Tharg the Mighty

Tharg the Mighty — known to devotees of British comics simply as "The Mighty One" — is the fictional alien editor-in-chief of 2000 AD, the celebrated British science fiction weekly. Introduced on the cover of the comic's debut issue in 1977, Tharg holds the rare distinction of appearing in nearly every issue of the publication, a feat matched only by Judge Dredd among the comic's recurring characters.

As the in-universe editorial voice of 2000 AD, Tharg addresses readers directly, presides over the anthology's tone, and occasionally steps into strips of his own. Those stories have attracted some of the medium's most accomplished writers — Alan Moore, Alan Grant, and John Wagner among them — though contributions are typically attributed not to their real authors but to the character himself, under the credit "TMO."

In the catalog record, Tharg carries a writing credit across more than 300 issues, with activity spanning 1987 to 2025, appearing across 2000 AD's regular run as well as special editions including the 40th Anniversary Special, the Free Comic Book Day issue, and the Christmas Annual. Whether one regards the character as a clever editorial conceit or a genuine institution, Tharg remains inseparable from 2000 AD's identity — a throughline connecting the comic's founding moment in 1977 to the present day.