2000 AD #66

Prog 66 of 2000 AD hits newsstands on 27 May 1978 with a cover by Mike McMahon that pulls no punches: Judge Dredd grimaces in the foreground while a feral, rat-like creature looms behind him brandishing a knife, with a chaotic crowd of armed, ragged figures — including a rider on horseback — surging across the dusty background. The speech bubble's wry declaration, "I think I smell a rat!", gives the whole scene a darkly comic edge that perfectly captures 2000 AD's irreverent tone. Inside, McMahon also handles the art duties on "Ice World, Part 3," written by Pat Mills, promising more of that distinctive gritty storytelling this weekly had already made its signature in 1978.