2000 AD Winter Special #7
The 2000 AD Alternity Winter Special of 1995 — the seventh and final Fleetway-era Winter Special — marks the debut of Sinister Dexter, the long-running hitman series by Dan Abnett and David Millgate that would become one of the most durable strips in the anthology's history. By launching what was conceived as a possible one-off into a series that has run for well over two hundred episodes, this issue proved the Winter Special format could still generate genuinely new franchise pillars rather than simply recycling existing characters. Simultaneously, the issue's 'Alternity' theme — reimagining established 2000 AD characters in alternate-universe settings — demonstrated the editorial willingness at a creatively turbulent mid-nineties Fleetway to experiment with the shared universe rather than rest on formula. As the bookend of Fleetway's original run of Winter Specials, it closes one publishing era while opening another narratively, making it a hinge point in the anthology's history.
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The issue carried the distinct banner '2000 AD Alternity Winter Special,' organising its content around alternate-universe takes on familiar characters including Judge Dredd, Durham Red, and Venus Bluegenes. According to the official 2000 AD Encyclopedia supplemental, Sinister Dexter was originally conceived as a potential one-off strip for this special, and it was incoming editor David Bishop who recognised its ongoing potential and commissioned further episodes. Artist David Millgate confirmed in a published interview that Dan Abnett had already developed the concept before Millgate was brought on board to design the two lead characters, with both creatives independently noting the then-recent cultural impact of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction as a tonal reference point. Fleetway published the first seven Winter Specials between 1988 and 1995; this 1995 edition was the last before Rebellion eventually revived the format a decade later.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Sinister Dexter: hitmen Finnigan 'Finny' Sinister and Ramone 'Ray' Dexter, set in the future European megalopolis of Downlode — a debut confirmed across multiple sources including the Albion British Comics Database, the Judge Dredd Wiki, TV Tropes, Wikipedia, and the official 2000 AD Encyclopedia supplemental.
- Sinister Dexter was created by writer Dan Abnett and artist/character designer David Millgate; Abnett has stated the characters were inspired by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's roles in Pulp Fiction (1994).
- The strip was conceived as a possible one-off for this special; editor David Bishop commissioned it as an ongoing series after seeing its potential — it has since run for well over two hundred episodes.
- The issue was published under the title '2000 AD Alternity Winter Special,' with stories presenting alternate-universe versions of established 2000 AD characters including Judge Dredd.
- Durham Red story 'Bloodlines' — a text story with illustrations by Mark Harrison, written by Peter Hogan — appeared in this issue, continuing Peter Hogan's run on the vampiric bounty hunter character.
- Venus Bluegenes story 'Bitchin!' — written by Steve White with art by Simon Coleby — also featured in this issue, part of the Rogue Trooper spin-off character's mid-nineties solo appearances.
- This was the seventh and final Winter Special published by Fleetway; the series ran from 1988–1990 and resumed 1992–1995, with Rebellion not reviving the format until 2005.
- Sinister Dexter subsequently became a regular fixture in the main weekly prog from 1996 onwards and has been collected in multiple trade paperbacks, including the Rebellion-era Gun Lovin' Criminals volume and the more recent Bulletopia collection.