Posted in: Comics, Rebellion / 2000AD | Tagged: comicspro, garth ennis, jock, judge dredd, mcm, robo hunter

MCM/ComicsPRO: Garth Ennis On Robo-Hunter In The 2000 AD 2027 Annual

MCM/ComicsPRO Announcement: Garth Ennis and Chris Burnham on new Sam Slade: Robo-Hunter in the new 2000 AD 2027 Annual

2027 will be the fiftieth anniversary of 2000 AD. And in preparation, the 2000 AD 2027 Annual Hardcover will be out in November this year. Known for reprinting a lot of material, with some new material, this edition will have a lot more original material, only in this volume, with sixty pages of new stories. Announced at MCM London Comic Con this weekend, at the ComicsPRO retailer event, the 2000 AD 2027 Annual will include a new Judge Dredd by Rob Williams and RM Guera, Robo-Hunter by Garth Ennis and Chris Burnham, The Out by Dan Abnett and Mark Harrison, Hawk the Slayer by Alec Worley and Staz Johnson, Fiends of the Eastern Front by Ian Edginton and Alejandro Aragon and Tharg's Future Shocks by Mike Carroll and Kieran McKeown. And I am told that it will be an unusual Future Shock, intended to catch readers off guard… With a cover by Jock, the 2000 AD Annual 2027 will be published on the 25th of November, a 112-page hardcover for £25.

Launched in 1977, 2000 AD has run for nearly 50 years and launched characters like Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Slaine and Nemesis the Warlock. In 1975, IPC Magazines' sub-editor Kelvin Gosnell spotted a trend of upcoming sci-fi films and proposed a new comic. Publisher John Sanders tasked Pat Mills, known for Battle Picture Weekly and the controversial Action, with developing it. Mills recruited John Wagner as a script adviser.   The title 2000 AD (chosen by Sanders) reflected a futuristic vibe, though few expected it to last that long. The comic blended action, violence, black humour, and anti-authoritarian themes, inspired by Mills' prior work. It targeted a similar audience to weekly UK comics but with edgier sci-fi content on cheap paper for maximum visual impact.  Judge Dredd debuted in the second issue, a fascist future lawman in Mega-City One who acts as judge, jury, and executioner, and quickly became the breakout star.  In 2000, the Rebellion Developments games company bought the title from IPC/Egmont and expanded into collections, digital releases, and games while continuing weekly progs. And the upcoming Rogue Trooper movie, as well as the fiftieth anniversary, means it may be getting a spotlight upon it again.

Oh, and Robo-Hunter? Sam Slade, a laconic, cynical, cigar-chomping bounty hunter who specialises in tracking down rogue robots, malfunctioning androids, and missing droids in a future where robots have become ubiquitous.  Created by John Wagner and Ian Gibson, Robo-Hunter is heavily humorous and satirical, with a "robo-noir" vibe blending hardboiled detective tropes with absurd robot antics. Sam is a world-weary everyman hero who often outsmarts (or barely survives) his mechanical foes through wit and experience rather than superpowers. And now getting the Garth Ennis touch with Chris Burnham for the 2007 annual… Look for more from MCM and ComicsPRO this weekend with these handy Bleeding Cool tags.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!