Rebellion’s celebration of 2000AD‘s 50th Anniversary continues in 2027, with the announcement of 2000AD: A Visual History 1977 – 2027, by Scott Montgomery. Diving deep into the worlds and universes of 2000AD‘s five-decade publishing history, this deluxe hardcover will feature design work, sketches, and much more, from artists including Brian Bolland, Kevin O’Neill and Simon Bisley, to name a few!
Scott started work on the book exactly one year ago today. Available next January, fans of 2000AD, comics, and pop culture alike can preorder it now from the 2000AD web shop as either a hardback or slipcase edition. It’s also available from Book Shops and Local Comic Shops.
Fifty years after it exploded onto shelves and revolutionised comics forever, the visual story of how 2000AD has evolved is to be told in a special book.
2000AD: A Visual History 1977-2027 will detail year-by-year the evolution of Britain’s biggest comics export, the legion of legendary stories it has published, and the people who made it into a world-changing cultural juggernaut!
This new oversized hardcover will include rare sketches, test pages, character designs, and art from artists including Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Simon Bisley (Lobo), Kevin O‘Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Brian Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke) and Judge Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra.
Publishing as part of the celebrations marking 2000 AD’s 50th anniversary in early 2027, The 2000AD Visual History will feature newly rescanned art from original artboards to showcase the bold iconic imagery that made the comic an institution, with behind-the-scenes sketches and character designs lifting the lid on how 2000AD was made.
Debuting in 1977, the weekly 2000AD immediately proved to be a bombshell of a comic, irrevocably changing the publishing landscape with its bold design, intense storytelling, and uncompromising attitude.
Corralling a roster of bold storytellers and dynamic artists, editor and writer Pat Mills, designers Kevin O’Neill and Jan Shepheard, art editor Doug Church, and numerous others created a comic that would come to dominate British comics and influence culture far beyond Britain’s shores. From subverting comics clichés to crafting dark, cynical and satirical stories, it became a byword for the future and ushered in an exciting new era of British pop culture.
The self-styled “Galaxy’s Greatest Comic” would become home to some of the most popular characters of the British comics scene – including Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Strontium Dog, Sláine, Nemesis the Warlock, and many, many more. It also debuted many of comics’ biggest talents, all of whom would go on to revolutionise the world of comics and inspire legions of fans around the globe.
Written by Scott Montgomery, author of The 2000AD Encyclopedia, The 2000 AD Visual History details how the legendary comic and its famous characters have been brought to life, taking readers on a voyage through the history of the long-running British comic anthology. Presented in an oversized hardcover, an exclusive slipcase edition is also available only though the 2000 AD webshop, featuring new artwork by Pris Bampoh of 2000 AD’s venerable editor Tharg The Mighty, hard at work in his Nerve-Centre!
Scott Montgomery’s professional writing has encompassed journalism, comic scripts, prose fiction and radio comedy since 1994. For 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine, he wrote the history of Rogue Trooper in 1996, updated in 2006 – and compiled The Dredd Files – a detailed, monthly analysis of the early years of the Judge Dredd strip – which stood him in good stead for writing the 2000AD Encyclopedia, published in 20232.
Scott has also worked on the editorial teams of The Dandy and then Commando comics, as deputy editor on the latter), for publisher DC Thomson & Co. Ltd from 2004 until 2016 and has also scripted the iconic “Oor Wullie” and “The Broons” comic strips for the Sunday Post newspaper. Other credits include newsstand titles such as Beano, Thunderbirds Are Go, Doctor Who Magazine,The People’s Friend, Yours Fiction, My Weekly, Sunday Mail, The List and others – as well as contributing material to five series of BBC Radio Scotland’s topical comedy show Watson’s Wind-Up, which starred Jonathan Watson.
Scott’s previous publications also include The Long, Big Kiss Goodbye, an original crime novella for Telos and a puzzle book – James Bond Word Searches: Unofficial and Unauthorised, published through Amazon.
2000AD: A Visual History 1977-2027, out 27th January 2027, is available to preorder now from the 2000AD web shop as either a hardback or slipcase edition | AmazonUK Affiliate Link (Hardback Edition) | ISBN: 978-1837869190
• 2000AD Encyclopedia by Scott Montgomery (Author), Matthew Smith (Foreword) | ISBN: 978-1786185617 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link
Timed to concide with 2000AD‘s landmark 45th anniversary, this 336-page hardcover with dustjacket and explosive brand new cover by artist Stewart K. Moore is a must have for comic book fans. For the first time, the 2000AD Encyclopedia celebrates 45 years of cutting edge sci-fi, biting dystopian satire and glorious fantasy by giving readers chapter and verse on this enthralling universe of thrills, detailing the characters and stories that have helped make 2000AD a groundbreaking comic book and major cultural force.
With jaw-dropping illustrations by some of the world’s top artists alongside detailed profiles on the stories and characters from the pages of this legendary comic, from the luckless Aaron A. Aardvark of Judge Dredd to the weaponised (but very polite) undead crusader Zombo.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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.
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