Posted on November 7, 2023

2000AD Progs 301-400

You know that feeling you get when your favorite band puts out an album that is somehow, impossibly, even better than the last one? That’s what the early years of 2000AD were like.

The fourth set of 100 progs saw the meteoric rise of writer Alan Moore with three classic tales: Skizz (an adult riff on E.T.), D.R. & Quinch (comedic anarchy) and The Ballad of Halo Jones (coming-of-age drama). The departure of Brian Bolland for American comics made room for new artists such as Brett Ewins, Alan Davis, and Steve Dillon, who would go on to draw Hellblazer and Preacher for DC.

There was also the debut of Slaine, a Celtic answer to Conan the Barbarian. Various artists took him on, but none were better suited than Mike McMahon, whose work on the strip was nothing short of Picasso-esque. Then we got the first Judge Dredd spinoff, titled The Helltrekkers, which offered proof that much more could be done in that world.

Alien editor Tharg made more appearances, accompanied by robots that lampooned members of the comic staff. Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, Nemesis, and other favorite characters of previous years came back for more, and the comic only got stronger as its price rose from 18p to 22p a week.

This particular set holds special significance for me; when I met Judge Dredd in his American edition (November 1983), 2000AD was approaching the mid-300s. One of the comic shops I frequented back then happened to have several progs from 315 forward. The big numbers were intimidating, but the content was superb, so that’s where my collection began. Progs were few and far between, which only made the hunt for them more exciting. Eventually, increasing demand from customers like me led to 2000AD being picked up by American distributors. You’re welcome, America!