In the formative years of my life I had no idea of the stealth education that this comic gave me but through Alistair’s words you can see how kids of yesteryear were being encouraged to think about big ideas so early on in their/our lives.
More book than a mad 'orse
Book to the Future 
It certainly was stealth education! Thanks for the reblog! 1980s Britain was certainly sending me to pieces at times, just like the Jigsaw Man in that week’s cover.
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2000AD was the perfect tonic to the insanity in many ways, in fact a direct response into escapism that subtly tackles important issues. Take that education system!
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Apparently, John Wagner and Alan Grant used to begin their day reading through the tabloids before they started writing their scripts. I think that’s why the strip is such a satirical comment on our society. They also wrote so many stories for 2000AD and other comics that they had to keep making up new pen names so nobody would notice that they were writing almost everything!
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prolific writers of high quality, I’m intrigued to know how much of my youth was influenced by reading these guys now. I need to get my Judge Dredd Volumes 1-4 back now as well as finally picking up the fifth, it’s been a while but he is great, althougyh the films just don’t do the universe justice.
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That’s true – although I did like Judge Anderson in the films. It was a cool idea to make her PSI powers a mutation.
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Not familiar with that, will check that out as soon as.
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A different tale, fascinating and nostaligia
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The comic’s been going since 1977 which is impressive so plenty of nostalgia all round with a healthy dose of sci-fi and the surreal.
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When I was a kid, all we had was Playhour for younger kids, and School Friend and Beano for older kids. I remember getting a few Playhour and some School Friend comics, but we couldn’t really afford the luxury of comics. I borrowed lots of books from the school library – that was in the good old days of The Famous Five and other Enid Blyton series of books. Never did get into The Secret Seven though. LOL even now I enjoy reading The Famous Five 🙂
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The Beano! That was an awesome read back in the day. I liked the Secret Seven as a kid but when I picked one up a few years ago I wasn’t impressed, the Famous Five though is a timeless series, I love the first book the most I think but that is an excuse to reread them soon.
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Oh yes, the first book was my favourite too, I think. George was my hero. I so wanted to be George, and wished my parents had named me Georgina instead of Lyn – life is so unfair 😀
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Lol, I remember wanting to discover a secret passage to much and going to Newstead Abbey and hunting for them all around, knocking n wooden panels and the like.
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When I was a kid, the girl next door had a “secret passage” at the back of her wardrobe. It only led into the laundry, but I thought it was just so cool. I wanted one so much!! LOL I’ve put a secret underground room in my YA novel. It’s entrance is in the library. You have to pull down on a particular book to open the sliding door 🙂
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A classic device that and where better to have a hidden place but in a room full of books. If I can’t have a secret room or passage, I want a labyrinth instead. I like a grand gesture.
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Comics definitely have a place in education, Ste J. Anything that gets kids to read is of value from cereal boxes to comics to books. I’ve never heard of this series, but I can see that it would be attractive to kids.
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Starting the love affair with reading at a young age is a good thing. It has the right amount of craziness and action for kids but also does what all good fiction should and that is make us see things in a different way.
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Agree!
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Thanks for re-blogging this. A lot of 2000AD was just fantasy and fun for its own sake, but it’s great that Alastair has brought his older eye to it in a re-evaluation. It’s a worthwhile post in what could have been nostalgia with nothing to say.
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Agreed, nostalgia for its own sake only appeals to a few people but explaining why something would appeal to adults and helped encourage kids to think makes the whole exercise richer. There are plenty of comics that wouldn’t have stood up to such a reappraising.
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That was fun! Thanks Ste J !!
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Always happy to pass on some quality blogging from great writers and an insight into how people my age came to be as eccentric as we are haha.
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Hear ya there 🙂
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