Black Max soars again in New Year 2000AD

Legendary British comics villain Black Max returned to the news stand in 2000AD last year – with some of his early adventures in Thunder and Lion from the 1970s also collected – but this week, he’s the weekly title’s cover star, thanks to Tiernen Trevallion!

Black Max features in the latest terrific episode of “Fiends of the Eastern Front“, and it’s definitely a cracker of a tale, fast developing into a current favourite for me. (Rory McConville’s one shot Judge Dredd story “The Eternity Hotel” is fun too, offering, perhaps, some interesting possibilities for future tales, but I suspect the concept might also open a big can of worms, too, if pursued).

Created by writer Frank Pepper and artist Eric Bradbury and initially appearing in the 1970s comic Thunder, ace fighter pilot Baron Maximilien Von Klorr is the scourge of the skies, menacing the Allied forces during the bloodiest battles in World War One. Skilled, ruthless and in possession of two giant, mutated kingbats who fight by his side, Von Klorr AKA Black Max is almost unstoppable.

Only the brave pilots of the Royal Flying Corps, including Lieutenant Tom Wilson, opposed the Black Max’s complete dominance of the air in his original adventures.

Rebellion released a terrific collection of the early Black Max stories last year, and he’s appeared in the Scream and Misty Specials, but his appearance in “Fiends of the Eastern Front” is much more substantial thanks to Ian Edginton and Tiernen – and his plans for the world much more horrifying!

Talking of Rebellion collections, if you’re in Newcastle this weekend, veteran editor and writer Barrie Tomlinson and top artist Ian Kennedy will be signing copies of Wildcat Volume 01: Turbo Jones at Forbidden Planet Newcastle on Saturday 5 January 2019 from 1-2.00pm. This is a rare appearance by Barrie, and Ian always proves a draw (sorry!) at such events. Don’t miss out!

2000AD Prog 2112 is available from all good newsagents and comic shops and various digital platforms

In This Prog:

JUDGE DREDD // THE ETERNITY HOTEL
Writer: Rory McConville Artist: Dan Cornwell Colour: Jim Boswell Letters: Annie Parhouse

Mega-City One, 2141 AD. Home to over 100 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Unemployment is near total, boredom is universal, and tensions run a constant knife-edge. Crime is rampant, and only the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy.

Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!

BRINK // HIGH SOCIETY
Writer: Dan Abnett Art: INJ Culbard Letters: Simon Bowland

The late 21st century, and through environmental catastrophe and industrial overload Earth has been reduced to a wasteland. Mankind finally evacuated the planet in 2072 and millions were housed in a number of deep-space Habitats. Bridget Kurtis, investigator with the Habitat Security Division, has gone undercover on Yuliya Habitat to look into sect activity, but she’s been discovered and held at gun-point…

SKIP TRACER // LOUDER THAN BOMBS
Writer: James Peaty Artist: Paul Marshall Colour: Dylan Teague Letters: Ellie de Ville

The Cube, the 27th century. This vast city floating in the depths of space was once a monitoring station, but has been refitted by the Earth-led Consociation as a solution to a universal housing problem. It’s now home to every kind of undesirable and wanted criminal. That’s where SKIP TRACER Nolan Blake comes in, a former soldier turned tracker, with powerful psi-abilities. Now, a Furia 7 refugee is about blow himself up…

THARG’S 3RILLERS // THE SCORCHED ZONE
Writer: Eddie Robson Artist: Nick Brokenshire Colour: Gary Caldwell Letters: Ellie de Ville

Three episodes, one complete, self-contained story — a condensed hit of super-charged Thrill-power beamed to you directly from the Nerve Centre! Mankind has been aware of global warming as a threat to life on Earth for decades, but by the mid twenty-first century climate change has rendered the area between the tropics uninhabitable. In
2109, scientists may have found a way to cool the planet, but it’s not without risks…

FIENDS OF THE WESTERN FRONT // PART TWO
Writer: Ian Edginton Artist: Tiernen Trevallion Letters: XXXX

In 1980, the diary of German soldier Hans Schmitt was discovered in Berlin, detailing events that occurred in 1941, when he encountered the terrifying vampire Captain Constanta and his Romanian platoon. But Schmitt was not the first trooper to meet Constanta — the vampire was on the Western Front too, in France in 1916. Now, Constanta, his men and British soldier Tim Wilson have been captured by the Black Max…

2000AD is available from all good newsagents and comic shops and various digital platforms



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