Pat Mills, nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd. Comics (sometimes spelled comix) are combinations of words and images into a medium for telling stories. ... John Wagner, is a comics writer who has also written under the pseudonyms John Howard, T.B. Grover, Mike Stott, Keef Ripley, Rick Clark and Brian Skuter. ... General British comics usually differ from the American comic book in a variety of respects. ... 2000 AD logo 2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction oriented comic. ... This article is about the comic-book character Judge Dredd. ...

He started his career as a sub-editor for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, where he met Wagner. In 1971 both left to go freelance, and were soon writing scripts for IPC's girls' and humour comics. After D.C. Thomson launched Warlord, a successful war-themed weekly, Mills was asked in 1975 to develop a rival title for IPC. Based in the girls' comics department to avoid the attention of the staff of the boys' department, Mills, along with Wagner and Gerry Finley-Day, worked in secret to create Battle Picture Weekly. Battle's stories were more violent and its characters more working class than IPC's traditional fare, and it was an immediate hit. Having made the comic ready for launch, Mills resigned as editor. He would later write the celebrated First World War series Charley's War, drawn by Joe Colquhoun, for the title. D. C. Thomson & Co. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... A freelancer or (freelance worker) is a self-employed person working in a profession or trade in which full-time employment by a single employer is also common. ... IPC Media is a large British publishing company, mainly producing consumer magazines. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Gerry Finley-Day was a hugely prolific British comic book writer of the 1970s and 80s, responsible for Rogue Trooper, Harry 20 on the High Rock, Invasion (following on from the first episode by Pat Mills), M.A.C.H.1, Ant Wars, The VCs and Fiends of the Eastern... Battle Picture Weekly, later known as Battle Action, was a British war comic published by IPC Magazines from (issues dates) 8 March 1975 to 23 January 1988, when it merged with Eagle. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Joe Colquhoun (1927-1987) was a British comics artist best known for his work on Charleys War in Battle Picture Weekly. ...

After launching Battle, Mills began developing a new boys' title, Action, launched in 1976. Action's mix of violence and anti-authoritarianism proved controversial and the title lasted less than two years before being withdrawn in the face of media protests. It was briefly revived in neutered form before being merged into Battle. Action was a controversial British comic published by IPC Magazines from (issues dates) 14 February 1976-12 November 1977, when it merged with Battle Picture Weekly. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

His next creation was the science fiction-themed weekly 2000 AD, launched in 1977. As with Battle and Action he developed most of the early series before handing them over to other writers. He took over the development of Judge Dredd when creator John Wagner temporarily walked out, and wrote many of the early stories, establishing the character and his world, before Wagner returned. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

In 1978 IPC launched Starlord, a short-lived companion title for 2000 AD. Mills contributed Ro-Busters, a series about a robot disaster squad, which moved to 2000 AD when Starlord was cancelled. Ro-Busters was the beginning of a mini-universe of interrelated stories Mills was to create for 2000 AD, including ABC Warriors and Nemesis the Warlock. Artist Kevin O'Neill was involved in the creation of all three. Nemesis in particular, featuring a morally ambiguous alien hero fighting a despotic human empire, allowed Mills to work out his feelings towards religion and imperialism. Another strand of his 2000 AD work was Sláine, a barbarian fantasy based on Celtic mythology and neo-paganism. 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Starlord was a shortlived weekly British Science-Fiction comic published by IPC and edited by Pat Mills. ... Ro-Busters is a comic strip written by Pat Mills and drawn by Dave Gibbons, Mike McMahon and Kevin ONeill among others. ... The stars of a long running 2000 AD comic strip written by Pat Mills, The ABC Warriors were a team of seven robots that had fought in the Volgan War (which also appeared in Invasion, featuring Bill Savage and Ro-Busters, featuring Hammerstein and Ro-Jaws) and been brought together... Nemesis the Warlock is a fictional character, the terrifying demonic protagonist of the comic strip of the same name, created by writer Pat Mills and artist Kevin ONeill. ... Kevin ONeill is a British comic illustrator. ... For other characters with the same name, see Sláine. ... Barbarian was originally a Greek term applied to any foreigner, one not sharing a recognized culture or degree of polish with the speaker or writer employing the term. ... Look up Fantasy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For other definitions of fantasy, see fantasy (psychology). ... A Celtic cross incorporating the Celtic knotwork motif associated with Celtic cultures Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic Polytheism the apparent religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ...

He also had a hand in IPC's line of Horror comics aimed at girls such as Chiller. A Chiller is an air conditioning unit used primarily in commercial and industrial facilities to provide high capacity HVAC control. ...

He has had little success in American comics, with the exception of Marshal Law, a savage superhero satire published by Marvel Comics' Epic imprint in the late 1980s, drawn by O'Neill. Marshal Law is a superhero comic book series created by Pat Mills and Kevin ONeill. ... Superman (left) and Batman, two of the most recognizable and influential superheroes. ... Marvel Comics, sometimes called by the nickname House of Ideas, is an American comic book company. ... Epic Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982. ...

In 1988 he was involved in the launch of Crisis, a politically-aware 2000 AD spin-off aimed at older readers. For it he wrote Third World War, drawn initially by Carlos Ezquerra, a polemical critique of global capitalism and the ways it exploits the developing world. The title lasted until 1991 and launched the careers of talents such as Garth Ennis, John Smith and Sean Phillips. 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Crisis was a British comic published from 1988 to 1991 as an experiment by Fleetway Publications to see if intelligent, mature, politically and socially aware comics were saleable in the United Kingdom. ... Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra, born November 1947 in Zaragoza, Spain, is a comics artist who works mainly in British comics and currently lives in Andorra. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... True Faith by Garth Ennis & Warren Pleece Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the DC/Vertigo series Preacher, co-created with artist Steve Dillon. ... John Smith is a British comics writer best known for his work on 2000 AD and Crisis. ... Sean Phillips is a comic book artist. ...

In 1991 Mills launched Toxic!, an independent colour newstand weekly comic with a violent, anarchic tone, perhaps as a reaction against the politically worthy Crisis, and a creator-owned ideal. Many of the stories were created by Mills and co-writer Tony Skinner, including Accident Man, an assassin who makes his hits look like accidents. Toxic! lasted less than a year, but gave a start to talents such as Duke Mighten and Martin Emond. 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Toxic! was a British weekly comic published in 1991 by Apocalypse Ltd. ...

He continues to write Sláine, Bill Savage, Black Siddha and ABC Warriors for 2000 AD, and has also written the Franco-Belgian comic Requiem Chevalier Vampire, with art by Olivier Ledroit. Belgium and France have a long tradition in comics, known locally as les bande dessinées. ...

External link

• 2000 AD Profile
• Charley's War fansite