2000AD: Malone's shocking identity

[matgb]

The only comic I buy regularly these days is 2000ad. It's British, it's normally well written, it's grown up with its reader base (and I do shudder when it's put in the kids comic section of a newsagent, kids really shouldn't be reading it), and it's an anthology.

The advantage of an anthology comic is that there's always something you like. If it's a standard comic, it's one story, one character, one writer. If it sucks, it all sucks, you've wasted your money. With 2000ad, there's always something I like, even if it's just one little story in an issue full of dross. With the current arcs, I'm a bit meh about the Judge Dredd (just kill him off and give us Rico already), Stone Island is a bit arse, but Nicolai Dante is always good, and Banzai Battalion is just silly. But Malone? Who cares? It's the denouement today, the final installment, it's even on the cover. Meh, says I, but buys it anyway.

Y'see, Malone is the story of an amnesiac drifter getting a job in a bar in an obscure colony world and trying to figure out who he is and where he's going. He's obviously 'useful', and good with a gun, but hasn't got a clue who he is. Cue the local gang boss trying to recruit him, a relationship of sorts with his cute younger neighbour etc. So far, so dull. Last week, at the end, a character shows up at the door who knows who he really is. The art is pretty poor, but it was a character that looked vaguely familiar. Meh, says I, I still care not, it's a crap strip, move on.

This week? I read it through, again, as I always do on Wednesday lunchtime. The guy introduces himself as Rocky Rhodes. My memory refuses to tell me who that is. I turn the page, still not caring. I turn the page to the next panel, he's going to say who Malone is, I'm hoping it might pique my interest. Speech bubble. "Your name is Finnigan Sinister". Interest piqued. More than piqued.

Oh boy did that get my attention

It's no longer a Malone story. It's no longer a story abot an obscure backwater colony world. It's about Downlode. It's about Finny. It's about what happened. It's cool. Crappy story about a character I didn't care about? It was until today.

The art's still crap though.

D'you like how I did the lj-cuts? Do ya, do ya? Meh... Anyway, next post? Damn fine coffee

Comments

[mrblue1966.livejournal.com]

My god, I didn't realise 2000AD was still being published. A scary thought, but I actually remember the first edition of the comic, and even played with the free frisbee nearly 29yrs ago.

I always preferred Starlord, but it didn't last very long. My favorite storyline was Ro-Busters, and the ABC Wars.

Oh to be a kid again.

[matgb]

Oh yeah, still going. Fleetway sold it to Rebellion, a computer games company, recently, and they're exploiting the licence and back catalogue in a very canny matter.

Most of the readers are aged 21+, with many your age (y'old fart), and much of the content these days is really not good for kids, sex and violence aren't gratuitous, but just there.

Both R-Busters and ABC Warriors still come back every so often, but the last warriors story seems to have finally killed them off, it really was a case of scraping the barrel.

[recursived.livejournal.com]

Add me to the "didn't know it's still being published" list. Although I suspect I'd have heard of it if it was being discontinued (a BBC headline like "I Am The Law No More").

Talking of Dredd, didn't they do a similar unnamed-man wonders the world, only to be revealed as a major comic character thing with him back in the 80s or 90s?

[matgb]

Bah, my friends list is a bunch of uncultured types it seems. Everyone should read 2000AD, it's great.

As to a returning unknown, I don't recall it, but then, I started reading in the mid-90s, when I moved to Manchester, so 13 years ago...

Dredd'll be killed off soon, put money on it.