2000 AD #1035
2000 AD Prog 1035, published on 25 March 1997, is the debut issue of Nikolai Dante — one of the most celebrated characters to emerge from the British weekly anthology in the post-Thatcherite era. Dante, a swashbuckling thief who discovers he is an illegitimate scion of a future imperial Russian dynasty, brought a high-adventure, romantically charged tone that deliberately broadened 2000 AD's palette beyond its signature sci-fi satire. The strip ran continuously until 2012 and earned an Eagle Award for Best UK Character, the first time in nearly two decades that Judge Dredd had been unseated from that honour. For collectors and historians alike, this prog marks the precise moment a new franchise-level character entered the British comics canon.
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Prog 1035 arrived during a transitional period for 2000 AD: David Bishop had taken over as weekly editor in 1996, was actively retiring underperforming strips, and was commissioning fresh talent. Morrison and Fraser had already collaborated with Bishop on the Judge Dredd Megazine, which gave the editor confidence in launching their ambitious new project in the flagship weekly. The opening seven-episode Nikolai Dante story — scripted by Robbie Morrison, drawn by Simon Fraser, and coloured by Alison Kirkpatrick — was subsequently reprinted in Hamlyn's 1998 trade paperback Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty and later in a DC/Rebellion collected edition, cementing the debut arc's standing as the foundation of an extended graphic-novel series.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Nikolai Dante, created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser, cover-dated 25 March 1997.
- The Dante debut story (titled 'The Adventures of Nikolai Dante', Part 1) ran for seven episodes across Progs 1035–1041, with colour art by Alison Kirkpatrick.
- The issue was published by Egmont Fleetway Ltd under editor David Bishop, who had taken the weekly editorial chair in 1996 and was actively developing new strips to revitalise the comic.
- Dante's premise — a 27th-century Imperial Russia where a roguish thief bonds with an alien 'Weapons Crest' and discovers aristocratic Romanov heritage — introduced supporting characters Vandra Lorius, Lilla Ferro, Stig Lydecker, Al Bestardi, and Wintersgill, all indexed in this issue.
- Judge Dredd also appears in this prog, alongside Judge DeMarco (who had been introduced in 'The Pit', Progs 970–999) and a cast of Cadet characters (Bodine, Renga, Stark, Washington), indicating an ongoing Academy of Law-related Dredd story was also running.
- Sláine and his dwarf companion Ukko appear in this issue, reflecting 2000 AD's standard multi-strip anthology format.
- The opening Dante arc was collected in Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Dynasty, first by Hamlyn (1998) and later in a DC/Rebellion trade paperback edition (2004), making it one of the most reprinted debut arcs in the comic's history.
- The Nikolai Dante series ultimately ran until Prog 1791 in July 2012, and the character won an Eagle Award for Best UK Character — the first non-Dredd winner of that prize in approximately twenty years.