Great News Inside, Readers! In the age of “Hatch, Match and Dispatch”, these words struck fear into the hearts of British weekly comic readers, heralding the end of their favourite comic as it merged with another title … but not today!

Reebllion have just released their mega-crossover with 2000AD Prog 2350 and Judge Dredd Megazine 460, out now in all good comic ships and newsagents, crossing over with classic characters from their former groundbreaking stablemates Battle Picture Weekly and Action – so classic characters like Major Eazy, El Mestizo, Johnny Red, and the notorious stars of the strip “Kids Rule O.K.!” merge with some of 2000AD‘s top series in a genre-bending, high-octane crossover that brings their grit, energy and – let’s face it – bodycount into the 21st Century.

This follows last year’s sold-out undead crossover event – collected earlier this year as The Darkest Judge – and it’s a fantastic, head-spinning mash-up that’s been a joy to watch come together.

It’s all great fun – but, we wonder, will the stories with cliffhangers continue? If not, there might be some seriously naffed off readers…

2000AD Prog 2350

Cover: Cliff Robinson / Dylan Teague (Colour)

2000AD Prog 2350 is a special bumper 48-page issue with Judge Dredd meeting Action‘s “Kids Rule O.K.!” in “Juves Rule OK”, former slave turned gunslinger El Mestizo crosses over with a classic Judge Dredd story, Hellman of Hammer Force descends into the bowels of hell itself, Major Eazy searches for the Treasure of Solomon, and more thrilling strips merge with legendary titles!

Judge Dredd: Juves Rule OK! by Ken Niemand (Writer) Simon Coleby (Artist) Matt Soffe (Colourist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2075 AD. Home to over 800 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America. Crime is rampant, and only future cops the Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. A teenage Cadet Dredd is a rising star in Justice Department, but the Judges and the metropolis itself are about to face a terrifying disaster…

Death Game 2049 by Geoffrey D. Wessel (Writer) Nick Dyer (Artist) John Charles (c) Jim Campbell (Letterer)

In the future, the privatised prisons gave rise to the brutal sport of Spinball, where the Death Row convict teams would play a live-action version of pinball, but on motorcycles and tooled up with all manner of lethal weaponry. These violent games were broadcast to a nation eager for spectacle until it was deemed too dangerous — but fifty years later, it’s back and it’s as bloody as ever…

El Mestizo: Demon With A Six-Gun by Chris Weston (Writer and Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

1860s Texas, and the legend of El Mestizo is known throughout the land. Born a slave, he escaped the plantation upon which he was forced to work and made it across the border, re-emerging during the American Civil War as a mercenary, working for both the North and the South. He had no allegiance to either the Union or the Confederacy — he sold his talents to the highest bidder. But El Mestizo now has a terrible secret…

Dredger: Time To Kill by Karl Stock (Writer) Paul Marshall (Artist) Quinton Winter (Colourist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

Former Royal Marine turned DI6 agent Dredger is not a man to cross, nor get in the way of — tough, uncompromising and unwilling to negotiate, there isn’t a situation he isn’t prepared to punch, kick, or shoot his way out of. Few can get close to Dredger and though he was in the past partnered with former public schoolboy Simon Breed, who died in a bomb blast, his friendships tend to be short…

Hellman of Hell Force: Fiends of Ungeistwelt Ost by Arthur Wyatt (Writer) Jake Lynch (Artist) Jim Boswell (Artist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

Major Kurt Hellman was a Panzer tank commander, taking part in the 1940 German invasion of Belgium — but he refused to join the Nazi party, setting up ongoing conflicts with the SS. But now, in 1943, German scientists have created a gateway to Hell in a bid to overtake the Allies — and Hellman has found himself stationed there, punishment for his refusal to toe the line…

Major Eazy: The Treasure of Solomon by Gordon Rennie (Writer) Dan Cornwell (Artist) Dylan Teague (Colourist) Jim Campbell (Letterer)

The African desert, 1942. During the Allied campaign, few officers were as singular as Major Eazy — long-haired and laconic, this scruffy maverick never failed to irritate his superiors. With a cigar hanging from his lips and often found driving his distinctive Bentley, Eazy seemed crazy — but his eccentricities were overlooked because when it came to warfare, he always gets the job done…

Judge Dredd Megazine #460

Cover: Henry Flint

The crossover action heads over to Judge Dredd Megazine 460, as Judge Dredd meets arch-sorcerer Cursitor Doom, the Rat Pack becomes ‘Rad Pack’ in the Cursed Earth, and the Falcon Squadron from Battle‘s Johnny Red becomes ‘Strato Squad’ – plus more Battle Action crossover strips – as well as Spector, Rogue Trooper, Johnny Red, Lawless and Dreadnoughts continuing their superlative runs!

Judge Dredd: Return to Billy Carter 
by Kenneth Niemand (Writer) Nick Percival (Artist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2106 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to over 400 million citizens, with the irradiated Cursed Earth to the west and the toxic Black Atlantic to the east. Crime is rampant, and stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges. Toughest of them all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law! Now, in the wake of the Apocalypse War, Dredd’s returning to Billy Carter block, where the Dark Judges caused havoc…

Rad Pack 
by Karl Stock (Writer) Kieran McKeown (Artist) Quinto Winter (Colourist) Annie Parkhouse (Letterer)

Following in the footsteps of other late-1970s IPC comics in going direct to the movies for inspiration, Rat Pack took its cue from Robert Aldrich’s gritty 1967 war actioner The Dirty Dozen, in which a group of US Army convicts (played by Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and co) are enlisted for a dirty and hard-to-survive mission. 

Strato Squad: Convoy Strike! 
by Mike Carroll (Writer) Staz Johnson (Artist) Gary Caldwell (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

One of the launch series in Battle Picture Weekly, with art by the unheralded Italian illustrator Paolo Ongaro, “Lofty’s One-Man Luftwaffe” lasted for just four months, before aeroplane action left the comic ahead of the arrival of “Johnny Red”, two years later. The premise was simple and effective – that downed RAF pilot and Nazi POW ‘Lofty’ Banks escapes from a concentration camp, takes on the identity of dead German air ace Major Ranke, and begins a secret war of attrition against the Luftwaffe while pretending to be a part of it.

Anderson, Psi Division: The Wolf & The Dragon 
by Alec Worley (Writer) Patrick Goddard (Artist) Jim Boswell (Colourist) Jim Campbell (Letterer)

Mega-City One, 2106 AD. There are many divisions in Justice Department dedicated to the fight against crime, from Tek to Wally Squad, and for cases of a paranormal nature there is Psi-Division, its officers all gifted with psychic talents. Most powerful of the telepaths is Cassandra Anderson, who has the ability to read minds and occasionally receive flashes of future events. Sardonic and irreverent, Anderson is given more leeway as as Psi-Judge…

Darke’s Mob
by Alex De Camp (Writer) John McCrea (Artist) Mike Spicer (Colours) Jim Campbell (Letterer)

A predecessor to 2000AD classic “Bad Company”, “Darkie’s Mob” had a brutal and uncompromising commander gathering a ramshackle group of fighters around him to fight against an even more monstrously lethal enemy, with their collective descent into the heart of darkness catalogued by a raw private along for the ride. 

Spector: Incorruptible 
by John Wagner (Writer) Dan Cornwell (Artist) Dylan Teague (Colourist) Jim Campbell (Letterer)

In a near-future US city, corruption within the branches of government has reached unsustainable levels. City Hall is rotten to the core, and the police force is equally on the take. To that end, Spector is created, a robot detective – beyond bribery and untainted by potential malfeasance – charged with rooting out criminal elements. But Spector is making many enemies amongst the cops, and they’re not above murder to try to get rid of him…

Rogue Trooper 
by Brian Ruckley (Writer) Alberto Ponticelli (Artist) Stephen Downer (Colourist) Tom B. Long (Letterer)

Nu-Earth, just another planet ravaged by a galaxy-wide war, its atmosphere poisoned by chemical weapons. Created to fight in such conditions were the G.I.s – genetically engineered infantrymen. But now only one remains, the man known as… Rogue Trooper!

Johnny Red 
by Garth Ennis (Writer) Keith Burns (Artist) Jason Wirdie (Colourist) Rob Steen (Letterer)

Legendary British fighter ace, Johnny ‘Red’ Redburn, returns once more as the commander of the Falcons – a Russian fighter squadron battling the Nazis in the skies over Stalingrad. But dogfighting Messerschmitts is about to become the least of his troubles when the NVKD – the notorious Soviet secret police – come calling!

Lawless: Most Wanted 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, having been thrown off the force, and become a vigilante, she’s turned to organised crime, and is proving herself for Mr Fugly, the local crimelord…

Dreadnoughts: The March of Progress by Mike Carroll (Writer) John Higgins (Artist) Sally Hurst (Colourist) Simon Bowland (Letterer)

USA, 2035 AD. The new Justice Department is still in its early years, with Judges working alongside the police. It’s proving an explosive transition, with many citizens – and uniformed cops – unhappy with these helmeted officers taking to the streets. Now a drugs cartel is striking back at the law, and Judge Veranda Glover is fleeing with a vital prisoner, whom the cartel want returned to them…

It’s the explosive crossover multiverse that time itself cannot tame – and the 2000 AD / Battle Action mega-crossover is out now from all good stockists in the UK and in North American in October!

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.

Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News

Tags: 2000AD, Cliff Robinson, downthetubes News, Dylan Teague, Henry Flint, Johnny Red, Judge Dredd, Judge Dredd Megazine, SF Comics, War Comics