2000 AD

Comic books as a medium have rarely need an excuse to feature a gorilla in a story, but in Judge Dredd Megazine #376, there's a little more going on under the surface than just the fun of seeing an ape wearing Judge Dredd's uniform.

It's always a big deal when a comic hits a round number, but when that number is in the thousands --- and when it's also a number that's been a part of the comic's title since its debut in 1977 --- it feels a whole lot bigger. On September 28, 2000 AD is finally hitting its 2000th weekly issue, and it's celebrating with an all-star cast of creators to give readers a concentrated dose of thrillpower.

So here are the three most amazing things about the Northampton International Comic Expo, which is happening on September 3 and 4 in Bedford in the UK: First, it can be abbreviated to "NICE," which is a very pleasant thing to call your comic book convention. Second, it's taking place in a building called the Bedford Corn Exchange. And third --- and perhaps most importantly --- it's going to feature three amazing new Judge Dredd prints from artists Tom Whalen and Matt Ferguson.

Classic UK comic Misty was one of many teen focused titles published by Fleetway, with a specific focus on telling supernatural and horror-tinged stories for girls. UK publisher Rebellion today acquired the rights to Misty and other Fleetway comics of the '70s and '80s, but reprints of Misty were already in the works. Next week sees the release of the first collection, featuring the stories "The Four Faces of Eve" and "Moonchild," and we have a preview of chapter one of "Moonchild."

Rebellion, the British publisher responsible for 2000 AD, has announced today that it has purchased the rights to dozens of classic out-of-print British titles from the '70s and '80s, including iconic British favorites Tammy, Roy of the Rovers, Battle, and Whizzer and Chips, in what is described as the biggest deal of its time in 30 years.

I'm pretty sure that everyone reading this already knows that Judge Dredd runs every week in the pages of 2000 AD, but apparently that was not often enough for British audiences in the '80s and '90s. From 1981 to 1998, a daily Dredd comic strip ran in the UK's Daily Star, giving readers bite-size chunks of Mega-City One's most ruthless lawman. And they got weird. Admittedly, it's not the weirdest I've ever seen from a comic strip --- that week-long "Alone" storyline in Garfield will forever hold that title --- but if you've been looking for the story about a beautiful woman who fell head over heels in love with the genocidal animated corpse that is Judge Death, here it is, reprinted at long last.

San Diego Comic Con is without a doubt the biggest event on the industry's calendar, and people will be flying from around the world to attend panels, watch trailers, meet creators, and make friends. This year's event is bigger than ever, with so much going on every single day that it can be difficult to sift through all that information and decide how to spend your time. With the event only days away, we've looked through the schedules and hand-selected some of the best events happening on Thursday and Friday for fans of comics, collectibles, TV and film, so you can be sure you don't miss that must-see panel or signing.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

I've been pretty up front about this before, but whenever 2000 AD's Judge Dredd manages to find himself thrown into a crossover with Aliens or Predator, the result is pretty amazing. In fact, I'd venture to say that they're arguably some of the best licensed crossover comics of all time, and will likely remain so until that magical moment where Judge Dredd vs. Archie finally becomes real. So as you might imagine, I'm pretty excited about the new crossover that throws all three of those franchises into a blender to see what happens when they all hit at the same time. It's coming from Dark Horse and 2000 AD next month, but today, we have a preview of the action, which can no longer be contained by a single Mega City. No, this time, they're heading out to the Atomic Wasteland that is the Cursed Earth.

The polls are closed and it's official, the United Kingdom has decided --- by a narrow margin --- that it wants to leave the European Union. I mean, who could blame them? Aside from the worker's rights, trade agreements and the opportunity to travel between member states, what does the EU even do? I mean, aside from the funding provided to the areas of the UK that London often neglects, environmental legislation and education and research funding. So you've voted Leave, and you want to treat yourself to a nice comic to spend the weekend with. We've picked out five of our favorite independent comics to peruse while you wait for Article 50 to be enacted.