Review by Lewis Savarese
Rebellion has decided to reprint Alan Moore’s complete contributions to 2000AD in a new multi-volume series starting with this collection of his full ‘Future Shocks’ and other one-off stories. The majority of Moore’s short stories included within this book have been collected in piecemeal fashion over the years, going as far back as 1986 with Titan’s Alan Moore’s Shocking Futures and Alan Moore’s Twisted Times. The Complete Ro-Busters, Rogue Trooper: The Complete Collection, and The Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks round out the previously published reprints. This volume boasts the first time that ‘A Holiday in Hell’ has been reprinted in English since its original publication in 1980. At 250 pages and change, The Complete 2000 AD By Alan Moore: Future Shocks & Other Stories is a comprehensive, if not relentless, assemblage of early workmanlike comics from Moore and various artists.
When it comes to these reprints, it’s worth mentioning Moore does not own the rights to his 2000AD work and is not involved in the production of this or subsequent volumes. While many die-hard fans of both Moore and 2000AD will enjoy having all of his ‘Future Shocks’ and one-off stories in a single volume, there is little here for the uninitiated. Moore’s commentaries about each story were unique to the Titan volumes and their absence here leaves this book devoid of context. For those unfamiliar with 2000AD, acclimating to the conceit of each series will vary, from the recognizable wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stories of ‘Time Twisters’ to the inscrutable disaster relief workplace dramedy with robots of ‘Ro-Busters.’
A voluminous tome full of short stories, most being two to six pages in length, will invariably be a mixed bag. The first few stories, including ‘A Holiday in Hell,’ are indicative of a playfulness present throughout the book. In ‘A Holiday in Hell,’ Moore’s first story for 2000AD, he infuses this copycat of Crichton’s Westworld with a certain glee. Moore and artist Dave Harwood delight in the wanton violence of Murderworld, a planet where middle class tourists can live out their most homicidal urges while dressed up as axe murderers, Nazi stormtroopers, American gangsters, and Roman centurions. This is Harwood’s only contribution, which is a shame. His art evokes Fletcher Hanks, with oddly proportioned, awkwardly foreshortened people in dynamic poses. The artists in this book are all top-notch talents, but Harwood’s style stands out. After a few more stories about people and aliens on holiday, the dreck begins to surface with stories such as ‘A Second Chance’ and ‘Salad Days.’ Almost all stories rely on twist endings which can make the reading experience a slog, especially when the twist is that vegetable aliens who eat humans call themselves “humanitarians.”
One gets the feeling that as Moore was cutting his teeth at 2000AD, he was not only honing his storytelling but taking the piss as well. Very few stories are serious in tone, ‘The Reversible Man’ and ‘The Time Machine’ come to mind. ‘Chronocops,’ one of several stories with stellar cartooning by Dave Gibbons is a pitch perfect parody of both hard-boiled fiction and time travel tale. Detective Joe Saturday is a sullen man who never opens his eyes or takes his hands out of his pockets. He and his diminutive partner Ed Thursday are constantly receiving tip-offs from their future selves. The twist ending and the final panel are the ultimate lark. The rest of the books in the series will ostensibly include Skizz, D.R. & Quinch, and The Ballad of Halo Jones , with the 2023 color reprint advertised in this volume. There must be a time twister afoot.
