FCBD 2013: 2000 AD Special

5 / 5 – Everything Comes Back to 2000 A.D.

I have a friend who hosts a podcast called “Everything Comes Back to 2000 A.D.”  (you can also subscribe to it on iTunes).  It sprung out of a game he likes to play with comic book enthusiasts who like a particular artist or writer. Usually within a few steps (think about the infamous “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game), he can link that creator to some work they did on 2000 A.D. – the popular comic anthology from across the pond – before they made it big in the American comics scene.  (I like to stump him by throwing in a manga artist!)

If you’ve never read an issue (or “prog” as the 2000 A.D. people call it) of the book, you’re missing out. Yes, it’s the home of the famous Judge Dredd, but it’s also host to some of the best stories the comic creating world has to offer, created by some of the best creators in comics. People like Dan Abnett, Andy Diggle, Kev Walker, Al Ewing, and the two big mainstays of the book: John Wagner (the co-creator of Judge Dredd) and Pat Mills. All these creators have work within this Free Comic Book Day sampler – some of it new, some of it reprinted – providing a good mix of stories to satisfy longtime 2000 A.D. readers and hopefully get some new ones interested in checking the series out.

Personally, I enjoyed the new Judge Dredd and Zombo stories included in this issue, but Insurrection and Future Shocks both stood out as things I’ll want to look for in the future…or in the past, more likely. So much of the 2000 A.D. catalog exists in collected editions that if you find something you particularly like, chances are you’ll find it in that format to get you caught up.

Of all the FCBD offerings, this one really stood out as a way to do it right. 2000 A.D. has a rabid fanbase (I’m slowly but surely joining that number), and they knew those individuals would be out looking for this book. At the same time, they’ve been around for thirty-six years, and you don’t boast that kind of longevity without building on that fanbase. Hopefully more than a few people stumbled onto this book by accident, liked what they saw, and are opening their minds to a whole new world of great reading out there.

Reviewed by: Al Sparrow – al@comicspectrum.com
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