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2000 AD Annuals
2000 AD Annual: 1986
British annuals are normally a collection of new and reprint material with color and black and white interiors. Published annually in hard cover, they are dated, if at all, one year ahead of the copyright. Most annuals contain illustrated text stories, comic strips and features such as puzzles, games, even articles. The art, mainly unaccredited, is average to good. This 2000AD annual features a seven-page color Rogue Trooper strip art Cam Kennedy by he also does a one-page color painting of Jude Dredd. There are three other color ACE Trucking Co, Judge Dredd (Ian Gibson) and Strontium Dog (Erzquerra). Black and white strips include, the final three-part Shako (the killer Polar Bear) in it dies at the end; plus the Judge Dredd newspaper strip script by John Wagner and Alan Grant.
- GenresComics
95 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Alan Grant
1,768 books145 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 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 13, 2019
This 96-page book consists of 4 short colour stories (Ace Trucking Co, Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog and Rogue Trooper, 8 pages each), 6 more single-page b&w Judge Dredd 'remix' comic strips, a few other sundry b&w pages which include a text story and a very long story called Shako, split into three episodes occupying about half the book. All are fairly well drawn, especially the colour strips. The renowned Batman writer, Alan Grant, wrote several of these stories and they are quite noticeably a cut above the others featured here. The Shako story, whilst unusual, being set in the Arctic and being about a polar bear, felt like a cross between King Kong, Moby Dick and Jaws, and was rather too action-packed and violent. The Alan Grant text 'diary' story was quite imaginative, started off well, but turned a little too crazy for me. My favourites here were the 2000AD staples of Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper and Judge Dredd, although they were always a little too far out for my liking. As a 12-yr-old kid in the 1980s, I might've enjoyed these, but nowadays, not so much. 3.25/5
August 7, 2024
Arriving in the golden age heyday of the prog, where the psychedelic strangeness of whatever-Wagner-or-Grant-fancied-doing got indulged, the artists here are in full big-screen technicolour mode and the results are gorgeous. Bellardinelli's ACE Trucking space vistas are a thing of wonder, Gibson gives us moody bruised noir in "On the Waterfront", the great Ezquerra gives earthy violence in the Beast of Milton Keynes and Cam Kennedy's Rogue Trooper is utterly beautiful.
In terms of "other" material we've got Alan Grant's grippingly insane text story "Diary of a Mad Citizen" and some great reprints. The almost comically shortened rendition of Apocalypse War for the Daily Star, alongside some much more suitably paced newspaper strips. The majority of the annual is dedicated to an abridged version of naughty bear fable "Shako" which is an absolute classic relentless 70s comic brutality.
Reading this mid-eighties 2000 AD annual coincided with, and rather reinforced my idea to, rid myself of my entire collection of 2000 AD progs. Not because it was bad, quite the opposite, I had so much fun with it I thought "you know what, I CAN get my kicks just from the far-easier-to-store hardbacks and collections". I am now free. ish.
In terms of "other" material we've got Alan Grant's grippingly insane text story "Diary of a Mad Citizen" and some great reprints. The almost comically shortened rendition of Apocalypse War for the Daily Star, alongside some much more suitably paced newspaper strips. The majority of the annual is dedicated to an abridged version of naughty bear fable "Shako" which is an absolute classic relentless 70s comic brutality.
Reading this mid-eighties 2000 AD annual coincided with, and rather reinforced my idea to, rid myself of my entire collection of 2000 AD progs. Not because it was bad, quite the opposite, I had so much fun with it I thought "you know what, I CAN get my kicks just from the far-easier-to-store hardbacks and collections". I am now free. ish.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews