There was a grand tradition in the '70s and '80s of British comics merging with more successful titles, in the hope that this would mean an instant readership boost. The vast majority of those comics are long since closed, but 2000 AD, the iconic British sci-fi anthology and the home of Judge Dredd, endures. Still, as a bit of autumn fun, the comic's publisher Rebellion is imagining what it might have been like had 2000 AD joined forces with the long-dead war comic, Battle Action.
Taking place across 2000 AD Prog #2350 and Judge Dredd Megazine #460, this fantasy What If? scenario sees various Battle Action strips get a sci-fi update befitting of the self-proclaimed Galaxy's Greatest Comic.
Battle Action ran from 1975 to 1988 under a variety of different names. Initially published as Battle Picture Weekly, it became Battle Action in 1977 when the title merged with 2000 AD's direct predecessor, Action. While most of its strips were WW2-focused stories, it did occasionally dip its toes into other eras and genres.
2000 AD is, of course, edited by the alien Tharg the Mighty. His human representative on Earth, Matt Smith, said of the event: "The history of comics on the UK's newsstand is marked by the practice of merging titles, where two great anthologies combine. In the case of Starlord joining 2000 AD, it meant the Prog gained Strontium Dog and Ro-Busters. When Tornado's Black Hawk joined the Galaxy's Greatest Comic, it led to a radical reinvention of the strip.
"Writer Ken Niemand suggested to me a special asking what would've happened if Battle Action merged with 2000 AD in the early '80s, with its war stories getting something of a science-fiction/fantasy makeover, and I couldn't resist!"
"Major Eazy, Hellman of Hammer Force, El Mestizo, Dredger - all these great characters get the 2000 AD treatment in Prog 2350, courtesy of the likes of Niemand, Simon Coleby, Chris Weston, Dan Cornwell, Jake Lynch and more," Smith continued. "And over in Judge Dredd Megazine #460, we've got Dreddworld reinventions of Rat Pack, Darkie's Mob and Johnny Red - it's a What if… that fans of both Battle and 2000 AD won't want to miss."
The crossover issues will be followed by a new jumping on issue for 2000 AD, featuring an all-new set of stories, including Judge Dredd: Poison by Rob Williams and PJ Holden, the return of both Feral & Foe by Dan Abnett and Richard Elson, and Helium by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli, plus a "one-off clash between two classic characters" by Garth Ennis and Henry Flint.
Both 2000 AD Prog 2350 and Judge Dredd Megazine #460 are published by Rebellion on September 20 in the UK, and November 1 in North America.
Eager to get started reading the fearsome future lawman? Here are the best Judge Dredd stories of all time.
