2000AD Prog 403: Mega-plan revealed: judge gets criminal record! “I’ll make those creeps sing!” Inside! Fink Brothers beat the rap?

This Brian Bolland cover finally heralds thre reveal of the long-touted Mega-plan.... ...though doesn't reveal enough that Tharg can't still tease it in the Nerve Centre as an answer to a letter from an earthlet about members of Madness being fans of 2000AD - have they forgotten Prog 272 already? It even made it on …

Advertisement

2000AD Prog 399: A.B.C. K.O. B.E.M. S.N.A.F.U! (O.K?) “Mongrol SMUSH!”

Back for his second cover Bryan Talbot shows a dishevelled Mongrol making a return and Tom Frame (presumably) contrasts the yellow and red of Mongrol with greens and blues for Nemesis. Tharg's Nerve Centre has Free Gift News! The next prog will feature a Dune album. Tharg also answers a reader's query by revealing that …

2000AD Prog 398: Have a cosmic Christmas, earthlets! “Ho ho ho!”

Kevin O'Neill provides a cover poster for christmas, featuring a version of Father Christmas that could only come from his pen! Of particular interest (on the back of the prog) are fireplace monsters, houses setting fire to each other and fighting snowmen, cheered on by bloodthirsty spectators (also snowmen). Snowthirsty? Icethirsty? Whatever animated snowmen have …

2000AD Prog 395: Take out your partners for the ballroom blitz! “Blimey – gatecrashers!” KLIK!

I've not been paying attention but I think this is Bryan Talbot's first cover for the galaxy's greatest comic. There shall be more. This may be the first time Ro-Jaws has made it to the cover since Prog 114. Tharg's Nerve Centre has compliments for the Ballad of Halo Jones (Tharg doesn't take the opportunity …

2000AD Prog 394: Tomorrow’s evil in the City of the Damned! “What the drokk…?” “The Hell Street Blues!”

I'd have been too young to have watched Hill Street Blues, but I would probably have gotten the pun on this cover from Ron Smith. It's only know when I look it up that I find the blue vampire judges shown are named after characters from the show. A brief search suggests the vampires in …

2000AD Prog 383: “Heeeeeer, piggy piggy piggy piggy!” “Hark! A voith calleth my name!”

Zarjaz cover poster this prog! From Belardinelli - the half on the front features the Speedo Ghost crew (including the ughbugs, if they are ughbugs) while the half on the back introduces us to Princess Gadarina (which was used in the previous prog's preview). Tharg's Nerve Centre features a Strontium Gronk. Tharg reveals his eyes …

2000AD Prog 381: It’s zarjaz! It’s scrotnig! It’s ghafflebette! Mutie and the beast… “It’s not real! It’s all in my mind!”

King Carlos' cover shows Kreelman in quite a strange mask while he tortures his son... Good use of colour by (presumably) Tom Frame to separate out Kreelman and depict him in blue lines instead of black lines, highlighting the illusory nature of the torture. Tharg's Nerve Centre is very limited, just containing a Thargnote, the …

2000AD Prog 248: Play ball! In the Mean Arena!

I keep thinking this Mean Arena cover is by Steve Dillon, but it's actually from Brian Bolland with some very Dillonesque cast members. Tharg reminds earthlets that the Krill Tro Thargo can be awarded for purposes other than introducing new readers to the galaxy's greatest in the Nerve Centre. Ten publishes a letter about a …

2000AD Prog 246: “Your bids, please, for these fine young humans!”

Nemesis is back, and so is Redondo on this cover (though you'd be forgiven for not recognising it is a Nemesis cover, if it wasn't for the logo). Tharg reveals in a response to an earthlet's letter in the Nerve Centre that bicycles were banned in Mega-City One as the lobbies of the city-blocks were …

2000AD Prog 241: Avenge our murder most foul!

Iconic covers by Brian Bolland and Kevin O'Neill, this time it's Dave Gibbons' turn with the 'dead biochips' cover - Rogue haunted by the helmetted skulls of his war buddies, who are always with him. Wasn't an early version of Rogue Trooper literally going to be Rogue haunted by Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, either spiritually …