Jump onboard the 2000AD express with Prog 2050!

By John Freeman on September 27, 2017

Want a good place to start reading (or re-reading!) 2000AD? Prog 2050 is out today in all good newsagents and comic shops, with all-new thrills and an absolutely stonking line-up to appeal to both loyal and lapsed Squaxx dek Thargo.

Apart from all-new “Slaine” from Pat Mills and Simon Davis, my favourite story has to be “Rogue Trooper” by James Robinson, with stunning art by Leonardo Manco (an artist perhaps best known for his DC, Marvel and BOOM! work), a little tale of GI meets Super Tank with a delightful twist. Knockout!

Oh – and “Sinister Dexter” is fun, too – think “Real Ghostbusters” but with lashings of black humour, because that’s what I thought when I read Dan Abnett‘s latest tale, drawn by Steve Yeowell and coloured by John Charles.

Here’s the full line-up – a cracking 52-page thrill-power packed feast that includes an interview with Zenith as a feature as the pop superhero hits 50! Hold on to your hats!

JUDGE DREDD – ICON (Part 1)
Writer: T.C. Eglington Art: Colin MacNeil Colour: Chris Blythe Letters: Annie Parkhouse

Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, where unemployment is endemic, boredom universal, and crime is rampant. Tensions run a constant knife-edge, and only the zero-tolerance Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law!

This week, someone has the bright idea of building a statue of Judge Dredd as an icon of the law. It doesn’t go down well – with the people, or Dredd!

Rogue Trooper – A Soldier’s Duty
Writer: James Robinson Art: Leonardo Manco Letters: Simon Bowland

Nu Earth, just one planet among many caught up in a galactic war between the Norts and the Southers. Strategically vital, both sides are desperate to secure it but use of chemical weapons has rendered the atmosphere poisonous. Only Genetic Infantrymen like ROGUE TROOPER, the last of his kind, can survive on its surface — and he, together with his biochip buddies, is hunting for the Traitor General that betrayed them…

Grey Area – Homeland Security (Part 1)
Writer: Dan Abnett Art: Mark Harrison Letters: Annie Parkhouse

The mid 21st century. Earth has a heavily armed defence network, and any ETs arriving on the planet are housed in the Exo Segregation Zone, known as the GREY AREA, which is policed by squads of Exo Transfer Control officers like Captain Adam Bulliet and his team — wife Birdy, linguist Kymn, weapons expert Feo, and alien transfer Resting Bitch Face. They have to keep the peace amongst all manner of off-world life forms…

Sláine – Archon (Part 1)
Writer: Pat Mills Art: Simon Davis Letters: Ellie de Ville

Albion. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess and became the first High King of Ireland, but is now a wanderer. Having journeyed to Monadh to rescue Sinead from the Drune Lords, he’s discovered that they have been experimenting on their own creations, much to the displeasure of the Cyths’ jailer, the Archon Yaldabaoth. Now, the Archon has awoken and unleashed his army of stone warriors…

Indigo Prime – A Dying Art (Part 1)
Writer: John Smith Art: Lee Carter Letters: Simon Bowland

The multiverse. There are an infinite number of parallel realities, and all need managing in case of dimensional instability. This is where INDIGO PRIME comes in, the multiverse’s troubleshooters, whose agents — recruited post-death — are trained to deal with space/time catastrophes. Now, the majority of IP’s Imagineers have been sent into psychic toxic shock following the Christhulhu event…

Sinister Dexter – Down in the Dumps (Part 1)
Writer: Dan Abnett Art: Steve Yeowell Colour: John Charles Letters: Ellie de Ville

Gun-sharks Finnigan SINISTER and Ramone DEXTER are the best hitmen money can buy in the future city of Downlode. Having spent the last year offworld hunting for Holy Moses Tanenbaum, a ganglord from an alternate dimension whose presence threatened the fabric of reality, they’ve returned home, and are getting back to business. But whacking Tanenbaum has reset the continuum, meaning no one knows who they are…

The Fall of Deadworld – Home (Part 1)
Writer: KEK-W Art: Dave Kendall Letters: Annie Parkhouse

The planet that eventually became known as DEADWORLD was once a regular civilisation existing in a dimension parallel to our own. But the end of days is coming: riots, storms, undead creatures roaming the landscape. Now, Judge Fairfax, formally a part of this world’s brutal Justice Department, who fled the chaos with a young girl called Jess under his protection, has been captured by Psiren and her cronies and brought back to the capital…

• 2000AD Prog 2050 is on sale now in all good newsagents, comic shops, 2000ADonline – or buy it here from Forbidden Planet (using this link helps support downthetubes)

Pull up a chair, Zenith has come out of retirement… Image: Steve Yeowell

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.