The weekly prog in late 1980 is really starting to take off into the stratosphere - Dredd and Strontium Dog are well established, almost perfectly formed, and Nemesis The Warlock and Rogue Trooper are not far away. But the annuals are still struggling to keep up.
Beneath the 1981 annual's Dave Gibbons cover - with a rare Gibbons Johnny Alpha - there is some of that edge to it. The Ro-Busters story starts with a cute kid falling into a chasm caused by an earthquake (this is the sort of thing I thought would be a real concern in my life, thanks largely to 2000ad), and the Dredd story by Brett Ewins (apparently the first ever full-colour Dredd strip) has a fantastic 'EAT JUDGE BOOT, LAWBREAKER!' panel.
It also has one of the always fascinating behind the scenes features that shows how the comic is created, through the way a page of Bolland Dredd was scripted, drawn and lettered, which always a good value for those who like to see how the sausage was made. And there is a Tharg-related story that isn't totally repellant.
But there is still too much Phantom Patrol and Guinea Pig, as well as another tedious reprint in something called Smokeman, which I re-read 10 minutes ago and have already forgotten everything about it. And the paper stock is still cheap and nasty, which never does the art any favours.
The 2000ad annual is definitely reaching the stars, but it's not quite there yet.
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