Tuesday 18 August 2015

2000 AD - July 1977.

Hold on to your jet packs, future-dwellers because it's that time of month again. The one when I look back at what everyone's favourite UK sci-fi comic was doing exactly thirty eight years and one month ago.

It's always a strange experience for me, as I usually recognise the covers but have no recall at all of the actual stories within.

Still, I shall endeavour to see what sense I can make of the images that Fate has deigned to fling before me.

2000 AD #19

I've no memory at all of this story but do have a very strong recollection of the cover.

I like to think the tale it depicts is in the same mould as the Marvel War Toy story I reviewed all those many months ago.

2000 AD #20

This time, I don't recall the story or the cover but there's a certain Alan Class vibe to it all.

It seems that, at this stage in its history, 2000 AD was suddenly concentrating on using its one-off Future Shock type stories, rather than its regular characters, to lure readers in.
2000 AD #21

That alien on the right looks suspiciously like he may have been inspired by Dr Who's Zygons.

For some reason, the green woman on the left makes me think of Miss Jones in the classic 1970s sitcom Rising Damp. I suspect this may say more about me than it does about the drawing.

2000 AD #22

I really don't have a clue what's transpiring on this cover.

All I can say is thank the Lord we don't have such shenanigans occurring on the Sheffield Supertram. I'm not sure I could stand such drama as we wend our way towards Meadowhall.

2000 AD #23

It's another cover in the Alan Class envelope and means that not one established 2000 AD star made the cover in the whole of July. Has Tharg gone completely and totally bonkers mad?

3 comments:

Darryl MacGregor said...

The covers were known, unironically, as Supercovers and illustrated a short, short text story featured in Tharg's Nerve Centre. These stories and covers carried on though 77 until the Xmas issue which featured the return of the regular characters, and a film called Star Wars (I wonder what became of it). At the time I remember thinking that some of the covers were great but now, like yourself, I'm thinking why on Earth did they do that.

John Pitt said...

The Zygons and Doctor Who have made peace now.
They all agreed to let Zygons be Zygons.

Steve W. said...

Darryl, Thanks for the info.

John, thanks for the joke.