Posted on August 19, 2024

2000AD Progs 1201-1300

Before the arrival of 2000AD‘s title year, it wasn’t uncommon for readers to ask if the comic would change its name when reality caught up to sci-fi. I can specifically remember “trial balloons” where someone drew the comic in the comic with the name 3000AD and 4000AD. But when the year came and went, the title stayed put. After all, it represented an ideal rather than a calendar.

That sentiment was solidified when 2000AD quietly shifted to new ownership with prog 1205 and the term “licensed via Rebellion” appeared in the indicia. Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game company founded in 1992 that expanded to the point where it could acquire 2000AD from Egmont Fleetway and end a long period of instability by overhauling editorial policies to favor creators. The critical ingredient was one that had been missing since the 80s; the owners were also fans. They wanted their favorite comic to be better and to do right by its talent. The purest signal of this was the return of veteran artists and writers.

A variety of smart marketing choices helped them avoid traps that fan-run enterprises often fall into. The cover price remained steady at £1.40 with no hikes over this time period. A classic cover logo from 1988 was restored on prog 1234, and they even made a gag out of it, as seen in this matchup with prog 555:

Another smart move was to time multiple stories to end in the same issue, so their replacements could start simultaneously and entice new readers to step in despite the high issue numbers. Reprint material got a boost to make the archives more accessible. And finally, the end-of-year prog became a larger-than-usual issue with its own number (prog 2001, prog 2002, etc.) and an emphasis on standalone content, echoing the annuals and yearbooks of previous decades.

This mix of ideas, coupled with pure fannish enthusiasm, succeeded in stabilizing and relaunching 2000AD into the new century where it continues to thrive.