2000 AD #76
2000 AD Prog 76, cover-dated 5 August 1978, carries a double load of historical weight: it is simultaneously the launch instalment of Robo-Hunter — the strip that introduced Sam Slade, one of British comics' most enduring noir-comedy creations — and an episode of 'The Cursed Earth', the first genuinely epic Judge Dredd serial, notable here for being the first 2000 AD story to reach sixteen consecutive instalments. The debut of Robo-Hunter gave 2000 AD a tonal counterweight to Dredd's harsh satire, blending hard-boiled detective fiction with science-fiction comedy in a way that would influence the anthology's editorial range for years. Prog 76 therefore captures the weekly at a pivotal creative moment: the Dredd strip reaching new narrative ambition while a brand-new strip of comparable longevity was simultaneously being born on the same newsprint.
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Robo-Hunter was written by John Wagner — who at this period was also the principal creative force behind Judge Dredd — scripting under the pseudonyms 'TB Grover' and 'Mike Stott'. The strip's opening episodes present a behind-the-scenes complication: José Luis Ferrer was engaged as the original artist, but editorial deemed his work unsuitable; Ian Gibson was brought in to redraw and modify Ferrer's pages before taking over the strip entirely from the third episode onward, meaning Prog 76 itself carries art substantially shaped by Gibson despite Ferrer's credit on the earliest pages. The Cursed Earth chapter in the same issue ('Black Sabbath!') was written by Pat Mills and drawn by Mike McMahon, continuing the six-month epic that Mills later described as Dredd's first sustained piece of large-scale worldbuilding.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published 5 August 1978 by IPC Magazines; Prog 76 of the weekly British anthology 2000 AD.
- First appearance of Sam Slade, Robo-Hunter, in 'Robo-Hunter: Verdus, Part 1' — the opening chapter of the 22-episode 'Verdus' storyline (Progs 76–84 and 100–112).
- Robo-Hunter written by John Wagner (under pseudonyms 'TB Grover'/'Mike Stott'); originally illustrated by José Luis Ferrer for the first two episodes, though Ian Gibson redrew and modified Ferrer's pages before taking over as regular artist from Part 3 onward.
- The issue's cover was illustrated by Ian Gibson — a Robo-Hunter cover marking the new strip's debut.
- Also contains 'The Cursed Earth, Chapter 16 — Black Sabbath!', written by Pat Mills and drawn by Mike McMahon, in which Dredd defeats Satanus and rescues Judge Jack; at 16 instalments it was the first 2000 AD story to reach that length.
- Tweak, the aardvark-like alien companion who joins Dredd's party during The Cursed Earth, appears in this episode — killing the dinosaur Little Hades to save Dredd.
- Judge Jack appears in the Dredd episode, saved by Dredd from Satanus; Jack is a supporting character within The Cursed Earth saga (Progs 61–85).
- 'Verdus' was reprinted in Titan Books' Robo-Hunter casebook (1982), in colour by Eagle Comics as a five-issue mini-series (1984), by Fleetway Quality's Cyber Crush series, and by DC/Rebellion as Robo-Hunter Volume 1: Verdus; The Cursed Earth material was collected in Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 02 (Rebellion).
Cast · 4 characters
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A lonely space light-house keeper tells his computer to get rid of all the illusions it has created to keep him company.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).