2000AD Brings Us The Rebirth Of Classic Brit Superheroes In The Vigilant!

Since 2000AD and Rebellion brought the vast stable of Fleetway and IPC properties into the fold, we’ve gradually seen a wealth of long-lost classic British strips reprinted as part of their Treasury Of British Comics line.
But now, we’re getting a massive dose of reborn British superheroes with the announcement of The Vigilant, a brand-new, blasting out from the past, team of very British superheroes!
These are some very British superheroes that once filled the pages of comics such as Lion, Thunder, Valiant, Vulcan, Buster, Speed, and Eagle. Their adventures were responsible for thrilling a generation of children. And now, they’re back as The Vigilant, joining together to fight for all reality when the evil forces of Von Hoffman and Dr. Mesmer team up and pluck the immortal Adam Eterno from the winds of time!

The new one-shot will be written by Simon Furman (Transformers) with art by Simon Coleby (Jaegir, Judge Dredd) and other, as yet unnamed, guest creators.

The Vigilant features, amongst others; Adam Eterno, a 16th Century alchemist’s apprentice who partook of the elixir of life and was cursed by the alchemist to live forever, unless killed by a weapon made of solid gold. The only catch? Even that didn’t kill him, just sent him to another time to live out his eternal life!

Then there’s Blake Edmonds (Deathwish), a vain Formula 1 driver hideously disfigured in a terrible crash, he donned a mask and set out on adventures. Or Thunderbolt the Avenger, a policeman living a secret life as Thunderbolt, complete with his special watch Thermo-Clyodine-Phostium, giving him superpowers every time he basically electrocuted himself with it!

Then we had Pete’s Pocket Army, in which a young lad discovered six tiny aliens from the planet Liturnus. These tiny aliens helped Pete with his troubles with school bullies and his horrible cousin! And then there’s possibly my favourite of all; young Billy Farmer, the Leopard from Lime Street. Scratched by a radioactive leopard at his local zoo, he gained super strength and cat-like reflexes.

Oh yes, we sure did weird and wonderful superheroes here in the UK back in the 1970s! And now all these heroes and more return in The Vigilant, a one-shot comic from 2000AD coming out in August 2018.

Here’s some of what 2000AD and Rebellion have to say on the comic:

The Vigilant will be a special one-shot title this August which resurrects classic heroes from the Fleetway/IPC comics of the 1970s – reborn and updated for a new generation to enjoy!

Superheroes are something 2000 AD hasn’t really done in the past (with a couple of exceptions) – but this is the beginning of what we’re dubbing the ‘Rebellion-verse’, an interconnected world of superheroes but with a very British ethos and outlook.

And now… just a hint at the madness you’ll be getting in The Vigilant, with classic covers and pages featuring some of the team’s characters!

The Vigilant will be available in UK comic shops, newsagents and through the 2000AD store on the 15^th of August.
The Vigilant will also be available to order from comic book stores through Diamond Distribution in the April edition of Previews.