2000 AD #972

The holiday season gets an otherworldly twist in this 1995 Christmas prog from Fleetway, where a grey alien stares out from beneath a Santa hat and white beard — a deadpan close-up that sells the cover story title "Dreaming of a Grey Xmas" perfectly. Kevin Walker's painted cover work is quietly unsettling and genuinely funny, with a teddy bear and wrapped gifts just visible over the alien's shoulders to complete the festive tableau. Inside, John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra continue their Judge Dredd saga "The Pit" into its third part — sharp creative company for such a delightfully strange cover.