Preview: 2000AD SCI-FI SPECIAL 2019

This year's 2000AD Summer Special (sorry, Sci-Fi Special, - but it is a Summer Special really) will be in the shops on Wednesday 19th June, with 52 pages for £4.99. This edition really is special, because it's dedicated to the memory of the truly great Carlos Ezquerra, co-creator of Judge Dredd and a much-missed artist who contributed so much to comics over the past 40 plus years.

Calling the comic a 'special' is no idle boast when it kicks off with a new cover by Mick McMahon! Inside, there's the welcome return of Robin Smith drawing a Judge Dredd story. I haven't seen Robin for many years so it's a pleasure to see his work gracing a comic again.

Pride of place in the special though is Spector, the new strip that writer John Wagner and Carlos were working on at the time of Carlos' passing. The 2000AD Sci-Fi Special brings us all 20 pages that were completed, plus John's scripts for parts three and four to give readers a sense of the direction the series was heading in. 

Carlos Ezquerra was a wonderful, distinctive artist, and a fine human being to spend time with. This special is a nice tribute to the man and his work and I'm sure will be warmly received by readers. Don't miss your copy this week!

• UK, NORTH AMERICA and DIGITAL: 19th June 2019 £4.99/$7.99
• DIAMOND: APR191909
• COVER: MICK MCMAHON

In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD: NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM by Alan Grant (w) Robin Smith (a) Matt Soffe (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)

FIENDS OF THE EASTERN FRONT: STRANGE MEETING by Guy Adams (w) Dave Kendall (a) Ellie De Ville (l)

SPECTOR by John Wagner (w) Carlos Ezquerra (a) Jim Campbell (l)

WULF STERNHAMMER: VALHALLA by  Michael Carroll (w) Patrick Goddard (a) Simon Bowland (l)

Available in print from: newsagents and comic book stores via Diamond Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop and apps for iPad, Android, Windows 10

2000AD SCI-FI SPECIAL - cover reveal

Rebellion have just revealed the cover to this year's 2000AD Sci-Fi Special (or Summer Special for us older readers). The 52 page publication will be published on 19th June and will pay tribute to Carlos Ezquerra, co-creator of Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Major Eazy, and more, who passed away last year. It'll include the first chapters of Spector, written by John Wagner, a new series that Carlos had been working on before he died.

Lots of great stuff inside, and a cover by Mick McMahon! This £4.99 special is essential summer reading. More info soon!

Preview: 2000AD Sci-Fi Special 2018 - out this week!

The much anticipated 2000AD Sci-Fi Special by an all-women set of creators hits the shops this coming Wednesday. Here's a preview of some of the pages...

• UK and DIGITAL: 20th June 2018 £4.99
• NORTH AMERICA: 11th July 2018 $9.99
• DIAMOND: APR181716
• COVER: TULA LOTAY (A) EMILY ZEINNER (B)


In this issue:
JUDGE DREDD: THE FEELS by Emma Beeby (w) Babs Tarr (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)


TYRANNY REX: “DON’T FORGET TO BLAST MY CACHE” by Katy Rex (w) Liana Kangas 9a) Liana Kangas & Gab Contreras (c) Ellie De Ville (l)


ROGUE TROOPER: THE THOUSAND DAYS by Alex De Campi (w) Sam Beck (a) Eva De La Cruz (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)


FUTURE SHOCKS: DELIVERY by Tillie Walden (w+a+l)


JUDGE DEATH: DARKNESS DESCENDS by Leah Moore (w) Xulia Vicentes (a) Pippa Mather (c) Annie Parkhouse (l)


DEMARCO, P.I.: LOVE REMAINS by Laura Bailey (w) Dani (a) Ellie De Ville (l)


TERROR TALE: THE HOCKEY STICKS OF HELL by Olivia Hicks (w) Abigail Bulmer (a) Annie Parkhouse (l)


ANDERSON, PSI-DIVISION: SPA DAY by Maura McHugh (w) Emma Vieceli (a) Barbara Nosenzo (c) Ellie De Ville (l)


Judge Anderson poster by Marguerite Sauvage


Available in print from: newsagents, comic book stores via Diamond

Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop, 2000 AD iPad app, 2000 AD Android app, 2000 AD Windows 10 app

2000AD summer special cover revealed

Rebellion have just revealed the cover to their 2000AD Sci-Fi Special (or Summer Special if you prefer) that will be in the shops in a few weeks. This year it's an all-woman creative team, and before any misogynists start going on about "Where are the comics that only have male contributors, eh?", - pick any of thousands published over the last 150 years and stop being daft.

Sure, there is a danger of an all-female issue being seen as just having novelty value by some. However, the publicity it will generate could bring those creators more attention perhaps than if they'd just been part of a regular edition. That's not a bad thing in a mostly male-dominated industry. 

Ultimately of course, the comic will be judged on its quality, rather than on the gender of its contributors, but from the names listed I think we're in for a treat.

Here's how the special was announced on social media:

"Check out Tula Lotay's drokking storming cover for the 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special - out 20 June in the UK and 11th July in North America. Order your copy from your local comic book store today, includes work by Babs Tarr, Alex De Campi, Marguerite Sauvage, Emma Beeby, Leah Moore, and many more!"

Tula Lotay's cover is the one you'll see in newsagents on June 20th, but there's also a variant cover by Emily Zeinner that you can order exclusively from the 2000AD shop:
https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/SPE1801

In the shops now...

Just time for a very quick rundown of some of the comics available this week in British newsagents. First up the 2000AD Sci-Fi Special is very welcome. The traditional Summer Special is a rarity these days so it's great to see Rebellion upholding the tradition. I'll get the negative point out of the way first though; remember how IPC's Holiday Specials started out with 96 pages back in the 1960s, then reduced to to 64 in the 1970s, and slimmed down more to 48 pages years later? Sadly, this year, the 2000AD special is just the size of the weekly, at 32 pages. However... there is a fantastic free Judge Dredd poster by Chris Weston, plus all-new strips featuring old favourites Judge Dredd, Ace Trucking Co., Sinister Dexter, Robo-Hunter, and Rogue Trooper with creative talent including John Wagner, Brendan McCarthy, Nigel Dobbyn, Dan Abnett, Tom Foster, Jimmy Broxton and more. Never mind the width, feel the quality! 

The weekly 2000AD (Prog 1990) is once again packed with greatness. Judge Dredd, Brink, Black Shuck, Outlier, Scarlet Traces, with creators including Colin MacNeill, Dan Abnett, Inj Culbard, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Steve Yeowell, Ian Edginton, D'Israeli and more. Who could resist?

Judge Dredd Megazine No.374 is another whopper of an issue at 64 pages thick, including Judge Dredd, Realm of the Damned, Blunt, Lawless, and extra features. Carlos Ezquerra, Alec Worlsy, Pye Parr, Boo Cook, Phil Winslade and more. Mega!

Titan Comics have launched a Harley Quinn mini-series and No.1 (of 3) is out now. 76 pages reprinting three Harley Quinn DC comics by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with various artists. 

Panini UK bring Marvel Legends to a close with issue 24, but it's relaunched next month with a new first issue as part of the company's refresh of their Marvel Collectors Editions. Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America star, with creators such as Stuart Immonen and Jason Aaron contributing. 

For younger readers there is of course The Beano, and this week's issue is set to keep kids busy in the first week of their holidays as the comic comes bagged with several gifts. One of which is the Gnash-Attacker Glider kit, a new design of an old-school free gift many of you will be familiar with. All the usual favourite strips are included such as Dennis and Gnasher, The Bash Street Kids, Minnie the Minx, and I'm glad to say my Pup Parade page is still running.

D.C. Thomson's newest title Danger Mouse No.1 is out now. 36 pages of all-new fun, including an 8 page comic strip adventure written by Alex Collier but with anonymous artists, a page of short funnies, and other exclusive artwork. It also comes bagged with a few good quality gifts; an invisible ink pen, notebook, and ultra-violet light to read your secret messages, plus a Danger Mouse eyepatch! 


Panini have a new issue of Doctor Who Adventures out today, with artwork from Russ Leach, Grant Perkins, and more.

There's also a Guardians of the Galaxy comic (a one-off I think) featuring strips using screen grabs from the cartoon show, and last but not least, another issue of The Phoenix in selected WH Smith and Waitrose branches. 

Plus various independent comics available from comic shops and mail order. So UK comics are still surviving, despite what some may claim. To keep up to date with developments always check out john Freeman's brilliant Down the Tubes blog on a daily basis:
http://downthetubes.net/

This week in British comics

Here's more proof there's still life in the UK comics industry with a brief look at several titles available this week that feature all new material. The Summer Special edition of 2000AD is out today, or 2000AD Sci-Fi Special as they like to call it, featuring revivals of a few old characters in brand new strips! 

The regular weekly 2000AD also hits the shops today with issue No.1936.

From London-based Titan Comics there's the second issue of Jay Gunn's excellent Surface Tension limited series. This is truly a superb comic with fantastic art by Jay.

Also from Titan Comics today is Scarlett Couture No.3, a thriller by Tottenham-born Des Taylor...

From Panini UK, Doctor Who Magazine No.488 will be in shops on Thursday (25th June), which includes another 12 page chapter of the serial Blood and Ice by Jaqueline Rayner and Martin Geraghty, plus a Daft Dimension strip by me.

There's also the latest issues of The Beano and The Phoenix of course, and probably some other titles I've missed. 

Support the UK comics industry! You'll find 2000AD, The Beano, and Doctor Who Magazine in WH Smith and other High Street newsagents. Surface Tension and Scarlett Couture are available from comics speciality stores. The Phoenix is available by subscription and in selected branches of Waitrose and Waterstones (plus some comic shops).   

Titan Comics: http://titan-comics.com/

2000AD: http://www.2000adonline.com/

Doctor Who Magazine: 
http://www.doctorwhomagazine.com/

The Beano:
http://www.beano.com

The Phoenix:
http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/


(2000AD cover images taken from the superb Everything Comes Back To 2000AD blog. An essential place for every fan of the comic:
https://2000ad.wordpress.com/ )

Return of the Summer Special

From the early 1960s up to a few years ago, the 'Summer Special' of a comic was always something to look forward to. They gradually faded away due to reader disinterest and, it's said, reluctance of retailers to have one issue taking up shelf space for three or four months. The last 2000AD Sci-Fi Special (as its summer edition was titled) appeared in 1996 apparently. However, this week it made its return to newsagents across the UK with a brand new edition.

Summer Specials often featured their regular characters plus extras. This year's 2000AD Sci-Fi Special has a couple of twists. Firstly, it brings back three old characters (Rogue Trooper, Robo-Hunter, and Durham Red) and secondly the contributors are newcomers (or "my latest consignment of script and art droids" as editor Tharg refers to them). A very nice job they do too.

There's also a Judge Dredd story of course, plus a strip starring Orlok, Agent of East-Meg One, and a Future Shock. Again, by new contributors. And a couple of pin-ups, or 'Star Scans' as 2000AD calls them. 

Six all-new stories, no reprint, in a packed 52 page summer special for £3.50. On sale from now until 6th August. Ideal reading matter on the sands before the Punch and Judy Show starts or to read in your guest house if it's raining.