2000 AD Prog #2462: Dark Destiny Awaits
It’s the last regular Prog of the year as 2000 AD goes festive with its yearly 100 page Christmas edition next week. However the thrills are here aplenty as we have another stellar showcase as Tharg and his droids pull out all the stops. We do however bid bon voyage to Judge Dredd: Messengers which ends its run this week, else where we get a double helping of Rogue Trooper: Ghost Patrol, a new Futueshock, and the second part to Deadtown.
Judge Dredd: Messengers - Part 3 Final Part (Ken Niemand, Nick Percival, Annie Parkhouse)
While Messengers has been a simple three-parter, it’s an interlude to a big story coming our way in 2026. The threads that Ken Niemand and Nick Percival have been weaving across their Dredd tales this year, promise to go big across both the Prog and the Megazine in the coming months. And if Messengers is anything to go by…it’s going to be a big fountain of horror for both Dredd and Mega-City One.
There’s not a lot I can say about this final part that’s not going to wreck its ending. What I will say is that Niemand and Percival have brought the horror back to Judge Dredd and with The Oubliette coming we’ve got to wait a little longer to see how it pays off. More still, who is going to survive to see the dawn?
Future Shocks: The Happiness Meme (James Lovegrove, Toby Willsmer, Simon Bowland)
I’ve always admired those script droids who try their hand at writing a Future Shocks tale. The limited page count that asks you to create a done-in-one tale with a twist at the end must see some writers really plumb the depths of their imaginations. Not only this, but the humble Future Shocks has been a staple of the 2000 AD Prog for quite some time, so you can imagine there’s been a few.
Anyway, with The Happiness Meme Lovegrove and Willsmer tackle a rogue meme that’s been thrown out into the wide world.
And it all starts with Kevin Jorkins…
The Happiness Meme is a Future Shocks through and through. From following Kevin as he takes a simple picture to share with his girlfriend, to the meme spreading chaos across the globe. It’s all incredibly silly, yet hides a much sinister tone underneath. While Lovegrove has fun crafting this tale, it’s grey to see Toby Willsmer back in the Prog, and his art style works wonders in bringing The Happiness Meme to life.
Deadtown: Part One - Part 2, Final Part (David Barnett, Luke Horsman, Simon Bowland)
And as quick as it started, Deadtown comes to its conclusion within its second part. With the premise of a simple zombie apocalypse story, in just two parts Deadtown became much more. With underlying themes that mirror what’s going on in the real world, Deadtown is the perfect example on how 2000 AD has always taken a satirical look at our world.
For those who missed out on last week’s opening, Deadtown tells the story of a downed Russian satellite that’s somehow reanimated the dead. As such an act was brought through by the government which allowed the dead folk to return to work. One such person is Detective Bill Rook who’s returning to work after dying back in the 1950’s.
Rook’s first case sees the detective on the trail of Jimmy Pills, a seemingly normal fellow who’s been murdered by some unsavoury people. Rook soon uncovers that Jimmy was in the business of acquiring brains, and it’s probably this business that’s seen him become one of the dead. And with the recently awoken having a penchant for brains, how does it fit in with DC Rook?
Has this one finished a little too soon? Well in my opinion it has as it seems that Barnett has only started to scratch the surface of this interesting new world. Could we see a more in-depth series coming our way in 2026? With plenty of political drama, and a penchant for potentially going to some dark places, I’m hoping Tharg commissions another series.
Rogue Trooper: Ghost Patrol - Part 13 (Alex De Campi, Neil Edwards, Matt Soffe, Jim Campbell)
As someone who’s grown very tired of Rogue Trooper and NU Earth, Ghost Patrol has felt like a breath of fresh air (try saying that to the Southers and the Norts!). Across the narrative, De Campi has taken us back to Rogue’s roots and to the characters time under the watch Gerry Findley-Day.The basics to those original Rogue Trooper tales saw the Genetic Infantryman, Rogue betrayed by the mysterious General and left as the last of his kind. Created as a soldier to fight for the Southers in their never ending battle against the Norts, Findley-Day had Rogue tackling a villain of the week story, while the bigger picture started to play out in the background. It’s this simple premise that De Campi has opted for with Ghost Patrol.
Across the last thirteen episodes we’ve been following Quartz Zone Massacre witness Officer Macinrow as he finds himself back on NU Earth. Tasked with finding a long forgotten Southern base that once developed the Genetic Infantrymen, Macinrow has found himself under the influence of the insidious Nygaard. While this is going on, De Campi has thrown Rogue into a bunch of mini adventures much like those of old.
This double length penultimate episode serves to bring the three separate stories crashing together as Rogue, Macinrow, and Nydaard descend upon the uncovered Fob Azure. With plenty of questions still needing answered, next week’s finale is shaping up to be a good’en.
But the real question is - has Ghost Troopers changed my opinion of the Rogue Trooper burn out?
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