2000 AD #971
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeProg 971 marks the conclusion of 'Supersurf 13,' the eight-part Chopper story by writer Alan McKenzie and artist John Higgins that brought the beloved skysurfer Marlon Shakespeare back to 2000 AD's weekly anthology for the first time since his near-death in 'Song of the Surfer.' Running concurrently, the same prog carried the closing chapter of a Pat Mills and Tony Skinner ABC Warriors serial set in the 'Khaos' cycle, featuring the full ensemble of Hammerstein, Deadlock, Blackblood, Joe Pineapples, Mek-Quake, Mongrol, Ro-Jaws, and the female robot Morrigun — one of the richer character rosters to appear in a single weekly prog of the era. Together, the two strips make this issue a dense cross-section of 2000 AD's mid-1990s storytelling, placing it at the intersection of the Dredd-world's skysurfing mythology and the ABC Warriors' ongoing Khaos philosophy arc.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Prog 971 appeared in 1995 under Fleetway Publications, which retained editorial control of 2000 AD through prog 1013 before Egmont Fleetway took over. The mid-1990s were a notably uneven creative period for the anthology: ownership had shifted to Egmont UK after Robert Maxwell's death in 1991, and many senior creators had drifted toward the Judge Dredd Megazine or American publishers, leaving editors to rely on a rotating roster of writers. 'Supersurf 13,' the Chopper serial concluding in this prog, was handed to Alan McKenzie rather than original creator John Wagner, reflecting that editorial reality; Wagner himself later continued Chopper's story in 2004 with 'The Big Meg.' The ABC Warriors strip running simultaneously was co-written by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner with fully painted artwork by Kev Walker, part of the sustained 'Khaos' saga that Mills used to explore paganism, ecology, and robot identity politics throughout the early-to-mid 1990s.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Prog 971 (1995) is the concluding instalment of the eight-part Chopper story 'Supersurf 13,' which ran across 2000 AD progs 964–971.
- 'Supersurf 13' was written by Alan McKenzie with art by John Higgins — neither of whom was the Chopper character's original creative team of John Wagner and Colin MacNeil.
- The story is set in Hondo-Cit (future Japan) and features Judge Inspector Yoshi Yakamoto alongside Chopper, Jug McKenzie, and Judge Dredd.
- The entire 'Supersurf 13' serial was later collected in the Chopper: Surf's Up trade paperback (Rebellion, February 2011, ISBN 978-1-907519-27-7).
- Running concurrently in this prog, Pat Mills and Tony Skinner's ABC Warriors serial — part of the 'Khaos' cycle drawn by Kev Walker — features Hammerstein, Deadlock, Blackblood, Joe Pineapples, Mek-Quake, Mongrol, Ro-Jaws, and female robot recruit Morrigun.
- Morrigun, a female robot who joined the Warriors as part of the Khaos arc mission to the planet Hekate, appears in this prog as an active team member.
- Prog 971 was published by Fleetway Publications, which held the 2000 AD title through prog 1013, after which Egmont Fleetway Ltd took over.
- The mid-1990s ABC Warriors 'Khaos' arc by Mills and Skinner is noted by critics for introducing more slapstick and countercultural Khaos philosophy, marking a tonal shift from the preceding 'Black Hole' saga.
Cast · 20 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Red Razors #[nn] (2005), Chopper: Surf's Up #[nn] (2010), Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files #24 (2015)
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