Preview: ‘Rogue Trooper: The Complete Collection’ Vol. 2 — The End Of The Traitor General Saga

by Richard Bruton

Just like the Judge Dredd Complete Case Files, this Rogue Trooper Complete Collection does exactly what it says, reprinting every single Rogue Trooper tale from the beginning…

The second of four volumes, this one covers the end of the first phase of Rogue’s story, as the hunt for the Traitor General, who betrayed Rogue and caused the deaths of his fellow soldiers, comes to a conclusion, bringing to an end the first phase of Rogue’s storyline. Meanwhile, Rogue’s early life is explored in Milli-Com Memories, which also features the first appearance of Venus Bluegenes.

It’s the perfect time to get into Rogue, one of the classic characters from 2000 AD’s long and illustrious history. You’ve got the promise of the Duncan Jones-helmed animated movie due for release this year – which is no doubt why there’s so much Rogue about..

It’s led to an exposion of new Rogue stories in 2000 AD, but the classics are classics for a damn good reason, and that’s what you’ll find here, a veritable host of classic tales, masterminded by series co-creator Gerry Finley-Day and illustrated by some fine, fine artists, including Cam Kennedy, Brett Ewins, and Steve Dillon.

Now, just in case you need it, a quick run-through of all things Rogue Trooper. Created by Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons, Rogue is the blue-skinned genetically engineered soldier designed by the Southers to survive the toxic environment of Nu Earth, the frontline of a seemingly never-ending war with the Norts.

He was but one of a planned army of GIs, the ultimate weapons in the war. But all that was destroyed by the actions of the Traitor General, a Souther who betrayed his kind and gave the secrets of the GIs to the Norts, leading to the deaths of all but Rogue. Now, he fights on down on Nu Earth, alone but for the bio-chips in his backpack, gun, and helmet – Bagman, Gunnar and Bagman – the last resting place for the spirits of three of his dead GI comrades. His only mission now is to find and kill the Traitor General, something that comes to a head right here in this volume.

As before, it’s such a driven war tale, the singular mission dominating every move Rogue makes, the hunt for the Traitor General always there, even as Rogue gets pulled into other conflicts, other missions. But there’s always that overarching, dominating search for the Traitor General.

In many ways, it was both the making of the strip and its biggest weakness. Whilst the hunt was still on, that driving obsessional push meant that Rogue always had that sense of speed and meaning, the ultimate revenge sci-fi war tale. After the Traitor General saga ended, it left Rogue somewhat directionless. Of course, there were great tales after the end of the whole TG saga, but the essential meaning for the strip was somewhat lost. But that’s to talk about in future volumes. Right here and right now, what we have is the second volume of an absolutely classic war tale through a sci-fi lens, Finley-Day single-minded in his storytelling, and a host of great artists accompanying him for the ride.

What you get in this volume is the climax of the saga that underpins the entire essence of the character, with every single Rogue Trooper tale reprinted in the original black and white. So that’s not just all the 2000 AD weekly stories, but also work from Sci-Fi Specials and Annuals, including material that’s never been reprinted before.

THE COMPLETE ROGUE TROOPER VOLUME 2

Written by Gerry Finley-Day, with Alan Moore, Simon Geller, and Steve MacManus

Art by Cam Kennedy, Brett Ewins. Boluna, Jesus Redondo, Robin Smith, Trevor Goring, Steve Dillon,

Letters by Bill Nuttall, Steve Potter, Tom Frame, and Tony Jacob

Originally serialised in 2000 AD Progs 316-392, 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1983, 1984, 1985, and 2000 AD Annual 1984.

Published by 2000 AD on 4 June 2025