2000AD Progs 2001-2100
The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic reached its 40th anniversary in this stretch, commemorated by a special birthday issue that brought back some very early strips and did a lot of 4th-wall breaking. Tharg’s 3rillers was an expanded version of the one-and-done Future Shocks that often served as a launch pad for new characters and talent, but now each story lasted for three issues. The cover price rose only 10p, from £2.65 to £2.75 with occasional bumps for special issues.
The art during these years was particularly sharp with continuing contributions from the “old guard.” For my money, the MVP was Chris Weston, whose exquisite work landed him right in between Brian Bolland and Glenn Fabry. The nature of his intricate technique did not make him a good candidate for the weekly grind of interiors, so his strip work is much rarer than his covers…but always worth the wait.
That’s the true test of a 2000AD artist; the ability to deliver six finished pages of comics every week while consistently hitting the highest quality bar possible. By definition, they are a rare breed.
Cliff Robinson cover
Carlos Ezquerra cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Chris Weston cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Chris Weston cover
Carlos Ezquerra cover
Mick McMahon cover
Carlos Ezquerra’s final cover
Cliff Robinson cover
Chris Weston cover
Bonus
Starting in Prog 2263 (January 2022), 2000AD featured a weekly lookback as the 45th anniversary approached. Each page summarized one year of history. The pages covering the progs shown above are posted below to add context.