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Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog: The Final Solution
The Government of Earth come up with a chilling new plan to deal with the mutant race by teleporting them into another dimension. But Johnny Alpha and Feral will stand against this injustice and, in the process, may face their deadliest challenge yet.
Collects:
- The Final Solution, Part 1 (Progs #600-#606, #615-#621, #636-#641, #645-#647)
- The Final Solution: Replay (Prog #682)
- The Final Solution, Part 2 (Progs #683-#687)
- Incident at the Birth of the Universe (2000AD Winter Special 1988)
- The Town that Died of Shame (2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1988)
- Top Dog (Judge Dredd Annual 1991)
Collects:
- The Final Solution, Part 1 (Progs #600-#606, #615-#621, #636-#641, #645-#647)
- The Final Solution: Replay (Prog #682)
- The Final Solution, Part 2 (Progs #683-#687)
- Incident at the Birth of the Universe (2000AD Winter Special 1988)
- The Town that Died of Shame (2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1988)
- Top Dog (Judge Dredd Annual 1991)
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2008
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Alan Grant
1,712 books144 followersAlan Grant was a Scottish comic book writer known for writing Judge Dredd in 2000 AD as well as various Batman titles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is also the creator of the character Anarky.
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 1, 2013
I liked this book better than I expected, but it was still disappointing on many levels.
First up I will say that on its own (not next to Ezquerra) Harrison's art is not bad - it is very different. However it is used in very bad context - it does not suit comics where character differentiation and continuity with existing art is important. Doubly so when the main difference between antagonists and protagonists is mutant-normal. Everyone looks like a freak show and I had a hard time telling Feral and Johnny apart when there was only heads and shoulders in focus, they both looked feline: Feral is supposed to be dog like! Another negative against Harrisson is his punk references throughout - it is anachronistic to begin with and badly dates a "future" shory to being penned in the late 1980's - for f's sake why write "bone machine" on a space ship just because you had been listening to "Surfer Rosa". I don't blame the artist, but I do blame the writer and the editor for not stamping down hard on these issue.
The good news on the art front is that Colin MacNeil does a steady job to round out the story when the 2000AD progs went colour.
I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the story arch. Of course I didn't want Johnny to die and I didn't want the Dog House to be destroyed, but I thought is was solid story for an old character who had his share of loss, pain and death bowing out in a big way. Though having said that, the final extra material story "Top Dogs" by John Wagner shows that there is still so much life and good humour to be mined from Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammern even if Alan grant has tired of the characters.
First up I will say that on its own (not next to Ezquerra) Harrison's art is not bad - it is very different. However it is used in very bad context - it does not suit comics where character differentiation and continuity with existing art is important. Doubly so when the main difference between antagonists and protagonists is mutant-normal. Everyone looks like a freak show and I had a hard time telling Feral and Johnny apart when there was only heads and shoulders in focus, they both looked feline: Feral is supposed to be dog like! Another negative against Harrisson is his punk references throughout - it is anachronistic to begin with and badly dates a "future" shory to being penned in the late 1980's - for f's sake why write "bone machine" on a space ship just because you had been listening to "Surfer Rosa". I don't blame the artist, but I do blame the writer and the editor for not stamping down hard on these issue.
The good news on the art front is that Colin MacNeil does a steady job to round out the story when the 2000AD progs went colour.
I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the story arch. Of course I didn't want Johnny to die and I didn't want the Dog House to be destroyed, but I thought is was solid story for an old character who had his share of loss, pain and death bowing out in a big way. Though having said that, the final extra material story "Top Dogs" by John Wagner shows that there is still so much life and good humour to be mined from Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammern even if Alan grant has tired of the characters.
September 19, 2019
Is it a 4 or a 3. Hmmm. Not sure.
I do have a soft spot for Strontium Dog.
Especially the fantastically hard-to-understand Middenface McNulty.
There's a wee trick tae naw spending too much time deciphering hi' Scawtish accent, as ye dinnae wont tae doo tha'.
I do have a soft spot for Strontium Dog.
Especially the fantastically hard-to-understand Middenface McNulty.
There's a wee trick tae naw spending too much time deciphering hi' Scawtish accent, as ye dinnae wont tae doo tha'.
January 30, 2021
This is one long story that basically continues from where the last story in the previous Strontium Dog Agency Files collection ended and, as hinted by the cover, is basically the closure for this run of tales involving Johnny Alpha.
The 'relics' that Johnny Alpha help retrieve, without knowing, turn out to be magical items that allow an evil magician to open a gateway to 'another world'. This would be the 'Final Solution' to the 'problem' of mutants in Great Britain after the atomic wars. For a new priesthood has arisen and violently taken over Britain and are now offering the mutants 'a new life' through the gateway. Of course, only the reader really knows what lies on the other side of the gateway, and it isn't really life.
Johnny Alpha investigates what is happening, with the help of fellow mutants Middenface McNulty and Feral, and discovers the truth about the gateway. The leading priest behind the scheme, Sagan, would also turn out to have a personal reason to hate mutants and especially Johnny.
By the end of the book, Johnny Alpha has to make a sacrifice in order to get the mutants back through the gateway. The Final Solution itself is stopped via the actions of the McNulty and the other Strontium Dogs.
The art in this book is very different from the previous books and takes some getting used to, especially since many scenes are rendered in stark black and white with little shading, making it sometimes hard to figure out what is happening without some thought.
The storyline itself was controversial and would lead to attempts to revise the events in future Strontium Dog stories that follow on from this book.
The 'relics' that Johnny Alpha help retrieve, without knowing, turn out to be magical items that allow an evil magician to open a gateway to 'another world'. This would be the 'Final Solution' to the 'problem' of mutants in Great Britain after the atomic wars. For a new priesthood has arisen and violently taken over Britain and are now offering the mutants 'a new life' through the gateway. Of course, only the reader really knows what lies on the other side of the gateway, and it isn't really life.
Johnny Alpha investigates what is happening, with the help of fellow mutants Middenface McNulty and Feral, and discovers the truth about the gateway. The leading priest behind the scheme, Sagan, would also turn out to have a personal reason to hate mutants and especially Johnny.
By the end of the book, Johnny Alpha has to make a sacrifice in order to get the mutants back through the gateway. The Final Solution itself is stopped via the actions of the McNulty and the other Strontium Dogs.
The art in this book is very different from the previous books and takes some getting used to, especially since many scenes are rendered in stark black and white with little shading, making it sometimes hard to figure out what is happening without some thought.
The storyline itself was controversial and would lead to attempts to revise the events in future Strontium Dog stories that follow on from this book.
March 1, 2022
Forever one of 2000ad’s most treasured creations, this end of an era tale for Johnny Alpha isn’t the easiest read, largely due to Simon Harrison’s art. Without being critical of his unique style, it struggles to fit in a world of such distinct characters. Colin MacNeil’s fairs much better, and coupled with the comic’s transition into full colour, culminates in a devastating finale. Definitely 2000ad’s most notorious serial.
A first crossover for both Alpha and his buddy Wulf into Judge Dread’s Mega City One is also excellent.
A first crossover for both Alpha and his buddy Wulf into Judge Dread’s Mega City One is also excellent.
August 7, 2018
Not a bad ending to the original run of Strontium Dogs but not a high note it should've been. The art is nice but it is not Esquerra as is should've been. Could've been better.
April 30, 2021
Impressively ugly; it takes skill.
August 19, 2013
Overall I was happy with this Strontium Dog story. It was well written and introduced us to Feral Johnson but I scored it low because of the art. The art was not poor by any stretch but it does not lend itself well to graphic storytelling. It often was to busy and it was difficult to see all of the action taking place and it really effected my enjoyment of the piece.
May 28, 2015
Along with the Judge Anderson story Childhood's End, absolutely the best masterpiece of british comics/graphic novels. For extra effect read Strontium Dog "The No Go Job" first (I think that is collected as last story in Case Files #04)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews