Happy Birthday, 2000AD! From artist and fan Martin Geraghty

By John Freeman on February 15, 2012

Name: Martin Geraghty

Blog or web site: Yeah, need to get onto that someday, probably…

Currently working on:

Knee-deep pencilling my next strip for Doctor Who Magazine, a tight little Eleventh Doctor two-parter by Scott Gray.

Other than that, Storyboarding and Visualising for the advertising business is keeping a roof over my head for the time being.

First memory of 2000AD?

Buying the first issue in my local newsagents. I’d been bereft ever since ACTION bit the bullet and the rich diet of Dan Dare, Dinos and Dredd seemed the perfect pick-me-up.

It launched with a TV ad — I’m sure it was an anticipatory purchase rather than an impulse buy.

Favourite Character or Story?

Well, Dredd is, and always will be, the icon of the mag but I’ll have to plump for Slaine, as drawn by Mick McMahon. Those stories he illustrated are just some of the most exquisite black and white comic art I’ve ever seen.

What do you like most about the 2000AD?

That it’s still here, 35 years on. Longevity is a great comfort.

What would you most like to see in 2000AD as it heads to its Forties?

That it continues to experiment and retain it’s place as a breeding ground for peerless home-grown comic-strip talent.

If you worked on 2000AD, do you have an anecdote you’d like to share about your experience of Tharg and his minions?

Never worked for ’em, Just lots and lots of happy memories of reading it.

• This post is one in a series of tributes to 2000AD to mark its 35th birthday on 26th February 2012. More about 2000AD at www.2000adonline.com

2000AD © Rebellion

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.