Sunday, June 16, 2019

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

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4 comments:

  1. Stevie.HSunday, 16 June 2019 at 19:39:00 BST

    Will pick this up. What a cover! Impressive as always from Mick McMahon. Good to see Robin Smith on Dredd.

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  2. Robert CarnegieSunday, 16 June 2019 at 22:48:00 BST

    Respectful. But mainly for long-time readers to appreciate, I suspect.

    It says "Introducing: Spector" - but is it to continue?

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  3. Lew StringerSunday, 16 June 2019 at 23:18:00 BST

    I don't know, Robert. "Introducing" could simply apply to it being new.

    ReplyDelete
  4. IdstoneMonday, 17 June 2019 at 12:14:00 BST

    John Wagner has suggested it may continue in the intro to Spector in the Sci-Fi Special, and I think Simon Coleby or Colin MacNeil were the names he mentioned elsewhere as possible artists (whether this is his own preference or not, I'm not sure).

    Quoting directly from his touching intro to Spector:

    "I thought then that Spector too had died, but over the months since Carlos's passing I've changed my mind. Why should his last creation finish here? Better to carry on, to allow his artistry to continue bringing delight to readers. So the story of Spector will go on, but here, for the last time, savour the great man himself."

    ReplyDelete

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