2000 AD Are Bringing Back An Annual Tradition For Christmas
by Richard Bruton
At long last, after an absence of three decades, the 2000 AD Annual is back for Christmas 2024!
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There used to be a few things that could always be relied on in British houses every Christmastide – You’d have a movie choice of The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, and The Great Escape, there’d always be an argument over how long to cook the turkey, and practically every kid in the land would get an annual under the tree.
And for a lot of people from the’ 70s though the early ’90s, that meant the 2000 AD Annual, a hardback treat of goodies delivered by Santa. Okay, fair enough, in the 90s they moved to the softback ‘yearbook’ until stopping the tradition altogether in 1994, but my point stands.
Annuals were just the best things, whether it was Judge Dredd, 2000 AD, or whatever else you were into, there was something magical about getting the familiar shaped pressie under the tree Christmas morning.
Well, it might only be June and whatever passes for summer in Britain but we’ve just had word that 2000 AD are bringing that annual tradition back for Christmas 2024 with both a 2000 AD and a Treasury of British Comics Annual.
The 2000 AD Annual 2025 (they’re always dated for the coming year even though they’re available from November or earlier) promises a hardcover collection with a mix of brand new and classic stories from creators including John Wagner, Alan Grant, Simon Spurrier, Dan Abnett, Phil Winslade, Fernando Blanco, Ian Gibson, Dave Gibbons, Mick McMahon, and Emma Vieceli.
And as you’d expect from recent years, it comes in two editions, the first a regular, sold everywhere edition with a Jake Lynch cover and then a 2000 AD web shop exclusive edition with a new Brian Bolland cover, his first 2000 AD Annual cover since 1983!
This will be joined by the second Treasury of British Comics Annual, after it sold out of last year’s edition. That one also has regular and webshop exclusive covers, by David Roach and Andreas Butzbach respectively.
Inside the Treasury Annual, there’s three new strips – Simon Furman and Mike Collins on Kelly’s Eye, Alec Worley and Anna Morozova on Black Beth, and Paul Grist and Simon Williams on Robot Archie. Alongside the new, there’s the sort of wonderfully eclectic mix of classic reprints from the Treasury archive, including Adam Eterno, Cursitor Doom, Stryker, and Major Eazy.
Here’s Matt Smith, 2000 AD editor, on the news…
“The 2000 AD Annual was the highlight of many a reader’s year, and often a staple Christmas present. In the past they’ve showcased some of the best stories to emerge from the House of Tharg, and I’m delighted to see the annual return, containing a mix of classic Thrills and bold new strips. I’m sure the 2025 edition will be top of every Earthlet’s list to Santa!”
The 2000 AD Annual and Treasury of British Comics Annual for 2025 will be available from all good comic book stores in November and the webshop exclusive editions and standard editions will also be available to pre-order from the 2000 AD and Treasury of British Comics webshops from Wednesday 19 June.
