''Black Light'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

that ran in the British comic anthology '' 2000 AD'' in 1996. It was created by

Dan Abnett Daniel P. 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 has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...

, Steve White and

John M. Burns John M. Burns (1938 – 29 December 2023) was an English comics artist, with a career stretching back to the late 1950s. Biography His initial work was as an illustrator for '' Junior Express'' and ''School Friend''. He also worked on the ...

. It chronicles the missions undertaken by an elite unit appointed by the US president to investigate and shut down

black ops A covert operation or undercover operation is a military or police operation involving a covert agent or troops acting under an assumed cover to conceal the identity of the party responsible. US law Under US law, the Central Intelligence Ag ...

by rogue government agencies. The series was developed to capitalise on the popularity of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'' and '' Mission: Impossible''. The influence of ''The X-Files'' in particular can be seen in the subject of government conspiracies and the involvement of mysterious

men in black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in dark suits, who question, interrogate, harass, and threaten unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have ...

. The men in black in ''Black Light'' very closely resemble the men in black that act as hosts of the similarly ''X-Files''-inspired ''

Vector 13 {{italic title ''Vector 13'' is a comic strip published in the British magazine '' 2000 AD''. It featured the eponymous agency set up to investigate anomalous phenomena and conspiracy theories. It was influenced by American TV drama ''The X-Files' ...

''. It was almost adapted as a television pilot by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's production company.{{Cite web, url=http://viciousimagery.blogspot.ie/2007/02/28-days-of-2000-ad-151-dark-bish-op-pt.html, title=28 Days of 2000 AD #15.1: Dark Bish-OP Pt. 2 , last=Bishop, first=David, date=15 February 2007, website=Vicious Imagery, access-date=24 April 2016

Plot

In "Survivor Syndrome" the Black Light team are made aware of a plot to assassinate the US president in London. The president's life is saved and Black Light discover that the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

actually ended in a cover-up of a failed American

bioweapon Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,200 different kin ...

experiment and the propping up of

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

. The bioweapon is also revealed to be responsible for the

necrotising fasciitis Necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as flesh-eating disease, is an infection that kills the body's soft tissue. It is a serious disease that begins and spreads quickly. Symptoms include red or purple or black skin, swelling, severe pain, fever ...

affecting new member Emma Paris's face. On the mission the team leader Wade Powers is killed, Paris is put in charge and former

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...

agent, Mark Bogard - the man responsible for tipping off Black Light about the assassination plot - is appointed to the team. In "Lords of Creation" an informant reveals secrets about super soldier experiments using

nanorobotics Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots, which are called nanorobots or simply nanobots, whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer (10−9 meters). ...

on a military base. When the Black Light team investigate they discover the dangerous destabilising effect of the technology and manage to stop a water reservoir from being infected. Wiseman, however, is infected. In "Pandora's Box" a global nuclear conspiracy is exposed when Black Light foil an attempt by activists to stop nuclear testing in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. At the end, a

man in black reveals to Emma Paris that the testing is a method of preventing an infernal force passing through a gateway unintentionally opened by the original nuclear tests in the 1950s.

Publications

* "Survivor Syndrome" (art by

, in ''2000 AD'', #1001-1005, reprinted in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'', #336, 2013) * "Lords of Creation" (art by

Lee Sullivan Lee Terrence Sullivan (born 6 March 1971) is an English drummer for the London-based alternative rock band Bôa. Lee is the son of Terence Sullivan, the drummer for the rock band Renaissance and his wife, Christine Sullivan. He plays drums, ...

, in ''2000 AD'', #1006-1009, reprinted in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'', #336, 2013) * "Pandora's Box" (art by

Steve Yeowell Steve Yeowell () is a British comics artist, well known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic '' 2000 AD''. Biography Having trained in 3D design (specialising in silversmithing and jewellery), Yeowell beg ...

, in ''2000 AD'', #1010-1013, reprinted in ''Judge Dredd Megazine'', #337, 2013 - Lee Sullivan is incorrectly credited with art in #1010)

References

2000 AD comic strips Comics by Dan Abnett