Happy Birthday, 2000AD! From script droid Michael Carroll

Name: Michael Carroll


Web site:
www.michaelowencarroll.com

Currently working on:

The seventh novel in the Quantum Prophecy series of Young Adult superhero adventures (www.quantumprophecy.com). The sixth novel - Stronger - will be published in June.

More Judge Dredd stories.

Other stuff that I'm not going to mention until contracts have been signed!

First memory of 2000AD?

It was either seeing one of those half-page ads for the comic in Battle Picture Weekly, or an article in one of the Irish newspapers. Can't remember which came first...

I do recall my dad showing me the newspaper article and telling me about Dan Dare, whom he remembered from the original Eagle. I was already an avid comic reader by that stage (I was almost 11, after all!), but something about 2000AD really got me buzzing.

The evening before the first issue was due I went to the local newsagent's just in case the weekly comic delivery came in early. That didn't happen often, but I figured it was worth a shot. And it paid off: the comics arrived while I was there: the newsagent gave me the very first prog out of the bundle... Ah, such a simple thing, but it meant the world to me.

Favourite Character or Story?

Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, The Stainless Steel Rat... And hundreds more. It'd be easier and quicker to list my least favourite characters and stories (but I won't!)

What do you like most about 2000AD?

The best thing about an anthology comic is that there's alwayssomething new. This alone puts 2000AD ahead of almost every other comic still in print, and the fact that it's weekly is just awesome in an age when far too many Big Name comics have only a single story and still can't manage to keep a regular schedule.

What would you most like to see in 2000AD as it heads to its Forties?

More of the same... 2000AD has never been better than it is now, and if it works, don't change it!

That said, if I was Tharg I'd very strongly consider reducing the physical size of the comic to US comic dimensions. Not only would this save money on printing and distribution, it would mean that the prog could be displayed alongside its peers in the US. I'm sure this would help endear the comic to US readers and specialist comic stores.

If you worked on 2000AD, do you have an anecdote you'd like to share about your experience of Tharg and his minions?

Back in March 2010, I saw a link on the 2000AD message board that said"Bryan Talbot Returns To Judge Dredd – And This Time He’s Bringing His Son."

I'm a huge fan of Mr Talbot, so naturally I followed the link... And that was when I discovered that Bryan and his son Alwyn were illustrating my Dredd story, "Caterpillars."

I usually don't know who's illustrating my scripts (I'm sure Tharg would tell me if I asked, but I kind of like not knowing - it adds to the surprise), so that completely floored me.

I know that's not much of an anecdote from most people's point of view, but it sure made my day!

• This post is one in a series of tributes to 2000AD to mark its 35th birthday on 26th February 2012. More about 2000AD at www.2000adonline.com

2000AD © Rebellion