The marathon continues! Like the last one, some elements here will be harvested from my original pieces on the first hundred issues, but I’ll be adding more where necessary.

The big difference between here and 1977 is that towards the end of the year another comic called Star Lord gets merged with 2000 AD, incorporating a couple of their stories. I discussed them in their own article, before this one.

The issues covered here are: 2000 AD issues 46-93, 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1978, 2000 AD Annual 1979, Dan Dare Annual 1979

JUDGE DREDD

Issues Covered: 46-93 

This is some of the good stuff right here. First of all, Dredd’s dealing with some more plots on the moon, but soon enough he’s back on Earth dealing with a killer car, then the big story of the year.

The Cursed Earth sees Dredd travelling between Mega Cities to provide medical help. This is our first big look at what’s happened to post-apocalyptic America with a long road trip, several friends, a lot of enemies and a lot of weirdness. This took up a lot of the year’s stories and was definitely worth it. Judge Dredd’s out of his comfort zone and doing his best, knowing that a Mega-City’s life is on the line.

We also get the first quarter of The Day the Law Died, where a blond tyrant is elevated to a level of power he really shouldn’t have and starts making insane executive orders which will end up with a lot of dead people on his hands.

Collected in: This year’s split out between Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 01 and Judge Dredd The Complete Case Files 02. If you want the issues of The Cursed Earth which feature well-known fast food chains, then there’s The Cursed Earth Uncensored. It’s probably too much to hope for Case Files 02 to get an updated printing.

DAN DARE

Issues Covered: 46-85

Dan Dare’s middle reboot continues in this run with the last part of the Star Slayer, then doppelgängers, big monsters in a water world (not Kevin Costner’s) and even a mutiny. It was better than I thought, but still the strip I was least excited to see in this era.

It probably helps that you’ve got people like Bear and Hitman making a weird ensemble which helps with someone as painfully ready salted crisps as Dan Dare.

Collected in: Dan Dare – The 2000 AD Years, Col 2

FLESH: BOOK II

Issues Covered: 86-93 (parts 1-8 of 14)

What if Flesh, but in the sea?

I know! What an idea! The thing is, Flesh was a great story which ran all the way to its conclusion, it didn’t feel like there was more to tell, but I guess there was. It’s still good fun, especially as time-travelling piece of shit Claw Carver is back again. He’s offended another giant dinosaur in the Nothosaur, Big Hungry. Big’s not quite as fun as Old One-Eye, but he gets a good go of it. 

There’s a lot of Claw Carver being a bastard and Big Hungry ripping its way through time travellers. Eventually Carver gets what’s due to him and Big Hungry ends up travelling to Loch Ness. I gather there’ll be some more Flesh in the future, and I know there are some descendents of Old One-Eye in other 2000 AD stories.

Collected in: Flesh: The Dino Files

INVASION!

Issues Covered: 46-51

This story closes things out for Bill Savage. It’s pretty much a continuation of what I said in the last review, although most of it is the “Escape from Liverpool” story where King Charles III has fled to Canada to escape the Volgs and his son Prince John needs rescuing. Of course, Bill Savage is here to help!

We’ll see Bill again in 1979’s Disaster 1990 and then apparently he’ll be back much later.

Collected in: Invasion!

INFERNO!

Issues Covered: 46-75 (parts 11-40 of 40)

The majority of Inferno is in this run, but most of what I said in the previous review counts here. Things end a bit grimly for the crew, with a lot of casualties in their final arc. There will be a Judge Giant in the Dredd strips, linked to this Giant, but as far as I’m aware that’s it.

Collected in: The Complete Harlem Heroes

M.A.C.H. ONE and M.A.C.H. ZERO

Issues Covered: M.A.C.H. One 46, 53-64, M.A.C.H. Zero 65-72, The Suit 73-75

UFOs? M.A.C.H. One goes off the rails in its last arc as John Probe sacrifices his life to save a UFO. Then we get a follow-up story featuring the hulking M.A.C.H. Zero. This is a lot more Incredible Hulk TV show, but Zero can’t really turn back into a person. He’s on the run, getting into scrapes and trying to live his life while being hunted. There’s something kind of charming about this hulking ogre-like being stumbling through very English scenes like tiny train stations in the middle of nowhere.

There’s also one final story for M.A.C.H. One, set before his unfortunate end.

Collected in: M.A.C.H. 1: Book 01, M.A.C.H. 1: Book 02

BONJO FROM BEYOND THE STARS

Issues Covered: 46-50 (parts 5-10 of 10)

The continued adventures of a giant monster eating people. It’s a cartoon strip and not really aged well. It’s fine, but not great.

Collected in: Possibly nowhere?

THE VISIBLE MAN

Issues Covered: 47-52

Originally created by Pat Mills, Montero, Carlos Trigo

You know that kind of Hulk dynamic? The one where someone’s experimented on, given weird powers and on the run? Yeah, this is kind of that but with one fundamental difference. What if the person had translucent skin and absolutely no positive abilities.

The Visible Man has some problems with trying to apply make-up so it’s like he’s got proper skin, or with a scientist who wants to inject him with diseases in order to see how they work through his transparent skin.

The story ends with him going up into space and deciding he doesn’t want to come back. Fair enough.

Collected in: 2000 AD Presents: Sci-Fi Thrillers

RPG Ideas: I’m realising the rod I made for my own back here. Add in a game show element and Hell for Leather could do well for this. You play folks who are on the run constantly and roll dice at (but not into) a tower of dice on the table.

WALTER THE WOBOT

Issues Covered: 52-61, 67, 68, 84, 85

A kind of extension to Judge Dredd, some stories featuring his hapless servant, Walter the Wobot. When he first appeared, I thought Walter would be annoying and he is, but in a way that broke through to me.

Collected in: I’m not actually sure at first look, Possibly some case files, I’d have to find mine in my graphic novel shelves to check.

COLONY EARTH

Issues Covered: 52-61

Originally created by Jim Watson

Aliens invade and hijinks ensue. I had a few stories which took some time for me to get invested. This is only ten parts, and it never quite got my attention. The aliens have incredible technology, but once unmasked they’re actually weird gnome-looking guys. It’s kind of underwhelming.

Collected in: 2000 AD Presents: Sci-Fi Thrillers

RPG Ideas: Our Last Best Hope by Magpie Games is a fun way to run a one-shot where players are trying to stop the end of the world. There are several end of the world scenarios and an alien invasion would work well here. I say that, having never succeeded at saving the world in that game. The way 2000AD’s been, I’m sure this won’t be the last recommendation for this game.

DEATH PLANET

Issues Covered: 62-70

Originally created by Alan Hebden & Lopez

This story’s for the first female lead character in 2000AD. A shame it’s not good. It’s one issue shorter than Colony Earth and the crashed survivors of a colony ship try to make their way through a deadly world in theory led by Lorna. Unfortunately she’s often reduced to a slightly more proactive damsel.

Collected in: Planet of the Damned & Death Planet

RPG Ideas: Perseverance is a game about surviving after a disaster, a crash, anything like that. It’s generally more of a wildernesss thing, but you all establish the elements and could easily make a science fiction version.

ANT WARS

Issues Covered: 71-85

Originally created by Gerry Finley-Day, José Luis Ferrer, Lozano, Peña and Azpiri

I really wanted to like Ant Wars, I really did. You’ve got giant ants invading Brazil and South America. What could be more fun than giant ants?

Unfortunately as entertaining as the ants are, the lead character’s constant racism, especially towards “Anteater”, are not. He’s constantly treating this kid like crap, even if he’ll still run back and rescue him. Still, it’s so persistent I hoped that Anteater would turn out to know English and leave our hero to his doom. Sadly instead they both die. The ants however, persist.

Collected in: Ant Wars

RPG Ideas: With this it depends on what you want to do with giant ants. My first thought is Savage Worlds for some pulp fun, but you could easily run a Dread game of trying to escape one of the many cities overrun by ants.

ROBO-HUNTER

Issues Covered: 76-85 

Originally created by John Wagner, Ian Gibson, José Luis Ferrer

Sam Slade is an old, ornery hunter of robots in a future society where they’re everywhere and in theory should be behaving nicely. Unfortunately that’s not always the case. He’s an odd hero and fairly early on gets de-aged (along with his colleague who’s younger and gets turned into a very irate baby). They get stuck on a robot planet where all of the robots have been convinced any humans are fakes and therefore not to obey them. It’s a bit of a problem for Sam. Luckily he gets some help on his journey, including from a pair of robotic legs. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy an old guy hating on robots, and luckily it was more than that.

Collected in: Robo-Hunter: The Droid Files Volume 01

RPG Ideas: I think this might be another one for Mothership, especially as you can play androids and there are plenty of scenarios involving robots going wrong.

RO-BUSTERS & STRONTIUM DOG

Issues Covered: 86-93

These two stories started in Star Lord, so I covered their first 2000 AD arcs in my piece on them. This one has run pretty long, after all.

CONCLUSION

2000 AD feels like it’s still learning what it is, especially with all of the stories which start and end in this run. Colony Earth, Death Planet and Ant Wars all feel similar to each other and The Visible Man is a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ story. There’s also a Rick Random story in the Dan Dare Annual which I didn’t really care for. There are a surprising amount of protagonist deaths in this run, too.

Judge Dredd was the clear winner of this year for me, with The Cursed Earth as a standout and the start of The Day the Law Died. Bonjo wasn’t great and Ant Wars was a bit of a disappointment given the promising name.