Preview: ‘The Devil’s Railroad’ — Peter Milligan And Rufus Dayglo Return To ‘2000 AD’ With A Politically Charged Thriller In October
by Richard Bruton
Coming to 2000 AD Prog 2352, out 4 October, The Devil’s Railroad mixes sci-fi with social consciousness – just as so many of the greatest strips in the Prog have always done.
Peter Milligan and Rufus Dayglo return to 2000 AD in Prog 2352 with a new sci-fi tale that couldn’t be more socially and politically relevant, following two alien refugees desperately racing to sanctuary on Earth.
Here’s the 2000 AD PR…
“Set in the Year 3038. the series follows Constance and Palamon, a young couple who have just found out something that changes everything: Constance is pregnant. But their home on Diaspora X-167 is trapped in the middle of a cosmic warzone, subject to nightly bombing raids… and no place to raise a family.
The couple have no choice but to evacuate their home planet in an attempt to make their way across the dangers of the galactic warzone – and to Earth. All humanoid babies born on Earth become Earth Citizens with full Earth rights, guaranteeing them a chance at a safer and more secure future.
But in order to make their way to the planet, they’ll have to first brave the notorious and incredibly dangerous smuggling route known as The Devil’s Railroad…”
Written by Milligan and with art by Dayglo, The Devil’s Railroad also features colours from José Villarrubia and letters by Jim Campbell. The comic debuts on Wednesday 4th October in the UK and should be in comic shops in the 2000 AD 4-pack around end of November in the USA.
It’s the first new original series in the Prog from Milligan and Dayglo since 2016’s Counterfeit Girl. But they were most recently in the Prog with the 2017/2018 Terrorists, a continuation of Bad Company, a series created by Milligan with the still-missed Brett Ewins.
More on this in The Weekly 2000 AD, our weekly round-up of all things Prog-related, after the weekend, but it certainly sounds like this is another one of those great new series in 2000 AD, joining Azimuth, Portals & Black Goo, and Void Runners as original (and brilliant) debut series this year.
Obviously, we’re getting Saga-like vibes off it, but I imagine Milligan and Dayglo will be taking it in very different directions, especially relevant in a modern world where the Home Secretary of the UK has just stood up and given a speech telling the world that the Refugee Convention wasn’t “fit for our modern age.” (Suella Braverman doing her very best Cruella de Vil once more – see this CNN piece for more.)
It’s a series 2000 AD promises will be “a powerful and moving exploration of the dangers which refugees experience, shone brightly through the biting and subversive sci-fi style only 2000 AD can provide.” I don’t doubt it at all.
The Devil’s Railroad Begins in 2000 AD Prog 2352
Now, a preview of the first two pages of episode 1…
