2000 A.D. #1
Published and © by Eagle, April 1985
Title: “The Black Plague! Part One”
Synopsis: Millions of deadly spiders swarm across the Cursed Earth, devouring everything along the way to Mega-City One.
Writer: John Wagner
Artist: Ron Smith
Review: Though not quite as strong as Judge Dredd #1 (see review), this 2000 A.D. “mega-series” debut provided another timely fix of comics goodness for this reviewer circa 1985. Little Me wasn’t so little anymore, and these edgy British imports upped the dosage and kept the comics addiction strong.
•••
Title: “Go Straight”
Synopsis: D.R. and Quinch open a rehabilitation center for “wretched, deranged and unlovable berserker” alien war veterans. Hilarity ensues.
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Alan Davis
Review: Clearly the gem of this issue. The British Bronze Age included early Alan Moore and Alan Davis? Lucky blokes.
•••
Title: “Death’s-Head Part One”
Synopsis: Mutant bounty hunter Johnny Alpha and his “norm” partner, Wulf the Viking, track down dangerous fugitives on a frontier planet.
Writer: Alan Grant
Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Review: Strontium Dog offers more dystopian-future hijinks. Collectively, the stories in this issue really capture the 2000 A.D. brand.
Grade (for the entire issue): A
Second opinion: Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: This one’s cool, cover to cover.
Notable: These stories originally appeared in the British tabloid 2000 A.D. in Progs. #140-141 (“The Black Plague! Part One”), #178-179 (“Death’s-Head Part One”) and #350-351 (“Go Straight”).
Character quotable: “Der man who boobytrap his own arms – that is vun tricky cucumber!” – Wulf, a futuristic Viking bounty hunter with a strange predilection for cucumbers
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Jan. 11, 2013.
