A terrific new series with a hot-footed new anti-hero: this week’s 2000AD unveils Skip Tracer, new SF action from Doctor Who and Supergirl writer James Peaty.
Nolan Blake is a former colonial shock trooper turned tracker-for-hire for hire living in vast outer space colony known only as The Cube. Part-Casablanca, part-Mos-Eisley, The Cube is an underfunded and dilapidated dumping ground for the poor and dispossessed of the galaxy, a nexus point for all manner of crime and villainy and the perfect place for the undesirables of the galaxy to skip out and hide when things start to go awry – and it’s Nolan’s job to find those who’d rather remain hidden and bring them in…for a price!
It’s a great debut and well worth a read.
Written by Peaty (Doctor Who, Supergirl), with art by Paul Marshall (Judge Dredd), colours by Dylan Teague (Judge Dredd, Jonah Hex), and letters by Simon Bowland (Sandman Universe) this brand new series debuts in 2000AD Prog 2081, on Sale now in the UK.
Skip Tracer is the first new character created by Peaty for 2000AD and “Heavy is the Head” is his first major story, with Nolan discovering that tracking down his latest quarry will take more than just running…
“The series came about when editor Matt Smith invited me to pitch him some ideas for the weekly,” says James.
“I was originally kicking around a future war idea, but that all fell by the wayside when Nolan Blake appeared on the scene. Matt was keen on the original pitch, but very astutely pointed out that the series lacked a defined precinct/location. It was only when I came up with the idea of The Cube – and where that fit into the universe we’ve built – that everything really locked into place. All of those elements began to inform both the story we were telling and Nolan’s character.
“I’m very pleased with the world we’ve set up and I think it has a lot of potential.
“As for what it’s in store; well, this initial story is a perfect introduction to both our lead character and the broader world he inhabits. It follows Nolan as he investigates the murder of Armand Zyn, an alien smuggler who’s killed by an unknown gunman while Nolan’s in the process of bringing Zyn into custody. But as Nolan starts to investigate Zyn’s death he’s soon drawn into a conspiracy that has ramifications far beyond the confines of The Cube…”
• 2000AD Prog 2081 is on sale now in all good newsagents and comic shops in the UK and Ireland, and 11th July in North America. It’s also available now on digital platforms
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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: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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