2000AD, for those unfortunate enough not to be aware of it, is a British weekly comic that has been in publication since 1977 (
Wikipedia entry here). Its most famous character is probably
Judge Dredd, but another is
Sláine, a Cuchulainn-like barbarian warrior. He's been drawn by several different artists in very different styles, but one of my favourites was
Mike McMahon, who drew the strip from progs 335 to 360.
These two images are from near the end of McMahon's run, and illustrate an encounter between mystically powered sky-ships.
I love McMahon's scratchy, angular style, and I also really like the fact that most of his warriors are wiry rather than hugely over-muscled. It's a style that really suits the milieu, I think.
Click on the images to see them larger.
I totally share your opinion of McMahon's work. When Judge Dredd comics became available in the U.S. (early-mid-1980's) I immediately became a McMahon fan. His chapters of the Cursed Earth saga rank among my favorite comics ever. This Dredd story in particular remains a must read for anyone running Gamma World-type near future games. I wanted to love the Slaine comics, being devoted to swords & sorcery, but the whole warp-spasm thing didn't ever sit well with me. Your post makes me want to dig into the archives and reaquaint myself, however.
ReplyDeleteYou might have seen the d20 and Runequest books on Slaine by Mongoose Publishing which provided a different setting for your typical RPG.
ReplyDeleteNo, I never have -- my eyes were glazing over a bit at the vast masses of d20 stuff being pumped out, so if it ever turned up at the FLGS I didn't notice it
ReplyDeleteI am among the unfortunates that have not been initiated into the wonder that is 2000AD. I've heard of Slaine and been interested. This gives me the impetus to go order the collected edition. Thanks!
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