Posted on January 12, 2025

2000AD Progs 1701-1800

With Prog 1700, the cover and logo format essentially locked into place with only minor adjustments between then and this writing (early 2025). The cover price went from £2.25 to £2.35 and the content went from one high point to the next with a well-balanced variety of SF, fantasy, and adventure with at least one quasi-historical paranormal crime drama at any given time. Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Hunger Games all had an influence on this time period even as the clock ticked down to the next Judge Dredd movie in September 2012. The most significant story event in this batch was the conclusion of Nikokai Dante, which began in March 1997. And which I might get around to reading someday.

When prog 1800 appeared, I was approaching thirty years as a loyal reader, and you might wonder how one co-exists with a collection of that size that shows no signs of stopping. Rebellion offers what they call “Thrill-Power Containment Units,” a binder that holds 28 issues and changes designs from time to time. Not a bad idea, but you’ll fill two of them up every year and they demand shelf space.

My solution is less flashy, more practical. Bagging every prog individually would be madness, so I put 30-plus issues into an oversize comic bag (I think “treasury size” is the term) and pack several of those into a file box. I don’t have a copy of every prog, but I’m currently at ten boxes and counting. The storage volume is about the same, but boxes don’t need shelves so it’s bit more convenient.

What will become of them once I’m no longer in a position to continue collecting? I’m still trying to come up with that answer for everything else I own, so…I defer to another day.