2000 AD #502

Dec 1986 · IPC · 0.26 GBP

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“Sláine the King, Part 3”

About this Issue

Prog 502 arrived at a genuinely charged moment in 2000 AD's history: the comic was publishing at a weekly circulation of roughly 150,000 copies, just weeks before IPC's comics division was sold to Robert Maxwell's Fleetway and the title underwent a significant format revamp. As an anthology snapshot, the issue packages together the flagship Judge Dredd strip — apparently featuring the Dark Judges (Death, Fear, Fire, and Mortis) alongside Chief Judge Cal — with Pat Mills and Glenn Fabry's freshly launched 'Sláine the King', Pat Mills and Bryan Talbot's Nemesis the Warlock deep into its Book VII phase, and the anarchic Alan Grant/John Wagner space comedy Ace Trucking Co., making it a dense cross-section of the mid-1980s 2000 AD at near-peak creative health. The presence of Chopper in the Dredd strip reflects the character's sustained popularity following his celebrated 'Midnight Surfer' arc and his growing role as the Dreddverse's most sympathetic civilian protagonist.

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writer Pat Mills · artist, inker Glenn Fabry · letterer Steve Potter · cover Glenn Fabry

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History

By early 1987, 2000 AD was an IPC Magazines weekly anthology edited under the 'Tharg the Mighty' editorial persona, with a stable of serialised strips contributed by freelance creative teams. The 'Sláine the King' storyline had just commenced, with Glenn Fabry providing all artwork for the arc — a notable change from Massimo Belardinelli's earlier run on the strip — and Pat Mills was also simultaneously shepherding Nemesis the Warlock through its complex Book VII chapter involving the alien warlock's pursuit of Torquemada across time. The Ace Trucking Co. strip by Alan Grant (under the house pseudonym 'Grant Grover') and John Wagner was a long-running anthology regular beloved for its anarchic humour and Belardinelli's outlandish alien design work. Within months of this prog's publication, IPC's comics properties were transferred to Fleetway under Robert Maxwell's ownership, making this one of the final batches of progs produced under the original IPC banner.

Trivia · 8 facts

Prog 502 was published by IPC Magazines in early January 1987, just before IPC's comics division was sold to Robert Maxwell's Fleetway — making it among the last progs produced under original IPC ownership.
The Judge Dredd segment features Chopper (Marlon Shakespeare), whose skysurfing persona was introduced in the 'Midnight Surfer' arc (progs 424–429, 1985), written by John Wagner and Alan Grant with art by Cam Kennedy; Chopper had become one of the Dreddverse's most popular supporting characters by this point.
The Dark Judges — Judge Death, Judge Fear, Judge Fire, and Judge Mortis — appear in the Dredd strip, alongside Chief Judge Cal; the Dark Judges were created by John Wagner and Brian Bolland and debuted in prog 149 (1980).
The Sláine story running in this period is 'Sláine the King', written by Pat Mills and drawn entirely by Glenn Fabry — a milestone arc that deepened the Celtic mythology of the strip; Ukko the Dwarf and the Warrior Queen Niamh are both present as established recurring characters.
Nemesis the Warlock, created by Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill, was in its Book VII era by this prog, with the story continuing the intertwined pursuit narrative between the alien freedom fighter Nemesis and the xenophobic Grand Master Torquemada; characters from the Termight universe indexed in this issue include Flytrap, Shrike, Thrax, and Kano.
Ace Trucking Co. — the space-haulage comedy strip created by John Wagner and Alan Grant (as 'Grant Grover') — features characters including Mac, Dave the Orang-Utan, and the strip's central trucker protagonist Ace Garp; Massimo Belardinelli's distinctive alien-world art was a defining feature of the strip's run.
In 1986, 2000 AD was selling approximately 150,000 copies per week, representing a high point in the comic's circulation during the IPC era.
Sláine was created by Pat Mills and artist Angela Kincaid in 1983, with the 'Sláine the King' arc marking Glenn Fabry's arrival as the strip's solo artist — Fabry's highly detailed work on Sláine helped establish his reputation as one of British comics' major artistic talents.