By Zack Quaintance — The first page of Best of 2000 AD #1 tells you exactly what this book is — “Best of 2000 AD #1 is for new and curious readers; science-fiction fans who love their comics dangerous and thrilling but have never read 2000 AD. A perfect mix-tape, if you will.” This is exactly what I’ve been looking for for I don’t know how long now.

I am a 2000 AD neophyte. I’m well aware of the publisher, of the concepts, and of the high regard with which the smartest folks in comics hold their stories. I have bought a handful of 2000 AD books, specifically a 2000 AD script book (which amazingly puts script pages right beside finished art...why don’t more books do that?), and the Judge Dredd: Small House hardcover by Rob Williams and Henry Flint, which I bought last year at SDCC and just haven’t found the time to crack open. I am, perhaps, the exact type of reader that the new Best of 2000 AD series is aimed at, and today I’m going to review the first issue.

But first a word about the logistics of this (fairly brilliant) new publishing plan by 2000 AD. It’s a 12-issue, US-format, bound series, that as the publisher notes  is “precision-engineered to be accessible to a whole new generation of comics readers.” Each of these issues is 100 pages, and they are led by a self-contained Judge Dredd story, which gives way to a grab-bag of 2000 AD’s other series, the best of the best, natch. They are attempting to achieve here that always-elusive dream for long-running comics — to not only entice but to orient and actually freaking keep new readers. GASP!

So then, how did I — the exact sort this book is aimed at — find the first issue? I liked it quite a bit; it does exactly what’s promised so effectively, that I felt myself planning to read more 2000 AD about mid-way through the first story. In fact, I felt myself wanting to read as much 2000 AD as was feasible within things like eating, sleeping, relationships, and work as was feasible, which his high praise considering the amount of comics I’m currently lost under. And the desire to familiarize myself with this publisher only rose from there. In a word, this book is a success.

I also think it’s an exceedingly good value for the money they’re asking. This is 100 pages for $4.99, roughly in line with the price that a publisher like DC Comics charges for its new giants, which are along the same lines as this concept. The quality of the stand-alone material, however, is perhaps a bit higher. Take for example the opening story in this book, Judge Dredd Terror, by writer John Wagner, artist Colin MacNeil, and letterer Tom Frame. It’s an incredibly poignant read, with an element of O’Henry irony, a simple romantic tragedy, and an orientation to the Orwellian framework Judge Dredd stories take place within. It’s an exceedingly effective bit of storytelling that pleases the brain with its high-concept dystopian sci-fi, replete with literary questions about fanaticism and oppressive government...while at the same time offering a well-realized set of characters engaged in a love story, powered by distinct motives to move away loneliness and toward a shared relationship. It is, in another word, relatable. And that story spans a whopping 49 clearly-illustrated comic pages.

From there, the book takes us on a tour through the other types of stories that 2000 AD has to offer. One piece engages on the basis of the ethics of reckless genetic experimentation in the service of warfare. Another is a set of stories about a heroine named Halo Jones, written by Alan Moore, and they address matters of aspiration, art, safety, contentment, and really just, like, life. Another piece — by writer Dan Abnett, artist I.N.J. Culbard, and letterer Simon Bowland — is a space cop procedural.  While the final bit is a one-pager written and illustrated by Henry Flint. It really does have the cumulative effect of a mix-tape, one that has disparate songs but a coherent (and fascinating) theme running through it. It is also, as the concept hopes, a wonderful gateway into this world.

Overall: This comic is not only a great value and an enjoyable read, it’s as the publisher hopes a perfect entry point into the high-concept and well-done world of 2000 AD comics, which for me has been an intimidating mountain to climb for many years. But no longer! 10/10

Best of 2000 AD #1
Writers: John Wagner, Gordon Rennie, Alan Moore, and Dan Abnett
Artists: Colin MacNeil, Simon Coleby, Ian Gibson, and I.N.J. Culbard
Colorists: Len O’Grady
Letterers: Tom Frame, Simon Bowland, and Steve Potter
Publisher: 2000 AD
Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 29, 2020
Solicit: The ultimate 2000 AD mix-tape has arrived! Best of 2000 AD is a brand-new full-color US-size monthly designed for new readers, the essential gateway to the "Galaxy's Greatest Comic."  Collecting the finest stories of the UK publication's modern era, Best of 2000 AD features a self-contained 48-page Judge Dredd adventure supported by three of the legendary comic's stand-out series. Boasting work from legends John Wagner, Alan Moore, and Dan Abnett, with a brand new cover by Jamie McKelvie. WARNING: precision-engineered to thrill.

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.