It’s apparently the 37th birthday of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, 2000AD, today.

I’ve been through three 2000AD reading periods. It was certainly one of the first comics I followed as a kid – I remember, surprisingly clearly, reading the first appearance of Rogue Trooper while visiting an aunt on a Sunday afternoon when I was five years old or so.

Somewhere along the way, I dropped off of that, maybe because I found American comics…? Nonetheless, I also remember that Prog 589 – with the Simon Bisley cover and the prologue to Zenith Phase II – was when I jumped back on (Worryingly enough, I remembered that issue number without having to look it up). I’d read… reprints of Zenith maybe? The first Titan collection, perhaps? One way or another, I was familiar enough with Zenith and that was what pulled me back in, but I stayed with 2000AD for the next few years, all the way through… Prog 850 or so, it seems, a quick Google search later.

I returned to it again as a digital thing, just a few years ago. I’d kept my hand in, occasionally reading collections and the odd issue – I devoured my brother in law’s copies during a trip back to Scotland, once – but it took Douglas Wolk’s enthusiasm for Judge Dredd for me to get back into it fulltime. I’m really glad I did; it’s better than I remember it in many ways, and one of the more fulfilling comic reading experiences I have overall these days. More comics should be as varied, as fun and as just plain good as 2000AD.

Happy Birthday, Tharg et al. Florix Grabundae for the many years of scrotnig thrills.