The Mighty Tharg is a recurrent character in science fiction comic 2000 AD, one of only two characters to appear in nearly every issue of the comic (the other being Judge Dredd). Other than a spate of strips in the early 1980s, Tharg rarely appears in stories, but instead purports to be the comic's editor. Stories involving Tharg have been written by such notable writers as Alan Moore. Tharg the Mighty, drawn by Kevin Walker This work is copyrighted. ... Illustration of a young James Bond by Kev Walker Kevin Kev Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who works mainly on 2000 AD and Warhammer comics and the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. ... 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. ... See comedian Stand up comedian List of Comedians List of British comedians comics comic book comic strip underground comics alternative comics web comic sprite comics manga graphic novel List of comic characters This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Cover of the first issue of 2000 AD, 26 February 1977. ... For the 1995 film, see Judge Dredd (film). ... Editing may also refer to audio or film editing. ... Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ...

Description

Tharg is an alien from the fictional planet "Quaxxann", supposedly in orbit around the real-life star Betelgeuse (but he works in the publisher's office in England), with green skin and a "rosette of Sirius" on his forehead. His favorite food is said to be polystyrene cups. A 1967 Soviet Union 16 kopeks stamp. ... Betelgeuse (Alpha (α) Orionis) is a semiregular variable star located 427 light-years away [1]. It is the second brightest star in the constellation Orion, and the ninth brightest star in the night sky. ... Polystyrene is a polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry. ...

Tharg writes the comic's introduction, answers letters, and doles out prizes to readers (for artwork or story suggestions) - winners could choose payment either in pounds sterling or in "galactic groats". Tharg speaks mostly in English, but with various pithy Betelgusian aphorisms thrown in for colour. Sterling may refer to: Sterling (car), a British automobile manufacturer. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

In one episode, a Tharg suit in the comic's office was explained as a skin that Tharg had shed. Ecdysis is the molting of the cuticula in arthropods and related groups (Ecdysozoa). ...

Comic strips

On occasion the comic runs short humorous strips featuring Tharg. The plots of these often concern:-

• His conflict with "the thrill suckers", a plague of psychic pests which attempt (inevitably unsuccessfully) to steal the comic's "thrill power".
• His abuse of the "droids" (robots which reportedly write and draw the comic, depicted as caricatures of the actual staff), who work long hours for little reward, and are summarily disintegrated should Tharg become displeased with them.
• His unbridled egotism.
• Battles against The Dictators of Zrag, rulers of the dull cube-shaped planet Zrag. This trio of incompetent alien warlords hope to usurp Tharg's position and use the comic's powers to revitalise their planet. Tharg uses the Dictators as convenient scapegoats who he can blame for printing errors and plot holes.

These appearances include:- A common caricature of Charles Darwin focuses on his beard, eyebrows, and baldness, while often giving him the features of an ape or monkey. ...

• Tharg the Mighty:
  • "The Last Laugh" (with Steve MacManus and Carlos Ezquerra, in 2000AD Winter Special 1990)
  • "A Night 2 Remember" (with various artists and writers, in 2000 AD #1280, 2002)

Steve MacManus (sometimes credited as Ian Rogan) is a British comic writer known for his work at 2000 AD, which also included stints as in editorial positions (most notably as the first editor of the Judge Dredd Megazine). ... Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra (November 1947, Zaragoza), is a Spanish comics artist who works mainly in British comics and currently lives in Andorra. ...

Catchphrases

Main article: 2000 AD glossary

Tharg had various 'catchphrases', beginning with the earliest years of the comic. The following is a short list, with approximate translations: A 2000 AD glossary is important because 2000 AD, like some other comics of the period, used invented words and phrases to tie in with the theme of the publication (in this case, to appear more futuristic or alien). ...

• "Zarjaz" - excellent!
• "Borag Thungg, Earthlet" - greetings, human.
• "Grexnix" - a churlish person, or an ignoramus.
• "Nonscrot" - someone who doesn't read 2000 AD.
• "Quaequam Blag!" - an expression of surprise or outrage
• "Rigellian Hotshot" - a form of punishment (as in 'I sent him a Rigellian Hotshot for suggesting this week's Dredd strip was less than zarjaz'.)
• "Scrotnig" - good or exciting.
• "Squaxx dek Thargo" - Friends of Tharg. Often used in reference to loyal readers.
• "Splundig Vur Thrigg" - so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu

Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, or a willful lack of desire to improve the efficiency, merit, effectiveness or usefulness of ones actions. ... Cover of the first issue of 2000 AD, 26 February 1977. ...

The men behind the Rosette of Sirius

Although claiming to be an actual alien the "part" has been played over the years by these editors:-

• Pat Mills (1977)
• Kelvin Gosnell (1977–1978)
• Steve MacManus (1978–1987)
• Richard Burton (1987–1993)
• Alan McKenzie (1993–1994)
• John Tomlinson (1994–1996)
• David Bishop (1996–2000)
• Andy Diggle (2000–2002)
• Matt Smith (2002–present)

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. ... Kelvin Gosnell is a writer of British comics. ... Steve MacManus (sometimes credited as Ian Rogan) is a British comic writer known for his work at 2000 AD, which also included stints as in editorial positions (most notably as the first editor of the Judge Dredd Megazine). ... Richard Burton is a British comic editor who worked on 2000 AD. However, he is possibly better known to readers as Tharg the Mightys bumbling assistant Burt who appeared in a number of strips with him. ... Alan McKenzie is a British comics writer known for his work at 2000 AD. While working there from 1987-1994 he created a number of stories including Bradley, Brigand Doom and Journal of Luke Kirby. ... John Tomlinson is a British comic book writer known for his work on various 2000 AD strips. ... David Bishop is the New Zealand born editor of British comics the Judge Dredd Megazine and 2000 AD. Generally agreed to have been the man who began to reverse the steep decline in sales suffered by both titles in the early 1990s, Bishop has been responsible for discovering many... Andy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. His most recent works include The Losers, Swamp Thing, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon. ... ‘’’Matt Smith’’’ is the editor of long-running British science fiction weekly anthology comicbook 2000AD. Starting out as the assistant to Andy Diggle, Smith was appointed as the 8th incarnation of Tharg the Mighty (a humorous term used to refer to the comic’s editor) in January 2002. ...

Trivia

The main Tharg-free period in 2000 AD was when the men from Vector 13 staged a takeover (in prog 1014), while Tharg was away dealing with a crisis. Vector 13 is a 2000 AD comic strip which featured the eponymous agency setup to investigate anomalous phenomena and conspiracy theories. ...

External links

• 2000 AD profile as a writer and as a character
• Tharg the Mighty at MySpace