''Rogue Trooper'' 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 ...
strip in the British
comic
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...
''
2000 AD'', created by
Gerry Finley-Day
Gerry Finley-Day (born 1947, in Broughty Ferry, Dundee) is a Scottish comics writer, prolific from the 1960s to the 1980s, best known as the creator of "Rogue Trooper".
Career
He began his career at D.C. Thomson & Co., before becoming the ...
and
Dave Gibbons
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "
Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue and three
uploaded minds mounted on his equipment who search for the Traitor General who betrayed their regiment to the enemy.
The series was
rebooted
''Rebooted'' is the third season of the animated television series ''Ninjago (TV series), Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The seaso ...
in 1989 in the story "The War Machine", featuring a new version of the character called
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 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
. This version of the character last appeared in 1996. The original character returned in 1999 and all stories since then have featured the original Rogue. The character has also featured in a number of
''2000 AD'' crossovers.
Publication history
Gibbons left the strip early on to be replaced by a succession of artists and writers who have taken the strip in several different directions over the years. Artists to have drawn the character include
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins (1955 – 16 February 2015) was a British comic book artist best known for his work on ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper'' in the weekly anthology comic '' 2000 AD''.
Biography
Ewins studied Conceptual Art at Goldsmiths College, w ...
,
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, Ke ...
and
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English existentialist philosopher-novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...
. This quest continued from 1981 until 1985, when the G.I. had his final confrontation with the traitor general and, after a brief further run set on the Planet Horst, Finley-Day ceased writing the strip.
Simon Geller took over, reinventing the character as an intergalactic hitman attempting to end the war by assassinating key figures, but this new direction was dropped in 1989.
John Smith wrote a 'flashback' story, "Cinnabar", set in Rogue's deserter days, before original series artist Dave Gibbons returned to write a much more radical revamp of the character.
In "The War Machine", Gibbons and artist
Will Simpson created a different war, set on a different planet, starring a different Genetic Infantryman, this time called
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 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
. The bio-chips were dropped, and Gibbons concentrated on the politics and economics of war and the sinister nature of the genetic engineering involved. A new ongoing series featuring Friday followed, written by
American writer
Michael Fleisher
Michael Lawrence Fleisher (November 1, 1942 — February 2, 2018) was an American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters Spectre and Jonah Hex.
Biography
Early life and career
Fleisher was raise ...
. In Fleisher's final story, "Scavenger of Souls", the bio-chips are reintroduced via an alien 'soul collector'.
Fleischer was replaced with
Steve White, who made the military aspect of the strip more up-to-date and tried to reconcile the two versions of the character. He also reintroduced
Venus Bluegenes (Helm's treacherous girlfriend from an earlier story who gained a more prominent role during the Simon Geller run) who had her own short spin-off run. His run on the character was the ''2000 AD'' debut of artist
Henry Flint
Henry Flint is a British comic book artist who has worked mainly for British science fiction comic '' 2000 AD''.
Biography
Flint has established a following for his work on series such as '' Judge Dredd'', '' Zombo'', ''ABC Warriors'', '' ...
.
The character was rested after White's last story in 1996. In 1997 a related character, blue-skinned ambulance pilot
Tor Cyan was introduced in the story ''Mercy Heights''.
In 2002 the original Rogue was reintroduced, again in
flashback to his days hunting the traitor general, written by
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for '' Warhammer Fantasy''.
In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate ...
. Artists have included
Staz Johnson
Stewart "Staz" Johnson is an People of English descent, English comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on DC Comics' ''Robin (comics), Robin'' and ''Catwoman'' series.
Biography
Johnson got his start working on magazines which ...
,
Dylan Teague,
Mike Collins,
Simon Coleby
Simon Coleby (born 1 March 1967) is a People of the United Kingdom, British comic book artist who has worked mainly for British sci-fi comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' and Marvel Comics.
Biography
Coleby started his mainstream work in the Br ...
and
PJ Holden
Paul Jason Holden (born 28 December 1969) is a Northern Irish comic artist based in Belfast.
He has worked for '' 2000 AD'', '' Warhammer Monthly'', and ''Judge Dredd Megazine''. Among other stories for these publications, he has provided the a ...
. In 2004 Rennie stated that he had intended to revamp the character yet again, but had been blocked by ''2000 AD'' editorial. He also hints that any return to the Rogue Trooper universe will concentrate on supporting cast and not include the Rogue character. This can be seen in the new series ''
The 86ers
''The 86ers'' is a ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD'' comics, 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 a ...
''.
Plot synopsis
The story is initially set on the planet Nu-Earth, where a
war of attrition
The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970.
Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...
between two factions, the Norts and Southers, is being fought. The Norts are a
fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
society, whom the Traitor General was briefly allied with, while the Southers are democratic. Rogue later travels to the planet Horst while searching for an antidote affecting the biochips - bio-silicon microchips implanted into Rogue's equipment, and containing the personalities of his dead comrades, Bagman, Gunnar and Helm - his backpack, assault rifle and helmet respectively.
There are similarities and occasional references to past Earth conflicts including the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
and both World Wars, with the Norts resembling Germany, and the Southers the
Allied forces. During the conflict, the use of chemical and
biological weapons
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 ...
has poisoned the planet. As a result, what remains of the population of the planet, including the troops of both sides, live in enclosed domed military bases and habitats. They wear protective suits, helmets and respiration gear when outside their domes. These suits are known as "
chemsuits". Any damage to the helmet or chemsuit is usually fatal to the wearer.
In an attempt to bring an end to the stalemate, the Southern High Command have created the GI, or "Genetic Infantryman". The GI is a soldier
genetically engineered
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including th ...
to be immune to the poisonous atmosphere of Nu-Earth, and therefore be able to fight without chemsuits. The Southern High Command deploy the entire GI Regiment in a mass spaceborne capsule drop over an area known as "The Quartz Zone", which resembles one of the Earth's poles because the surface has an icy, glass-like nature due to nuclear weapon detonation melting the soil. The assault was intended to be a surprise attack, but because a traitor within the Souther High Command has passed details of it to the Norts, they are expecting it. The Norts employ elite infantry known as the Kashan and Kashar Legions to repulse the assault, and the entire GI Regiment - apart from Rogue - are wiped out. This event is referred to as "The Quartz Zone Massacre". Rogue, the only surviving G.I., goes
AWOL
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
in order to track down the traitor. Along the way he thwarts numerous Nort schemes, discovers and inadvertently destroys the only portion of Nu-Earth not contaminated by chemical weapons, and is betrayed by every female character he encounters.
A later storyline – "MilliCom Memories" – shows how the GIs progress through their training, and that rather than a name each GI has a letter suffixed by their age. Rogue is "R", Gunnar "G", Helm "H" and Bagman "B". Two other troopers "D" and "N" are referenced in the storyline. During their training each GI is given a nickname - Gunnar is so named because of his marksmanship ability. Millicom Memories showed there were other prototype GIs before the development of Rogue's class, some of which were
killed during his training. Much earlier prototype GIs, created by genetically modifying existing humans featured in the story "First of the Few" in the 1984 2000 AD annual. All except one were killed within 24 hours of deployment on Nu Earth. The final proto-GI died of old age shortly after being discovered by Rogue, saying he had been on Nu Earth "...years and years and years, dog-chip."
In a multi-part story titled "The Marauders", Rogue encounters a group of deserters from both Nort and Southern sides, who operate as scavengers from a hidden base and attack both Nort and Southers in order to obtain food, ammunition and supplies. Unknown to Rogue, the commander of The Marauders is the Traitor General. Due to an accident the General was severely burned and is now unrecognisable. The General later reveals himself to Rogue, then captures and tortures him. Rogue eventually escapes, and with the help of one of the Marauders (a Souther pilot known as 'Player'), defeats the Marauders that pursue him. The Traitor General escapes, destroying the Marauder base as he does so.
In "All Hell on the Dix-I Front" a massive Nort assault forces the Southerners to retreat from a vast area of Nu-Earth, similar to the
Ardennes assault of World War II. During this, other elite units of the Nort military are introduced, such as the Sun Legion, a Regiment of solar glider troops, and the Scum Marines, an amphibious assault force. "Sister Sledge", a pun on the pop group of the same name and a military nurse, accompanies Rogue during the Dix-I campaign. She is secretly an enemy agent known as a "filth columnist", a play on
fifth columnist, and dies in the final episode of the series when Bagman causes her to fall from a boat into the heavily polluted and toxic "Scum Sea".
"Fort Neuro" introduced a defensive line that had been cut off from both Southers and Norts since the beginning of the war. The Fort has been split into separate sectors by clouds, meaning each sector operates independently of each other, without any contact or cohesion. The soldiers within each sector are suffering from
posttraumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...
, so the French sector – known as "Franks" – wear
Napoleonic era
The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...
uniforms, and hold
grand balls that were popular in that period. Other sectors display similarly erratic behaviour, with the English troops – known as "Lime-ees" – dressing as
holiday camp
A holiday camp is a type of holiday accommodation, primarily in the United Kingdom, that encourages holidaymakers to stay within the site boundary, and provides entertainment and facilities for them throughout the day. Since the 1970s, the term ...
redcoats and behaving as though they are on a perpetual holiday, while the "Rom" garrison fashion themselves as 1950's
Teddy Boys
The Teddy Boys or Teds were a mainly British youth subculture originating in the early 1950s to mid-1960s and then revived in the 1970s who were interested in rock and roll and R&B music, wearing clothes partly inspired by the styles worn by ...
- or "Romeos".
Rogue is immune to all known toxins, diseases, and acids, with three known exceptions:
* A new plant is discovered after
permafrost
Permafrost () is soil or underwater sediment which continuously remains below for two years or more; the oldest permafrost has been continuously frozen for around 700,000 years. Whilst the shallowest permafrost has a vertical extent of below ...
is melted in an arctic zone which renders him unconscious.
* In the flashback story ''"Cinnabar"'' a retrovirus is engineered specifically to target his immune system, making him susceptible to all other Nu-Earth hazards, ultimately forcing him to wear a chem-suit.
* On Horst, Rogue is bitten by one of the Dragoid creatures, causing him to pass out. As Bagman points out, Rogue was engineered to be resistant to conditions on Nu Earth, not those unique to Horst. However, the toxin quickly wears off, and in fact has a beneficial effect on Rogue.
In a lighter moment during the Fort
Neuro series, Rogue is shown to have difficulty breathing when in a staff car full of officers from the "
Rom
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
" sector, who in anticipation of a good night out with the neighboring "
Scan" sector, have applied too much
aftershave
Aftershave is a product applied to skin after shaving. Traditionally, it is an alcohol-based liquid (splash), but it can be a lotion, gel, or even a paste.
It often contains an antiseptic agent such as denatured alcohol, stearate citrate o ...
.
The Biochips are infected by a latent malady unknowingly contracted whilst passing through the Neverglades area of Nu Earth. The unnamed condition renders them susceptible to "Enzyme E dysfunction", which causes their newly re-gened bodies to disintegrate, leaving only their bio-chips.
Historical influences
Many elements of the Rogue back-story were inspired by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, The Vietnam War, the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
and the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
.
Norts (Northerner Unionists) fought against generally less-well equipped
Southers (Southern Confederates), and several battles were referenced, such as the
, which was retold as the "Battle of Mek-Bull Run". The Norts appear totalitarian in nature. While their uniforms have
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
connotations their dialect and names are mostly quasi-
Slavic, as if they represented a futuristic version of the
Soviet Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
, although there is some usage of German names as well, for example General Vagner, Admiral Torpitz (a play on the
German admiral Tirpitz). Their conduct and methods of waging war are also more barbaric than those of the comparatively civilised Southers. Although as the series develops the Southers are also shown committing comparably immoral acts as well. "Genetic Infantryman" is a direct homage to the supposed "
Government Issue
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an eve ...
" tag that American troops were nicknamed after.
Bibliography
The Rogue Trooper has appeared frequently in comics and
other media
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...
.
Stories in regular issues
The original run, mostly written by
Gerry Finley-Day
Gerry Finley-Day (born 1947, in Broughty Ferry, Dundee) is a Scottish comics writer, prolific from the 1960s to the 1980s, best known as the creator of "Rogue Trooper".
Career
He began his career at D.C. Thomson & Co., before becoming the ...
, was:
* "Rogue Trooper" (with art by
Dave Gibbons
David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
, in ''
2000 AD'' #228, 1981)
* "Nu Paree" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #229, 1981)
* "Glass Zone" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #230, 1981)
* "Doomsday Valley" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #231, 1981)
* "Terror of the Decapitators" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #232, 1981)
* "Raiders" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #234, 1981)
* "Scum Sea" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #235, 1981)
* "Ascent To Buzzard-Three" (with art by
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English existentialist philosopher-novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #236-238, 1981)
* "The Rookies" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #239-240, 1981)
* "Blue Moon" (with art by Colin Wilson, in ''2000 AD'' #241, 1981)
* "Poison" (with art by Mike Dorey, in ''2000 AD'' #242-243, 1981)
* "Fear of the Machine" (with art by Colin Wilson, in ''2000 AD'' #246-248, 1982)
* "The Dreamweavers" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' #249-250, 1982)
* "The Buzzard" (with art by Colin Wilson, in ''2000 AD'' #251-253, 1982)
* "The Petrified Forest" (with art by Mike Dorey, in ''2000 AD'' #254-257, 1982)
* "War of Nerves" (with art by Colin Wilson, in ''2000 AD'' #258, 1982)
* "Bagman Blues" (with art by
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins (1955 – 16 February 2015) was a British comic book artist best known for his work on ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper'' in the weekly anthology comic '' 2000 AD''.
Biography
Ewins studied Conceptual Art at Goldsmiths College, w ...
and
Eric Bradbury, in ''2000 AD'' #260-262, 1982)
* "The Body Looters" (with art by
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, Ke ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #265, 1982)
* "All Hell on the Dix-I Front" (with art by Colin Wilson, Cam Kennedy and Brett Ewins, in ''2000 AD'' #266-277, 1982)
* "Assassination Run" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #278-279)
* "Hats Off to Helm" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #280-281)
* "Marauders" (with art by Colin Wilson and Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #282-289)
* "Fort Neuro" (with art by Brett Ewins and Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #290-310, 1982–1983)
* "Major Magnam" (with art by Brett Ewins, in ''2000 AD'' #311-315, 1983)
* "Bigfoot" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #316, 1983)
* "Bio-Wire" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #317, 1983)
* "Milli-Com Memories" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #318-322, 1983)
* "Vid-Vultures" (with art by Brett Ewins, in ''2000 AD'' #323-326, 1983)
* "Eye of the Traitor" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #327-332, 1983)
* "Frisco Phog" (with art by Boluda, in ''2000 AD'' #333-334, 1983)
* "From Hell to Eternity" (with art by Brett Ewins, in ''2000 AD'' #335-340, 1983)
* "Mega-Minefield" (with art by Boluda, in ''2000 AD'' #341-342, 1983)
* "Gasbah" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #343-347, 1983)
* "Timeslip" (with art by Boluda, in ''2000 AD'' #348-349, 1983)
* "Colonel Kovert" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #350-355, 1984)
* "You Only Die Twice" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #358-364, #366-368, 1984)
* "Message From Milli-Com" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #369-377, 1984)
* "Just Routine" (with art by
Trevor Goring, in ''2000 AD'' #378, 1984)
* "Blind Terror" (with art by Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #379-380, 1984)
* "Death Valley" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #381-383, 1984)
* "M For Murder" (script by
Steve McManus, (credited as "Rogan") with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #384-386, 1984)
* "To the Ends of Nu Earth" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #387-392, 1984)
* "Re-Gene" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #401-406, 1985)
* "The Return of Rogue Trooper" (with art by
José Ortiz, in ''2000 AD'' #410-419, 1985)
* "Antigen of Horst" (with art by José Ortiz, in ''2000 AD'' #422-426, #428-432, 1985)
* "Return to Milli-Com" (with art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD'' #444-449, 1985)
Subsequently, Rogue Trooper appeared in stories by three other writers:
* "The Hitman" (written by
Simon Geller and
Steve MacManus
Steve MacManus (sometimes credited as Ian Rogan; born 1953) is a British comic writer and editor, particularly known for his work at '' 2000 AD''.
Biography
Born in London and educated in Devon, MacManus joined IPC in 1973, aged 20, as a sub- ...
, with art by
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon (22 March 1962 – 22 October 2016) was a British comic book artist, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on ''Hellblazer'', ''Preacher (comics), Preacher'' and ''The Punisher''.
Early life
Dillon was born in London i ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #495-499, 1986)
* "Hit One" (written by Simon Geller, with art by Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #520-531, 1987)
* "Hit Two" (written by Simon Geller, with art by Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #568-572, 1988)
* "Hit Three – The Violent Majority" (written by Simon Geller, with art by Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #574-575, 1988)
* "Through the Eyes of a Gun" (script and art by Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #589, 1988)
* "Hit Four – The New Moral Army" (written by Simon Geller, with art by Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #598-600, #602-603, 1988)
The Hitman storyline concluded in the ''2000 AD Winter Special 1989'' (see below).
There was then a story set before the Hitman series:
* "Cinnabar" (written by
John Smith, with pencils by
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon (22 March 1962 – 22 October 2016) was a British comic book artist, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on ''Hellblazer'', ''Preacher (comics), Preacher'' and ''The Punisher''.
Early life
Dillon was born in London i ...
and inks by
Kev Walker, in ''2000 AD'' #624-630 and 633–635, 1989)
Stories in specials and annuals
* "Milli-Way Sixty-Six!" (written by Gerry Finley-Day, art by
Eric Bradbury, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1982'')
* "Pray for War" (written by
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
, art by
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins (1955 – 16 February 2015) was a British comic book artist best known for his work on ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper'' in the weekly anthology comic '' 2000 AD''.
Biography
Ewins studied Conceptual Art at Goldsmiths College, w ...
, in ''2000 AD Annual 1983'', 1982)
* "The Droidonators" (written by Gerry Finley-Day, art by Boluda, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1983'')
* "First of the Few" (written by Alan Moore, art by
Jesus Redondo, in ''2000 AD Annual 1984'', 1983)
* "Portrait of a Rebel!" (written by Simon Gellar, art by Brett Ewins, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1984'')
* "The War of Words" (written by
Ian Rogan, art by
Robin Smith, in ''2000 AD Annual 1985'', 1984)
* "On the Rogue Again" (text story, writer unknown, illustrated by
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, Ke ...
, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1985'')
* ''untitled story'' (written by Simon Gellar, art by Cam Kennedy, in ''2000 AD Annual 1986'', 1985)
* "Killothon" (written by
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 godfath ...
, art by
Mike Collins and
Mark Farmer, in ''
Diceman'' 3, 1986)
* "The Fanatics" (written by
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revol ...
, art by José Ortiz, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1986'')
* "Nort by Nortwest" (written by
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revol ...
, art by José Ortiz, in ''2000AD Annual 1987'', 1986)
* "Space Zombies" (written by Pat Mills, art by Mike Collins, in ''Diceman'' 5, 1986)
* "The Hit: Conclusion" (written by Steve Dillon, with art by Chris Weston, in ''2000 AD Winter Special'', 1989)
After the ''Friday'' reboot
(For the full series of stories featuring Friday, see
Friday (2000 AD)#Bibliography.)
Rogue also appeared in crossovers with the new "
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 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
" series (leading up to the deaths of Rogue and Bagman in #949), all written by
Steve White:
* "Blue on Blue" (with art by
Henry Flint
Henry Flint is a British comic book artist who has worked mainly for British science fiction comic '' 2000 AD''.
Biography
Flint has established a following for his work on series such as '' Judge Dredd'', '' Zombo'', ''ABC Warriors'', '' ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #928-931, 1995)
* "Mind Bombs" (with art by
Edmund Perryman
Edmund Bagwell (1966 – 2017) was a British comics artist. Professionally he was also known as Edmund Perryman, EC Perriman, Edmund Kitsune, Anonyman and Anoniman.
Bagwell was born in Preston, England, and studied art at Leeds Polytechnic. His ...
/
Nick Abadzis, in ''2000 AD'' #937-939, 1995)
* "Ascent" (with art by
Steve Tappin, in ''2000 AD'' #946-949, 1995)
After the new series finished, the original series returned in a story set after Rogue's death, written by
John Tomlinson:
* "Remembrance Day" (with art by Dave Gibbons, in ''2000 AD'' Prog 2000, 1999)
The original Rogue later returned in stories set before his death, all written by
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for '' Warhammer Fantasy''.
In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate ...
:
* "What Lies Beneath" (with pencils by
Staz Johnson
Stewart "Staz" Johnson is an People of English descent, English comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on DC Comics' ''Robin (comics), Robin'' and ''Catwoman'' series.
Biography
Johnson got his start working on magazines which ...
and inks by
David Roach, in ''2000 AD'' #1301-1304, 2002)
* "Weapons of War" (with art by
Dylan Teague, in ''2000 AD'' #1305, 2002)
* "Overkill" (with
Simon Coleby
Simon Coleby (born 1 March 1967) is a People of the United Kingdom, British comic book artist who has worked mainly for British sci-fi comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' and Marvel Comics.
Biography
Coleby started his mainstream work in the Br ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #1306-1307, 2002)
* "Lions" (with Staz Johnson (1308) and
Mike Collins (1309), in ''2000 AD'' #1308-1309, 2002)
* "A Visit to the Boneyard" (with pencils by Mike Collins and inks by David Roach, in ''2000 AD'' #1310-1311, 2002)
* "Requiem" (with Simon Coleby, in ''2000 AD'' #1312, 2002)
* "Angels" (with Simon Coleby, in ''2000 AD'' Prog 2003, 2002)
* "Ghouls" (with pencils by Staz Johnson (episodes 1–4) and Mike Collins (ep. 5–6), and inks by David Roach (ep. 3–6), in ''2000 AD'' #1344-1349, 2003)
* "Realpolitik" (with
PJ Holden
Paul Jason Holden (born 28 December 1969) is a Northern Irish comic artist based in Belfast.
He has worked for '' 2000 AD'', '' Warhammer Monthly'', and ''Judge Dredd Megazine''. Among other stories for these publications, he has provided the a ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #1380-1385, 2004)
* "Condor Six Down" (with Simon Coleby, in ''2000 AD'' #1462-1464, 2005)
* "New Model Army" (with Steve Pugh (art) & Ian Edginton (script)''2000 AD'' #1477-1479, 2006)
Gerry Finley-Day returned to the character after 25 years away, for the end of year special in 2010:
* "Dead Ringer" (with Staz Johnson, in ''2000 AD'' Prog 2011, 2010)
In a short series of one-off stories called ''What If...?'' featuring alternative takes on popular ''2000 AD'' characters, Rogue Trooper returned in a story written by
Andy Diggle
Andrew Diggle is a People of the United Kingdom, British comic book writer and former editor of the weekly anthology series ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD''. He is best known for his work on ''Adam Strange'' and ''Green Arrow: Year One, Green Arr ...
:
* "What If... Gunnar Survived the Quartz Zone Massacre?" (with
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English existentialist philosopher-novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #1771, 2012)
The series appeared in one-off stories in annual special issues from 2014:
* "Dregs of War" (written by Guy Adams, art by Darren Douglas, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2014'')
* "The Feast" (written by Guy Adams, art by Lee Carter, in ''2000 AD Winter Special 2014'')
* "Death of a Demon" (written by Guy Adams, art by Darren Douglas, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2015'')
* "Shore Leave" (written by Guy Adams, art by Jimmy Broxton, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2016'')
The character returned to the regular issues of the comic in 2016:
* "Ghosts of Nu-Earth" (written by Gordon Rennie, art by
Richard Elson
Richard Elson (born 1962) is a British people, British comic book artist best known for his work on ''Sonic the Comic'', ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' and ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor''.
Biography
Richard Elson is a fine art graduate with over ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #2000, 2016)
* "A Soldier's Duty" (written by James Robinson, art by
Leonardo Manco, in ''2000 AD'' #2050, 2017)
* "The Thousand Days" (written by
Alex de Campi, art by Sam Beck & Eva de la Cruz, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2018'')
* "Secret of the Keep" (written by
Cavan Scott, art by
Nick Roche, in ''2000 AD'' #2130, 2019)
* "Savage Swamp" (written by Cavan Scott, art by Nick Roche & Abigail Bulmer, in ''2000 AD'' #2170, 2020)
* "Mortal Remains" (written by
Mike Carroll, art by
Gary Erskine
Gary Erskine is a Scottish comic book artist.
Career
Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley near Glasgow in 1968, Erskine grew up in Rutherglen and attended Burnside Primary and Stonelaw High School. Fellow comic artist Frank Quitely (Vincent ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #2300, 2022)
* "Brothers" (written by Kek-W, art by Warwick Fraser-Coombe, in ''2000 AD'' #2312, 2022)
* "Blighty Valley" (written by
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born 16 January 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 Dar ...
, art by
Patrick Goddard, in ''2000 AD'' #2326–2339, 2023)
* "Runaway" (written by Geoffrey D. Wessel, art by Simon Coleby & F. Segala & S. del Grosso, in ''2000 AD'' #2362, 2023)
* "War Child" (written by David Barnett, art by Paul Marshall & Pippa Bowland, in ''2000 AD'' #2375, 2024)
* "Souther Belle" (written by Geoffrey D. Wessel, art by
Dan Cornwell & Chris Blythe, in ''2000 AD'' #2386-2391, 2024)
* "Recon" (written by Geoffrey D. Wessel, art by Paul Marshall & Pippa Bowland, in ''2000 AD'' #2393-2398, 2024)
* "When a G.I. Dies" (written by
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born 16 January 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 Dar ...
, art by
Patrick Goddard, in ''2000 AD'' #2401-2412, 2024)
* "Renegade" (written by
Alex Paknadel, art by
Jake Lynch & Dylan Teague, in ''2000 AD Annual 2025'')
* "Holiday in the Hotzone" (written by
Karl Stock, art by Ilias Kyriazis, in ''2000 AD'' #2413, 2024)
* "The Stack" (written by Karl Stock, art by John McCrea & Jack Davies, in ''2000 AD'' #2425, 2025)
* "Tides of War" (written by Andi Ewington, art by Paul Marshall & Pippa Bowland, in ''2000 AD'' #2429–ongoing, 2025)
Spin-offs and reboots
The 86ers
''
The 86ers
''The 86ers'' is a ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD'' comics, 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 a ...
'' was created by writer
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for '' Warhammer Fantasy''.
In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate ...
and drawn by artists Karl Richardson and
PJ Holden
Paul Jason Holden (born 28 December 1969) is a Northern Irish comic artist based in Belfast.
He has worked for '' 2000 AD'', '' Warhammer Monthly'', and ''Judge Dredd Megazine''. Among other stories for these publications, he has provided the a ...
. The story stars G.I. pilot Rafella "Rafe" Blue and her robot Gabe.
Venus Bluegenes
''
Venus Bluegenes'' appeared both in Rogue Trooper and in her own eponymous strip, with stories written by authors including Grant Morrison, Steve White and Dan Abnett.
Tor Cyan
''
Tor Cyan'' appeared both in Mercy Heights and in his own eponymous strip, in a series written by John Tomlinson.
Jaegir
''
Jaegir'' is a recurring series in ''2000 AD'', focusing on Kapitan-Inspector Atalia Jaegir, who serves in the Nordland State Security Police. Her role is to hunt down escaped war criminals.
Hunted
Gordon Rennie and artist PJ Holden produced ''Hunted'', a nine-part story told from the point of view of the Traitor General, in 2016. It began in 2000AD progs 2001 to 2009. It features a young Atalia
Jaegir and a monstrous early specimen of the G.I. project.
IDW Publishing reboot
On 20 July 2013, American company
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
announced that after the success of its adaptation of ''
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 the British weekly anthology Comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977). He is the magazi ...
'' from ''
2000 AD'' it would now champion Rogue Trooper with recoloured old issues as well as completely new stories. On 13 November 2013 it was announced that the new series would be written by British fantasy writer
Brian Ruckley and drawn by Alberto Ponticelli. Brian Ruckley acquired the position "by writing a pitch document that people apparently liked." He described his first challenge as scriptwriter as "I can now say from personal experience that writing comics is not straightforward or effortless!"
The new Rogue Trooper features a re-designed helmet, rifle and backpack which serve as the three main supporting characters in the stories. The first episode was originally set to ship at the end of February 2014, but the first issue was actually released on 5 March 2014. Due to lower-than-expected sales, the decision was made to put the series "on hold". The final issue of the new Rogue Trooper series was issue 4, published on 21 May 2014. All four issues were collected as a trade paperback and released on 17 September 2014 under the title ''Rogue Trooper: Last Man Standing''. The series was reprinted in four issues of 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
L ...
'' (#459 to 462) in 2023.
IDW also published ''Rogue Trooper Classics'', a series of recoloured stories from ''2000 AD'', in order. It was originally intended to consist of 12 issues (with issue 1 being published on 14 May 2014), but like the new Rogue title, it was cut short, with only 8 issues to be produced in total – again, a result of lower-than-expected sales.
Other media
A range of Rogue Trooper material has been produced:
Novels
There are three novels based on Rogue Trooper:
* ''Crucible'' (
Gordon Rennie
Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for '' Warhammer Fantasy''.
In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate ...
, October 2004 )
* ''Blood Relative'' (
James Swallow
James Swallow is a British author. A BAFTA nominee and a ''New York Times'', '' Sunday Times'' and Amazon #1 best-seller, he is the author of several original books and tie-in novels, as well as short fiction, numerous audio dramas and video ...
, March 2005 )
* ''The Quartz Massacre'' (
Rebecca Levene, March 2006 )
Boardgames
The Rogue Trooper Boardgame was released in 1987 by
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer (game), Warhammer'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''.
Founded in 1975 by John Peake ...
.
EN Publishing released the Rogue Trooper tabletop roleplaying game in 2020.
Video games
A number of Rogue Trooper computer games have been released in 1986 and 1990. An
isometric shooter by
Piranha Software
Piranha Software was a short-lived video game publishing label created by Macmillan Publishers in 1986 and closed eighteen months later. In that time it gained a reputation for its unusual output from well known developers such as Don Priestley ...
for the
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...
,
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
and
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...
was released in 1986. The game consists of killing
Norts while searching Nu-Earth for 8 vid-tapes containing evidence of the
Traitor General's involvement in the Quartz Zone Massacre. On finding all 8 tapes, Rogue has to return to the
Souther base of Milli-Com to prove the General's treachery and the
extenuating circumstances
In criminal law, a mitigating factor, also known as an extenuating circumstance, is any information or evidence (law), evidence presented to the court regarding the defendant or the circumstances of the crime that might result in reduced charges o ...
of his going
AWOL
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
. During the game, as well as the vid-tapes, players could also pick up medi-kits to regain health and ammo boxes to feed Gunnar. A
platform game
A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
incorporating
first-person vehicle levels for the
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
and
Atari ST
Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...
by Krisalis Software came out in 1990.
After Rebellion bought ''2000 AD'' they released a
third-person shooter
Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
Rogue Trooper video game in 2006, with a
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
version out in 2009.
In 2009 Rogue Trooper featured a guest role in the game "
LittleBigPlanet
''LittleBigPlanet'' (''LBP''; stylised as ''LittleBIGPlanet'') is a Puzzle video game, puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in th ...
" for
PS3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
. It came in the form of content which could be bought in the
PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital distribution service for users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via PlayStation Network.
The store offers a range of downloadable content both ...
.
In 2017 Rogue Trooper Redux was released to the current generation PC, PS4, XB1 and Nintendo Switch, developed by Rebellion and TickTock Games.
Film
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...
has spoken about writing a ''Rogue Trooper'' screenplay for
Sam Worthington's production company Full Clip Production. On 16 July 2018,
Duncan Jones
Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones (born 30 May 1971) is a British film director, film producer and screenwriter. He directed the films ''Moon'' (2009), ''Source Code'' (2011), '' Warcraft'' (2016), and '' Mute'' (2018). For ''Moon'', he won the BAFT ...
revealed that he will direct the movie, without Full Clip Production.
In 2018, a not-for-profit short
fan film
A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. It is a form of fan fiction. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been ...
directed by Adam Kirley, produced by Joby Stephens, and starring stuntman
Damien Walters was released, with its premiere at the International
London Sci Fi film festival.
In November 2018,
Rebellion Developments
Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford. Founded by Jason Kingsley (businessman), Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for ''Sniper Elite'' and multiple games in the ''Lis ...
announced they were setting up a studio for a film and TV series based on ''
2000 AD'' characters with a Rogue Trooper animated film as one of their projects.
In January 2024, it was announced that principal photography had concluded, with
Aneurin Barnard
Aneurin Barnard (; ; born 8 May 1987) is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Davey in '' Hunky Dory'', Claude in '' The Truth About Emanuel'', Bobby Willis in '' Cilla'', Tim in '' Thirteen'', King Richard III in '' The White Queen'', Will ...
voicing the eponymous character, and Jones reconfirmed as director, writer, and co-producer. The film was animated using
Unreal Engine 5
Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) is the latest version of Unreal Engine developed by Epic Games. It was revealed in May 2020 and officially released in April 2022. Unreal Engine 5 includes multiple upgrades and new features, including Nanite, a system that ...
.
References
External links
Rogue Trooperat Barney
at the International Catalogue of Superheroes
* {{comicbookdb, type=character, id=16596, title=Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper - 1st Episode(BBC)
Eidos Rogue Trooper game websiteNTSC-uk's Rogue Trooper ReviewTales of the GI online stripShort non-profit fan-made Rogue Trooper film*
About making that film
Clone characters in comics
Fictional military personnel in comics
Fictional war veterans
Genetically engineered characters in comics
Comics by Dave Gibbons
Comics set on fictional planets
2000 AD comic strips
War comics
Comics adapted into animated films
Comics adapted into video games