40 Years of Scream!: The Archival Collection (2024)

40 Years of Scream!: The Archival Collection (2024)

Authors: Various (inc. Alan Grant / Alan Moore / Gerry Finley-Day / John Wagner / Simon Furman | Artists: Various (inc. Brendan McCarthy / Cam Kennedy / Eric Bradbury / Jesus Redondo / José Ortiz / Mike Western) | Page Count: 464

'A torturous approval system was imposed, where pages thought editorially sound had to pass four further levels of oversight...'

Rebellion, current owners of 2000 AD and its associated media, would publish the instructions from a toilet roll if they thought they could make money from it, and then within a year or two probably republish it as part of a themed anthology, perhaps with the ingredients of some liquid hand soap to bulk out the page count, and some adverts for other upcoming collections.

On the flip side, they're rescuing some classic-era works from virtual obscurity via their Treasury of British Comics imprint and giving them a new, vibrant life on higher quality paper stock than most ever would've been given back in the day.

Batman / Judge Dredd (1991-98)

Judgement on Gotham (1991)

Authors: John Wagner / Alan Grant | Artist: Simon Bisley | Page Count: 61

"I'm goin' into an uncontrollable butt frenzy!"

Picking Judgement on Gotham off a shelf in '91 was the most excited I've ever been for a ridiculous comic crossover event. Joe Dredd and Batman! Whoa!

I imagined the personality clash to be like two worlds colliding. Okay, it's not quite that good, but it's still pretty awesome and revisiting it again despite being twenty+ years older gave me a similar kind of joy.

In previous years Batman had faced some twisted minds in his own world, but he'd never encountered anything quite like Judge Death before. When the superfiend D-Jumps from Mega-City One to Gotham it's going to take more than a glimpse of a winged mammal suit to save the city from being Judddgggged.

You'll need to be a fan of both characters to get the most from it. Authors Wagner and Grant had more experience writing for Joe, and it shows. They don't do Batman an injustice, they capture his personality well and don't compromise his integrity, but when weighed out it's mostly Dredd's story. I'm perfectly okay with that, but it's worth mentioning in case you're here solely for Batsy.

The Complete Future Shocks: Volume 01 (2018)

The Complete Future Shocks: Vol 01 (2018)

Authors + Illustrators: Various - see end of post for full list | Page Count: 320

'The 'Shocks' are the sudden twist endings that up-end the narrative, that can unnerve even as they excite and astonish.'

The first volume, in what I suspect will be a fairly long-running series, collects all of Tharg's Future Shocks from the weekly 2000 AD magazine.

Some of the stories included have been reprinted previously, in various collections over the years, but for many of the others it's the first time they've received such an honour. Crucially, the works are presented in the same order in which they appeared in the weekly magazine. Volume 01, therefore, opens with the very first self-contained Shock from August 1977, and goes all the way up to July 1981.

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 05 (2016)

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 05 (2016)

Author: Alan Grant  |  Illustrators: Arthur Ranson / Dave Taylor / Boo Cook / Robin Smith / Darren Douglas  |  Page Count: 320

"Best thing you can do is shoot me full of synthi-caf an' point me at the streets!"

The bulk of the content in Volume 5 first appeared in the Judge Dredd Megazine; the two bonus entries at the end of the book are the only exception.

The opening story is excellent. A single dialogue bubble adorns the page because it's all that's needed. It's as if Alan Grant was setting a renewed precedent for himself that everything afterwards attempts to equal, with varying degrees of success.

That same story is also the only one in the collection to be drawn by series regular Arthur Ranson. Most of the artwork thereafter is handled by Boo Cook.

I wasn't familiar with Boo's art prior to reading, but have since discovered that, like many 2000 AD artists, he started out by illustrating Future Shocks. They must have impressed Tharg, because Boo quickly moved onto ABC Warriors! Not long after he was drawing for Dredd and now Anderson.

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 04 (2014)

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 04 (2014)

Author: Alan Grant  |  Illustrators: Steve Sampson / Arthur Ranson  |  Page Count: 304

'Fear is for scaredy cats. I say it to myself ten times. But I sleep with the light on.'

Anything goes (usually illegally) in Mega-City One, but esoteric concerns have always been better suited to Judge Anderson's corner than that of the typical street judges. There's a lot of that kind of thing in Volume 4 and she's at the centre of it.

The first part finishes Steve Sampson's excellent run on art duties. He returns the reins to series regular Arthur Ranson for a multi-part epic that manages to be set present day (for the Meg) and simultaneously be tied into an event that happened prior Necropolis. It could've been a mess but it isn't, it works and it references a lot of history while doing so. It's also bloody and gruesome in places.

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 03 (2013)

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 03 (2013)

Authors: Alan Grant / Peter Milligan / Dan Abnett / Andy Lanning  |  Illustrators: Arthur Ranson / Steve Sampson / Charles Gillespie / Angel Unzueta / Ian Gibson / Trevor Hairsine / Eddy Cant / Mick Austin / Anthony Williams  |  Page Count: 304

"Funny, though. 'I protest'. That's all he said. But I kinda knew what he meant."

Alan Grant drags Anderson even deeper into the realms of philosophy and religion in Volume 03. Her hitherto discoveries about her past, coupled with a recent changed perception of what 'Justice' is, have opened her consciousness to previously unexplored concerns affecting Mega City One. She begins to experience visions that lead her into the unknown. The iconography used will be familiar to everyone, but the associations are Anderson specific.

There’s quite a lot of Dredd in this one. It’s interesting to see Old Stony in Anderson’s world. It distances him a little from the typically masculine arena he usually embodies. Grant knows that Joe needs to present the appearance of a non-conformist with a controlling influence (because you can take a Judge to water but you can’t make him think), but there’s also an almost parental guiding attitude present. He won’t accept failure from Anderson but he’s more than happy to step aside to let her prove herself, or team-up if the Law permits.

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 02 (2012)

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 02 (2012)

Authors: Alan Grant / John Wagner  |  Illustrators: Arthur Ranson / David Roach / Kevin Walker / Mark Wilkinson / Charles Gillespie / Xuasus / Ian Gibson / Enric Romero / Mike Collins / Steve Sampson / Tony Luke  |  Page Count: 304

'Nine years old and already they're learning they're a breed apart. [...] They don't take part in life. They watch it. When they grow up, they'll judge it.'

Volume 2 continues the Judge Anderson stories in (mostly) chronological order, and unlike Volume 1 (2009) the majority of it is now in colour.

Cassandra has proved that she can kick ass if she needs to, but a physical response is just a small part of her repertoire. Her stories tend to deal with subjects that are more emotional, cerebral and far-reaching than Dredd's. Old Stony Face pops up occasionally but it's either as fan-service or simply as a device to keep alive a connection to the judicial system. Everyone's favourite asshole, Judge Goon, also pops his ugly head up when least wanted.

Up until now we've primarily viewed Anderson as something that didn't fit comfortably into the world, she was at cross-purposes with her calling and an affront to the times. The book shifts more to her perspective and shows that it's the world that's gone to hell, and in reality she is perhaps the only free thinker in a sea of oppression.

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 01 (2009)

Judge Anderson: The PSI Files: Volume 01 (2009)

Authors: Alan Grant / John Wagner  |  Illustrators: Brett Ewins / Cliff Robinson / Robin Smith / Barry Kitson / Jeff Anderson / Will Simpson / Mark Farmer / Mick Austin / David Roach / Arthur Ranson / Carlos Ezquerra / Kim Raymond  |  Page Count: 384

'I’m hurting inside, deep down in my mind, in the secret places only the PSIs know.'

When something is considered too weird for the regular Judges of Mega-City One to deal with they’ll often step aside and call in PSI Division. The PSI Judges have abilities that enable them to literally get inside the minds of criminals.

The best of them, Judge Cassandra Anderson, is a psychic and a telepath with some limited precognition powers. Being receptive to the thoughts of others makes her a little eccentric. She’s accountable to the law the same as everyone, but sometimes PSI Judges are granted special dispensations; she's been known to take advantage of such things.

Since Rebellion acquired 2000 AD they’ve been re-releasing some long out of print material in very attractive editions with a large page count that would make any shelf envious. The first Anderson volume collects together her earliest adventures in chronological order (see end of post for full list).

Monster (2016)

Monster (2016)

Authors: Alan Moore / Alan Grant / John Wagner  |  Illustrators: Heinzl / Jesus Redondo
Page Count: 192

'One metre. Was that enough? Should it be deeper? Kenneth Corman wasn't sure. He was only twelve. He'd never buried anyone before.'

Beneath the 2000 AD logo you used to find the words 'The Galaxy's Greatest Comic.' I can't comment on whether or not that's still the case, but in the mid-nineties I'd have agreed wholeheartedly with the statement. But Monster wasn't a 2000 AD strip, it was from a short-lived British anthology comic named Scream!, so why would Rebellion, current owners of 2000 AD, choose to release it?

I don't know. Perhaps because it was written by three of their greatest writers and has been undeservedly out of print for over thirty years!? Whatever the reason, I'm sure glad it happened.

The Scream! comic lasted just fifteen issues (from 24th March 1984 to 30th June 1984) before mysteriously disappearing from the shelves. I know first-hand the confusion and disappointment felt by readers at the time because I was one.