed away this week, he was 54 years of age. His untimely passing was confirmed by his brother, Glyn Dillon today.
Steve Dillon was best known in the comic-book community for his work on DC/Vertigo’s ‘Preacher’ series, on which he collaborated with writer Garth Ennis. But he is most fondly remembered by myself for his contributions to classic British anthology comic – 2000AD, especially his stunning artwork for Judge Dredd, which was one of my favourite versions of the character.
Hellblazer/Constantine By The Late Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon also worked for DC Comics and Vertigo on their Hellblazer/Constantine series, and Marvel’s Punisher. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Great British Comic Book Characters Presents: 2000AD Prog #2000
Borag Thungg fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo, and welcome back to another instalment of ‘Great British Comic Book Characters’ Precinct1313’s episodic delve into the UK’s biggest selling and highly influential weekly anthology comic: 2000AD. And today’s episode marks a massive milestone for the ‘Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’ with the release of it’s 2000th issue!
The iconic British comic book has been administering thrill power to the masses since it was first introduced in 1977. It has been responsible for unleashing such seminal characters as Nemesis the Warlock, Zenith, Rogue Trooper, Slaine, Strontium Dog, and of course, it’s most important and popular persona, the grim lawman of the future, Judge Dredd.
The weekly anthology not only became the biggest selling British comic in the UK’s history (and still is today) but also helped thrust into the limelight some of the greatest British writers and artists in comic book lore, such luminary delights as Pat Mills, Alan Moore, Simon Bisley, Alan Grant, Brian Bolland and Grant Morrison. These outstanding talents have gone on to be responsible for some of the most legendary works in comics with titles including, Batman: The Killing Joke, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing and many, many more.
Celebrating a monumental 2000 issues, today is the most important day in British comic-book history as the illustrious issue hits the UK newsstands. Prog #2000 begins with an illustrated introduction from some of 2000AD’s most famed creators, and Quaxxan native – Tharg the Mighty, 2000AD’s alien editor, acts as our virtual tour guide across the stunning strips. As we dive into the grandiose comic, we are delighted to see the return of some of the original Scrotnig stalwarts, especially two of Dredd’s creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra who present us with an extra special anniversary story depicting Mega City’s most feared Judge, who teams up up with renowned Strontium Dog himself Johnny Alpha.
Other delights include, the return of Pat Mills and Kevin O’ Neill to Nemesis the Warlock, and an especially Zarjaz tale featuring PSI Judge Anderson (my personal favourite 2000AD character) brought to you by legendary scribe Alan Grant, with exceptional visuals by the extremely talented David Roach. The Prog (2000AD and British’ism for issue, fact fans) ships with three different covers, and is a complete and utter steal at a mere £3.99.
Three Monumental Covers To Help Celebrate A Majestic Milestone
The irreverent satirical humour, anti-establishment rhetoric, and dystopian outlook are all present and correct, as they always have been since this momentous comic’s first appearance. Mixed in with stunning art and classic creators, this is a fitting tribute to one of the world’s most iconic and groundbreaking works of fiction, ‘Florix Grabundae’ to Tharg the Mighty, founder Pat Mills, and the cadre of creators that have given us, humble British comic book fans, such delightfully satirical entertainment over the years. Splundig Vur Thrigg’ fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo’
Tharg’s Catchphrase Dictionary…
Tharg the Mighty has not only brought fantastic characters and thrill-power to the comic-book masses over the years, but also his own dialect. So to induct those Terrans who have never spoken Quaxxiann, we proffer a list of his most widely utilised phrases and their Terran translations.
“Borag Thungg Earthlet” – Greetings Human.
“Zarjaz” – Excellent.
“Krill Tro Thargo” – Honoured By Tharg.
“Florix Grabundae” – Many Thanks.
“Nonscrot” – Someone Who Doesn’t Read 2000AD.
“Scrotnig” – Exciting/Amazing.
“Squaxx Dek Thargo” – Friend Of Tharg.
“Splundig Vur Thrigg” – Goodbye.
Great British Comic Book Characters Presents: Future Shock! The Story Of 2000AD
Borag Thungg fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo, and welcome back to another instalment of “Great British Comic Book Characters,” Precinct1313‘s episodic look at the UK’s biggest selling and highly influential weekly anthology comic; 2000AD.
Over the previous five instalments of this ongoing series, I have gradually introduced you to the characters and creators of the “Galaxy’s Greatest Comic,” what first motivated me to begin a series on 2000AD was initially the fact that, apart from Judge Dredd, the majority of classic characters from this mighty tome are rather unknown to the world outside of the British isles. Fantastic creations such as Nemesis the Warlock, Rogue Trooper, Zenith and Strontium Dog have rich backstories, superstar creators and close to 40 years of history, yet still remain in relative obscurity. Having grown up alongside these characters, I decided to utilise my blog to promote, as best as I could, these groundbreaking comic characters and hopefully draw more appreciation and proclivity towards characters I believe are deserving of a far larger audience than they currently receive.
“Read more 2000AD, or it’s five years in an iso-cube, mandatory!”
Released in the UK on December 7, “Future Shock! The Story Of 2000AD” is an 106 minute documentary that charts the rise of Britain’s favourite comic-book, offering up a dynamic and comprehensive overview of the comic that includes a look at the various highs and lows of the comics history, and extensive coverage of the creative process behind the scenes of the long running megazine. Documenting how a band of Britain’s most talented and eclectic comic talent came together to create the visionary publication, and guest starring a swathe of said talent including; Neil Gaiman, Pat Mills, John Wagner, Grant Morrison and Dave Gibbons, plus recent “Dredd” actor Karl Urban is also on hand to profess his adoration for 2000AD‘s world famous grim protector of the law.
Future Shock! is directed by Paul Goodwin, who has, as previously mentioned, assembled an iconic group of talent for interviews and nostalgic musings on their past glories. Especially entertaining, as always, is the fantastic Pat Mills, who rages and rants humorously on the ups and downs of the comic’s (at times) tempestuous past, Mills alone is worth the asking price, one of the greatest talents in the UK industry, he never pulls his punches and always tells things as they are, his part in this documentary is legendary!.
Pat Mills, is as awesome and entertaining as ever in this must see documentary
The documentary itself mostly consists of the aforementioned interviews alongside various illustrations, also included though are some impressive animations courtesy of Zebra Post, with the opening sequence being a particular stand-out piece. The docu mainly covers the 70’s and 80’s of 2000AD‘s long history, but does touch on the 90’s, especially on sister publication Judge Dredd: The Megazine.
At over 100 minutes long, this fantastic look at 2000AD is a must have for fans of the comic, but also offers up an intriguing study of British comics in a time when the UK was going through a considerable transition in politics, music and outlook, 2000AD embraced and used these changes to produce an intelligent and sometimes hilariously subversive comic that almost predominantly helped evolve not just the comic book scene in Britain, but ultimately the across the planet itself.
Precinct1313 Rating: Zarjaz!!
Great British Comic Book Characters: Judge Dredd The Megazine’s 25th Anniversary
The Four Dark Judges Are Here To Torture, Kill… And Wish Dredd Happy Anniversary… Before Torturing And Killing Him Of Course!
“Oh hi there, Judge Death here, the Duke of Demise, Emperor of Expiration and all round evil fiend. Just thought I’d stop by to wish my old foe Dredd congratulations on 25 years of his solo comic, before I head out to snuff the life of billions in my eternal quest to extinguish the living from all mortal planes. Best enjoy as many comics as you can humans, for soon I shall come for your corporeal souls… you have a great day now”
Uh, thanks for that Death… Borag Thungg fellow Squaxx Dek Thargo, and welcome to an anniversary edition of “Great British Comic Book Characters” wherein we shall be celebrating a quarter of a century of “Judge Dredd: The Megazine.”
That’s right Dredd devotees, 2000 AD‘s sister comic – The Megazine is celebrating 25 years of dispensing justice and thrill-power today. Launched way back in October 1990, Megazine collected classic Dredd stories from the past, including such greats as, “Young Death” and “America” and this awesome anniversary issue also sports a fantastic commemorative cover by Barry Kitson, who is triumphantly returning to the 2000 AD fold for the first time in 23 years!
25 fallen foes, help celebrate Dredd’s 25th solo anniversary
The special edition cover contains the twenty five most heinous of Dredd‘s rogues gallery including such sadistic evil-doers as, Judge Death, Fink Angel, Judge Fear, Mean Machine, Captain Skank, and Rico Dredd. Like its sister publication 2000 AD, Megazine (formed from the wordplay of magazine and Mega-City One, fact fans) is an anthology comic, originally containing tales set only within the Dredd universe.
As the years moved on it expanded to include other unconnected stories, interviews with artists and writers, and a monthly supplement that would focus on the work of certain celebrity 2000 AD contributors such as Simon Bisley, Alan Grant, and John Higgins, plus from issue #276 they opened up a unique creator-owned slot that featured Tank Girl and American Reaper amongst its superstar guest characters. So here’s to another 25 years in the company of the world’s toughest lawman, by Drokk!
Judge Dredd’s Catchphrase Dictionary;
In case you ever find yourself stranded in downtown Mega-City One, and don’t know your skedway from your zoomway, well worry no more because here’s a handy dandy guide to Mega-City lingo that may just save your Grud-damn life!
Grud: An analogy for a higher being or God.
Drokk: An expletive, profanity.
Stomm: Word for an unpleasant substance or food stuff.
Sov: Shortened term for East Megians, Soviets.
Jay: A Judge.
Jimp: Judge impersonator.
Slab: Pedestrian walkway or pavement.
Resyk: Recycling centre, where dead bodies are processed and recycled.
Mutie: Shortened from mutant.
Sked: Term used for roads, shortened from Skedway.
Zoomway: High speed, multi-lane motorways.
Iso-Cube: Isolation cube, various stacked prison cells.
Judge Dredd: The Megazine #365 Anniversary Edition is available at your local comic-book emporium and all good newsagents right now.
Judge Dredd and Judge Dredd: The Megazine are copyright – Rebellion.
Great British Comic-Book Characters: Judge Dredd Lives!
Iconic British anthology comic 2000AD has been administering thrill power to the masses since its inception in 1977. It not only succeeded in presenting to the world seminal characters like Judge Dredd, Zenith and Nemesis the Warlock, but also helped launch into the spotlight some of the greatest British writers and artists in comic book history, luminaries such as Brian Bolland, Pat Mills, Alan Grant, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and Simon Bisley. American comic book companies like DC and Marvel have been mining these outstanding British talents to great effect since then on titles that include Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke, V For Vendetta and many, many others too numerous to mention.
1975 and Kevin Gosnell, an editor at IPC Magazines commissioned the freelance writer Pat Mills, who had previously created weekly adventure comic Action, to develop a new science fiction based anthology comic which he hoped would ride on the wave of popularity of forthcoming Sci-Fi blockbuster movies. Pat Mills brought in another freelancer, John Wagner as adviser and together they began to create characters for the new publication. The futuristic sounding name of 2000AD was then chosen, with the failure rate of new comics in the UK at a high, no-one ever expected the title to ever last past that date. How wrong they were… thankfully.
The debut issue of 2000AD hit the British newsagents on the 26 February 1977, consisting of a line up of four separate stories, Harlem Heroes, Flesh, M.A.C.H 1, and 50’s British Science Fiction icon Dan Dare who was revived from ten years in limbo after his original home publication Eagle Comics shuttered in 1967.
There was another character who also made his first appearance in the new anthology comic, he would go on to be one of only two characters to appear in nearly every issue of 2000AD since its inception (the other being Dredd.) Tharg The Mighty was created by Pat Mills as the fictional editor of the comic, an alien who hailed from the planet Quaxxann in Betelgeuse, Tharg writes the comics introduction, answers questions from its readership (whom he originally referred to as ‘Earthlets’) and gives out prizes to readers who suggested stories and sent in artwork (prizes could be given in pound sterling or Tharg’s own currency of galactic groats.) Tharg would oversee the ‘Thrill Power’ quotient of each comic and led a team of creative robots who supplied the art and stories for each issue (with each robot resembling their real life counterpart.)
Tharg The Mighty Dispensing ‘Thrill Power’
2000AD creator Pat Mills’ writing had a strong anti-authoritarian vibe and attitude that was popular amongst his legion of readers and fans, but he also noted the effect that more authority based characters had on his readership after the creation of the Dirty Harry inspired maverick cop One-Eyed Jack by fellow 2000AD creator John Wagner for Valiant Comics, a boys adventure publication which ran between 1962 and 1976. This character was the beginning blocks of Britain’s biggest ever comic book export, the uber violent, no nonsense lawman of the future… Judge Dredd.
Dredd made his first appearance in Prog #2 of 2000AD, a tough cop who resides in the dystopian futuristic metropolis of Mega City One. Initially designed by Wagner and named after an abandoned horror strip character created by Pat Mills about a hanging Judge named ‘Dread.’ Spanish artist Carlos Ezquerra was tasked with visualising the character, and based his first designs on the the movie character Frankenstein from the 1975 cult hit ‘Death Race 2000.’ Dredd has gone on to appear in every single issue of 2000AD since that time. In 1983 he broke into the highly lucrative comic book market in America with his own series simply titled ‘Judge Dredd’ which consisted of reprints of his earlier adventures in 2000AD. In 1990 Dredd received his own title in the UK, ‘Judge Dredd – The Megazine’ written by his creator John Wagner.
Judge Dredd battles his nemesis Judge Death
Judge Joseph Dredd is the most celebrated and feared of Mega City’s Judges, tasked with bringing the law to the innumerable criminals in the teeming metropolis, literally Judge, Jury and executioner, with the power to instantly dispense justice as he sees fit. Patrolling the streets on his Lawmaster motorcycle, which comes equipped with machine guns, a laser cannon and an artificial intelligence that can pacify crowds and perform other innumerable tasks. All judges come equipped with the Lawgiver sidearm, designed to only recognise its parent Judge’s palm print and able to fire six different kinds of ammunition, including armour piercing and heat seeking rounds. Dredd and his brother Rico were cloned from the DNA of Chief Judge Fargo, Mega City’s original Chief Judge, and the name Dredd was given to them by Morton Judd the genetic scientist who created them, to “instill fear in the populace.”
Dredd continues to dispense justice in 2000AD and The Megazine in the UK, and has been the star of two movies, the much maligned “Judge Dredd” from 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone, and the more recent (and a hell of a lot better) “Dredd” portrayed by New Zealand actor Karl Urban (which I reviewed right here)
2012 movie ‘Dredd’ is as close to its source material as any fan could ever hope.
Tharg’s Catchphrase Dictionary:
Tharg the mighty not only brought fantastic characters and thrill-power to the universal masses, but also his own dialect which most 2000AD die-hards (myself included) use on a regular basis. So to induct those Terrans that have never spoken Quaxxiann, we proffer a list of his most widely used and popular catchphrases and their Terran translations.
“Borag Thungg Earthlet” – Greetings Human.
“Zarjaz” – Excellent.
“Krill Tro Thargo” – Honoured by Tharg.
“Florix Grabundae” – Many Thanks.
“Nonscrot” – Someone who doesn’t read 2000AD.
“Scrotnig” – Exciting or amazing.
“Squaxx Dek Thargo” – Friend of Tharg.
“Splundig Vur Thrigg” – Goodbye.
‘Florix Grabundae’ to everyone who has followed this series so far, and in our next instalment we will be looking at the other classic characters that make up the UK’s biggest selling comic, especially personal favourites, Nemesis the Warlock and Rogue Trooper. So until that time, have a ‘Zarjaz’ day and ‘Splundig Vur Thrigg’ fellow ‘Squaxx Dek Thargo.’
2000AD, Judge Dredd, Harlem Heroes, Dan Dare, M.A.C.H 1, Flesh and Tharg are copyright: Rebellion 2015.
Great British Comic-Book Characters: An Introduction
We spend most of our time in the Precinct writing about the heroes and villains that inhabit the pages of DC’s comic-book universe, in fact about 90% of the posts originating from us are about this classic company’s plethora of characters.
I first discovered Superheroes through DC after being bought a copy of Detective Comics by my Mum at the tender age of six, it was here that I came across the character that has had the biggest influence on me as I have grown up… Batman. I continued to read nothing but Batman stories up until the age of 9, when I decided to branch out and leave my comfort zone of Gotham City, and travel to a place that was as far removed from that festering crime-ridden city as could be… Themyscira, home of the fabled Amazons and of course the world’s first ever female Superhero… Wonder Woman.
Now, now, no need for fighting amongst yourselves, we love you both equally here in the Precinct
With all that said, being English, I also grew up reading and collecting the characters that came out of a popular British comic-book called 2000 AD, these home grown dramatis-personae were very different to the spandex clad heroes who populated the books I avidly collected from DC. I always found that these characters originating from the land of my birth were (though this is only true of the late 70’s and very early 80’s) darker, edgier and definitely more derived from what was happening in the UK on a weekly basis, be that through political or trendsetting issues.
Characters like Judge Dredd, (even though the stories were based in a fictional dystopian USA) were directly influenced by the politics and social movements of late seventies and early eighties Britain. Dredd himself was a correlation of what the people of the UK in the eighties believed the country was becoming; a police state, plus the rise of the anti-establishment punk rock movement that originated from Britain in direct defiance of how the government were running the country at the time, George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel “1984″ seemed to be coming true (in fact, the UK has the largest amount of street surveillance cameras in the world.)
Now then, this isn’t a politically motivated piece (politics bores the hell out of me, to be honest) just a small background on why, I believe, that the heroes and villains that leapt out of the pages of British comics were so different from their US counterparts. Alan Moore’s masterpiece “V for Vendetta” captured this sentiment perfectly, an amazing amalgam of everything that was believed to be taking place, and how at the time (and maybe still today, to some extent) the people of this sceptred Isle felt about the direction the country was taking.
Now that the lengthy preamble is done, we can concentrate on the interesting things this hopefully weekly series will bring you, my loyal and avid readers and blogging friends… cool comic characters from this tiny island we call the United Kingdom. So stay tuned, in our next instalment we shall examine the popular rise of the British comic-book industry and its first foray into the realm of the Superhero. Until next time, or as Tharg The Mighty would say “Splundig Vur Thrigg.”
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