''Harlem Heroes'' is a British comic strip that formed part of the original line-up of stories in '' 2000 AD'' (February 1977). Inspired by the popularity during the 1970s of

kung fu films Kung fu film () is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in ''wuxia'', a related martial arts genre that uses historical ...

and the Harlem Globetrotters, ''Harlem Heroes'' was devised by

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English 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. He has been called "the godfather ...

, employing elements from his '' Hellball'' comic strip, and scripted by

Tom Tully Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for hi ...

. Initially, the series was to have been drawn by Carlos Trigo but the Spanish artist was replaced by

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

prior to the first issue's publication. From issue (or "prog") 25 Massimo Belardinelli drew the concluding episodes of the first series and would be retained as its regular artist for the strip's reinvention as ''Inferno''.

Harlem Heroes

''By the year 2050,'' ''the game of Aeroball has swept the world! It's Football, Boxing, Kung Fu and Basketball all rolled into one! Players roar through the air wearing jet packs (controlled by buttons on their belts) and score "air strikes" by getting the ball in the "score tank". One of the top teams is the all-black Harlem Heroes!''

Summary irst series/h2>
Having made it through the preliminary round of the World Aeroball Championship, the Harlem Heroes' team bus crashes, killing all but four players. Louis Mayer, his brain alone surviving the tragedy, convinces his three fellow survivors, 'Slim', 'Hairy', and team captain John 'Giant' Clay, that they can still win the championship title.

Episodes

'' 2000 AD'' progs 1–27, '' 2000 AD Annual'' 1978, ''2000 AD Annual'' 1979 (29 episodes) ''

Timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale represen ...

:'' 21st Century, usually placed in 2050 :"The Sport of Tomorrow" – Prog 1 (1 episode) :"Harlem Heroes" – '' 2000 AD Annual'' 1979 (1 episode) :"The Baltimore Bulls" – progs 2–5 (4 episodes) :"The Siberian Wolves" – progs 6–8 (3 episodes) :"The Montezuma Mashers" – progs 9–11 (3 episodes) :"The Flying Scotsmen" – progs 12–15 (4 episodes) :"Gorgon's Gargoyles" – progs 16–21 (5 episodes) :"The Bushido Blades" – progs 22–24 (3 episodes) :"The Teutonic Titans" – progs 25–27 (3 episodes) :"The Berlin Blitzkriegs" – '' 2000 AD Annual'' 1978 (1 episode) ;Script:

(prog 1) :Tom Tully (progs 2–27) ;Art:

(prog 1, ''Harlem Heroes'' pages 1 – 4), Carlos Trigo (prog 1, ''Harlem Heroes'' page 5) :Dave Gibbons (prog 2–24) : Massimo Belardinelli (progs 25–27)

Inferno

''Inferno'' is the violent sequel to ''Harlem Heroes''. Set in the bloodthirsty arena of Inferno, an even more barbaric updating of Aeroball, with the addition of players on motorbikes (and gameplay similar to that featured in Rollerball), sportsmanship is gradually replaced by sensationalist violence and the desire for bloodshed and death on the field. Declining in-game values are shadowed by terrifying levels of boardroom corruption: their own manager, tiring of the Heroes' clean-cut image, is determined to get rid of their contracts, by ''taking out'' a contract on his own players. The scene of the Heroes' violent demise is a baroquely ruinous former casino called ''The Crystal Maze'' (a metaphor of the human mind, and a title later recycled), rendered in darkly gothic splendour by Massimo Belardinelli.

Summary

'' 2000 AD'' progs 36–75 (40 episodes) ''

:'' 2078 ;Script: Tom Tully ;Art: Massimo Belardinelli

Judge Dredd

''"Never mind, Citizen Giant. Look at it this way—you've lost a son but Mega-City One has gained a darned fine Judge."''

The Academy of Law

Judge Giant senior graduates from Mega-City One's Academy of Law, much to the delight of his proud father, John 'Giant' Clay.

Episodes

'' 2000 AD'' progs 27–28 (2 episodes) ''

:'' 2099 ;Script:

John Wagner John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...

;Art: Ian Gibson (part 1), Mike McMahon (part 2)

Whatever Happened to John "Giant" Clay?

Judge Dredd Megazine ''Judge Dredd: The Megazine'' is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in September 1990. It is a sister publication to '' 2000 AD''. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Judge Dredd's locale Mega-City One. Content Li ...

'' #216 (1 episode) ''

:'' 2126 ;Script:

Gordon Rennie Gordon Rennie is a Scottish comics writer, responsible for ''White Trash: Moronic Inferno'', as well as several comic strips for '' 2000 AD'' and novels for ''Warhammer Fantasy''. In May 2008, he announced he was leaving comics to concentrate f ...

;Art:

Rufus Dayglo Rufus Dayglo is a British comics artist working in comics, illustration, and storyboards. He is working for '' 2000 AD'' and Titan Books in the United Kingdom, and DC Vertigo, IDW Publishing and Image Comics in the United States. His ''Tank Girl' ...

Wear Iron

The rise and fall of Inferno is described in chapter 3, as background for a crime. The post-Atom War society was desperate for decadent sport but the events of ''Inferno'' ("the Hellcat Murders") would kill it, with Hellcat fans not returning and the average fan afraid they might get killed next. ''Judge Dredd Year One: Wear Iron'' (2014) ''

:'' 2080 ;Writer:

Al Ewing Al Ewing () is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for '' 2000 AD'' and Marvel Comics. Career Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page '' Future Shocks'' format for '' 2000 AD'' and moved on ...

Harlem Heroes

A revival of the first series in name only, unrelated to ''Dredd''.

Summary econd series/h2>
'' 2000 AD'' progs 671–676, 683–699, 701–705/745–749/776–779/928–939 (49 episodes) ''
Timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale represen ...
:'' 2109

"Harlem Heroes"

'' 2000 AD'' progs 671–676, 683–699, 701–705 (28 episodes) ;Script:

Michael Fleisher Michael Lawrence Fleisher (November 1, 1942 — February 2, 2018) was an American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters Spectre and Jonah Hex. Biography Early life and career Fleisher was raise ...

;Art: Steve Dillon and

Kev Walker Kevin Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on '' 2000 AD'' and ''Warhammer'' comics and the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering''. He is now working for Marvel Comics. Biography Walker ...

(parts 1–16, 18–21, 23–26) :Steve Dillon and

Simon Jacob Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

(part 17) :Steve Dillon (part 22) :Simon Jacob (part 27) :

Kev Hopgood Kev Hopgood (born 25 August 1961) is a British comic artist who has been drawing comic books since 1984. He specialises in artwork for science fiction and fantasy comics. Biography Hopgood started his career in British comics getting work at ...

(part 28)

Death Sport

'' 2000 AD'' progs 745–749 (5 episodes) ;Script: Michael Fleisher ;Art: Geoff Senior

Grey Ghost Overflight

'' 2000 AD'' progs 776–779 (4 episodes) ;Script: Michael Fleisher ;Art: Ron Smith

Cyborg Death Trip

'' 2000 AD'' progs 928–939 (12 episodes) ;Script: Michael Fleisher ;Art: Kev Hopgood and Siku

Continuity

*''Harlem Heroes'' episodes 8 and 9 make reference to

Mega-City One Mega-City One is a fictional city that features in the ''Judge Dredd'' comic book series and related media. A post-nuclear megalopolis covering much of what is now the Eastern United States and some of Canada, the city's exact geography depends ...

, the vast megalopolis patrolled by

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running ...

. *Judge Dredd is the graduating officer of Judge Giant senior.''Judge Dredd'' "The Academy of Law", '' 2000 AD'' prog 28

Footnotes

External links

2000 AD profile
{{Buster 2000 AD comic strips 2000 AD characters Comics by Dave Gibbons