This week’s Wednesday Comics Reviews starts with a look at the Galaxy’s greatest comics and the 2000AD Sci-Fi Special 2026 #1, then we look at The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood #1, and more!
2000AD Sci-Fi Special 2026 #1
Writers: TC Eglington, Ian Edginton, Kek-W, Andi Ewington, and Karl Stock
Artists: Boo Cook, D’Israeli, Anthony Williams, Gary Welsh, and Colin MacNeil (colored by Jim Boswell)
Letterers: Annie Parkhouse, Rob Steen, and Simon Bowland
Publisher: Rebellion
Review by Mike Donachie
Once, decades ago, a British comic’s “summer special” was a different experience. Mass-produced in slightly-enhanced format by the publishers of cheap, weekly comics “for boys”, they were designed to be grabbed from the newsagent’s shop or the petrol station as the school summer holidays began, often to occupy the squirmy little blighter already in the back seat, and perhaps pausing his requests for journey information. Obviously, times – and audiences – have changed, but still we have the 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special, a pleasing package of stories from Rebellion’s alien editor, Tharg the Mighty, and the put-upon droids he drives to produce Thrill Power in comics form. (Either you’re already on board with the comics kayfabe or you should follow along as best you can, Earthlets.)
Nowadays, the 2000 AD special – and there have been various seasonal and themed types over the years – is a combination of tradition, tryout zone, showcase, bonus content, occasional home for homeless strips, and perhaps a revenue generator, if all is well. It’s a little like the annuals that American publishers put out, though in anthology format, like 2000 AD’s weekly issues. So let’s assume we’re not currently being driven to the seaside in a beige Ford Cortina and take a spoiler-free look, story-by-story, at this year’s 50-something-page bundle of five oversized strips, all wrapped up in an in-your-face cover by 2k alum Liam Sharp.
Tl;dr: it’s quite good, actually, and worth your Galactic Groats.
Judge Dredd: Must Try Harder
A special from the House of Tharg will generally open with a solid Dredd, and here we are. This strip brings the full Mega City one mayhem and evokes some classics, especially Monkey Business at the Charles Darwin Block, a Mike McMahon masterpiece first published in 1980 (and available in the Judge Dredd Case Files Vol 4, which is easily the best of the early volumes and a recommended Dreddverse entry point), and a perfect early Brian Bolland moment in The Alien Zoo, from the 2000 AD Annual 1982 (and the Restricted Files Vol. 1). This time it’s twin ‘mad scientist’ types threatening their city with a monster machine, so of course Dredd is deployed and we get an exciting and funny story out of it.
As often happens with 2000 AD, there’s humour throughout, because strips in the prog can switch tone in an instant. It’s gory and hilarious and, with Boo Cook on Dredd, there’s always a stylistic link to the so-called Old Masters of 2000 AD, with his work often drawing comparisons with Massimo Belardinelli, Ian Gibson and others, and his habitual Easter eggs like a Harlem Heroes pennant reffing an early classic. It’s just not always clear what’s going on, at first read at least, with heavy reliance on differently-coloured flashback sequences and a receptive reader, but that’s a small point set against the talent and fervent creativity all over the page. What a joy.
Stickleback: Lithe Spirit
Here’s a welcome return of a strip from the comic’s vast back catalogue, with Fortean-Victorian crime adventurefest Stickleback popping up with a one-off story of murder, seances and general nastiness. Stickleback (the story) is one of those hidden gems of 2000 AD, available in collections and always easy to recognize and jump into. It benefits from the style of mononymous artistic genius D’Israeli and his long partnership with writer Ian Edginton; unimportantly, Stickleback connects to several other Edginton-written strips in what fans sometimes call the Edgiverse.
This is actually a slightly disturbing and mean-spirited story, but that reflects Stickleback (both story and character) and what’s important is it’s visibly part of the backbone of the summer special.
Young Death: Body of Evidence
Sometimes, following 2000 AD takes some deep knowledge, and this strip is a great example of that, and why making the effort pays off. Even if you’re a long-term fan, it can be tough to keep up, but that’s also part of the richness of it all. Let’s look at where we’re at.
The protagonist of this story – who is apparently the good guy, though only slightly – is a non-zombified, younger version of Judge Death, the interdimensional arch-enemy of Judge Dredd. Of course, Dredd himself, though a title character who often acts in a heroic manner, is a literal fascist in gold shoulder pads and actually a really bad guy, so Death, as Dredd’s twisted, decaying reflection, must be very bad indeed. And it’s a prequel, showing how Sidney De’ath – for so his father, a homicidal travelling dentist, named him – got his powers as an alien superfiend, battling a new enemy and still being chillingly evil.
That’s a lot, right? Somehow, it works. It’s grotesque and also superb, and satisfyingly continues writer Kek-W’s weird additions to the Dreddverse through his growing Fall of Deadworld oeuvre, connecting back through small nods like a reference to Sidney’s partner, Judge Ava Eastwood, who features in the Deadworld series.
Do you see what I mean? It takes investment, makes the story stronger, to my mind, with 2000 AD consistently showing how continuity should drive enjoyment, not hold it back. More on that below, with Strontium Dog.
Also, a quick mention that it’s always pleasing to see Anthony Williams pop up in a House of Tharg title. A survivor of 1990s Tooth, he’s gone on to develop a distinctive style and an impressive career.
Future Shock: Day 404
A Future Shock story, which tends have a stylized exclamation point in the final panel, is the prog’s shorthand for a one-off twist-in-the-tale story with a science fiction theme. If that sounds overly specific, try the sub-categories such as horror-themed Terror Tales, for the lore of alien editor Tharg the Mighty runs deep. Just know this is a standalone story and Future Shocks, as a tryout spot, often have mixed success. This one’s a solid black and white piece that fits well in the 2000 AD tradition.
Strontium Dog
This final feature is the treasure of the whole magazine. To have new Johnny Alpha stories at this standard, even as we miss creators who have passed and retired, is a treat. And this has those continuity nods in good ways, especially with the involvement of veteran Stront artist Colin MacNeil, who drew some of the most controversial moments in the character’s history, notably The Final Solution story in which Johnny Alpha apparently died at the hands – well, claws – of an other-dimensional demon, which also poked out his mutant eyes. This was a moment of real trauma for a generation of young readers, as reflected in the geektastic British TV sitcom Spaced, when Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and emoted over the “big flying thing”. I was there with them, and I felt that, too.
In this story, we have some thrilling callbacks to past continuity – especially The Royal Affair, when Alpha helped the King of England elope with a mutant who looked like a duck – and useful handwaving when The Final Solution is referenced by a character dismissing a rumour that Alpha had died. That’s how 2000 AD does continuity, and particularly the style of Alpha co-creator John Wagner, whose grasp of canon narrative is utilitarian at best and that’s just how he likes it. It’s a delight to see a focus on fun and entertainment here, in a proper adventure story that rips along, even if as it continues the cartoonish Strontium Dog tradition of knocking someone out and stealing their clothes as a disguise.
It’s just a great Stront strip that adds well to the massive library of material from this character and we’re privileged to see it.
If I’d read this comic in the back of a Cortina, leaving aside the potential for motion sickness, I’d have loved it. And, the standard remains, even after almost 50 years of 2000 AD. The 2026 summer special has strong stories that add up to plenty of content for the journey, although of course you can re-read it all week if it rains.
Worth your Galactic Groats for sure, the 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2026 is a great way to get into Tharg’s offerings and to be entertained this summer. Best accompanied with ice cream.
The Phantom vs. the Singh Brotherhood #1
Writer: Ray Fawkes
Artist: Russell Olson
Colors: JUANCHO!
Letters: Taylor Esposito
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review by Clyde Hall
Being a longtime fan can be a mixed bag, equal parts blessing and curse. The Phantom of Lee Falk, his Ghost Who Walks, has been one of my favorite justice-delivering icons for over fifty years. When my world felt justice-lite, Kit Walker served up cowled comeuppance to organized crime and evil-doers around the world. And he did it wrapped in an immortal legend which boldly proclaimed that justice, like its avatar in the Phantom, does not die. That a hero’s might can ever be used to set things right.
Which may be an old-fashioned notion itself. Yet, when done well, when embracing the mystery elements of this masked harbinger of evil’s imminent downfall, the Phantom satisfies and inspires like few other heroes. And he’s done it longer than most.
In The Phantom vs. the Singh Brotherhood one-shot this week, we see our hero once again in conflict with his longest-enduring nemeses, the pirates who helped create his legend more than 400 years ago. He must defy the Singh Brotherhood’s schemes to prove him mortal for once and all, and upon a global stage. It’s a worthy effort by Asif Singh, one carefully and thoughtfully orchestrated from prison confinement utilizing the far-reaching influence of the modern Brotherhood.
Here writer Ray Fawkes gives Asif the final act in his multilevel plan for destroying the legend of the Ghost Who Walks and doing it before countless witnesses. It’s the sort of maneuver which will dismiss any doubt the criminal empire he leads has outgrown a supposed undead avenger mythology. And prove the only thing ‘arcane’ about the Phantom legend is how anyone could take it seriously in the 21st century.
Kit dismisses that global stage in lieu of the shadows, the same misty confines in which the legend of the Phantom was born. From there, he does some orchestrating of his own, weaving a final confrontation that will have the underworld fearing the masked, immortal avenger for another generation.
It was nice seeing emphasis on no one, not even the reader, getting a look at Walker unmasked. The Falk novelizations were always good at keeping those barriers up through sunglasses and the like, and there’s a return to the practice here. Which fits well alongside another old jungle saying resurfacing this issue, “He who sees the Phantom’s face must die.”
There are plot conveniences taken for this final big battle, elements which just happen to be perfectly placed for the sake of getting on with the story. But overall, it fits the Phantom’s signature style well. Those in power seek an exploitable and very public example of their power, Asif the criminal diva delivering up the Phantom firsthand and in fatal final fashion. Kit navigates unseen, slowly increasing the pressure on his opponent. In the end, even criminals outside the Singh Brotherhood show a willingness to respect the Phantom’s dedication to justice over being cogs or pawns in the cartel elite the Brotherhood’s come to represent.
The Phantom’s supporting cast is mostly placed on hold for the final confrontation, but in earlier issues, they have helped Kit set up and prepare for it, making the solo moment feel earned. They also stand ready to assist should it be required. Fawkes manages Kit’s battle against Asif with eerie effectiveness, raising those ghostly stakes until the Singh leader is thoroughly unnerved.
As well as these scenes were written, their rendering felt lacking. Russell Olson is a good artist, and JUANCHO! a colorist whose work I’ve enjoyed previously. But their collaboration here, in the inky, murky depths of a prison haunted by the Phantom as Kit closes with his quarry, didn’t raise the tension bar as it should. The panels would have benefited from gradient and textured shadow work. A less cartoonish vibe would have made the climax feel like a chapter from a Falk story rather than a Scooby-Doo animated wrap up. As much as the final pages stuck the landing, these elements do distract.
By contrast, when the narrative builds through the Phantom’s martial skills and training, the art team’s styling works quite well. Exhibit A is a panned tracking shot across several panels with Phantom battling through multiple inmate-infused cell blocks. The sequence as they deliver it is absolute gold.
This brings me to my initial observation of long-standing favorite hero blessing and curse. Those battling action sequences made the Falk paperback thrills live again. The handling of Phantom renewing the supernatural nature of his constructed legend didn’t deliver the chills those novels did. And they might have, with a different aesthetic approach.
If you’ve been following along with Mad Cave’s Phantom titles and one-shots, this is a must-get addition. If not, The Phantom vs. the Singh Brotherhood will be a latter chapter of a book you’ve not yet read. So, find the previous issues building to this adventure, then treat yourself to a Phantom story which recognizes the character’s strengths, utilizes many classic tropes, and keeps the Skull Cave doing a brisk business in justice. “The Phantom’s legend is carried on the wings of the wind.” – Old Jungle Saying
Shellshock #1
Writers: John Arcudi, Michael W. Conrad, Julio Anta, Benito Cereno & Tom Fowler, and William M. Gaines & Al Feldstein
Artists: Shawn Martinbrough, Albert Monteys, David Lapham, Tom Fowler, and Jack Davis
Colorists: Matt Herms, Nick Filardi, and Michelle Madsen
Color Restoration: Michael Atiyeh
Letterers: Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Tyler Smith
Publisher: Oni-Lion Forge
Review by Jordan Jennings
This week Oni-Lion Forge has brought out another edition in their revamped EC Horror Comic anthologies with SHELLSHOCK #1. This edition focused on the classic EC Horror War stories of the pre-CCA industry. Each story focuses on a different era of warfare from the more recent Afghanistan war to World War I to even a sci-fi future war. Each feature brings together tremendous talent and all befitting that classic EC Comics ironic horror.
My favorite of the bunch was John Acrudi and Shawn Martinbrough’s Scorched Earth, a haunting tale of war in Afghanistan as Corporal Rita Cruces experiences trauma before leaving AFG. Acrudi’s omnipresent and haunting narrator really nails that classic EC comics feel all while updating it for a modern audience. The story is unfortunately rooted in reality as it is centered around the burn pits found at US military bases in the Middle East wars of the 2000’s. It thematically ties in with the central theme of burning to not destroy but to hurt. The fires don’t kill at first, but instead eat away at you. The burn pits have been confirmed to cause a rise in cancer rates among veterans and locals that resided near them. The cancer is often aggressive and eats away at the body but not fast enough to give the merciful end. It was a beautifully illustrated story by Martinbrough that captures the horror of the not just the mind but the moment. The story is befitting of a modern haunted war.
The dark and cynical tones in Christmas and Blowback offers another insight into these cruel and ironic EC Comics. Christmas by Michael W. Conrad and Albert Monteys centers on the Christmas truce of WWI and the whole time there is a suspenseful build to the inevitable twist and dark turn. Conrad strings the reader along for pages as we see the British soldier begrudgingly celebrate with the Germans as the narration provides insight into the Briton’s mind. The twist hits like a hammer on just the final page and it makes the story all the much darker for it. Monteys does a stellar job with the art in contrasting the youth and malnourishment of the Germans compared to the British. All in all a dark story. Julio Anta and David Lapham’s Blowback is very much a Lapham story about some ugly people getting their just desserts. A CIA operative is the absolute worst and he quickly becomes victim to his own devices. Not much to add but it was satisfying to see such an awful person get what was coming to them. Classic EC comics, right there.
The World of Wars story by Benito Cereno & Tom Fowler is an excellent sci-fi war story about what happens when a remote civilization decides to make the Earth the battlefield for all disputes in an effort to ironically save civilians. The concept has been done before to great extent in comics, but I love Cereno and Fowler’s take here. The whole story is told through narration set against imagery of the humans suffering from the wars. Fowler’s visual story telling, absent any dialog, tells the story of refugees and the cruel malovence of “higher” civilizations.
Overall, when you factor in the inclusion of the classic Yellow, Shellshock is a worthwhile read if you are a fan of the classic war comics of yesteryear.
Column edited by Zack Quaintance
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