2000 AD crossovers

"2000 AD" crossovers are crossover stories appearing in British comic "2000 AD", its sister title the "Judge Dredd Megazine", and other related output, such as novels, audio plays, films and role-playing games.

Not all of the stories told in "2000 AD" and its related publications exist in the same shared universe, unlike in some other comics, for example the Marvel Universe. Indeed the majority of stories which have appeared in "2000 AD" since 1977 have never been connected with each other. However, the series which are so connected are generally the most significant ones in the comic in terms of the number of issues they have appeared in, their popularity with readers, and their significance in the history of the comic.

tories in a shared universe

Those "2000 AD" stories which occupy a shared universe and have crossed over with each other include:

*ABC Warriors
*Durham Red
*Flesh
*Harlem Heroes
*Invasion!
*Judge Dredd
*Nemesis the Warlock
*Robo Hunter
*Rogue Trooper
*Mercy Heights
*Strontium Dog
*Young Middenface

Connections between stories

Series can be linked to each other in either of two ways: crossovers and spin-offs. There are also combinations of both.

Crossovers

Firstly, series which were completely independent of each other when they were created – often by different writers, and sometimes even in different comics – were later linked to each other. This could be done either by a crossover story in which two or more characters from the respective series meet each other, or by a caption or piece of dialogue explicitly referring to events which occurred or characters who appeared in an earlier story in another series. Two examples of the former kind are the "Judge Dredd" stories "Top Dog" and "Judgement Day", which both featured Johnny Alpha from the series "Strontium Dog" in a major role. Alpha lived over half a century in Dredd's future, and the crossover was accomplished by having Alpha time-travel back to Dredd's era. An example of the second kind is the "Judge Dredd" story "The Cursed Earth," which featured a dinosaur called Satanus who was described as the clone of the offspring of the female dinosaur which had appeared in most episodes of the earlier series "Flesh." "Flesh" was a previously unconnected series about humans time travelling back to the Cretaceous era to harvest dinosaurs for their meat.

Sometimes the link between two series can be of paramount importance to the story (such as Alpha's appearance in "Judge Dredd"); in other stories the reference can be a passing homage to an earlier tale with no effect whatsoever on the plot of the story in which it occurs (such as the reference to Satanus' ancestry in "The Cursed Earth"). In either case, once a connection between two series was established, it was often repeated. For example, "Top Dog" was followed up by "Judgement Day," and the reference to "Flesh" in "Judge Dredd" was reciprocated by the cameo appearance of a Mega-City judge in "Nemesis the Warlock Book V," which was itself a crossover with "Flesh" because it featured Satanus in a major role.

This latter example illustrates how series were not just linked to each other in pairs, but in multitudes. Pat Mills, the first editor of "2000 AD" and creator of many enduring series, was responsible for many such connections. He deliberately connected his own series "ABC Warriors" to "Flesh", and then linked "Nemesis" to both. (All three series were created by him, but they had originally had nothing to do with each other.) For example, "ABC Warriors" made a passing reference to a dinosaur being the son of Satanus. Satanus himself subsequently played an important part in "Nemesis Book V", by which time the entire cast of "ABC Warriors" had themselves moved to the "Nemesis" strip. This therefore established that "Judge Dredd, Flesh, Nemesis," and "ABC Warriors" all existed in the same continuity: a list which would be added to many more times. Indeed, this was official editorial policy in the comic's early years,Fact|date=February 2007 although the trend diminished later on.

In recent times, the links between series have been retconned in several cases. "ABC Warriors: The Volgan War" is set in the 2080s, flat-out contradicting the Judge Dredd continuity; however, it also explicitly links into "Savage Book 2" by referring to Marshall Vashkov's assassination. Minor links and references can still occur - several of Gordon Rennie's "Dredd" stories have made reference to Viking City from ABC Warriors, while Judge Dredd: Warzone [Judge Dredd Megazine 240-243] features a prototype Genetic Infantry soldier.

pin-offs

Secondly, a new series can be created as a deliberate off-shoot from a parent series. This can also occur in two ways. One method was to take a supporting character from an existing series and start a new series with that character in the lead (sometimes with the lead character from the original series appearing in a cameo). Two examples are Judge Anderson, first introduced in "Judge Dredd", being given her own series, "Anderson: Psi Division," five years later; and Durham Red getting her own series after her debut in "Strontium Dog". Since "Judge Dredd" and "Strontium Dog" occupy the same universe, it follows that Anderson and Red do too (although they have never both appeared in the same story).

Another method was to create a brand new character for a new series, but to state from the outset that the story took place in an existing environment from an established strip. Most of the series in the Judge Dredd Megazine were created in this way. Virtually all such stories in the main "2000 AD" universe are spin-offs from "Judge Dredd", but "The 86ers" was a series set in the world of "Rogue Trooper" which did not feature the established cast of its parent strip.

Comparison

It should be noted that while writers and editors have generally ensured that events occurring in spin-offs and their parent series are usually mutually consistent with each other, so that events in one such strip do not contradict events in another, much less care – if any – is taken to ensure a uniform continuity between crossover series. Therefore while events which occur in the "Anderson, Psi Division" spin-off may have repercussions in "Judge Dredd" and "vice versa", the continuity of "Strontium Dog" might be ignored. This can even occur within the crossover story itself: for example, in "Judgement Day" Johnny Alpha travelled back in time from 2178 to 2114 to arrest a criminal from his own time who started a world war in Dredd's era. It was never explained in the story how an event as significant as a world war did not appear to be remembered by history in Alpha's era.

Indeed, "Strontium Dog"'s Britain resembles the present far more than the chronologically earlier Judge Dredd's, despite occurring later: there is a democratic Britain and a Scottish Executive with a police service, not a Judge-ruled Brit-Cit and dependent Cal-Hab. While mutants are a hated underclass spawned by global nuclear war in both series, they both show mutants only coming into being after a specific nuclear conflict that takes place at conflicting dates. It is near impossible for the two to actually take place in the same universe. However, it is unlikely the time-travel link was a serious attempt at world-building and continuity, rather than simply a means of having two popular characters meet.

"Rogue Trooper"

The series "Rogue Trooper" was the most complicated example of all, as it became a combination of both categories: a crossover "and" a spin-off from itself. The original series ran in "2000 AD" from issues 228 to 635, when it ended. A completely new series of "Rogue Trooper" then began in #650, by a different writer. This was not intended to be a sequel to the old version, but was a brand new, modernised reinterpretation of the character, with significant differences from the old version. It was not supposed to be set in the same universe or continuity, but was a total replacement of both. However, years later and in the hands of a new writer, a story was written which established that the new and old Rogue Troopers were two different people inhabiting the same universe, and a convoluted continuity was contrived to explain their co-existence. In an unusually complicated crossover, the two Rogue Troopers actually met each other. This state of affairs did not continue for long, however, and the old version was killed off. Ironically, the new version declined in popularity and the strip was discontinued, only to be replaced with the original version, in stories set before the original's death.

There have been a number of less complicated "Rogue Trooper" spinoffs largely following the adventures of the various G.I.s, like Venus Bluegenes, Rafaelle Blue and Tor Cyan.

Crossovers

As most of the "2000 AD" crossovers occur on the same timeline, not in parallel universes, the majority of crossovers take place thanks to the widespread, but temperamental, time travel technology that was invented at the end of the 21st century.

tories by Pat Mills

Pat Mills was responsible for the majority of the crossovers.

*"Judge Dredd": "The Cursed Earth" introduced the dinosaur Satanus and linked "Judge Dredd" to "Flesh".

*"ABC Warriors": "Golgotha", in the first series, featured the son of Satanus and linked "ABC Warriors" to "Flesh".

*"Nemesis the Warlock": "Book IV: The Gothic Empire" introduced both the ABC Warriors and the Ro-Jaws character from "Ro-Busters" to Nemesis. "Book V: The Vengeance of Thoth" featured the return of Satanus in a major role, and a cameo by a judge of Mega-City One, linking "Nemesis" to "Flesh" and "Judge Dredd".

* featured ABC Warrior Hammerstein in the Cursed Earth outside Mega-City One, following the Atomic Wars started by President Booth in 2070. This linked "ABC Warriors" to "Judge Dredd", in addition to the existing Satanus connection.

*The Volgans appear as the enemies of Bill Savage in "Invasion!", and also in early episodes of "ABC Warriors" as the enemies of the character Hammerstein and the creators of Blackblood.

tories by Ian Edginton

Writer Ian Edginton has begun linking his pseudo-historical strips together, both covertly and overtly. Images of both Jack Dancer from "The Red Seas" and Hastur from "Leviathan" later appeared in "Stickleback"; the pub "The Jolly Cripple", a haunt of the "Red Seas" pirates, reappears as the haunt of the character Detective Valentine and contains a portrait of the original proprietress from "Red Seas" [ [http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.com/2007/01/references-in-stickleback-parts-1-2.html D'Blog of 'Israeli: References In Stickleback Parts 1 & 2 ] ] ; and "Leviathan" villain William Ashbless briefly appears in "Stickleback" as a member of the sinister City Fathers group. [ [http://disraeli-demon.blogspot.com/2007/02/stickleback-part-8-references.html D'Blog of 'Israeli: Stickleback Part 8 References ] ]

In the second "Stickleback", the eponymous lead visits the London-based Brotherhood of the Book from "The Red Seas", in the process meeting (and revealing history with) "Seas" villain Orlando Doyle. There is also an appearance by Herbert Sewell, an unfortunate and long-suffering scientist/time traveller in Edginton's Judge Dredd stories, being dragged into Bedlam; and an ogre of the same species seen in Edginton's "American Gothic" Wild West strip is seen at the villain's Wild West show.

tories by other writers

Judge Dredd stories

A number of characters have appeared in Judge Dredd stories (or vice versa).

Harlem Heroes

The first Judge Giant was the son of Giant of the Harlem Heroes, and his father was shown upon Giant's graduation from the Academy of Law. ["The Academy of Law" (by John Wagner)] Later on, Judge Giant Jr (the first Judge Giant's son) would meet his aged grandfather a few days before he died. [Judge Dredd Megazine #216]

Rogue Trooper

Souther troops flee Nu-Earth back through time to Mega-City One in 2116. They reach an agreement with the judges where they swap medical aid for technology. Friday is blamed for the massacre but, as his memory returns, he realises a traitor is at work and tries to track him down. Unfortunately it seems a far more famous clone may try and stop him - Judge Dredd. ["Judge Dredd": "Casualties Of War" (by John Wagner and John Higgins, in "2000 AD" #900, 1994)]

An early version of the Genetic Infantry program is shown in "Judge Dredd: Warzone". [Judge Dredd Megazine #440-43]

kizz

The Gunlords of Omega Ceti try to kill Skizz by travelling back in time but somehow end up in 22nd century Australia where they met Dredd. ["Skizz": "Skizz Book 3" (by Jim Baikie, in "2000 AD" #912-927, 1994)]

trontium Dog

Dredd has crossed the path of Strontium Dogs Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer a couple of times. In the first encounter they travelled back in time to Mega-City One, 2112, and were nearly arrested by Dredd. ["Top Dogs" (by John Wagner, in "Judge Dredd Annual 1991", 1990)] Later, Johnny Alpha again stepped back in time to 2114 and helped Judge Dredd save Mega-City One from a zombie apocalypse during Judgement Day. [Judgement Day" (by Garth Ennis/John Wagner; art by Peter Doherty & Carlos Ezquerra tpb, 1999, collects "Judgement Day" in "2000 AD" #786-799 and "Judge Dredd Megazine" #2.4-9, 1992)] A spin-off audio drama, "Pre-Emptive Revenge", by Big Finish showed Dredd and Alpha in the immediate aftermath of Judgement Day.

Rogue Trooper and Mercy Heights

*"Rogue Trooper": "Blue on Blue" and sequels joined together the original and new versions of the character in the same continuity (see above).

*"Mercy Heights" was initially a new series with no connection to "Rogue Trooper." When the series ended Tor Cyan, a character from the series, began his own eponymous series, in which it was eventually revealed that he was a genetic infantryman like Rogue Trooper.

pin-offs

This list does not include direct sequels, such as "Inferno" and "Savage".

Judge Dredd spin-offs

Judge Dredd spin-offs include:
*""
*"Armitage"
*"Banzai Battalion"
*"Chopper"
*"Cursed Earth Koburn"
*"The Dead Man"
*"Devlin Waugh"
**"Pussyfoot 5"
*""
*"Judge Death"
*"Judge Hershey"
*"Juliet November"
*"Mean Machine"
*""
*"Red Razors"
*"Shimura"
*"The Simping Detective"
*"Tales from the Black Museum"
*"Walter the Wobot"

Rogue Trooper spin-offs

The original "Rogue Trooper" led to:
*The new version, "Friday"
*Venus Bluegenes
*The 86ers

"See also" Tor Cyan

Other spin-offs

*"ABC Warriors" was a spin-off from "Ro-Busters"
*"Deadlock" was a spin-off from "ABC Warriors"
*"Durham Red", "Young Middenface" and "Strontium Dogs" were spin-offs from "Strontium Dog"
*"Tor Cyan" was a spin-off from "Mercy Heights"

Timeline

Unlike both the DC and Marvel Universes the stories within the "2000 AD" universe are largely not part of a multiverse but exist on a timeline:

;c. 13.7 billion years BCE
*The Big Bang. ["Strontium Dog" "Incident at the Beginning of the Universe", "2000 AD" Winter Special 1988]

;c. 200 million years BCE
*Big Hungry, a male nothosaur, terrorizes Atlantis, a Trans-Time station operating in the Triassic Period. ["Flesh Book 2", "2000 AD" Progs 86 — 99]

;c. 65 million years BCE
*Old One Eye, a female tyrannosaur, survives an attack by her son Satanus, killing him in the process.q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Cursed Earth", "2000 AD" Prog 73]
*Disaster strikes as Flesh Base 3, a Trans-Time station operating in the late Cretaceous Period, is overrun by dinosaurs and other localized creatures."Flesh" " [Book 1] ", "2000 AD" Progs 1 — 19]
*Thoth, son of the alien warlock Nemesis, releases the Satanus clone into the wild. ["Nemesis the Warlock" "Book Seven: The Two Torquemadas", "2000 AD" Prog 552]

;c. 20,000 years BCE
*Earl Regan, an employee of Trans-Time Incorporated, helps thwart terrorist activity in the Quaternary Period. ["Flesh - Chronocide", "2000 AD" Progs 973 — 979]

;793 Common Era
*Wulf Sternhammer, a Viking marauder, assists Search/Destroy Agent Johnny Alpha in capturing the Max Bubba gang. ["Strontium Dog" "The Ragnarok Job", "2000 AD" Progs 445 — 465]

;Late 15th century
*Tomás de Torquemada, Grand Inquisitor of Spain, encounters his descendent from the far future, Torquemada. To avenge the murder of his own children by Nemesis, the Grand Master of Termight kills Thoth. ["Nemesis the Warlock" "Book Seven: The Two Torquemadas", "2000 AD" Progs 546 — 557]

;1945
*German Führer Adolf Hitler is detained by Search/Destroy agents Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer. ["Strontium Dog" "The Schicklgruber Grab", "2000 AD" Progs 182 — 188]

;Late 1970s — late 1980s
*A reality breakdown occurs. ["Nemesis the Warlock" "Book Nine: Deathbringer", "2000 AD" Progs 586 — 593, 604 — 608]

;1980s
*The Scottish oil boom. [q.v. "Harlem Heroes" [first series] "The Flying Scotsmen", "2000 AD" Prog 12]

;1987
*US President Ronald Reagan, having been kidnapped by Kaiakos-K guerrillas, is rescued by Search/Destroy agents Johnny Alpha and Durham Red. ["Strontium Dog" "Bitch", "2000 AD" Progs 505 — 529]

;1990
*A nuclear accident melts the Arctic Ice Cap, submerging Southern England. ["Disaster 1990", "2000 AD" Prog 6]

;1999
*The Volgan occupation of Britain begins. The Royal Family, among it King Charles III, is evacuated to Canada. ["Invasion!", "2000 AD" Progs 1 — 35, 37 — 38, 40, 42 — 51; "2000 AD Annuals" 1978, 1979, and 1980]

;2010
*Construction begins of the Trans-Atlantic Tunnel. [q.v. "Harlem Heroes" [first series] "The Siberian Wolves", "2000 AD" Prog 6]

;2014
*Mr. Moonie begins his exploration of the moon. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "Meet Mr. Moonie", "2000 AD" Prog 46]

;2031
*Chief Judge Fargo creates his elite force of street judges to bring instant justice to America, without due process.

;c. 2040s
*Satanus, the first dinosaur to be cloned from surviving tyrannosaur DNA, hatches from a surrogate alligator egg.

;2050
*Aeroball, a combination of football, kung fu, and basketball, is increasingly one of the world's most popular sports. [q.v. "Harlem Heroes" [first series] "The Sport of Tomorrow", "2000 AD" Prog 1]
*John 'Giant' Clay is born. [q.v. "Inferno", "2000 AD" Prog 72]

;c. 2050s
*Golgotha, son of Satanus, hatches. [q.v. "ABC Warriors" "The Mek-Nificent Seven", "2000 AD" Prog 135]

;Mid 21st century
*Mek-troops start replacing human combatants. [q.v. "ABC Warriors" "The Black Hole", "2000 AD" Prog 562; q.v. "Ro-Busters" "Hammer-Stein's War Memoirs", "2000 AD" Prog 88 — 92; q.v. "ABC Warriors" "Dishonourable Discharge", "2000 AD" Winter Special 1992; q.v. "ABC Warriors" "Volgo, the Ultimate Death Machine", "Dice Man" #2]

;2061
*The Triumvirate, comprising Mega-Cities One, Two, and Three, signs the Lunar Treaty. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "Luna-1", "2000 AD" Prog 42]

;Mid 21st century
*The Volgan conflict ends. ["ABC Warriors" "The Mek-Nificent Seven", "2000 AD" Progs 119 — 128; "ABC Warriors" "Retreat From Volgow", "2000 AD Annual" 1981]
*A select squad of mek-troops, led by veteran war droid Hammerstein, is sent to Mars. ["ABC Warriors" "The Mek-Nificent Seven", "2000 AD" Progs 129 — 139; "ABC Warriors" "Red Planet Blues", "2000 AD Annual" 1985]

;2065
*The first dinosaur park opens in Colorado. Satanus, its star attraction, goes on a killing rampage. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Cursed Earth", "2000 AD" Prog 73; q.v. "Flesh" "The Trans-Time File", "2000 AD Annual" 1989]

;2066
*The first batch of accelerated cloned births, taken from reverend justices, is born. Rico and Joe Dredd, cloned from Chief Judge Eustace Fargo, are among those born as five-year old children to expedite their enrollment at the Academy of Law. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "Mutie the Pig", "2000 AD" Prog 34; q.v. "Judge Dredd" "A Case for Treatment", "2000 AD" Prog 389]

;2070
*US President Robert L. ('Smooth') Booth initiates the Atomic Wars. International laser defence systems prevent direct nuclear attack on the majority of megalopolized areas throughout the world. The peoples of the United States of America depose President Booth and petition the Judges to assume full administration of the country. President Booth is placed in suspended animation by order of an emergency Grand Council of Judges. Mek-troops still loyal to the National Executive, among them veteran war droid Hammerstein, engage in a battle of supremacy with the National Judiciary. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Cursed Earth", "2000 AD" Prog 68; q.v. "Hammerstein", "2000 AD" Prog 960; q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Cursed Earth", "2000 AD" Prog 83]

;2071
*The mek-troops comprising Booth's Presidential Guard are defeated by the Judges in the Battle of Armageddon. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Cursed Earth", "2000 AD" Prog 83]

;c. 2070s
*The Hiroshima Accord is settled by Mega-Cities One, Two, and Three of North America; Brit-Cit, East-Megs One and Two, and Hondo City of Eurasia; New Jerusalem and Simba City of Pan-Africa; Sydney-Melbourne Conurbation and Friendly City of Oceania; and the Arctic Sector of Laurasia. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "Dredd's World", "Judge Dredd Mega-Special No. 1";q.v. "" "Shamballa", "2000 AD" Prog 701]
*Chief Judge Fargo, despite strong opposition from Council member Morton Judd, vetoes against eugenics proposals for population control. ["Judge Dredd" "Oz", "2000 AD" Prog 559]

;2070s
*Having made it through the preliminary rounds of the World Aeroball Championship, the Harlem Heroes' team bus crashes, killing all but four players. Louis Mayer, his brain alone surviving the tragedy, convinces his three fellow survivors, 'Slim', 'Hairy', and team captain John 'Giant' Clay that they can still win the championship title. ["Harlem Heroes" [first series] , "2000 AD" Progs 1 — 27]

;2078
*The Harlem Heroes reforms as the Harlem Hellcats, contesting an Inferno tournament, one of a rising tide of legalized death sports. ["Inferno", "2000 AD" Progs 36 — 75]

;2070s
*Hammerstein, an off-line war droid loyal to the National Executive, is reactivated in the Cursed Earth. Resolving to find new purpose now that he is no longer at war with the Judges, Hammerstein enters Mega-City One. ["Hammerstein", "2000 AD" Progs 960 — 963]

;2079
*Rico and Joe Dredd graduate with honours as full-eagle Judges two years early. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Academy of Law", "2000 AD" Prog 27]
*Rico Dredd, found guilty of corruption, is sentenced by his brother Joe to twenty years penal servitude on the Judges' Titan prison colony. [q.v. "Judge Dredd" "The Return of Rico!", "2000 AD" Prog 30]

;2080
*Ro-Busters (Disasters) Limited goes into liquidation. ["Ro-Busters" "The Rise and Fall of Ro-Jaws and Hammer-Stein", "2000 AD" Progs 103 — 115]
*Cassandra Anderson is born. [q.v. "" "The Haunting", "2000 AD Annual" 1984]

;Late 21st century
*Civil war breaks out between Mega-Cities One and Three. ["Judge Dredd" "Civil War" wraparound cover, "2000 AD" Prog 169]

;2099: "Judge Dredd" -- first appearance: Prog 2
* "Judge Dredd" was "2000 AD"'s first venture into shared universe territory by way of its introduction of Judge Giant senior, the son of former aeroball star John 'Giant' Clay. Cadet Giant graduates from the Academy of Law. ["Judge Dredd" "The Academy of Law", "2000 AD" Progs 27 — 28]
*The people of Mega-City One honour the Judges by unveiling the towering Statue of Judgement. ["Judge Dredd" "The Statue of Judgement", "2000 AD" Prog 7]
*A robot rebellion led by Call-Me-Kenneth, The Robot Wars, brings large-scale destruction to Mega-City One before finally being quelled by the Judges. ["Judge Dredd" "Robots", "Robot Wars", "2000 AD" Progs 9, 10 — 17]
*Rico Dredd, returning from his penal servitude on Titan, is killed during a showdown with his brother Joe. ["Judge Dredd" "The Return of Rico!", "2000 AD" Prog 30]

;2100
*A deadly plague threatens the very existence of Mega-City Two. A mission led by Judge Dredd to carry the antidote across the Cursed Earth from Mega-City One is successful. During the expedition, Dredd encounters the Satanus clone and releases the former US President Robert L. Booth from suspended animation allowing him to join a local Cursed Earth farming community. ["Judge Dredd" "The Cursed Earth", "2000 AD" Progs 61 — 85]

;2103
*A defunct war droid excavated from the Cursed Earth reactivates and terrorizes the Andy Warhol Block in Mega-City One. ["Walter's Wobo-Tale" "Shok!", "Judge Dredd Annual" 1981]

;2104
*Judge Giant is killed by Orlok, a Soviet assassin. ["Judge Dredd" "Block Mania", "2000 AD" Prog 242]
*Supreme Judge Bulgarin of East-Meg One initiates the Apocalypse War, devastating over two thirds of Mega-City One. Ultimately, the invaders are repelled but Chief Judge Griffin is killed during the conflict. Judge McGruder, head of the SJS, is appointed as successor. ["Judge Dredd" "The Apocalypse War", "2000 AD" Progs 245 — 270]

;2105
*The illegitimate son of Judge Giant and Adelle Dormer is inducted into the Academy of Law.

;2106
*Mega-City One's Tek-Division develops Proteus, its first operational time machine.
*Trekmaster Lucas Rudd leads twenty-eight radwagons through the Cursed Earth to the New Territories. Of the one hundred and eleven helltrekkers who set out from Mega-City One barely more than thirty survive the twelve day journey.

;2109
*A terrorist faction naming itself after the Harlem Heroes escapes from its subterranean penal colony.

;2110
*Jug MacKenzie wins Supersuf 10, the first legal World Skyboarding Championship.

;2112
*Judge Death takes control of Mega-City One and kills 60 million people.

;2114
*Sabbat, a necromagus from the year 2178, raises a vast army of zombies worldwide. A select group of international Judges, assisted by Search/Destroy agent Johnny Alpha, unites in defeating him although a number of megalopolized areas, including Mega-City Two, are destroyed in the process.

;2121
*Second Robot War in Mega-City One.

;2126
*John 'Giant' Clay dies.

;2180 — mid-2180s: "Strontium Dog" -- first appearance: Starzine 1 ("StarLord")/Prog 86 ("2000 AD"):* Durham Red : -- a spin-off from "Strontium Dog". First appearance of series: Prog 762

;23rd Century
* Trans-Time Incorporated are in operation harvesting dinosaurs from 65 million years BCE.

;unconfirmed: "Rogue Trooper" -- first appearance: Prog 228:* Unlike most standalone strips that now form part of "2000 AD"'s shared universe, "Strontium Dog" and "Rogue Trooper" are late inclusions. In both cases, the main characters of these two strips have made their shared universe début in "Judge Dredd".

;the far future: "Durham Red" (later series) -- first appearance in far future: Prog 1078

;the far future: "Comic Rock" -- first appearance: Prog 167

;the far future: "Nemesis the Warlock" -- first appearance: Prog 222

;the far future/21st Century: "ABC Warriors" [second series] -- first appearance: Prog 555:* it was intended, initially, that "Comic Rock" would reveal that Nemesis was in fact 'Deadlock', a member of the original "ABC Warriors" line-upFact|date=April 2007. "Nemesis the Warlock" is a continuation of "Comic Rock" that features cameos by Ro-Jaws, Hammerstein, and Mek-Quake. Nemesis later reforms the ABC Warriors as a time-travelling unit.

Parallel universes

As well as the above timeline tying together a lot of the stories in "2000 AD", other parallel universes are known to co-exist alongside the main one, and some of them have intruded into it. Most famously this has happened with Judge Death and the Dark Judges who, in the story "Helter Skelter" (progs 1250 to 1261), provide dimension jump technology to an alternate Judge Cal who brought together a wide range of "2000 AD" heroes and villains. ("Helter Skelter" (written by Garth Ennis) actually referenced many different "2000 AD" characters who are not part of the same universe, stating that they all exist in parallel dimensions.)

Intercompany crossovers

There have been numerous intercompany crossovers between "2000 AD" stories and with stories published by other companies (DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics). Given his high profile these often mix other characters with Judge Dredd. These include:

Aliens

Mr Bones eventually manages to launch his revenge on Mega-City One, unleashing the Xenomorph (called the Incubus here) into the Grand Hall of Justice itself. ["Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Incubus" (written by John Wagner and Andy Diggle, with art by Henry Flint, in "2000 AD" #1332-1335, 2003, tpb, 104 pages, Rebellion, 2003, ISBN 1-904265-10-3, Dark Horse, 2004, ISBN 1-56971-983-7)
[http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=ALIENS Aliens crossover publication details] ]

Batman

There have been a number of crossovers with Batman including a team-up with Dredd to defeat the combined might of Judge Death and The Scarecrow. ["Judgement on Gotham" (written by John Wagner and , with art by Simon Bisley, graphic novel, 1991) and three sequels
[http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&Comic=Specials&choice=BATMAN Batman crossover publication details] ]

Lobo

Lobo, the intergalactic mercenary, became a popular character when Alan Grant took on the writing duties so a run-in with Dredd was a logical progression. ["Judge Dredd vs. Lobo: Psycho-Bikers vs The Mutants From Hell" (written by John Wagner and Alan Grant, with pencils by Val Semeiks, inks by John Dell and colours by Gloria Vasquez, 48 pages, DC, 1995, ISBN 1-56389-239-1)
[http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=LOBO Lobo crossover publication details] ]

Predator

The Predator has made many visits to Earth throughout history, and in a number of parallel universes, so it was almost inevitable that they would eventually clash with Dredd. [" Predator vs. Judge Dredd" (written by John Wagner, with art by Enrique Alcatera, 80 pages, Titan, 1998, ISBN 1-84023-021-5, Dark Horse Comics, 1999, ISBN 1-56971-345-6)
[http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=covers&page=character&choice=PREDATOR&Comic=graphicnovels Predator crossover publication details] ]

Doctor Who

There has never been a crossover between a "2000 AD" character and Doctor Who. However writer Dave Stone, who has written several "Judge Dredd" and "Doctor Who" novels, planned a crossover novel featuring both Dredd and the Doctor, called "Burning Heart." This idea was cancelled due to the lack of success of the 1995 "Judge Dredd" film, and the book was published in 1997 as a "Dr Who" book without Dredd. [ [http://www.gallifreyone.com/review.php?id=ma-30 Gallifrey One] ]

Pseudonyms and cameos

Occasionally real life creators and individuals pop up in disguise.

Pseudonyms

Some work in the 2000 AD Universe has been done by people using pseudonyms for various reasons:

* [http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=droid&page=profiles&choice=CALH Cal Hamilton] - Dan Abnett, first used the pseudonym when he did the initial run on "James Bond Jr." (he then took over writing duties under his own name) and later resurrected it to disguise the fact that "Malone" tied into "Sinister Dexter". [* [http://theprimaryclone.blogspot.com/2006/09/in-other-news.html Dan Abnett's blog entry where he reveals he was Cal Hamilton] ]

* Keef Ripley - John Wagner used the name when he wrote "The Dead Man" so that fans wouldn't guess it was actually a "Judge Dredd" story.

Cameos

People from the comics world, as well as public figures, have made cameo appearances within the 2000 AD Universe including:

* B.L.A.I.R. 1 was clearly based on British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

* Judge Cal's appearance was based on Pat Mills.

* Judge Logan has appeared in a number of stories including the current epic "Origins" and is named after W.R. Logan who started "Class of '79".

* Kenny Who? is based on artist Cam Kennedy and his storylines (drawn by Kennedy) dealt with issues he encountered in the American comic industry.

The "Smithiverse"

The writer John Smith often places a number of his characters in the same stories, which has become known among fans as The Smithiverse. These have never been explicitly linked to the main "2000 AD" Universe, but stand together as an independent universe of their own. However, one particular species of alien of Smith's creation has appeared in both the Smithiverse (in Firekind and Tyranny Rex) and in the regular "2000 AD" Universe (in "Devlin Waugh" spinoff "Pussyfoot 5").

Smithiverse stories include Indigo Prime, Tyranny Rex and Firekind.

References

External links

* [http://mysql.rebellion.co.uk/~twothousand/?zone=dredd&page=timelines Judge Dredd timeline]