''2000 AD'' crossovers are
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
stories appearing in British comic ''
2000 AD'', its sister title the ''
Judge Dredd Megazine
''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One.
Content
Li ...
'', and other related output, such as novels,
audio plays
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
, films and
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
s.
Not all of the stories told in ''2000 AD'' and its related publications exist in the same
shared universe
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, char ...
, unlike in some other comics, for example, the
DC and
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
* ...
Universes. Indeed the majority of stories which have appeared in ''2000 AD'' since
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...
have never been connected with each other. However, the series which are so connected are generally the most significant ones in the comic in terms of the number of issues they have appeared in, their popularity with readers, and their significance in the history of the comic.
Stories set in a shared universe
Those ''2000 AD'' stories which occupy a shared universe and have crossed over with each other include:
*''
ABC Warriors
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
''
*''
Durham Red''
*''
Flesh
Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
''
*''
Harlem Heroes
''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devise ...
''
*''
Invasion!''
*''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
''
*''
Nemesis the Warlock
''Nemesis the Warlock'' is a comic series created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neill which appeared in the pages of the British weekly comics anthology '' 2000 AD''. The title character, a fire-breathing demonic alien, fights again ...
''
*''
Robo Hunter''
*''
Ro-Busters
''Ro-Busters'' is a British comic story that formed part of the original line-up of '' Starlord''. Similar in premise to that of the '' Thunderbirds'' television series, it was created by writer Pat Mills and was drawn by Carlos Pino and Ian ...
''
*''
Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
''
*''Mercy Heights''
*''
Strontium Dog
''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezque ...
''
*''
Young Middenface Archibald "Middenface" McNulty is a fictional character from the series ''Strontium Dog'' appearing in the British comic anthology '' 2000 AD'', as well as his own spin-off series. He is a frequent companion of the series' star, Johnny Alpha.
Plot
...
''
Connections between stories
Series can be linked to each other in either of two ways:
crossovers and spin-offs. There are also combinations of both.
Crossovers
Firstly, series which were completely independent of each other when they were created – often by different writers, and sometimes even in different comics – were later linked to each other. This could be done either by a crossover story in which two or more characters from the respective series meet each other, or by a caption or piece of dialogue explicitly referring to events which occurred or characters who appeared in an earlier story in another series. Two examples of the former kind are the ''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
'' stories "Top Dogs" and
"Judgement Day", which both featured Johnny Alpha from the series ''
Strontium Dog
''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezque ...
'' in a major role. Alpha lived over half a century in Dredd's future, and the crossover was accomplished by having Alpha time-travel back to Dredd's era. An example of the second kind is the ''Judge Dredd'' story "
The Cursed Earth
"The Cursed Earth" is the second extended storyline of the British science fictional comics character Judge Dredd. It appeared in '' 2000 AD'', and was the first Dredd storyline to exceed twenty episodes. Written mostly by Pat Mills, this story ...
," which featured a dinosaur called
Satanus who was described as the clone of the offspring of the female dinosaur which had appeared in most episodes of the earlier series ''
Flesh
Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
.'' ''Flesh'' was a previously unconnected series about humans time travelling back to the Cretaceous era to harvest dinosaurs for their meat.
Sometimes the link between two series can be of paramount importance to the story (such as Alpha's appearance in ''Judge Dredd''); in other stories the reference can be a passing homage to an earlier tale with no effect whatsoever on the plot of the story in which it occurs (such as the reference to Satanus' ancestry in "The Cursed Earth"). In either case, once a connection between two series was established, it was often repeated. For example, "Top Dogs" was followed up by "Judgement Day," and the reference to ''Flesh'' in ''Judge Dredd'' was reciprocated by the cameo appearance of a
Mega-City judge in ''
Nemesis the Warlock
''Nemesis the Warlock'' is a comic series created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neill which appeared in the pages of the British weekly comics anthology '' 2000 AD''. The title character, a fire-breathing demonic alien, fights again ...
Book V,'' which was itself a crossover with ''Flesh'' because it featured Satanus in a major role.
This latter example illustrates how series were not just linked to each other in pairs, but in multitudes.
Pat Mills
Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...
, the first editor of ''2000 AD'' and creator of many enduring series, was responsible for many such connections. He deliberately connected his own series ''
ABC Warriors
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
'' to ''Flesh'', and then linked ''Nemesis'' to both. (All three series were created by him, but they had originally had nothing to do with each other.) For example, ''ABC Warriors'' made a passing reference to a dinosaur being the son of Satanus. Satanus himself subsequently played an important part in ''
Nemesis Book V'', by which time the entire cast of ''ABC Warriors'' had themselves moved to the ''Nemesis'' strip. This therefore established that ''Judge Dredd, Flesh, Nemesis,'' and ''ABC Warriors'' all existed in the same
continuity: a list which would be added to many more times.
Spin-offs
Secondly, a new series can be created as a deliberate offshoot from a parent series. This can also occur in two ways. One method was to take a
supporting character
A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protagonist, and appears or is mentioned in the story enough to be more than just a minor character or a cameo ap ...
from an existing series and start a new series with that character in the lead (sometimes with the lead character from the original series appearing in a
cameo). Two examples are
Judge Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional law enforcer and psychic appearing in the British science fiction comics '' 2000 AD'' and the '' Judge Dredd Megazine''. Created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian Bolland, Anderson made her debut as ...
, first introduced in ''Judge Dredd'', being given her own series, ''Anderson: Psi Division,'' five years later; and
Durham Red getting her own series after her debut in ''Strontium Dog''. Since ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Strontium Dog'' occupy the same universe, it follows that Anderson and Red do too (although they have never both appeared in the same story).
Another method was to create a brand new character for a new series, but to state from the outset that the story took place in an existing environment from an established strip. Most of the series in the ''
Judge Dredd Megazine
''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One.
Content
Li ...
'' were created in this way. In ''2000 AD'' ''
The 86ers
''The 86ers'' is a '' 2000 AD'' comic story set in the Rogue Trooper universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I. pilot Rafaella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. Th ...
'' was a series set in the world of ''
Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
'' which did not feature the established cast of its parent strip.
Early issues
In the earliest issues and annuals, connections and crossovers would link up many of the earliest strips. The most prominent examples are ''Harlem Heroes'' ending and then the lead character's son turning up as a cadet judge in the next issue; ''The Cursed Earth'' linking Dredd's future to ''Flesh'' with Satanus, the cloned son of tyrannosaur One-Eye; and ''ABC Warriors'' starting as a prequel to ''Ro-Busters'', a sequel to ''Invasion!'', and then introducing a sequel to ''Flesh'' and ''The Cursed Earth'' with Satanus's son. Minor links included Ro-Jaws watching the Harlem Heroes and a comrade of Hammerstein referring to the under-construction Mega-City One in ''Ro-Busters'' flashbacks; a Mega-City Time Tour feature in an annual, where ''Flesh'' corporation Trans-Time offered holidays to both 2103 Mega-City One and 1999 Volgan-occupied England.
''Rogue Trooper''
The series ''
Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
'' was both a crossover and a spin-off from itself. The original series ran in ''2000 AD'' from issues 228 to 635, when it ended. A completely
new series of ''Rogue Trooper'' then began in issue 650, by a different writer. This was not intended to be a sequel to the old version, but was a brand new, modernised reinterpretation of the character, with significant differences from the old version. It was not supposed to be set in the same universe or continuity, but was a total replacement (or "
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is phys ...
") of both. However, years later and in the hands of a new writer, a story was written which established that the new and old Rogue Troopers were two different people inhabiting the same universe, and a convoluted continuity was contrived to explain their co-existence. In an unusually complicated crossover, the two Rogue Troopers actually met each other. This state of affairs did not continue for long, however, and the old version was killed off. Ironically, the new version declined in popularity and the strip was discontinued, only to be replaced with the original version, in stories set before the original's death.
There have been a number of less complicated ''Rogue Trooper'' spinoffs largely following the adventures of the other G.I.s, like
Venus Bluegenes
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
,
Rafaelle Blue and
Tor Cyan ''Tor Cyan'' is a '' 2000 AD'' comic-book title written by John Tomlinson. It is a continuation of ''Mercy Heights'', which introduced the title character Tor Cyan as a futuristic 'ambulance driver'. In ''Tor Cyan'', Tor Cyan is the pilot of a medi ...
. The new version of Rogue met Judge Dredd in a special story which took up the whole of issue 900 (the first time this had ever happened in what is usually an anthology comic containing five stories per issue).
''Laissez-faire'' approach
While ''2000 AD'' writers and editors have generally ensured that events occurring in spin-offs and their parent series are usually mutually consistent with each other, so that events in one such strip do not contradict events in another, much less care – if any – is taken to ensure a uniform continuity between crossover series. Therefore, while events which occur in the ''Anderson, Psi Division'' spin-off may have repercussions in ''Judge Dredd'' and ''vice versa'', the continuity of ''Strontium Dog'' might be ignored.
This can even occur within the crossover story itself: in "Judgement Day" Johnny Alpha travelled back in time from 2178 to 2114 to arrest a time-travelling criminal so he would not wipe out Earth (and thus, the future). The death of three billion people and destruction of five whole mega-cities then seemed to have no impact on Alpha's era. It was never explained in the story how an event as significant as a world war did not appear to be remembered by history in Alpha's era. On top of that, the future history of ''Strontium Dog'' bears little resemblance to ''Dredd'', with no mega-cities and mutants as an underclass in 'norm' cities in 2150. (''The Americans'' in Judge Dredd Megazine no. 283 implied that ''Strontium Dog's'' nuclear war ''will'' occur in 2150, but this was a
MacGuffin
In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail f ...
to drive the story forward.)
In these cases, the crossover is not a serious attempt at world-building and continuity, simply a means of having two popular characters meet. Writer
John Wagner
John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...
has even stated that he does not view ''Strontium Dog'' and ''Judge Dredd'' as being in the same continuity.
Writers have also changed their minds over time. In the 2000s ''ABC Warriors'' stories, there is no attempt at fitting the Volgan War into Dredd's timeline or ''Harlem Heroes'' (but he does refer to ''Nemesis The Warlock'' in ''Dredd: Blood of Satanus II'', in order to declare ''Satanus Unchained'' out of canon). Other writers have also made no mention of this, and generally do not link up non-Dredd strips. It is also a habit of writers who created a strip to ignore the work of others if they feel like it. The John Wagner story ''Origins'' refers to Pat Mills' ''Dredd'' stories but makes no attempt to acknowledge ''Invasion!'', ''ABC Warriors'', and ''Ro-Busters'' (or ''Harlem Heroes''); ''The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha'' acknowledges and retcons his death under Alan Grant, but deliberately erases ''Strontium Dogs'' (with a narrator calling Peter Hogan's strips the work of "notorious fantasist Ho Gan"). In the sequel series ''Savage'', Mills acknowledges the original ''Invasion!'' (to the extent that there's a King Charles III in the 2000s, just as prog 1 said) but ignores the prequel strip ''Disaster 1990!''. And while ''Harlem Heroes'' was linked to ''Dredd'', the sequel strip ''Inferno'' was left separate until Al Ewing's ''Dredd Year One: Wear Iron'' novella.
Crossovers
As most of the ''2000 AD'' crossovers occur on the same timeline, not in
parallel universes, the majority of crossovers take place thanks to the widespread, but temperamental,
time travel
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...
technology that was invented at the beginning of the 22nd century.
Stories by Pat Mills
Pat Mills
Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...
was responsible for the majority of the crossovers.
*''Judge Dredd'': "
The Cursed Earth
"The Cursed Earth" is the second extended storyline of the British science fictional comics character Judge Dredd. It appeared in '' 2000 AD'', and was the first Dredd storyline to exceed twenty episodes. Written mostly by Pat Mills, this story ...
" introduced the dinosaur
Satanus and linked ''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
'' to ''
Flesh
Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
''.
*''
ABC Warriors
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
'': "Golgotha", in the first series, featured the son of Satanus and linked ''ABC Warriors'' to ''Flesh''.
*''
Nemesis the Warlock
''Nemesis the Warlock'' is a comic series created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neill which appeared in the pages of the British weekly comics anthology '' 2000 AD''. The title character, a fire-breathing demonic alien, fights again ...
'': "
Book IV: The Gothic Empire" introduced both the ABC Warriors and the
Ro-Jaws character from ''
Ro-Busters
''Ro-Busters'' is a British comic story that formed part of the original line-up of '' Starlord''. Similar in premise to that of the '' Thunderbirds'' television series, it was created by writer Pat Mills and was drawn by Carlos Pino and Ian ...
'' to Nemesis. "
Book V: The Vengeance of Thoth" featured the return of Satanus in a major role, and a cameo by a judge of Mega-City One, linking ''Nemesis'' to ''Flesh'' and ''Judge Dredd''. In a later ''Dredd'' strip by Mills, Dredd referred to Satanus' return to the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
in ''Nemesis'' (how he knew about it was not explained).
*
''Judge Dredd'': "Hammerstein" featured ABC Warrior
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member ...
in the Cursed Earth outside Mega-City One, following the
Atomic Wars started by President
Booth
Booth may refer to:
People
* Booth (surname)
* Booth (given name)
Fictional characters
* August Wayne Booth, from the television series ''Once Upon A Time''
*Cliff Booth, a supporting character of the 2019 film ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' ...
in 2070. This linked ''ABC Warriors'' to ''Judge Dredd'', in addition to the existing Satanus connection. (This link was retconned away in other strips.)
*The
Volgans
The Volgans are a fictional fascist Russian government appearing in '' 2000 AD'' in the ''Invasion!''/''Savage'' and the Ro-Busters/ABC Warriors by Pat Mills. The stories are set in different times: ''Savage'' in the present day (originally the n ...
appear as the enemies of Bill Savage in ''
Invasion!'', and also in early episodes of ''ABC Warriors'' as the enemies of the character
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member ...
and the creators of the ABC warrior Blackblood. Flashback stories have shown more of the Volgan War, and Volgan robot Volkhan was introduced as a 'present' day villain in ''The Volgan War Book One''.
*''
Savage'' ''Books 5, 6 ''and'' 7'' included characters and backstory from ''
Ro-Busters
''Ro-Busters'' is a British comic story that formed part of the original line-up of '' Starlord''. Similar in premise to that of the '' Thunderbirds'' television series, it was created by writer Pat Mills and was drawn by Carlos Pino and Ian ...
''.
*Another ''ABC Warriors'' story in 2012, "Return to Earth," established further links between ''Savage'' and ''Ro-Busters''.
Stories by Ian Edginton
Writer
Ian Edginton
Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer, known for his work on such titles as ''X-Force'', '' Scarlet Traces'', '' H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds'' and ''Leviathan''.
Career
Ian Edginton is known for his steampunk/ alternate history work ...
has begun linking his pseudo-historical strips together, both covertly and overtly. Images of both Jack Dancer from ''
The Red Seas'' and
Hastur
Hastur (The Unspeakable One, The King in Yellow, Him Who Is Not to be Named, Assatur, Xastur, H'aaztre, or Kaiwan) is an entity of cosmic horror.
Hastur first appeared in Ambrose Bierce's short story "Haïta the Shepherd" (1893) as a benign go ...
from ''
Leviathan
Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to so ...
'' later appeared in ''
Stickleback
The sticklebacks are a family of ray-finned fishes, the Gasterosteidae which have a Holarctic distribution in fresh, brackish and marine waters. They were thought to be related to the pipefish and seahorses but are now thought to be more clos ...
''; the pub "The Jolly Cripple", a haunt of the ''Red Seas'' pirates, reappears as the haunt of the character Detective Valentine and contains a portrait of the original proprietress from ''Red Seas''; and ''Leviathan'' villain William Ashbless briefly appears in ''Stickleback'' as a member of the sinister City Fathers group.
In the second ''Stickleback'', the eponymous lead visits the London-based Brotherhood of the Book from ''The Red Seas'', in the process meeting (and revealing history with) ''Seas'' villain Orlando Doyle. There is also an appearance by Herbert Sewell, an unfortunate and long-suffering scientist/time traveller in Edginton's ''Judge Dredd'' stories, being dragged into
Bedlam
Bedlam, a word for an environment of insanity, is a term that may refer to:
Places
* Bedlam, North Yorkshire, a village in England
* Bedlam, Shropshire, a small hamlet in England
* Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London psychiatric institution and the ...
; and an ogre of the same species seen in Edginton's ''American Gothic'' Wild West strip is seen at the villain's Wild West show. ''The Red Seas'' would later reveal that ''Stickleback's'' Orlando was from an alternate universe, and that the Brotherhood of the Book exists in multiple universes.
''Ampney Crucis Investigates'' made the connections stronger: characters referred to the Leviathan ship and the myth of the Hollow Earth from ''The Red Seas''; the otherworldly monsters were given a similar background as in ''Stickleback''; and a shadowy antagonist was shown to have a staff with a bust of Hastur's head. Stickleback's son appears in the fourth ''Ampney Crucis'' story as an adult, London's crime lord in an alternate dimension where the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
never happened; in the same world, an underground society of cyborg fanatics called "Babbagists" has sprung up around the works of Countess Bernoulli, a ''Stickleback'' villain.
Stories by John Smith
The writer
John Smith
John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to:
People
:''In chronological ...
often places a number of his characters in the same stories, which has become known among fans as
The Smithiverse. These have never been explicitly linked to the other ''2000 AD'' stories, but stand together as an independent universe of their own. However, one particular species of alien of Smith's creation has appeared in both the Smithiverse (in ''
Firekind
''Firekind'' was a comics strip published in the British weekly anthology comic '' 2000 AD'' for 13 issues in 1993. It was written by John Smith, with art by Paul Marshall.
Publication history
''Firekind'' came about as part of the "Spring Feve ...
'' and ''
Tyranny Rex'') and in a ''Judge Dredd'' universe story (''Pussyfoot 5'', a spin-off from ''Devlin Waugh'').
Smithiverse stories include ''
Indigo Prime
''Indigo Prime'' is the umbrella name for a series of stories written by John Smith for British comics magazine '' 2000 AD''. It is about an agency - existing out of time and whose members are dead - which police the multiverse of parallel realit ...
'', ''
Tyranny Rex'' and ''
Firekind
''Firekind'' was a comics strip published in the British weekly anthology comic '' 2000 AD'' for 13 issues in 1993. It was written by John Smith, with art by Paul Marshall.
Publication history
''Firekind'' came about as part of the "Spring Feve ...
''.
Stories by other writers
Judge Dredd stories
A number of characters have appeared in Judge Dredd stories (or vice versa).
=Ant Wars
=
Dredd spinoff ''Zancudo!'' by
Simon Spurrier
Simon "Si" Spurrier (born 2 May 1981) is a British comics writer and novelist, who has previously worked as a cook, a bookseller, and an art director for the BBC.
Getting his start in comics with the British small press, he went on to write hi ...
revealed itself to be a sequel to ''Ant Wars'', a 1970s strip about giant ants rampaging through South America, in the cliffhanger ending to Part 2. The giant ants were revealed to be living in the jungles near
Ciudad Barranquilla, and were at war with the giant mosquitos that formed the strip's villains.
=Harlem Heroes
=
The first
Judge Giant
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip ''Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own art ...
was the son of Giant of the
Harlem Heroes
''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devise ...
, and his father was shown upon Giant's graduation from the Academy of Law. Later on, Judge Giant Jr (the first Judge Giant's son) would meet his aged grandfather a few days before he died.
=Rogue Trooper
=
Souther troops flee Nu-Earth back through time to Mega-City One in 2116. They reach an agreement with the judges where they swap medical aid for technology.
Friday
Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth da ...
is blamed for the massacre but, as his memory returns, he realises a traitor is at work and tries to track him down. Unfortunately it seems a far more famous clone may try and stop him – Judge Dredd.
An early version of the Genetic Infantry program is shown in ''Judge Dredd: Warzone''.
=Skizz
=
The Gunlords of Omega Ceti try to kill
Skizz by travelling back in time but somehow end up in 22nd century Australia where they met Dredd.
=Strontium Dog
=
Dredd has crossed the path of
Strontium Dog
''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezque ...
s Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer a couple of times. In the first encounter they travelled back in time to Mega-City One, 2112, and were nearly arrested by Dredd. Later, Johnny Alpha again stepped back in time to 2114 and helped Judge Dredd save
Mega-City One
Mega-City One is a fictional city that features in the ''Judge Dredd'' comic book series and related media. A post-nuclear megalopolis covering much of what is now the Eastern United States and some of Canada, the city's exact geography depends ...
from a zombie apocalypse during
Judgement Day
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
. A spin-off audio drama, ''Pre-Emptive Revenge'', by
Big Finish showed Dredd and Alpha in the immediate aftermath of Judgement Day.
=Judge Dredd: "Helter Skelter"
=
''Helter Skelter'' was a storyline by
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and ''The Boys'' with artist Dari ...
, featuring an invasion of Mega-City One by an alliance of villains from parallel universes. Due to the distortion of reality, characters from dozens of 2000 AD strips made cameo appearances, either in the background or as parts of the plot (Dredd is attacked by the vampires from ''Fiends of the Eastern Front'' and then has to avoid Old One-Eye from ''Flesh'').
=Judge Dredd: "The Cold Deck" and "Trifecta"
=
''The Cold Deck'' was a story written by
Al Ewing
Al Ewing () is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for '' 2000 AD'' and Marvel Comics.
Career
Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page ''Future Shocks'' format for '' 2000 AD'' and moved on t ...
which ran in ''2000 AD'' at the same time as two other series set in Dredd's world, ''
The Simping Detective'' and ''
Low Life
A low-life (or lowlife) is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community. Examples of people society often labels low-lives include aggressive panhandlers, bullies, criminals, drug dealers, freeloaders, hobos, ...
''. These stories initially appeared to have no other connection with each other, but after each of them had been running independently for a couple of issues their plotlines unexpectedly intertwined with each other, and it became apparent that Ewing had collaborated with the writers of the other two series,
Simon Spurrier
Simon "Si" Spurrier (born 2 May 1981) is a British comics writer and novelist, who has previously worked as a cook, a bookseller, and an art director for the BBC.
Getting his start in comics with the British small press, he went on to write hi ...
and
Rob Williams, to create a single large crossover story. The three series merged into a single story for their concluding part, called ''
Trifecta
Trifecta
A trifecta is a parimutuel bet placed on a horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for comp ...
'', which took up every page of ''2000 AD'' #1812.
=Judge Dredd: "End of Days"
=
In the "End of Days" by
Rob Williams (2020), Ichabod Azrael from ''
'' travels to Dredd's world to stop the
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos.
Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand ...
from destroying the world.
=Judge Dredd: "Trinity"
=
In Trinity written by Ken Niemand and published in prog 2262 the 2000AD comic book Dredd encounters the 1995 film Stallone Dredd and the 2012 film Karl Urban Dredd while chasing a Elon Musk esq perp. They compare their methods, ethics, uniforms and views on each other with the comic and 2012 film Dredds not liking the 1995 film Dredd, being shocked and stunned at him removing his helmet on the street, and the comic Dredd criticising the 2012 film Dredd as being too violent and cruel. The story served as parody and look back at the criticisms of both the films as well as comparing them directly to the original comic character.
=Judge Dredd: "The Darkest Judge"
=
''2000 AD'' #2300 and ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' #448 (September 2022) together featured several non-canonical episodes from various different series, some of which had no previous connection with ''Judge Dredd'' and were not set in Dredd's world. These collectively formed one overall story about zombies taking over the multiverse.
Rogue Trooper and Mercy Heights
*''Rogue Trooper'': "Blue on Blue" and sequels joined together the original and new versions of the character in the same continuity (see above).
*''Mercy Heights'' was initially a new series with no connection to ''Rogue Trooper.'' When the series ended
Tor Cyan ''Tor Cyan'' is a '' 2000 AD'' comic-book title written by John Tomlinson. It is a continuation of ''Mercy Heights'', which introduced the title character Tor Cyan as a futuristic 'ambulance driver'. In ''Tor Cyan'', Tor Cyan is the pilot of a medi ...
, a character from the series, began his own
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous series, in which it was eventually revealed that he was a genetic infantryman like Rogue Trooper.
Spin-offs
This list does not include direct sequels, such as ''Inferno'' and ''Savage''.
Judge Dredd spin-offs
Judge Dredd spin-offs include:
*''
Anderson: Psi Division''
*''
Armitage
Armitage is a village in Staffordshire, England on the south side of the Trent and Mersey Canal south just outside of the market town of Rugeley and north of the city of Lichfield, and noteworthy for the Armitage Shanks sanitary porcelain fact ...
''
*''
Banzai Battalion
''Banzai Battalion'' are a group of recurring characters, created by John Wagner, that appear in '' 2000 AD''. They are tiny gardening robots designed as a bug-fighting military outfit that have been deployed in a garden in Mega-City One where the ...
''
*''
Chopper''
*''
Cursed Earth Koburn
This is a list of minor '' 2000 AD'' stories.
Stories
A Absalom
''Absalom'' is a horror story spin-off from ''Caballistics, Inc.'' by Gordon Rennie and Tiernen Trevallion.
The stories were "Noblesse Obligie" in ''2000 AD'' #1732–1739 (M ...
''
*''
The Dead Man''
*''Devlin Waugh''
**''
Pussyfoot 5''
*''
Janus: Psi Division''
*''
Judge Death
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip '' Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', '' Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own a ...
''
*''
Judge Hershey
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip ''Judge Dredd'' appearing in ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters h ...
''
*''
Juliet November
Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...
''
*''
Mean Machine''
*''
Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgat ...
''
*''
Red Razors''
*''
Shimura''
*''
The Simping Detective''
*''
Tales from the Black Museum
Tales may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller
* ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film
* ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series
* ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...
''
*''Walter the Wobot''
Rogue Trooper spin-offs
The original ''
Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
'' led to:
*The new version,
"Friday"
*
Venus Bluegenes
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
*
The 86ers
''The 86ers'' is a '' 2000 AD'' comic story set in the Rogue Trooper universe and created by writer Gordon Rennie and artist Karl Richardson, now being drawn by PJ Holden.
The story stars G.I. pilot Rafaella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe. Th ...
*
Jaegir
*Hunted
''See also''
Tor Cyan ''Tor Cyan'' is a '' 2000 AD'' comic-book title written by John Tomlinson. It is a continuation of ''Mercy Heights'', which introduced the title character Tor Cyan as a futuristic 'ambulance driver'. In ''Tor Cyan'', Tor Cyan is the pilot of a medi ...
Other spin-offs
*''
ABC Warriors
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
'' was a spin-off from ''
Ro-Busters
''Ro-Busters'' is a British comic story that formed part of the original line-up of '' Starlord''. Similar in premise to that of the '' Thunderbirds'' television series, it was created by writer Pat Mills and was drawn by Carlos Pino and Ian ...
''
*''
Deadlock
In concurrent computing, deadlock is any situation in which no member of some group of entities can proceed because each waits for another member, including itself, to take action, such as sending a message or, more commonly, releasing a lo ...
'' was a spin-off from ''
ABC Warriors
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
''
*''
Durham Red'', ''
Young Middenface Archibald "Middenface" McNulty is a fictional character from the series ''Strontium Dog'' appearing in the British comic anthology '' 2000 AD'', as well as his own spin-off series. He is a frequent companion of the series' star, Johnny Alpha.
Plot
...
'', ''Tales From the Doghouse'' and ''Strontium Dogs'' were spin-offs from ''
Strontium Dog
''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezque ...
''
*''
Tor Cyan ''Tor Cyan'' is a '' 2000 AD'' comic-book title written by John Tomlinson. It is a continuation of ''Mercy Heights'', which introduced the title character Tor Cyan as a futuristic 'ambulance driver'. In ''Tor Cyan'', Tor Cyan is the pilot of a medi ...
'' was a spin-off from ''Mercy Heights''
Parallel universes
As well as the tying together of a lot of the stories in ''2000 AD'', other
parallel universes are known to co-exist alongside the main one, and some of them have intruded into it. Most famously in ''Judge Dredd'', this has happened with
Judge Death
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip '' Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', '' Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own a ...
and the
Dark Judges
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip ''Judge Dredd'' appearing in ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters h ...
, coming from a reality where life is a crime. The aforementioned "Helter Skelter" had a wide range of deceased villains coming from alternate dimensions where they had won, and "Rehab" (progs 1644-8) featured an incursion from a utopian Earth where the Judges are pacifists focused on rehabilitation.
Since 2003, ''Sinister Dexter'' has been running a storyline where criminals from a parallel Earth, led by "Holy" Moses Tanenbaum (dead in the main universe), have been trying to take over the city of Downlode in the main universe. When the other Earth was shown, it was revealed a major reason for the move was that China ("the ChiComs") were winning a war against Russia and rapidly advancing towards Downlode. The final part saw Sinister and Dexter chasing a target through other ''2000 AD'' strips, which turned out to be other realities.
Intercompany crossovers
There have been numerous
intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover (also called cross-company or company crossover) is a comic or series of comics in which characters, that at the time of publication are the property or licensed property of one publisher, meet character ...
s between ''2000 AD'' stories and with stories published by other companies (
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
and
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
). Given his high-profile these often mix other characters with
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
. These include:
Aliens
Mr Bones eventually manages to launch his revenge on Mega-City One, unleashing the
Xenomorph (called the
Incubus
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...
here) into the Grand Hall of Justice itself. The story has been mentioned a few times, though the xenomorph's exact origin was kept quiet.
Batman
There have been four crossovers with
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...
: a team-up with Dredd to defeat the combined might of
Judge Death
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip '' Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', '' Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own a ...
, Mean Machine, and
The Scarecrow
A scarecrow is a decoy used to discourage birds from disturbing crops.
Scarecrow(s) or The Scarecrow(s) may also refer to:
Comics
* Scarecrow (DC Comics), a supervillain in the Batman series
* Scarecrow (Marvel Comics), a supervillain
* Straw Ma ...
, with the two heroes clashing; Dredd going to
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, t ...
to save Batman from the Ventriloquist; both heroes being part of a faked deathmatch run by the Riddler; and
the Joker
The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman'' on April 25, 19 ...
and the Dark Judges teaming up, with the Joker becoming a fifth Dark Judge.
The Batman crossovers have had significant impact on Dredd's world. A vision of the fourth crossover, ''Die Laughing'', causing Cassandra Anderson to return to being a Judge, as the crossover was written before she had quit and had been delayed. Judge Death was finally captured due to the events of ''Judgement on Gotham''. ''Die Laughing'' had the Dark Judges encased in plasteen crystals, which is how they would always be shown in later stories and the ''
Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death'' video game; the 2002 story ''My Name is Death'' had Dredd refer to "that Gotham clown".
Lobo
Lobo
Lobo may refer to:
Places
*Lobo, Batangas, a municipality in the Philippines
*Lobo, Texas, a ghost town
*Lobo, Indonesia
*Lobo, Cameroon, a town in Cameroon
*Lobo Hill, near Belchite, Aragon, Spain
* Lobo, Ontario, near London, Ontario, Canada
Pe ...
, the intergalactic
mercenary
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...
, became a popular character when
Alan Grant took on the writing duties so a run-in with Dredd was a logical progression.
Predator
The Predator has made many visits to Earth throughout history, and in a number of
parallel universes, so it was almost inevitable that they would eventually clash with Dredd. The events of the first ''Predator'' film and the first comic issues are placed in Dredd continuity: not only are the Judges aware of the events, Psi-Judge Schaefer is a direct descendant of the film character "Dutch" Schaefer.
Predator vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens
Starting in July 2016,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
published a four-issue mini-series, ''Predator vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens'', written by
John Layman
John Steele Layman (born August 2, 1969) is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing ''Chew'', published by Image Comics.
Career
Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing c ...
and illustrated by
Chris Mooneyham.
''Judge Dredd vs Razorjack''
In May 2018 writer
Michael Carroll and artist
John Higgins
John Higgins, (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won 31 career ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (39) and Stephen Hendry ( ...
produced a crossover story featuring ''
Razorjack'', an independent comic on which they had both worked before.
Doctor Who
There has never been a crossover between a ''2000 AD'' character and
Doctor Who. However writer
Dave Stone
Dave Stone (born 12 June 1964) is a British science fiction writer.
Biography
Stone has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and '' Judge Dredd''.
Stone also contributed a number of co ...
, who has written several ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Doctor Who'' novels, planned a crossover novel featuring both Dredd and the Doctor, called "
Burning Heart." This idea was cancelled due to the lack of success of the
1995 ''Judge Dredd'' film, and the book was published in 1997 as a ''Dr Who'' book without Dredd. The Virgin Books ''Who'' stories featured the Guild of Adjudicators, a law enforcement agency who were often presented as similar to the Judges.
In the revived television series, the episode ''
Gridlock
Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where "continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill". The term originates from a situation possible in a grid ...
'' was based on Mega-City One, and one character was deliberately dressed like
Max Normal. Character Sally Calypso was also homage to 2000 AD strip ''
Halo Jones
''The Ballad of Halo Jones'' is a science fiction comic strip written by Alan Moore and drawn by Ian Gibson, with lettering by Steve Potter (Books 1 & 2) and Richard Starkings (Book 3).
''Halo Jones'' first appeared July 1984 in five-page i ...
'', which featured a similar character named Swifty Frisko.
Pseudonyms and cameos
Occasionally real life creators and individuals pop up in disguise.
Pseudonyms
Some work in ''2000 AD'' has been done by people using pseudonyms to prevent readers from guessing that their series were connected, when writing stories where the connection was to be a surprise:
* '
Cal Hamilton'' –
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...
, first used the pseudonym when he did the initial run on ''
James Bond Jr.
''James Bond Jr.'' is an American animated television series based on Ian Fleming's ''James Bond'' franchise. It follows the adventures of James Bond's nephew, James Bond Jr.
The series debuted in September 1991 and ran for 65 episodes bef ...
'' (he then took over writing duties under his own name) and later resurrected it to disguise the fact that ''
Malone
Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John.
People
* Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin
* Adrian Malone (1937� ...
'' tied into ''
Sinister Dexter
''Sinister Dexter'' is a long-running comic series in British comics anthology '' 2000 AD'', created by Dan Abnett and David Millgate.
Set in the near future, it features the exploits of gun sharks ( hitmen) Finnigan "Finny" Sinister and Ramon ...
''.
* Keef Ripley –
John Wagner
John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...
used the name when he wrote "
The Dead Man" so that fans wouldn't guess it was actually a ''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
'' story.
* G. Powell –
Simon Spurrier
Simon "Si" Spurrier (born 2 May 1981) is a British comics writer and novelist, who has previously worked as a cook, a bookseller, and an art director for the BBC.
Getting his start in comics with the British small press, he went on to write hi ...
used this name when he wrote "
The Vort" so that fans wouldn't guess the disfigured character nicknamed 'Crispy' was in fact ''
Lobster Random''.
Cameos
People from the comics world, as well as public figures, have made
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
s within ''2000 AD'' including:
*
B.L.A.I.R. 1 was clearly based on
British Prime Minister
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of the ...
, as well as being a parody of early strip ''M.A.C.H. 1''. Tony Blair is also parodied in ''
Day of Chaos
''Day of Chaos'' is a story featuring science fiction character Judge Dredd, which was published in British comic '' 2000 AD'' in 2011–2012. It has the greatest number of episodes (48) and pages (289) of any Judge Dredd story. It features amongs ...
'' as mayoral candidate Tony Blore.
*
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...
and
Ronald Reagan have appeared in ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Strontium Dog'', respectively. In Reagan's case, it was a significant multi-part story.
*
Judge Cal
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip '' Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', '' Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own a ...
's appearance was based on
Pat Mills
Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfather ...
, and his persona was based on
Caligula
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanic ...
as shown in the popular ''
I, Claudius
''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the R ...
''.
* Judge Logan has appeared in a number of stories including the epic "
Origins
Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Comics and manga
* ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002
* ''The Origin'' (Buffy comic), a 1999 ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...
" and is named after W.R. Logan who started ''
Class of '79
Class or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...
''.
*
Kenny Who? is based on artist
Cam Kennedy
Campbell ("Cam") Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' 2000 AD'', especially the flagship titles ''Judge Dredd'' and '' Rogue Trooper''.
Biography
Following work in commercial art in his hometown of Glasgow, ...
and his storylines (drawn by Kennedy) dealt with issues he encountered in the American comic industry. In the last Who? strip, robot versions of writer
Alan Grant and his wife appear in the strip.
* The creator droids have appeared in several Tharg strips, intended to be specific creators (the comic pretends the real-life creators are robots).
Timeline
Unlike both the
DC and
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
s, many of the ''2000 AD'' crossovers are done via a timeline: characters and concepts appear in the past/future of other strips, and may time travel to each other. Listed in chronological order, these are:
;c. 13.8 billion years BC
*
The Big Bang
The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...
.
;c. 200 million years BC
*Big Hungry, a male ''Nothosaurus'', terrorizes Atlantis, a Trans-Time station operating in the
Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...
Period.
;c. 65 million years BC
*Old One Eye, a female ''Tyrannosaurus'', survives an attack by her son Satanus, killing him in the process.
[q.v. '']Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
'' "The Cursed Earth
"The Cursed Earth" is the second extended storyline of the British science fictional comics character Judge Dredd. It appeared in '' 2000 AD'', and was the first Dredd storyline to exceed twenty episodes. Written mostly by Pat Mills, this story ...
", '' 2000 AD'' Prog 73
*Disaster strikes as Flesh Base 3, a Trans-Time station operating in the late
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
Period, is overrun by dinosaurs and other localized creatures.
['']Flesh
Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
'' '' ook 1', '' 2000 AD'' Progs 1 – 19
*Thoth, son of the alien warlock
Nemesis
In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view.
Etymology
The n ...
, releases the Satanus clone into the wild.
;c. 20,000 years BC
*Earl Regan, an employee of Trans-Time Incorporated, helps thwart terrorist activity in the
Quaternary Period.
;793 Common Era
*Wulf Sternhammer, a
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and s ...
marauder, assists Search/Destroy Agent Johnny Alpha in capturing the Max Bubba gang.
;Late 15th century
*
Tomás de Torquemada
Tomás de Torquemada (14 October 1420 – 16 September 1498), also anglicized as Thomas of Torquemada, was a Castilian Dominican friar and first Grand Inquisitor of the Tribunal of the Holy Office (otherwise known as the Spanish Inquisition). ...
, Grand Inquisitor of Spain, encounters his descendant from the far future,
Torquemada Torquemada may refer to:
People
* Juan de Torquemada (cardinal) (1388–1468), Spanish cardinal and ecclesiastical writer
* Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498), prominent leader of the Spanish Inquisition
* Antonio de Torquemada (c. 1507– ...
. To avenge the murder of his own children by Nemesis, the Grand Master of Termight kills Thoth.
;1945
*German
Führer
( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning " leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princi ...
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
is detained by Search/Destroy agents
Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer.
;Late 1970s – late 1980s
*A reality breakdown occurs.
;1978
*A defective pesticide causes Brazilian ants to grow to giant size. They attack both Brazil and Argentina before being destroyed.
;1980s
*The Scottish oil boom.
;1987
*U.S. President
Ronald Reagan, having been kidnapped by Kaiakos-K guerrillas, is rescued by Search/Destroy agents Johnny Alpha and Durham Red. Humanity has its first encounter with the Predator.
[''Predator VS Judge Dredd'' #1]
;1990
*A nuclear accident melts the Arctic Ice Cap, submerging much of Britain (and presumably other countries). The flood waters recede after a few weeks. A second Predator attacks New York.
;1999
*The
Volgan occupation of Britain begins. The Royal Family, among it
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
, is evacuated to Canada.
;2010
*Construction begins of the Trans-Atlantic Tunnel.
;2014
*Mr. Moonie begins his exploration of the Moon.
;2031
*
Chief Judge Fargo creates his elite force of
street judges to bring instant justice to America, without
due process
Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pe ...
.
;c. 2040s
*Satanus, the first dinosaur to be cloned from surviving ''Tyrannosaurus'' DNA, hatches from a surrogate alligator egg.
;2050
*Aeroball, a combination of football, kung fu, and basketball, is increasingly one of the world's most popular sports.
*John 'Giant' Clay is born.
;c. 2050s
*Golgotha, son of Satanus, hatches.
;Mid 21st century
*Mek-troops start replacing human combatants.
;2061
*The Triumvirate, comprising Mega-Cities
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
, Two, and
Three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* ''Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
, signs the Lunar Treaty.
;Mid 21st century
*The Volgan conflict ends.
*A select squad of mek-troops, led by veteran war droid
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member ...
, is sent to Mars.
;2065
*The first dinosaur park opens in Colorado. Satanus, its star attraction, goes on a killing rampage.
;2066
*The first batch of accelerated cloned births, taken from reverend justices, is born.
Rico
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
RICO was en ...
and
Joe Dredd, cloned from
Chief Judge Eustace Fargo, are among those born as five-year-old children to expedite their enrollment at the Academy of Law.
;2070
*U.S. President
Robert L. ('Smooth') Booth initiates the
Atomic Wars. International laser defense systems prevent direct nuclear attack on the majority of megalopolized areas throughout the world. The peoples of the United States of America depose President Booth and petition the
Judges
A judge is an official who presides over a court.
Judge or Judges may also refer to:
Roles
*Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc.
*Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a memb ...
to assume full administration of the country. President Booth is placed in suspended animation by order of an emergency
Grand Council of Judges. Mek-troops still loyal to the National Executive, among them veteran war droid
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member ...
, engage in a battle of supremacy with the National Judiciary.
;2071
*The mek-troops comprising Booth's Presidential Guard are defeated by the Judges in the Battle of Armageddon.
;c. 2070s
*The Hiroshima Accord is settled by Mega-Cities One, Two, and Three of North America;
Brit-Cit, East-Megs One and Two, and
Hondo City of Eurasia; New Jerusalem and Simba City of Pan-Africa; Sydney–Melbourne Conurbation and Friendly City of Oceania; and the Arctic Sector of Laurasia.
*Chief Judge Fargo, despite strong opposition from Council member
Morton Judd Morton may refer to:
People
* Morton (surname)
* Morton (given name)
Fictional
* Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''
* A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise
* A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...
, vetoes against eugenics proposals for population control.
;2070s
*Having made it through the preliminary rounds of the World Aeroball Championship, the
Harlem Heroes
''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devise ...
' team bus crashes, killing all but four players. Louis Mayer, his brain alone surviving the tragedy, convinces his three fellow survivors, 'Slim', 'Hairy', and team captain John 'Giant' Clay that they can still win the championship title.
;2078
*The
Harlem Heroes
''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devise ...
reforms as the Harlem Hellcats, contesting an Inferno tournament, one of a rising tide of legalized death sports.
;2070s
*
Hammerstein
Hammerstein is a municipality on the river Rhine in the district of Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member ...
, an off-line war droid loyal to the National Executive, is reactivated in the Cursed Earth. Resolving to find new purpose now that he is no longer at war with the Judges, Hammerstein enters Mega-City One.
;2079
*Rico and Joe Dredd graduate with honors as full-eagle Judges two years early.
*Rico Dredd, found guilty of corruption, is sentenced by his brother Joe to twenty years penal servitude on the Judges' Titan prison colony.
;2080
*
Ro-Busters
''Ro-Busters'' is a British comic story that formed part of the original line-up of '' Starlord''. Similar in premise to that of the '' Thunderbirds'' television series, it was created by writer Pat Mills and was drawn by Carlos Pino and Ian ...
(Disasters) Limited goes into liquidation.
*
Cassandra Anderson
Judge Cassandra Anderson is a fictional law enforcer and psychic appearing in the British science fiction comics '' 2000 AD'' and the ''Judge Dredd Megazine''. Created by writer John Wagner and artist Brian Bolland, Anderson made her debut as a s ...
is born.
;Late 21st century
*Civil war breaks out between Mega-Cities One and Three.
;2099: ''
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
'' – first appearance: Prog 2
* ''Judge Dredd'' was ''2000 ADs first venture into shared universe territory by way of its introduction of
Judge Giant
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip ''Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own art ...
senior, the son of former aeroball star John 'Giant' Clay. Cadet Giant graduates from the Academy of Law.
*The people of Mega-City One honor the Judges by unveiling the towering
Statue of Judgement.
*A robot rebellion led by
Call-Me-Kenneth,
The Robot Wars, brings large-scale destruction to Mega-City One before finally being quelled by the Judges.
*Rico Dredd, returning from his penal servitude on Titan, is killed during a showdown with his brother Joe.
;2100
*A deadly plague threatens the very existence of Mega-City Two. A mission led by Judge Dredd to carry the antidote across the Cursed Earth from Mega-City One is successful. During the expedition, Dredd encounters the Satanus clone and releases the former U.S. President Robert L. Booth from suspended animation allowing him to join a local Cursed Earth farming community.
;2103
*A defunct war droid excavated from the Cursed Earth reactivates and terrorizes the Andy Warhol Block in Mega-City One.
;2104
*
Judge Giant
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip ''Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', ''Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own art ...
is killed by
Orlok, a Soviet assassin.
*Supreme Judge Bulgarin of East-Meg One initiates the
Apocalypse War
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running ...
, devastating Mega-City One and killing half of its population. Ultimately, the invaders are repelled but
Chief Judge Griffin is killed during the conflict.
Judge McGruder, head of the SJS, is appointed as successor.
['']Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running c ...
'' "The Apocalypse War", '' 2000 AD'' Progs 245 – 270
;2105
*The illegitimate son of Judge Giant and Adelle Dormer is inducted into the Academy of Law.
;2106
*Mega-City One's Tek-Division develops Proteus, its first operational time machine.
*Trekmaster Lucas Rudd leads twenty-eight radwagons through the Cursed Earth to the New Territories. Of the one hundred and eleven helltrekkers who set out from Mega-City One only sixteen survive the twelve-day journey.
;2109
*A terrorist faction naming itself after the
Harlem Heroes
''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of kung fu films and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devise ...
escapes from its subterranean penal colony.
;2110
*Jug MacKenzie wins Supersuf 10, the first legal
World Skyboarding Championship.
;2112
*
Judge Death
This is a list of characters in the British comic strip '' Judge Dredd'' appearing in '' 2000 AD'', '' Judge Dredd Megazine'' and related publications. They are listed alphabetically by surname, in categories. (Major characters have their own a ...
takes control of Mega-City One and kills 60 million people.
;2114
*Sabbat, a necromagus from the year 2178, raises a vast army of zombies worldwide. A select group of international Judges, assisted by Search/Destroy agent Johnny Alpha, unites in defeating him although a number of megalopolized areas, including Mega-City Two, are destroyed in the process.
;2121
*
Second Robot War in Mega-City One.
;2126
*John 'Giant' Clay dies.
;2134
*Most of the population of Mega-City One are killed by terrorists using a weaponised disease.
;2180 – mid-2180s: ''
Strontium Dog
''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezque ...
'' – first appearance: Starzine 1 (''StarLord'')/Prog 86 (''2000 AD'')
*
Durham Red : – a spin-off from ''Strontium Dog''. First appearance of series: Prog 762
;23rd century
* Trans-Time Incorporated are in operation harvesting dinosaurs from 65 million years BC.
;unconfirmed: ''
Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
'' – first appearance: Prog 228
* Unlike most standalone strips that now form part of ''2000 ADs shared universe, ''Strontium Dog'' and ''Rogue Trooper'' are late inclusions. In both cases, the main characters of these two strips have made their shared universe début in ''Judge Dredd''.
;the far future: ''
Durham Red'' (later series) – first appearance in far future: Prog 1078
;the far future: ''
Comic Rock'' – first appearance: Prog 167
;the far future: ''
Nemesis the Warlock
''Nemesis the Warlock'' is a comic series created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin O'Neill which appeared in the pages of the British weekly comics anthology '' 2000 AD''. The title character, a fire-breathing demonic alien, fights again ...
'' – first appearance: Prog 222
;the far future/21st century: ''
ABC Warriors
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
''
econd series– first appearance: Prog 555
* ''Nemesis the Warlock'' is a continuation of ''Comic Rock'' that features cameos by Ro-Jaws, Hammerstein, and Mek-Quake. Nemesis later reforms the ABC Warriors as a time-traveling unit.
References
External links
Judge Dredd timeline
{{DEFAULTSORT:2000 Ad Crossovers
Crossovers
Judge Dredd
Crossover comics