2000 AD #187

Prog 187 of 2000 AD hits hard with a Dave Gibbons cover that puts "The Mean Arena" front and center — a skull-emblazoned hero in a blue suit bursts forward in full stride, flanked by menacing armored opponents in what looks like a brutal urban gauntlet, with chaos spilling across the background. The tagline "You score first and check your wounds later" perfectly captures the violent, gladiatorial energy radiating from the image. Featuring Judge Dredd and the ongoing thrills of 1980 British comics at their sharpest, this is a fine slice of 2000 AD at the height of its weekly momentum.