Cover Reveal And Preview: Garth Ennis And Patrick Goddard’s ‘Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley’

Coming in 2024, which will be here before we all know, Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard‘s bring back the big blue GI in Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley.

First appearing back in 2000 AD in 1981, the blue-skinned Genetic Infantryman has long been a fan-favourite, albeit one that seemed firmly rooted in the past. But then came Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard to breathe new life into Rogue Trooper with the recently finished Blighty Valley.

The 13-part Blighty Valley is set at Night’s Horizon, the annual event where Nu Earth’s orbit carries it closest to a nearby black hole. The Norts call it Zvartchvintern; the first settlers knew it as Lightfall. Things have a reputation for going a little… screwy around this time. Now, Rogue and his bio-chip buddies are about to experience those effects first-hand.

Writer Garth Ennis is joined for the full run by artist Patrick Goddard, whose artwork brings a hard-hitting and yet deeply human aspect to this fantastical tale that’s the first new Rogue Trooper graphic novel in years.

2000 AD describe it, quite rightly, as “a brilliant meditation on pathos, loss, and the futility of war.”

Instead of attempting to put a radical new spin on things, Ennis took Rogue back to Nu-Earth, right in the midst of his hunt for the Traitor General, with the story driver of Night’s Horizon’s weirdness letting him bring Rogue and a squad of World War I British soldiers together.

Effectively, as I told you when it was running in 2000 AD, it’s a lot of Rogue Trooper and a little bit of Charley’s War, as the Night’s Horizon brings the British Tommys to Nu-Earth – or is it that Rogue’s somehow been transported to Earth during WWI?

Created by writer Gerry Finley-Day and artist Dave Gibbons and debuting in 2000 AD in 1981, Rogue Trooper is the last of the G.I.s – Genetically-engineered Infantry designed to survive the poisoned and war-torn world of Nu Earth. Betrayed by his own side, he is a lone warrior stalking these blasted lands in search of the notorious Traitor General, accompanied by his dead comrades – their personalities encoded on ‘bio chips’ and inserted into his equipment.

Matt Smith, editor of 2000 AD has this to say…

Garth Ennis has written classic 2000 AD characters before, but this is the first time he’s scripted Rogue Trooper. As you’d expect from someone steeped in war comics, his take on the G.I. is powerful, thrilling and explosive. With Patrick Goddard providing the stunning visuals, this a dramatic, unmissable addition to the Nu Earth saga.

Rogue Trooper is also the subject of the forthcoming movie by Duncan Jones, the critically-lauded director of Moon, Source Code, Warcraft and Mute, in a joint venture between Liberty Films and Rebellion, the Oxford-based games publishers and owners of 2000 AD.

Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley will be available for pre-order on 14 February 2024, followed by a full release into stores and online on 2 July 2024.

Now, a little trailer preview for you…