Best of 2000 AD proves why the comics are classic

The name Best of 2000 AD seems ambitious. How can a collection of six volumes run more than 200 pages each?

After all, it’s not as if 2000 AD is just any comic book series. Launched in 1977, the British weekly has become recognized as one of the most important science fiction titles in comics history—and not just for the characters and stories published, but also for the sheer volume of creative talent that has built reputations thanks to work published in the title. It was 2000 AD that teamed the Watchmen duo of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons for the first time and published important early work by the likes of comic book legend Grant Morrison, current Marvel mainstay Al Ewing, Mad Max: Fury Road writer and visual artist Brendan McCarthy, Gorillaz cocreator Jamie Hewlett, and many more. It’s something that’s been cited as a creative influence by musicians, movie directors, and novelists alike and a long-standing part of British pop culture for nearly half a century. 2000 AD is, bluntly, a big deal.

The new Best of series is launching later this month and it is surprising how well it manages to fulfill its promise. The success comes down to curation. The six volumes in the collection have their own identities that allow them to stand alone for readers who want to pick up just one book.

The first volume pushes back on the idea that the title is only for boys, given that it was part of the publisher's boys comics line. A trio of stories centering important women in the title's history, devoting significant real estate to "Shamballa," arguably the finest of the Judge Anderson stories, is what it does. Both are fan-favorite stories from 2000 AD that avoid making their central characters into damsels in distress but allow them an emotional depth and messiness that even the title's male characters weren't awarded at the time.

Advertisement

The third of the woman-led strips in the collection is a contemporary one and the only strip to run through subsequent volumes. It’s a smart choice for this role; Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard’s “Brink” isn’t just one of the finest stories 2000 AD has published in years—it’s just finished its fifth run in the weekly—but one of its most complex in terms of subject matter and tone. By the end of its most recent run, it’s tackling how societies treat unions, mental health, and journalistic ethics. Its inclusion demonstrates that 2000 AD is as creatively vital today as it has ever been.

There is more to Best of than just those three entries; Judge Dredd is present in two stories that show his own complexity and intensity with seeming effortlessness. One of those, in the first volume, is an ideal example of the strip's ability to mix political satire and action unlike anything else, with a metaphor about attitudes towards immigration that also manages to read like The Raid 2. The first volume shows the traditional mix of comedy and adventure that has been central to the title since its beginnings.

In the anthology's second volume, there is a horror story called "Leviathan" that appears. The scope of 2000 AD is more and more clear as the Best of series continues, and the title has handled many different types of stories over the years. It's a perfect primer for what makes 2000 AD so special. Fans might quibble with some of the choices made in terms of story selection, but Best of 2000 AD shows off the title in its best light.

The story was first published on wired.com.