I started reading 2000AD when I was at university some thirty years ago and read it for many years before the pressure to find time to read it and space to store it got to me and I reluctantly stopped.
But I always felt that I was missing out on something and was unhappy that I was only reading American comics (even though there are many British contributors to them).
So last year I started reading it again, and I am very glad that I did.
British comics are very different to their more glamorous American cousins; they are (usually) issued weekly rather than monthly, they don't rely a lot on stories about costumed superheroes and there are many references to England's past, e.g. the times of King Arthur or Queen Victoria. 2000AD follows these traditions; it is weekly (though there is a larger monthly companion called the Judge Dredd Megazine), it has no costumed superheroes and current stories are set in places that mimic Edwardian and WWII England.
Judge Dredd is, of course, still the star of the show. New fans can catch up with Dredd's thirty years history by reading the reprints in Judge Dredd: Complete Case Files, which currently comprises ten volumes. The picture I chose to illustrate this piece is the cover for volume 3 which I selected because it was drawn by Mike (or Mick) McMahon, my favourite 2000AD artist.
Pick up a copy of 2000AD next time you are in a newsagents and give it a try; Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Bill Savage and Nikolai Dante are waiting to entertain you.
But I always felt that I was missing out on something and was unhappy that I was only reading American comics (even though there are many British contributors to them).
So last year I started reading it again, and I am very glad that I did.
British comics are very different to their more glamorous American cousins; they are (usually) issued weekly rather than monthly, they don't rely a lot on stories about costumed superheroes and there are many references to England's past, e.g. the times of King Arthur or Queen Victoria. 2000AD follows these traditions; it is weekly (though there is a larger monthly companion called the Judge Dredd Megazine), it has no costumed superheroes and current stories are set in places that mimic Edwardian and WWII England.
Judge Dredd is, of course, still the star of the show. New fans can catch up with Dredd's thirty years history by reading the reprints in Judge Dredd: Complete Case Files, which currently comprises ten volumes. The picture I chose to illustrate this piece is the cover for volume 3 which I selected because it was drawn by Mike (or Mick) McMahon, my favourite 2000AD artist.
Pick up a copy of 2000AD next time you are in a newsagents and give it a try; Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Bill Savage and Nikolai Dante are waiting to entertain you.
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