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"Decadent, Imperialist Style" – 2000AD 40th Anniversary Special, The Bleeding Cool Review

Published Tue, 21 Feb 2017 09:00:16 -0600

Last updated Tue, 21 Feb 2017 13:33:01 -0600

Olly MacNamee writes

And so, after a fair few months of celebrating already, we have the official 40th anniversary special dropping this week at all good retailers across the galaxy. Although, if you're looking for a copy at WH Smiths, you may find you need to ask behind the counter! Apparently, according to my own branch, it's one of the most popular magazines to steal. I wonder what Joe Dredd would make of that?

Like the 2000th prog, this follows a similar and successful recipe; mix together a selection of zarjaz new stories with a variety of astounding creators, highlighting an array of 2000AD's amazing, much-loved characters from across the past four decades, and bake for a good hour or two. Add to that a liberal sprinkling of one-page intermissions drawn by the likes of 2000AD contributors past and present such as Rufus Dayglo, Mike Collins, Bryan Talbot and Mark Sexton – the birthday candles on the cake, if you will – and you have a birthday bash worth shouting about! These one-pagers only add to the fun and celebratory tone that cannot be missed across this book and, indeed, this party atmosphere is even incorporated into the Nikola Dante strip that rounds off the issue in decadent, imperialist style, fashion and action. A story from Dante's earlier years that just so happens to celebrate 40 years of Tsar rule under Vladimir the Conqueror.

And, like the other classic characters within this 62 page issue, Dante shows us what we love about this very British of sci-fi comics: thrills, spills, cheeky asides and good humour. Introduced at the time as an antithesis to the grim and growling likes of Rogue Trooper, Dredd and Slaine, Dante breezes through life with hardly a care in the world. Well, if you don't count assassination attempts and always being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that is.

Wearing their best party clothes and in attendance are the likes of Judge Dredd (naturally), Ro-Busters (written by Pat Mills, with art by Clint Langley, and feeling and looking very much like a lost tale from the 70's), Slaine and Strontium Dog, guests starring in a Durham Red story, mind you. Classics from across their publishing history, still looking good and, in the right hands, characters that are still great fits. Even moreso now, one might argue, as the politics of the 70's – an imploding left-wing, high unemployment, a never-ending recession and the rise of the right – once more seem to be ripe for satire.

But, it's not just society that 2000AD pokes fun at. At 40 years young, 2000AD has developed it's own well-worn traits and tropes, and Al Ewing and Henry Flint are all too ready to do the poking in their offering, Z.O.M.B.O., re-imagined as though it were a fake early strip Tharg introduced into a dummy of the, now classic, first prog. It reads like a 1977's strip, with a huge wink almost in every panel, directed at us the knowing reader.

It's the quintessential 2000AD strip, I think, and even if you pick this up as something of a curio, you may find yourself bitten by the bug and return to the thrill-power delivered in a weekly dose from your newsagents.

Add to all of this a few additional interviews with this special prog's creators and you truly have a proper anniversary issue to be proud of. With the American market more likely to complete or launch a 'new chapter' in such anniversary issues these days, it's good to see Rebellion push out the boat on this one and marking this anniversary with this special issue alongside the regular weekly prog too. So, don't forget to get both this Wednesday.

40 years? I wish I looked that good at 40!

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