2000 AD #206

Apr 1981 · IPC · 0.15 GBP

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“Portrait of a Mutant, Part 7”

About this Issue

2000 AD Prog 206 (April 1981) marks the debut of Marlon 'Chopper' Shakespeare, one of the most enduring supporting characters in the Judge Dredd universe — a graffiti-obsessed teenager from Mega-City One who would evolve over subsequent decades into a celebrated skysurfer and a recurring symbol of anti-authoritarian defiance within the strip. His arrival gave the Judge Dredd feature a recurring civilian foil who operated entirely outside the Judge system yet commanded genuine reader sympathy, expanding the moral and emotional range of Wagner's satire. The issue also carries a chapter of the landmark 'Portrait of a Mutant' origin saga for Johnny Alpha in Strontium Dog, placing Prog 206 squarely inside what many historians regard as 2000 AD's early golden era. Together these strips demonstrate the anthology's capacity in 1981 to simultaneously build out its flagship strip with new supporting characters while deepening the mythology of its second-most-popular series.

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writer Alan Grant · artist, inker Ezquerra · letterer Steve Potter · cover Mike McMahon

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History

The Judge Dredd story 'Un-American Graffiti' was written by John Wagner and drawn by Brett Ewins and Ron Smith — the latter responsible for the celebrated double-page centrespread of a graffiti-smothered city wall that became a visual talking point among readers. According to the 2000 AD official site, the name 'Chopper' itself was lifted directly from a fan letter signed off with that tag, which Wagner and his collaborator Alan Grant then fashioned into the character's street alias. The Strontium Dog episode in this same prog — Part 7 of 'Portrait of a Mutant,' scripted by Alan Grant with art by Carlos Ezquerra — was part of a longer origin arc for Johnny Alpha that had launched six issues earlier in the milestone 200th prog. The cover of Prog 206 was illustrated by Mike McMahon.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Marlon 'Chopper' Shakespeare in the Judge Dredd story 'Un-American Graffiti' (Part 1 of 2), cover-dated April 4, 1981.
'Un-American Graffiti' was written by John Wagner, with art by Brett Ewins and Ron Smith; the story's notable centrespread — a wall blanketed in Mega-City One graffiti — was a standout set-piece.
The character's name 'Chopper' originated from a fan letter signed with that nickname, which Wagner and Alan Grant used as the basis for the character.
Chopper is introduced as a juvenile delinquent (full name Marlon Shakespeare) who specialises in scrawling graffiti in the most inaccessible locations across Mega-City One; he is eventually apprehended by Judge Dredd.
The issue's Strontium Dog strip presents Part 7 of 'Portrait of a Mutant,' the Johnny Alpha origin saga scripted by Alan Grant with art by Carlos Ezquerra — an arc that had launched in Prog 200.
The prog's cover was drawn by Mike McMahon; other strips in the issue include 'Tharg's Future Shocks: The Last Man' (Gary Rice/Brett Ewins), 'Return to Armageddon' Part 22 (Malcolm Shaw/Jesus Redondo), and 'Meltdown Man' Part 29 (Alan Hebden/Massimo Belardinelli).
'Un-American Graffiti' was reprinted in The Best of 2000 AD #15 and in the Rebellion collected edition Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 04.
Chopper went on to star in multiple subsequent multi-part stories — including 'Midnight Surfer' and 'Song of the Surfer' — eventually growing from a graffiti vandal into one of Mega-City One's most celebrated skysurfers, with appearances across fewer than 100 total progs spanning decades.