THE 2000 AD SUMMER ASSAULT!

THE SUMMER OF THRILLS STARTS HERE!

2000 AD Prog 1300 - on sale 17 July 2002 - marks the start of the 2000 AD Summer Assault, with a line-up of stories guaranteed to excite new and long-term readers alike. 2000 AD's new stories have a definite 'retro' feel, with the return of three strips which have long become classics in the history of the Galaxy's Greatest Comic.

	First up is a new case for mutant bounty hunter Johnny Alpha and his norm partner Wulf Sternhammer in Strontium Dog: Roadhouse. Tracking down several wanted criminals to the mysterious planet of Portabella, the Search/Destroy Agents find themselves trapped in a secluded roadhouse, where nothing is what it seems... Written and drawn by the characters' creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, this is a riotous old-school blast, full of Wagner wit and action, and lovingly rendered in stunning black and white by Ezquerra.
	Also back with a vengeance after a hiatus of over 20 years are galactic soldiers The V.C.s, still intent on purging the universe of alien menace The Geeks! Set some 50 years after the first series climaxed with the end of the human/Geek war and the surrender of the Geek homeworld, man and Geek have since become partners in peace. Last surviving member of the original V.C. team, Steve Smith, is now a janitor, haunted by the ghosts of his dead comrades. But when a Peace Day celebration goes horribly wrong, it's time for Smith to climb back into the old armour, assemble a new team and vape some Geek ass. Full-on space war action, courtesy of Dan Abnett and Henry Flint!
	Lastly, after numerous character reinventions, Genetic Infantryman Rogue Trooper is returning to 2000 AD this Summer at his purest and simplest: back on Nu Earth at the height of the Nort/Souther war, hunting the Traitor General responsible for the deaths of his fellow clones, and aided by his biochip buddies Helm, Bagman and Gunnar. This new arc of stories is written by Gordon Rennie, with artwork by Staz Johnson and David Roach, Dylan Teague and Simon Coleby, and kicks off with the 4-part tale What Lies Beneath, in which the legend of a haunted lake conceals some very real dangers...
	Future thrills: Coming up in Prog 1313, on sale 16 October 2002 THE RED SEAS: UNDER THE BANNER OF KING DEATH Surfing the crimson tide with the crew of The Red Wench... On the 18th-Century seas, Captain Jack Dancer and his crew of pirates plunder Spanish galleons for booty. But when they inadvertently stumble across a mystical grimoire called The Albrecht Tome, they are pursued by the demonic Dr Orlando Doyle and his zombie henchmen, who want the book for their own dark designs... A fantasy-horror pirate strip, The Red Seas: Under the Banner of King Death is The Establishment scribe Ian Edginton's first series for 2000 AD, and is a rollicking tale of magic and mystery, with breathless swordfights and terrifying creatures from the beyond thrown in, all backed up by mouthwatering artwork from Steve Yeowell.

Reporter: Mark Chapman