Ten years of 2000 AD

[@neilyringworm]

Alan Grant is the most underappreciated writer in comics history

[@beejay7665]

Great to put faces and voices to the names I had seen so many, many times in the Credits boxes in each issue. Now I’m in my late fifties, yet still look back on how formative 2000AD was in my youth and into adulthood. If I could do it all over, would loved to have walked in to the 2000AD offices and said “Give us a job!” Working with such creative artists and writers, finding their way and their footing, and fighting ‘the establishment’ in all its forms. Loved “Rogue Trooper” and “Slaine”, but looking back, “Halo Jones” and “Skizz” were so impactful and before their time. Thanks for posting, and giving me a window into the stories behind the stories I grew up with

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Glad you enjoyed this blast of nostalgia.

[@mygoditsfullofstars9148]

I remember getting the first ever copy of 2000 A.D.So many great artists and writers. First time I saw Kevin O`Neill`s art my jaw hit the floor.

[@danielc7773]

Just watched Future Shock, and this footage feels like an essential addendum. It's a crying shame that this wasn't included as an extra. Cheers for the upload.

[@dougie1968]

I was a fan from the very first issue or Prog. It was clearly aimed at an audience much older than the Beano and Dandy readers. I was only 9 when I started reading 2000AD. Unfortunately my treasured collection of Progs starting from Prog 1 got thrown out by my mum when I started having nightmares about Ant Wars. Mum told me I leapt out of bed screaming my head off about a giant ant being on my bedroom wall. She soon realised it was linked to a 2000AD story. Straight in the bin. I was a fan of Starlord too.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

There are many stories of mums throwing collections out. I feel your loss!

[@christianzilla]

My collection never followed me when I moved house... always thought it was the removal men, but now I'm wondering if it was my mum... I didn't get nightmares, but 2000AD was deemed too violent and socially unacceptable by my parents' social circle. I was probably 9 at the time too. Of course, I kept on buying it as often as I could.

[@jobguy2351]

After Bolland, McMahon was my favorite 2000AD artist. Cool to see him for the first time.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

He looks so different now!

[@Kevo216666]

I remember buying issue 01.... I was so excited - it looked so different. Mental stories too.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+K Russell You are not wrong there! I still remember those stories from the early days, as they're ingrained in my mind, so different to what was out there.

[@Kevo216666]

John Burdis As as kid (10) I presumed they were American comics.. I'm not a fan of 'superheroes' - these characters were all anti-heroes and suited my tastes more - they felt like there was a bit more going on 'up-top' too. The universes the stories took place in were so well fleshed out - Mega City was so cool - but the movies never lived up to it's richness... Film portrayals of Dredd have been plasticky - I be happy if he hardly said a word - he wan't a chatty fella... You could do a good 20 min movie intro just introducing Mega City - like a character in it's own right. I'm not even a fan of comics in general - just think there is more milage in the 200ad 'brand'.

[@troypeake4618]

Saw this advertized in the comic at the time for £10 something which was way out of my price range then being a mid-teen. Great to see it at last.

[@shokk1967]

Excellent, nice find John. Actually haven't seen this before.

[@ste1bro]

Enormous thanks for this, John. I remember it being advertised in the progs at the time - so happy to finally be able to see it!

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+The Pellet I'm glad i could finally put it online for fans to see.

[@jaybee8764]

Loved the bit where Alan Moore "apologizes" for being a co-creator of DR & Quinch and where he contrasts and compares them with Dennis The Menace only they have thermonuclear capabilities - DR & Quinch was my first exposure to 2000 AD stuff and it is my fondest memory of reading any sort of comic book stuff . . . I tell you, they should look into getting James Gunn to direct a movie of DR & Quinch as it would be bigger than Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool combined.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

We can only hope that when one series from the Prog makes the financial breakthrough, then they will mine the history for stories like DR & Quinch!

[@peterpandemonium3032]

DR and Quinch is in actual reality where Moore hit is stride. Anything he did after was a mere footnote

[@Baxide2]

John, a grateful thank you also. Boundless respect for the artists and creators of 2000AD. It is a great pleasure to see them and hear them speak about the comic we spent hours, months and years looking at and reading throughout those years.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+St Clare It's good to see them openly talking about the Prog and if you get a chance, you must watch the 2000 AD Documentary that was made recently. Here's the link to their site futureshock2000ad.com/ The doc is currently doing the convention circuit at the moment but it is coming to a disc very soon.

[@ScriptureUnbroken]

Johnny Alpha, Halo Jones, Judge Anderson, Slaine...the very best of British.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

You are absolutely bang on the money there!

[@GoreVidalComicbooks]

Wonderful documentary. I didn't know the history of 2000 A.D. Enjoyed it.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+Gore Vidal Make sure to catch the Future Shock documentary as that's a great watch as well and has a load of creators talking on that.

[@scalefish]

This is really fascinating - great time capsule, and informative.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+scalefish Thanks, it is rather interesting to see how the creators have changed and also their ideas and opinions back then.

[@Bob_Beaky]

Thanks so much for sharing this. Makes me feel old... but happy. :)

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Glad you liked it. It does add the years to us all by remembering all this stuff. I'm glad that the convention scene is so big now, just to have more chats with these creative characters.

[@Albrecht777]

Excellent! It's especially nice to see Alan Moore talking about his work with 2000 AD, although I'm a bit perplexed as to why John Wagner isn't present.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+Albrecht He makes up for that on the Future Shock documentary and if you can catch him at a convention, then you'll get some stories.

[@LughSummerson]

Very interesting to hear Steve McManus talking about the plans that eventually became the Megazine, Crisis and Revolver.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

I know and how he wanted graphic novels and such things way before the Prog started doing it full on!

[@NewsRedial]

Hard to believe that the Stallone Dredd movie would go into production just six or seven years after this aired.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Yeah, a bit of a surprise!

[@lidbass]

I don’t agree with what Mills says about the strips. My mate Stuart introduced me to 2000 AD at around Prog 7 and we both fell for Dredd immediately. I didn’t even remember Mach 1. Other favourites were Flesh, Harlem Heroes and the Future Shocks, the latter of which were, by their nature, a bit hit and miss but could be very, very good. But it seemed obvious to me, as a naive twelve-year-old, that Dredd was the real star. Or at least, that’s how I remember it now… Sadly my very large collection was thrown out a few years ago: how I wish I could go back in time and have a word with my twenty-six-year-old self!

[@weavehole]

Very interesting to watch this just after seeing the 2014 documentary! Not just the fresh, young faces and mullets. I don’t think the newer documentary went into the same amount of detail about how certain strips were meant to be specifically ‘anti-authoritarian’ and that is why they felt Action was banned/censoredrather than just because of any perceived ultra-violence. Maybe i missed it or it just ended up on the cutting room floor.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

There is an extended cut, with even more extras of the latest documentary out there. I've not watched all of that yet but they might go into some of those things on those extras!

[@weavehole]

@@TheMonkeyhanger Yeah, presumably there's a couple of hours of Pat letting loose alone. 😁 Will keep an eye out for it.

[@derekgrimes6544]

thanks for the fascinating insights John, i've read 2000 AD since prog 2 and I was looking for the new documentary.. it looks like it's the one in your link, thanks for that too.. all the best

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+Derek Grimes It's great to compare the two as well. Everyone is seeing the new documentary drop through their letter boxes today. Hope yours arrives soon!

[@robertcreighton4635]

its very disappointing to see that 2000ad wasn't actually written and drawn by droids :(

[@peterpandemonium3032]

+Robert Creighton I was a bit gutted too. I'm just glad that at least Tharg is really real.

[@cpuuk]

You lie! It was helmed by an alien, and an alien would obviously use droids!

[@lordofbats3601]

fake news, this is a facade intended to not panic earthlets who are not Squaxx dek Thargo

[@judgeboony2695]

Who says they're human, and not droids _disguised_ as human?

[@ezzong]

Droid is robots with flesh exterior. Of course they will look like us norms.

[@alexr22221]

Always wanted to see this. Cheers John.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+Alex Ronald Glad you enjoyed it Alex.

[@dracu1wamphyri]

Thanks John - really enjoyed this. Great work!

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+DJ Wamphyri I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's a rare gem that every so often people mention but hardly anyone has seen. I finally got around to transferring it off the disc (which was taken from my VHS copy) and uploading it, so everyone can see it.

[@scalefish]

+John Burdis I have to ask - where did it come from? It's just amazing. What do you know about who made it? It's obviously hard to find but where would one get a copy?

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+scalefish This was advertised in 2000 AD when it came out and only a few people that I know of have copies. I honestly have no idea who made it!

[@scalefish]

+John Burdis thanks! There's not much information about it online at all.

[@jamesharker5560]

Thank you John. This is great.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+James Harker Make sure you see the new doc, which comes out on Amazon very soon, as it's just as good!

[@jordanmoran1983]

Grew up on 2000ad, still have my collection and currently reading thrill power overload

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

That's good to hear. Is that the latest version of Thrill-Power Overload, with the extra decade added?

[@jordanmoran1983]

@@TheMonkeyhanger it's the first thirty years version, Is there a 40 years version too?

[@jordanmoran1983]

@@TheMonkeyhanger just found the 40 years version, I may have to cease reading and get the updated version

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

@@jordanmoran1983 You can read on and enjoy the one you have and when the updated version arrives, just continue with the extra decade. That part id by another writer but the first 30 years is exactly the same, if I remember correctly!

[@PooleyX]

Amazing insight by Alan Moore - as ever.

[@doomslayer9077]

in my opinion 2000 AD is better than dc and marvel

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

You are so bang on the money there my friend.

[@doomslayer9077]

+John Burdis I'm just being honest I prefer rogue trooper and judge dredd over batman or iron man

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Same here. If you want the same thing over and over again, then you read DC and Marvel. The villains get off and come back all the time 'YAWN' and hardly any of the stories have major consequences that filter through and if they do, they get rebooted, so it meant nothing. Also, does any superhero or supervillain die and that's why their stories have no peril or excitement.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Xesh Polaris I agree, it's never ending with those two companies. They obviously haven't got the talent or ideas to make decent stories that can run over a long period of time. Just look at Chaos Day and how long ago the seeds for that story were sown!

[@leespiderpod]

Your opinion is correct

[@alanrockunited]

Cheers, Judge Burdis. Never seen it before, so interesting!

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

+alanrockunited That was the primary reason that I eventually uploaded it. Most fans have never seen it, let alone heard of it. Glad you found it interesting.

[@alysonross768]

Was an avid 2000AD reader I'm an all things sci-fi fan loved Judge Dredd Strontium Dog ABC warriors and the Future Shocks stories wish I still had all of my back issues Thrill Power AAF

[@m1lst3r89]

Women don't read 2000ad.

[@flaggerify]

I entered that competition Alan Grant mentioned and gave that answer about Dredd not being harsh enough exactly in the spirit he mentioned.

[@jonmisanthropicrimmer4126]

Borag thung earthlets. Not merely a comic/graphic novel but an incredibly artistic & profound collection of prophecies. How fast are we heading for the mega-cities and a judge-like system of law? The social commentary is completely bang-on the nail. I'm not having it for one minute that Tharg is a fictional character. Splundig vur thrig

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Tharg, fictional! I'm not having that!

[@jonmisanthropicrimmer4126]

John Burdis, Absolutely. Total double-bluff, by creating a fiction it was much easier for him to hide in plain sight - even pretending he was someone dressed up wearing a Tharg mask. Leaving him free to do what the hell he wanted free from unwanted attention. Genius. Totally Zarjazz! Wonder if he has the same enthusiasm he first had for being here, considering the way we're heading towards a cursed-earth wasteland. How long have we got before CERN lets Judge Death & his crew through a portal? An awful lot of the storylines are much more believable than they were when first printed, bollox to that scruffy old monk Nostradumus, Tharg knows what colour the bananas are(?) remember, Be Pure, Be Vigilant - BEHAVE!

[@FDonovan1979]

This is absolute golddust. I love how they describe creating rubbish characters as a means to please the public while slipping the real long term stuff like Dredd into the reader's conscious...brilliant stuff. A little like the way musicians used to write pop-pap songs to get people to buy their albums to discover their real long lasting, quality music.

[@johnmunro4952]

Democracy was my first 2000ad storyline. I was hooked after that

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Good starting point, which ran through many a tale over the years!

[@antwig1]

This is great!! But video title needs to be changed from 2000 AD to 2000AD - lots of searches will miss it

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

I just googled it both ways and it's the first thing that comes up, so I'm okay with that. Thanks anyway!

[@GNeuman]

Superb

[@tripdefect87]

I think what I like so much about Dredd and his world is what Kelvin Gosnell said verbatim. Dredd isn't an inherently sinister person, he's kind of like Superman in a sense (to paraphrase Max Landis) where he's "an adult" in a world full of erratically ill-mannered children. I have respect for Dredd even though I don't agree with his policies, he's a tough man in tougher, unenviable position

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

He is just doing the job that the environment dictates. Obviously we don't want a future like this but the writer put forward this type of future for the human race.

[@AllanGildea]

Thank you so much!

[@davidaaronartist]

gracias!

[@jonnyrockwell]

awesome stuff totally zarjaz!!

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Don't forget to watch futureshock2000ad.com/ if you get the chance. It's a modern look at 2000 AD and very entertaining.

[@Audunforgard]

When we were young 2000ad were our history tomes about the future

[@comicKkrakK]

amazing. thanks very much for sharing this.

[@markwalker2986]

Diary of a mad citizen is my favourite 2000ad story.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Good choice!

[@markwalker2986]

Wow! Cool 😎

[@markwalker2986]

Colin Wilson was the artist for Diary of a mad citizen!

[@ste1bro]

I love Mike Baron (Nexus is an all-time classic), but he hasn't half missed the point with Dredd...

[@JoeStunner]

MACH 1 evolved into a very good character and story. I'm surprised Pat dismisses it.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

One of the few major characters to die. SPOILER! I wonder if it's because it was the fan favourite for many a year until Dredd took over.

[@JoeStunner]

I thought the story that killed him off was very impressive. He went out like a hero, with some questions left tantalisingly unanswered.

[@charliem8269]

Ashens sent me here

[@vidstarr]

Is the one they made into a dvd. I think I have it.

[@bonpourvous]

Can anyone remember a comic strip I read when I was a kid back in the 70's called 'Von Hoffmans Invasion'. I don;t think it was 'Action Comics' nor '2000 AD'. It was about a mad German scientist who invaided Britain with Giant Crabs?

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

That was in Buster and lasted a year. It was by Eric Bradbury and Tom Tully

[@bonpourvous]

Mein Gott!, I'd forgotten all about Buster, I thought it might have been in 'Thunder and Lightning' which I think was 2 comics in 1, Thanks for the reply mate.

[@cha5]

@@TheMonkeyhanger Was Eric Bradbury at all related to Ray Bradbury?

[@johnord684]

ten years ,jesus its 2021 and ive been reading since19 77

[@eyeseer1]

2000 A.D. hits 50 years in 2027.

[@driver4832]

Anyone notice how UK has some dark as hell shit like Warhammer 40k and 2000 as and America has the happy superman and spider man

[@strontium-D]

made in 87..mixed with artwork beyond 1987

[@Melvinshermen]

Great

[@strontium-D]

1987..just about the time i started buying the comics

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Ross Wailen Are you still reading them now?

[@strontium-D]

just received strontium dog chronicles volume 1..

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Ross Wailen that's great. Have you watched the Strontium Dog fan film, it captures the pair perfectly.

[@strontium-D]

yes i have its the business..just like the first couple of of starlord episodes on film..however i feel theres no one on earth to replicate the true Johnny Alpha look

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Ross Wailen he is a hard character to portray, unlike Wulf and his distinctive look.

[@Melvinshermen]

This and mach 1 is the only one that have origins story

[@joeljoel978]

Which one is the best 2000 ad character after judge dredd?

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

There are many for the top spot with the fans. Slaine, Rogue Trooper, Johnny Alpha, Zenith, Lawless, Dante, etc... So hard to choose one, especially when you have team-ups a s well like the ABC Warriors.

[@tomb407]

Zenith

[@roguerover30k]

Sam Slade.

[@johnevans8533]

Sound needs boosting.

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Turn your volume up, as it sounds okay on all my devices 😀

[@johnevans8533]

@@TheMonkeyhanger Yes, it was low. Eventually worked it out.

[@SeeDaRipper...]

Walter the wobot is not happy. (i've just charged him)

[@emiliodiaz3927]

Wuuuut a cómic Is a product !!!!!????? Omg 😳

[@dawnmathieson]

Zarjaz vid John

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

dawn mathieson glad you enjoyed it!

[@Melvinshermen]

Mach 1 is still great

[@TheMonkeyhanger]

Max Nyström but sadly dead after saving that alien.

[@Melvinshermen]

To be honset i think we don.t need a reboot of Mach 1 is was fine comic is one the thing when fit in time like this is so 70s and is fine

[@davyhh396]

They don’t do enough films of 2000AD I think they could be great .marvel has run its course now too woke

[@oldoddjobs]

oh you mustn't be right wing! HEAVEN FORBID

[@mavis3916]

Crap comic now,, rips it's readers off,, greedy