Fifty years of 2000 AD deserves more than a commemorative cover and a polite round of applause. Rebellion is taking over London’s Cartoon Museum, filling the place with the artists and ideas that have kept the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic kicking down doors for half a century. 50 Years of 2000 AD & Judge Dredd opens January 14, 2027, and runs through April 18, 2027. For the Crusaders who love seeing the actual work behind the printed page, this sounds like a hell of a birthday party.
Rebellion is curating and organizing the exhibition, drawing on its own archives alongside loans from artists and private collectors. The show covers both 2000 AD and the Judge Dredd Megazine, giving visitors a chance to get close to original artwork that usually lives far beyond a reader’s reach. Seeing a printed page is one experience. Standing in front of the marks somebody physically put down to create it? I could lose an afternoon right there, fam. And yes, Dredd himself is showing up. A brand-new, life-size Judge Dredd statue is being created from co-creator Carlos Ezquerra’s full-length painting of his most celebrated character. That gives the exhibition a centerpiece directly connected to the man whose visual imagination helped define the lawman. I’m already picturing the fans lining up for that photo.
The original-art lineup is ridiculous in the best possible way: Carlos Ezquerra, Simon Bisley, Brian Bolland, Steve Dillon, Kevin O’Neill, Glenn Fabry, Mick McMahon, Steve Yeowell, Chris Weston, Simon Davis, Ron Smith, Bryan Talbot, Henry Flint, Anna Readman, Cam Kennedy, John M Burns, Simon Fraser, Brett Ewins, Sean Phillips, Silvia Califano, Jock, Fraser Irving, Dave Kendall, Jim Murray, Cliff Robinson, Tom Foster, David Roach, John Higgins, Eric Bradbury, Alan Davis, José Casanovas, Simon Coleby, Trevor Hairsine and Arthur Ranson. Ian Gibson is on that list too, with more artists promised. That is an enormous amount of comic-book craft under one roof.
The exhibition will also examine how the comic gets made and how its influence travels beyond its pages. That part deserves space. Comics readers know these creators, but the wider audience often encounters the impact through films, games or music without ever following it back to the drawing board. A museum show can make those connections visible while giving the people who did the work their flowers.
Ben Smith, Rebellion’s Head of Film, TV & Publishing, said the company wanted an important show to mark the half-century. He pointed to the comic’s influence across generations of readers and creators, reaching into film, video games, comics, music and other corners of popular culture. His enthusiasm has some history behind it: the 40th-anniversary exhibition at the Cartoon Museum’s previous gallery space in 2017 drew tens of thousands of visitors, according to Rebellion.
Smith also described Rebellion as a longstanding supporter and collaborator of the museum in its current home. Reuniting for the 50th gives that relationship a much bigger canvas. The new show will fill all of the museum’s gallery spaces, while a selection from the permanent collection will remain available to view in the onsite Clore Learning Studio. If you’re planning a visit, that is useful to know before you walk in expecting the usual gallery arrangement.
Chris Weston supplies the announcement’s exhibition poster, with additional press artwork by Tom Foster and Eric Bradbury offering a taste of the visual history being celebrated. Those names alone should have art fans leaning forward. A milestone like this is a chance to appreciate the different hands, approaches and personalities that kept a weekly comic alive across generations.
50 Years of 2000 AD & Judge Dredd runs January 14 through April 18, 2027, at The Cartoon Museum in London. Visit the official exhibition page for visitor information and updates. Mi gente, if you’re going to celebrate the start of this comic’s second half-century, surrounding yourself with the actual art sounds like a damn good way to do it.
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