Around ‘86 a woman called Karen Berger came to London. She was an editor for D.C comics who was the head of a project to create a range of comics for a more mature readership, the Vertigo line. So she set up in a hotel and sent invites to all the 2000AD writers and artists to come and pitch idea’s for potential titles in this new, darker imprint of D.C. Poorly paid and under-appreciated, the collective creative talent of 2000AD jumped at the chance, and from those meetings that took place over the next month, a torrent of comic genius flooded America.]
First and foremost, The Killing Joke, that seminal Batman story by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, won two Eisner awards and went on to become the first comic ever to appear on the New York Times bestseller list.
The Watchmen, which turned the whole superhero genre of comic’s upside-down and is a beautifully crafted, multi-layered and intricate story, is arguably the book that actually prompted D.C to come to London in the first place. Drawn by Dave Gibbons and written by Alan Moore (for he is a god) it was recognized in Time’s List of the 100 Best Novels as one of the best English-language novels published since 1923.
The Sandman, Preacher, Hellblazer, The Invisibles, Shade the Changing Man (reinvented), Animal Man, V for Vendetta, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Black Orchid, The Boys, Crossed, Kickass, these were all sublime and provocative stories that changed the way people thought about comics.
Add to that the writers that came from 2000AD who have creative control over the most popular heroes in both D.C and Marvel, right now, and you’d be surprised how many there are, and it’s patently obvious:
2000AD is the birthplace and cradle of everything that is wonderful about comics.
England’s total domination of the International comic scene is now complete. The mother title continues to foster new and astoundingly good talent, though it is now under new management (bought by a millionaire fan, they treat their talent a lot better these days) so they don’t tend to lose so many to the big names, but they have engendered a legacy that lives on, and long may it continue.
Personally, I will never stop reading it, though I fit the demographic perfectly because the average age of a 2000AD reader is now 38.
I suppose some of us never really grow up, and if it means not being able to read comics, I don’t want to.
When was your 2000AD moment? when did you get hooked? share your story in the comments below.
