Mills Pat - Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave!: 2000AD & Judge Dredd: The Secret History

BE PURE! BE VIGILANT! BEHAVE! 2000AD & JUDGE DREDD: THE SECRET HISTORY PATRICK MILLS

To 2000AD readers,

for your incredible loyalty to the comic.

Thank you.

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AUTHORS NOTE

I have tried to give a fair and balanced account of the turbulent, complex and exciting history of 2000AD and Judge Dredd . Ive done my best to be even-handed in my portrayal of people and events, giving credit where its due.

However, these are my memories; my point of viewalthough they are often confirmed by others recollections, wherever that is possible or important.

I recognise that some people portrayed in this book may have different views, and a different recollection of events that took place over the last forty years. In certain cases I havent included names, and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Pat Mills

2017

INTRODUCTION

Through a minefield of imbeciles and chimps.

The creation of 2000AD and Judge Dredd was a tortuous and protracted process. In this, it was not unusual. I understand most great comic book heroes, such as Superman and Batman , go through a complex process of changes, revisions and modifications before the final iconic product is achieved. But Dredd was more tortuous than most, because its two creators, writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, reluctantly and understandably walked away from their embryonic creation, leaving myself and others to develop it, rather than let it be stillborn. In making their exits, ultimately because of their lack of intellectual property rights over their character, they had my sympathy. In their situation, I might well have done the same. But I could not allow their character to die. Dredd had to survive because its potential was so obvious and so enormous.

It was not just the creators who wanted Dredd , or even 2000AD itself, to fade away. Leading fantasy artists loathed us because we were published by IPC Magazines, who were responsible for the past desecration of beautiful artwork by Frank Bellamy and Frank Hampson, creator of Dan Dare . For instance, one young fantasy artist, John Bolton, came in to bollock me personally for over an hour for IPCs past crimes over the way theyd treated Hampson, Bellamy and other stars, losing, destroying or not returning their artwork. It was known that the store men regularly used priceless masterpieces of comic art kept in the vaults of Fleetway House in Farringdon Street, to bung up leaking drains and use as dart boards, also slicing bits off the pages so they would fit the shelves better. A shameful story. I completely understood how he felt. I was suitably repentant on behalf of the browncoats, who were probablyeven as we spokestubbing out their fags on a page of Dan Dare , while they rested their mugs of tea on Heros the Spartan . John said he couldnt work for me because of this appalling past, and because we didnt return original artwork. He clearly had only come into the office to let off steam. After I had been suitably tongue-lashed and castigated, he left, and I turned to my staff: Okay, guysget the shredder out and lets cut up some more old artwork. Whos got the Stanley knife?

Art agents also didnt want their leading artistslike the great Brian Lewisto be associated with our low-grade publication printed on cheap bog paper in black and white, as at least one of them made very clear to me. Comic fans hated us because we werent their glossy and colourful image of science fictionwhether it was superhero comics, TV 21 or Heavy Metal magazine. One super-fan would come into IPC HQ at Kings Reach Tower, and patiently explain to me at great length where I was going wrong, why I needed the benefit of his expert advice and why 2000AD should be more like Heavy Metal or Metal Hurlant . Im so glad I didnt take his advice because I understand he ended his days sleeping under a railway viaduct.

IPC comic editors, too, wanted our publication to die because they sensed it was the crest of the new wave that would eventually shut down their publications and end their careers. The managing editor, Jack Le Grandoozing passive aggressionwould tell me with great relish the latest sales figures, which suggested 2000AD , after its initial huge popularity, was on the slippery slope to disaster. Were talking about a drop of maybe 2,000 sales, of week after launch sales of 200,000 copies a week. Actually, nothing to worry about, but he could dream, couldnt he? He and his unpleasant ilk did everything to undermine my confidence and throw a spanner in the works. For example, losing a potentially ground-breaking strip and withholding information on cool artists. But that was a tactical error on their part, because it just brought out the screw you! in me.

SF writers like Michael Moorcock derided us for our story about a Soviet Union invasion of Britain. Newspapers like The Guardian agreed. We made their front page with our futuristic story about the Russian invasion, quickly changed at the last moment to a Volgan invasion on the instructions of the IPC board of directors. The reporter disapproved of my irreverent tone when I claimed the Russianswhom we had depicted with authentic uniforms and hardwarewere not Russians, but actually fictional Volgans. Theres a river Volga in Russia, the reporter pointed out. Theres a Volga republic in Africa, I replied unconvincingly, trying hard not to laugh. But your Volgans are white, insisted the reporter, finally cornering me.

My response to the avalanche of criticism and negativity, as always, was very measured, calm and reasonable. A typical Pat Mills response was a large sign I placed above the entrance to the 2000AD offices. It said, Piss off all Heavy Metal Fans.

For most of 2000AD s history it was to be disliked and misunderstood, not just by these various factions, but even by its owners. This explains why IPC Magazines sold 2000AD and other juvenile publications to Maxwell, who sold it to Egmont, who sold it to Rebellionthe current publisherswhere it finally, finally received the TLC it deserves and is, as a result, now celebrating its 40th year of publication in 2017! An astonishing achievement which you, the readersstaying with us through its bad times as well as the goodare responsible for, and I thank you for your loyalty, tolerance and fortitude. Thus a typical optimistic comment in the late 90s, when the comic went through its infamous Dark Age, was Its really crap at the moment, but its got to get better soon. Its got to. You are stars, all of you!

On the positive side, our pariah-like nature gave us a cult status and ensured there was no danger of us selling out. But our critics hatred was actually useful, because the more pissed off I got, the stronger it made me. I used their negative energy to my advantage, riding a wave of passive and not so passive aggression to produce a product of such quality it would confound them all. I couldnt afford to fail with so much defeatism in the air and so many wanting to dance on our graves, waiting to say, You see? I knew 2000AD would die. Because science fiction doesnt sell. Especially when its so violent, fantasmagoric (stupid) and breaks all the rules.

As 2000AD art editor Kevin ONeill commented, Yes. This was how Britains favourite comic was created. Through a minefield of imbeciles and chimps.

This is my personal journey through that minefield and others may have an entirely different experience from their time on the Galaxys Greatest Comic. Ive called it a secret history because much of what Im about to relate is not widely known. I hope to reveal and explain many of the mysteries that have fascinated readers. Ill leave calendar dates and exhaustive details to Wikipedia, because what matters mostto me at leastare the passions, the personalities and the key stories that shaped the comic.

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