THARG’S NERVE CENTRE

IN THIS PROG JUDGE DREDD // DEEP IN THE HEART Mega-City One, 2139 AD. Home to over 72 million citizens, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America, where unemployment is endemic, boredom universal, and crime is rampant. Only the zero-tolerance Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! Now, Dredd has captured his Texas City fugitive...

Judge Dredd created by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra SINISTER DEXTER // ELECTRIC LANDLADY Gun-sharks Finnigan SINISTER and Ramone DEXTER are the best hitmen money BORAG THUNGG, EARTHLETS! can buy in the future city of Downlode. You pay, they slay. Having spent the last year I am The Mighty Tharg, all-powerful alien editor offworld hunting for Holy Moses Tanenbaum, a ganglord from an alternate dimension of this award-winning SF anthology! whose presence threatened the very fabric of reality, they’ve returned home. Killing Forty years ago this week, your world changed. Tanenbaum has wiped the slate clean, and they are now getting back to business... It was hit by a seismic event the likes of which your Sinister Dexter created by Dan Abnett & David Millgate planet had never seen, and the repercussions rippled out across the globe. It was the emergence of Prog 1, KINGMAKER // PART NINE the first your Terran species had experienced of 2000 The people of the Nine Kingdoms had thought that the undead Ichnar the Wraith King AD and Thrill-power, and it would set in motion a was the biggest threat to peace and freedom, but they hadn’t reckoned without the chain of events that was nothing short of staggering, Thorn — a race of aliens that unexpectedly arrived and occupied their world, destroying influencing the entire medium of comics: iconic those that stood in their way. Recruiting the locals to aid their Shrike troopers, they’ve characters were born, writers and artists’ careers been hunting down all those with magical abilities — including the wizard Ablard... exploded. The Galaxy’s Greatest would become the Kingmaker created by Ian Edginton & Leigh Gallagher UK’s most important comic, and all thanks to the being from Betelgeuse. THE ORDER // WYRM WAR Four decades of weekly publication is such a scrotnig Seventeenth-century France. The writer Cyrano de Bergerac lies on his deathbed, achievement that I have constructed a forty-eight wanting to tell one last story before he passes — a tale of how he became part of a page 40th Anniversary Special, on sale right now, group of warriors known as THE ORDER, who throughout the centuries have been that celebrates this ruby jubilee, with all-new stories protecting man from the Wyrms. At certain points in history, these creatures can break featuring Judge Dredd, Durham Red, Nikolai Dante, through from their dimension and into ours — but something is disrupting the timeline...

Sláine, Ro-Busters and Zombo, from the likes of John The Order created by Kek-W & John Burns Wagner, Pat Mills, Robbie Morrison, Carlos Ezquerra, Simon Fraser, Carl Critchlow, Henry Flint, Clint Langley KINGDOM // AS IT IS IN HEAVEN and more. With two covers to choose from by the Earth, the far future. Mankind has been all but destroyed, those still surviving forced Ezquerra droid and David Aja, this ghafflebette special into hiding by Them — insectile creatures that have taken over the world. Charged with is a mere £3.99 — a few groats for forty years of Thrills! protecting humanitySample are genetically fileengineered dog-soldiers like Gene the Hackman — SPLUNDIG savage warriors that patrol the wilderness, keeping Them off their Masters’ lawn. Now, VUR THRIGG! Gene has awoken from stasis on the Masters’ orbital station, and gone on the run... Kingdom created by Dan Abnett & Richard Elson 40TH ANNIVERSARY 2000 AD SIGNINGS! COVER ART Greg Staples

Advertising, Marketing and PR Enquiries: 01865-792201 24TH FEBRUARY ([email protected]). 2000 AD is published every Wednesday by Rebellion, Riverside House, Osney Mead, DAVID BISHOP & KARL STOCK Oxford OX2 0ES, Earth. All contents © 2017 Rebellion A/S, unless specifically stated otherwise. 2000 AD® is a registered WATERSTONES, WEST END, EDINBURGH, 12.30PM trademark. Reproduction, storage in a retrieval system or transmission in any form or by any means without prior permission of Rebellion is strictly forbidden. 2000 AD must not be sold for more than the selling price shown on the cover. Any resemblance to people living or dead, or to any companies or institutions (except for satirical purposes) is unintended 25TH FEBRUARY and purely coincidental. Printed in Great Britain by PCP. Distribution/Trade Enquiries: Seymour, 2 East Poultry Avenue, STEVE YEOWELL, LEAH MOORE, JOHN REPPION London EC1A 9PT. Tel: 020-7429-4000. ISSN 0262 284X. TMO assisted by Cyber-Matt. Design by SAM 2.0, OZ-BRN-1 & MA2. & NICK PERCIVAL Damage Report: Chaos at the edge of Zragian space as customs officials are going through the luggage of tourists, looking for TRAVELLING MAN, MANCHESTER, 1PM any copies of 2000 AD in their possession, and even asking them what their opinions are of The Mighty One. Tharg can IAN EDGINTON & D’ISRAELI stand it no longer — brandishing a copy of the 40th anniversary prog, he shows them what cosmic zarjazness looks like! NOSTALGIA & COMICS, BIRMINGHAM, 1PM WWW.2000ADONLINE.COM FOR SUBS ENQUIRIES, BACK ISSUES AND MERCHANDISE CALL 01865 797022 OR VISIT SHOP.2000ADONLINE.COM THE FUGITIVE SECTOR ZERO OPERATIVE HAS BEEN CAUGHT _ BUT HAS NAMED JUDGE BRASS AS ONE OF HIS CO-CONSPIRATORS...

THIS IS SCRIPT BULLSHIT! MICHAEL DREDD, YOU’RE CARROLL NOT BUYING IT, ART ARE YOU? HENRY FLINT LETTERS ANNIE PARKHOUSE

SHE DOESN’T RECOGNISE ME, OF COURSE _ \’VE CHANGED MY FACE SEVERAL TIMES SINCE WE LAST MET _ BUT \ KNEW HER.

DEEP IN THE HEART : 08

SECTOR ZERO FELL DURING THE CHAOS RIOTS IN MEGA-CITY ONE... ‘THE BUG HIT DALLAS HARD. HE WAS AN EMPATH ‘WHEN THE RAGE SUBSIDED, _ HE ABSORBED THE MADNESS WAS STILL ALL THE PANIC THERE. HE COULD ONLY FOCUS AND CRAZINESS ON THE MISSION: BRING ORDER SO HE AROUND HIM. TO THE CITY AT ANY COST.’ CALLED IN THE LAWLORDS.* Sample file

*THARGNOTE: SEE ‘CASCADE’, PROGS 1894-1899. RIGHT. BUT BRASS WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED HERE IN TEXAS CITY. SHE _

ENOUGH! DREDD, THIS CREEP’S MURDERED A DOZEN BADGES IN THE PAST HOUR _ IT’S A SAFE BET HE’S CAPABLE OF LYING!

SHE’S COVERED HER TRACKS WELL, BUT DIG DEEP ENOUGH AND YOU’LL FIND THE TRUTH. ALL SHE RUN A HAS TO DO IS SCAN ON HER SPEAK HER TRIGGER HYPOTHALAMUS. ALL PHRASE AND _ BOOM! DEEP-COVER OPERATIVES ALL THE PROOF YOU’LL NEED. BRASS PUT WERE IMPLANTED HERSELF FORWARD FOR WITH A SUB-CRANIAL THIS MISSION BECAUSE EXPLOSIVE. TINY, BUT SHE’S THE BEST JUDGE VERY POWERFUL. IN THE CITY.

ERIN, TELL ME THERE’S NO TRUTH TO ANY OF THIS _ NOW YOU KNOW WHY.

Sample file YOU EVEN DROKKING TWITCH WHICH ONE AND \’LL PUT WERE YOU? HUNSACKER? GOOD WORK. AN INCENDIARY IN GAUDIANO? DOESN’T \ DIDN’T WANT TO EACH EYE! MATTER _ YOU’D NEVER HAVE TO _ TELL ME.

YOU PEOPLE RUINED MY LIFE! YOU TOLD US WE WERE JUDGES _ AND WE HAD NO REASON TO DOUBT THAT!

YOU WERE JUDGES. JUST NOT... OFFICIAL. ERIN, FREE ME. \’VE GOT SPARE IDENTITIES, ALL THE RESOURCES WE’LL EVER NEED. WE CAN START OVER. Sample file

BUT YOU NEED TO FINISH DREDD. HE WON’T GIVE UP OTHERWISE. LEWIS IS A PLANT?

HA! HE’S SUCH A HYPOCRITE. CHASING DOWN COVERT AGENTS WHEN HE AND HERSHEY HAVE EMBEDDED ONE OF THEIR OWN IN TC’S GRAND HALL. SHE’S A PSI _ AND VERY GOOD AT REMAINING UNDETECTED. AT A PUSH, YES. THEY’LL BE TRACKING THIS H-WAGON _ CAN THIS THING CARRY TWO?

ASIDE FROM THE ARE PRISONERS DREDD WE REALLY TOOK LAST YEAR, \ ALL THAT’S BELIEVE SO. WITHOUT LEFT? HUBERT BADGER, THE REST ARE AIMLESS.

AND THERE’S CHEYENNE, OF COURSE... BUT GRUD KNOWS WHAT THEY’VE LEFT OF HER BRAIN NOW.

ERIN, Sample file YOU’LL HAVE TO TERMINATE DUKE TOO. \ KNOW HE’S A FRIEND BUT THAT’S THE...

STOMM.

YOU’RE TOO GOOD A SHOT. YOU LEFT THEM ALIVE ON PURPOSE, DIDN’T YOU? \ BELIEVED \ WAS A JUDGE!

\ THOUGHT \ WAS WORKING FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

‘WHEN SECTOR ZERO FELL, MY HANDLER TOLD ME THE TRUTH.

‘NOW YOU’VE CONFIRMED THAT WE’RE THE LAST ACTIVE OPERATIVES _ ’

_ SO IT’S TIME TO END Sample file THIS! BRASS... DON’T. SORRY \ SHOT YOU, DREDD _ BUT HE WOULDN’T TALK IF HE BELIEVED YOU WERE GOING TO LIVE. AND \ HAD TO BE SURE HE WAS THE LAST ONE.

GOODBYE, DUKE. IT’S BEEN FUN.

NO! ALL \ ‘THE EVER WANTED WAS STARS AT NIGHT TO BE A GOOD ARE BIG AND JUDGE. BRIGHT.’

SHE... SHE WAS MY PARTNER FOR YEARS. SAVED MY LIFE MORE TIMES THAN \ CAN COUNT. THE BEST DAMN UNIFORM \ EVER KNEW.

MY CLOSEST FRIEND _ AND \ DIDN’T KNOW THE TRUTH.

\’M DONE, DREDD. \’M HANDING IN MY BADGE. DUKE, \’M NOT KNOWN FOR Dear Dad, DOLING OUT ADVICE, SampleSO CONSIDER file THIS A ONE-OFF. My mission with Judge Dredd has come to an end. Tragically, we lost Erin Brass in the line of duty. She was honoured for her bravery at a brief ceremony conducted by Chief Judge Lewis.

YOU Funny thing. There was something TEXANS PRIDE important I was going to say to the Chief, YOURSELVES ON BEING TOUGH _ but whatever it was popped out of my head SO SUCK IN YOUR the moment I saw her. I’m sure it’ll come GUT AND DAMN WELL GROW A back to me soon enough. PAIR. Tomorrow I begin my new patrol in Sector 80. It’s a dangerous place, and I do not expect to survive to the end of this coming week...

THE END 2000 AD 40TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL ON SALE NOW!

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DAVID AJA VARIANT COVER

48 PAGES // ONLY £3.99 SCRIPT DAN ABNETT ART STEVE YEOWELL COLOURS JOHN CHARLES LETTERS SIMON PART BOWLAND ONE

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