There’s another pulse-pounding issue of 2000AD out today, offering plenty of high octane action from The Mighty Tharg, featuring the latest instalments of “Judge Dredd”, “Durham Red”, “Herne & Shuck” and “Ghosted”, with Azimuth’s current arc, “How to Train Your Dagon” reaching a smashing finale!

(The good news is that Dan Abnett and Tazio Bettin droids are already hard at work on the next batch of tales, which is great to hear given the cliffhanger ending…)

Also out now is Judge Dredd Megazine (Issue 497), with a knockout cover from Steven Austin, featuring “Storm Warning”, “Rogue Trooper”, the brilliant “MegaCity 2099” and “Lawless” (Phil Winslade’s art on that simply extraordinary!) and of course, Dredd himself, plus the start of a reprint of Starlord classic “Timequake”, as well as chats with script-bot Garth Ennis about his upcoming projects and the creators behind the new Scream! special, out next week (28th October), and much more.

Plus, the Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 51 is on sale this week, available from your Local Comic Shop, bookshop and online retailers.

2000AD Prog 2505
Release Date: 21st October £3.99
US Release Date: 4th November $7.99
Cover: Simon Davis

In this issue:

JUDGE DREDD // THE NEW FUTURE
By Rob Williams & Arthur Wyatt (Writer) Henry Flint (Artist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2148 AD. Home to over 300 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. 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! In the wake of the failed Sector 304 social reforms, now a new underground voice has suddenly appeared demanding change.

GHOSTED // BOOK TWO
By Guy Adams (Writer) Megan Huang (Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Kinshasa, capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the far future. One of the fastest-growing mega-cities in the world, the metropolis is now a walled city-world, so vast and divorced from the rest of the planet that it’s virtually its own realm. Young citizen Benu found herself neurally connected to a soldier fighting an alien war – but upon fleeing the city, she’s discovered that war is taking place outside the wall…

DURHAM RED // HUNGRY CITY
By Alec Worley (Writer) Ben Willsher (Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Late 22nd century. Of all the mutants that have operated as Search/Destroy agents, perhaps the most feared is vampire DURHAM RED, who requires blood to survive. Mistrusted by both the criminals she hunts and her fellow Strontium Dogs, Red has a formidable reputation that precedes her, and now she’s awoken amongst dead bodies on a resort world with next to no memory of what happened…

AZIMUTH // HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DAGON
By Dan Abnett (Writer) Tazio Bettin (Artist) Matt Soffe (Colourist) Rob Steen (Letterer)

Welcome to the city of AZIMUTH, a data-driven metropolis, where anything is possible. Ruled by an aristocracy of the New Flesh, such concepts of life, death, and body-forms are fluid. Anyone can take any shape, if it can be conceived by the imagination. A stranger has ridden into town, none other than Ramone Dexter, and revealed that Azimuth is in fact Downlode recrafted by a rogue Artificial Intelligence…

HERNE & SHUCK // STORMING THE STONE
By David Barnett (Writer) Lee Milmore (Artist) Quinton Winter (Colourist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

The UK. Herne is a troubleshooter and hired help for many different magical factions. Accompanied by Shuck, a demon in dog form, he travels the country picking up work where he can, whether it be an exorcism or a rescue. Recently, he was tasked with saving young Carys from ritual sacrifice, and has made an enemy of the organisation known as St Michael. Now, they have her again, and Herne must lead a rescue…

• Available in print from: 2000AD webshop, newsagents, Local Comic Shops and supermarkets | Available in digital from: 2000AD webshop, 2000AD app for Apple & Android | Buy a Cover Print 

Don’t forget that if you buy an issue of 2000AD in the first week of its release from 2000AD direct, then postage in the UK is free!

Judge Dredd Megazine 497
Release Date: 21st October £7.50
US Release Date: 18th November $14.99
Cover: Steven Austin

In this issue:

JUDGE DREDD // ROJIMBO
By Geoffrey D. Wessel (Writer) Nick Roche (Artist) Pippa Bowland (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2148 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to over 300 million citizens. Crime is rampant, and stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges, zero-tolerance cops dispensing summary justice. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law! Now, a Hondo-City yakuza has come to MC-1, seeking a particular action figure…

STORM WARNING // SLAUGHTER HOUSE
By John Reppion (Writer) Lee Carter (Artist) Rob Steen (Letterer)

Brit-Cit, 2147 AD. Much like its Mega-City counterpart, Brit-Cit Justice Department has its various divisions, from Tek to plainclothes, Tactical to Psi, and one of its more prickly operatives in the latter is Lillian Storm, who has the ability to talk to the dead, and is always accompanied by her ghostly helpers. Now, Storm’s been called to a stately home called Slaughter House…

MEGA-CITY 2099 // FATHER’S DAY
By Ken Niemand (Writer) Conor Boyle (Artist) Rob Steen (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2099 AD. Before the Judges took complete control of the metropolis, there were two strands of law enforcement – regular uniformed cops did much of the day-to-day policing, while the helmeted Judges were called upon to pass judgement on certain criminals, their vested powers giving them the ability to dispense on-the-spot sentences…

ROGUE TROOPER // AN ITERATION OF ALLIES
By Andi Ewington (Writer) Sinu Senan (Artist) Jim Boswell (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Nu Earth, a planet ravaged by war, its atmosphere poisoned by chemical weapons. It is the site of the conflict between the Southers and the Norts, and where Genetic Infantryman Rogue Trooper, along with his biochipped buddies Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, is on a quest to find the Traitor General that sold out his comrades. Now, he’s found Norts and Southers hiding in an abandoned fortress…

LAWLESS // THE NEW BRUTALISTS
By Dan Abnett (Writer) Phil Winslade (Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Colonial Marshal Metta Lawson was appointed to the frontier township of Badrock on the planet 43 Rega, intent on stamping her authority on the colony. But in doing so, Lawson made many enemies, including Munce, Inc., the mega-corporation that funded Badrock. Now, with the SJS also running things, Lawson’s recently returned to the force after going undercover…

Plus… Starlord’s “Timequake” by Chris Lowder (writing under his usual Jack Adrian pseudonym) and Ian Kennedy, John Cooper & Alberto Salinas, starts this issue!

• Available in print from: 2000AD webshop, newsagents, Local Comic Shops and supermarkets | Available in digital from: 2000AD webshop, 2000AD app for Apple & Android | Buy a Cover Print 

Also Out This Week

Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 51
by John Wagner, Al Ewing, Michael Carroll, Gordon Rennie, Alan Grant, Rob Williams, Ben Willsher, Karl Richardson (Writers), Brendan McCarthy, Mike Collins John Higgins, Cliff Robinson, Leigh Gallagher, Bryan Talbot, Peter Doherty, Lee Carter, Colin MacNeil, Henry Flint, Jon Davis Hunt (Artists)
Out: 21st October 2026
Paperback | 320 pages
ISBN: 978-1837868384
• Pre-order from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

DEFINITELY PJ MAYBE

PJ Maybe – Mega-City One’s most elusive serial killer – returns in a bid to seize power in the Big Meg while murdering as many people as possible. If he can break himself out of prison, he’ll be free to let chaos reign once more as the series that collects The Law in order reaches the epic storyline – Day of Chaos. Only one man stands in the path of the hell that is to be unleashed – Judge Dredd.

Coming Soon from Rebellion…

Scream Halloween Special 2026
Release Date: 28th October £5.99
US Release Date: 28th October $9.99
Cover: Salvador Lavado

In this issue:

THE DRACULA FILE // REALPOLITIK
By Alex Paknadel (Writer) Alejandro Aragon (Artist) Jason Wordie (Colourist) Jonathan Stevenson (Letterer)

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR // CONVERSATIONAL REALITY GENERATION
By Zac Thompson (Writer) Mattia Monaco (Artist) Maco (Letterer)

CONSENT IS KEY
By Zoe Tunnell (Writer) Chloe Brailsford (Artist) JP Jordan (Colourist) Jodie Troutman (Letterer)

THE BOG BODY
By Oliver Gerlach (Writer) Vic Malhotra (Artist) Maco (Letterer)

BISHOP’S END // LIGHTS OUT
By Michael Gorman (Writer) Babs Tarr (Artist) Kyle Fewell (Colourist) Maco (Letterer)

• About the Author
• Latest Posts

John Freeman

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.

• Dragons wanted in Wolverhampton, and Pandas in Cambridge
• Tube Surfing: Cartoons cut at Metro, Football Comics Podcast and a stunning new graphic novel from Aly Fell
• Scrotnig thrills and twists aplenty in new 2000AD, Judge Dredd Megazine
• The Collected Cloak sells out, but more copies are on the way
• Haunting Halloween treats in the new Commando comics

Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News

Tags: 2000AD, Azimuth, Chris Lowder, Dan Abnett, downthetubes News, Durham Red, Ghosted, Herne & Shuck, Ian Kennedy, Jack Adrian, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd Megazine, Lawless, MegaCity 2099, Rogue Trooper, SF Comics, Simon Davis, Steven Austin, Storm Warning, Tazio Bettin, Timequake