2000AD Prog 2011

This post is going up a day early because frankly, few enough people read these and putting it up on Christmas Eve was just asking to be ignored, am I right?


So I'm not much of a one for Christmas. A sucking sinkhole of time and money that leaves you with nothing to show at the end of it but an empty wallet, a pile of rubbish that you can't get rid of because the wagons don't work the holidays and an extra inch on your waist.

However, as with all of lifes miserable little clouds, there is a silver lining to be found. One shining beacon of hope that the festive season will not be a complete waste of the energy expended getting out of bed. I speak, of course, of the 2000AD Christmas special.

An annual event since the turn of the century, these 100page bumper issues serve as the closest thing we're going to get these days to a traditional 'Annual' as well as being classy jump-on points for new or lapsed readers. They also stay on sale for 3weeks instead of 1, allowing Editorial a Christmas break. So that's nice.


Pick up this issue and you get 3 complete stories, featuring Judge Dredd, Psi Judge Anderson and Rogue Trooper - this latter being written by his original creator for the first time in decades - and 4 Part ones of ongoing series that will continue into the new year when the regular issues resume in January. Also, somewhat bizarrely, the final part of a Slaine story that has been running in the last few weeks worth of regular issues. This kind of takes away from the 'jump-on' ethos but it's just one story so we shouldn't be too hard on them.

The Dredd story uses the humorous framing device of The Chief Judges Christmas Speech to give a decent overview of recent Dredd history and tell newcomers everything they need to know about the current state of play. The Rogue Trooper story is a proper blast from the past and really feels like it could have come from this writers original run on the title. And the Anderson story is a neat way of using a character set to appear in the new Dredd movie, thus generating a bit of buzz, while at the same time re-establishing the 'real' backstory of the character, to soothe those who might have been worried that the comic characters would change to match the movie versions.

But it's the new ongoing series that are of the most importance here because it's these that will be required to hold on to any new readers that this issue drags in. Are they up to the task? Well, when one of them is Dan Abnett and Richard Elsons 'Kingdom' you don't need to worry about that. Generally considered on of the best new series in recent years Kingdom is a joy to read, with Abnetts deceptively deep world building, ear for puns and dialogue utterly unlike anything you'll read elsewhere perfectly complemented by Elsons crisp uncluttered art and brilliant character and creature design. (Indeed, in a series that barely features humans, character and creature design are essentially the same thing.)

Then you get dynastic intrigue in the corridors of Hell, in 'Necrophim' by Tony Lee and Lee Carter, Universe shattering carnage and mayhem in millenia spanning space opera 'Shakara' by Robbie Morrison and Henry Flint (I cannot tell a lie, I do not enjoy this series at all, despite liking these creators on other projects, but I am pretty roundly derided for that opinion. The majority view would seem to be that Shakara is a winner. Each to their own I suppose.), and finally some occult investigations in the 1930's with 'Ampney Crucis Investigates' by Ian Edgington and Simon Davis. A more eclectic mix of stories and art styles you couldn't hope to find. If there isn't something in there to please everyone then I'm a llamas lapdancer.

The question of whether you should pick this comic up is a simple yes/no deal. Do you want to read the cream of British comic creators writing and drawing some of the most spectacular flights of the imagination you'll ever encounter. Yes or No?

Frankly, if you are a comic book fan and you aren't reading 2000AD, well, you owe it to yourself to start and if you aren't a comic fan but just like good stories, well told, the same goes for you. This issue is the perfect chance to get on board and see for yourself. Will you love it all? Probably not, but that is the beauty of an anthology. I'm confident you'll love some of it.

The whole thing is wrapped up in a truly beautiful cover by Simon Fraser. Stunning futuristic cityscapes are becoming something of a Fraser trademark and this is yet another example of his genius in this department. The cover you can see in the shops is at the top of this post but if you want to check it out in all it's glory, without those pesky logos and barcodes, you should head on over to the excellent Covers Uncovered blog (link to the right there somewhere) and see it as it deserves to be seen.

The English Rebel

Something a little different this time out, as I delve into the murky waters of the non-fiction shelves. The occasional celeb autobiography is usually as far as I go in that direction but I am resolved to make a little more effort to educate myself a bit and so here we are.

Having always had an interest in history at school, and later fostering that interest, at least after a fashion, with the reading of lots of historical novels from the likes of Bernard Cornwell, it seemed like the natural place to start. Hence this weeks post, and probably most of the non-fiction posts (certainly the next one will be because I already know what the book is), at least for a while, is firmly within that area, So without further ado, I give you The English Rebel by David Horspool


I came to this book after requesting recommendations on a forum I frequent, asking for history books that were accessible enough to not bore a layman but also not so dumbed down as to patronise anyone with half a brain. This was one of the first mentioned (I'll be checking out a few of the others later) and had the attraction of being a fairly broad overview of English history, which I figured would be better to begin with than jumping into one specific aspect or era.

From the resistance movement that sprang up to oppose William the Conqueror in the 11th Century to the strikers and suffragettes of the 20th, the book attempts to cover a lot of ground and for the most part comes up trumps. Getting through almost 10 centuries in less than 400 pages might lead you to suspect that it would read as rushed but not so; the fact that some of the longer reigning monarchs actually faced very little in the way of opposition means that long periods of time are passed over without comment, without compromising the books intent.

Did I, as someone with a very limited knowledge of 'real' history (that is, not from a novel, movie or TV show) gain anything from the reading of this work? Indeed. For one thing, I now know more about the Tudor line than Henry-Henry-a few others with Elizabeth in there at some point, which was the extent of my knowledge before now. I even know the story of Jane Grey, whom I'd never heard of before she cropped up in an episode of Sarah Jane Adventures of all things.*

A few myths and misconceptions gleaned from Robin Hood stories were put to rest, some shady reputations were redeemed slightly (and vice versa) and Mary Poppins is no longer my go to text for knowledge of the suffragettes. All told, I reckon I came away a fair bit more knowledgeable.

How much of it will be retained is down to the reader (I'm terrible) rather than the writing, which is accessible almost throughout. In fact, the only time I found myself flagging slightly was in the closing chapters on the rise of the trade unions and the use of strikes as protest. It's entirely possible (or indeed probable) that this was a problem on my end rather than any lowering of standards on the part of Horspool. As a very young child at the time of the Union/Thatcher clash I don't really remember it as such but I was certainly aware of the aftereffects and the dark mood of society for a while afterward. Perhaps this first hand experience (albeit peripheral) made it seem less legitimate as a history text. After all, doesn't it seem odd to read about events from your own lifetime being considered 'history'? Maybe that's just me.

*In the episode the character is worrying about how history will perceive her and the girl from our time (who was very excited to meet her) tells her that she will be remembered for hundreds of years. Either the guy who wrote that episode has a very poor grasp on how up on history the average schoolkid is or I'm a bit of a dullard. I choose to believe the former.

Loads of interesting stuff.

Snow. Lots of it. Meaning school closures and me getting roped in to have my sisters child. All day. Every day.

He's six, he's incredibly attention needy and he never, ever, ever stops talking. I've been tempted to bury him in one of the many snowdrifts around about but have, so far, been able to resist.

His constant presence has, unfortunately, meant that I have done as much reading in the last week as I would normally expect to do in one average soak in the tub. Which I haven't been able to have, because he's eaten into my time so much that all I can afford to allot is enough for a quick dip. Get in, get washed, get out. Come on, that's not a proper bath, is it? I'm feeling a little deprived.

I had thought that I might write a few words on Nemesis, the Mark Millar written, Steve McNiven drawn comic mini-series that has been running in Clint, reasoning that the final issue (#4) would be in Clint #4, which was released yesterday (02/12). I figured I could finish reading that and do a quick rundown of my thoughts about it. Sadly, only half of nemesis #4 was actually printed in Clint #4, meaning I'll have to wait a month or so for the concluding pages. Another plan foiled. Buggeration.

So no book finished, no comic series finished, what on earth am I going to write about. Well, as it turns out, not much of anything. I'm just typing a load of old nonsense until I hit a halfway decent wordcount, which I'll put up on the blog and then post the link on twitter, so that the 3 people who actually read these things will be tricked into thinking there is new content and come boost my views. Mwahahah.

Is that enough do you think? Should I stop now? Yes, I think I probably will, but before I go; Clint #4 does contain what I believe (but don't quote me on this) is the first published comics work from comedian Stewart Lee. It's very good, and not just by first-timer standards either. It also has some very nice art by Steve (Zenith/Red Seas) Yeowell. Worth checking out, but fair warning, lots of part 3's and 4's of ongoing stories elsewhere in this issue so a first time buyer might find themselves in at the deep end a little bit.

That's me then. I'll be back next week when I'll be discussing something or other I'll have read by then.