Rebellion have introduced a brand new crossover between 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine for September 2023. Taking place throughout 2000 AD Prog 2350 and Judge Dredd Megazine #460, the crossover imagines what a Eighties merger of the struggle comedian Battle Action into science fiction anthology 2000 AD would have appeared like. All in bumper points sitting at 48- and 132-pages apiece.
The elevator pitch, in accordance with the PR:
“It’s a clash of the ages – what if two of Britain’s most famous comic books had merged at the height of their popularity in the 1980s?”
Creators concerned within the Battle Action crossover embrace Ken Neimand, Alex de Campi, Gordon Rennie, Arthur Wyatt, Chris Weston, Staz Johnson. As for what characters and sequence more likely to be showing from Battle Action (with a 2000 AD twist) – there will likely be El Mestizo, Major Eazy, Death Game 2049, Hellman of Hammer Force, Forgotten Army, Dredger, Rat Pack, Darkie’s Mob, and Johnny Red.
Mergers have been a standard follow in British newsstand comics, with lesser performing titles being merged with higher performers – the controversial Action (following a panic-induced lobotomy) was merged into Battle Picture Weekly to type Battle Action, beforehand one other title – Valiant – had additionally been merged into Battle Picture Weekly following an unsuccessful revival try. As for 2000 AD, a number of titles (with their characters and strips) have been merged into the comedian – together with Tornado and rival scifi anthology Starlord (after barely six months in the marketplace). This follow was euphemistically known as “hatch, match and dispatch”.
2000 AD editor Matt Smith mentioned:
“The history of comics on the UK’s newsstand is marked by the practice of merging titles, where two great anthologies combine. In the case of Starlord joining 2000 AD, it meant the Prog gained Strontium Dog and Ro-Busters. When Tornado’s Black Hawk joined the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, it led to a radical reinvention of the strip.”
Smith additionally describes the genesis of the concept of a Battle Action themed crossover:
“Writer Ken Niemand instructed to me a particular asking what would’ve occurred if Battle Action merged with 2000 AD within the early eighties, with its struggle tales getting one thing of a science-fiction/fantasy makeover, and I couldn’t resist!
“Major Eazy, Hellman of Hammer Force, El Mestizo, Dredger – all these great characters get the 2000 AD treatment in Prog 2350, courtesy of the likes of Niemand, Simon Coleby, Chris Weston, Dan Cornwell, Jake Lynch and more. And over in Judge Dredd Megazine #460, we’ve got Dreddworld reinventions of Rat Pack, Darkie’s Mob and Johnny Red – it’s a ‘What if…’ that fans of both Battle and 2000 AD won’t want to miss.”
Battle Action has been experiencing a revival at Rebellion, which has been constructing on the rising success from reviving titles of yesteryear – not least with Monster Fun, which switches to a extra frequent month-to-month schedule from July. In 2022, Garth Ennis spearheaded a one-off particular return of the classic title (and its fondly remembered characters) alongside artists like Patrick Goddard, P.J. Holden, John Higgins, and the late Kevin O’Neill. The optimistic reception of the warranted a comply with up with a five-issue month-to-month miniseries (the primary two points out now), as soon as once more led by Garth Ennis, however joined by different writers – John Wagner, Dan Abnett, Rob Williams, and Torunn Grønbekk.
This will not be the primary flagship crossover for Rebellion. Last September featured a zombie-themed crossover between 2000 AD Prog 2300 and Judge Dredd Megazine 448, which had a zombie storyline overtake the common anthology strips (and even featured the shock return of John Wagner & Ian Gibson’s Robo-Hunter Sam Slade and Ian Edginton & Simon Davis’ Ampney Crucis.
Here are some early preview pages:
As final yr, the Battle Action crossover sits earlier than the following jumping-on situation of the weekly anthology. 2000 AD Prog 2351 will characteristic the beginning of a brand new Judge Dredd storyline by Rob Williams and PJ Holden; the return of Dan Abnett & Richard Elson’s Feral & Foe and Helium by Ian Edginton & D’Israeli; a thriller story known as Poison; plus a particular face off between two basic characters written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Henry Flint.
Diamond codes for the crossover points are JUL231919 & JUL231920
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