Steve MacManus (sometimes credited as Ian Rogan) is a British
comic writer and editor, particularly known for his work at ''
2000 AD''.
Biography
Born in London and educated in Devon, MacManus joined
IPC in 1973, aged 20, as a sub-editor on the boys' weekly comic ''
Valiant'', until 1975 when he moved to ''
Battle Picture Weekly
''Battle Picture Weekly'', at various times also known as ''Battle Action'', ''Battle Action Force'', ''Battle'' and ''Battle with Storm Force'', was a British war comic book magazine published by IPC Magazines from (issues dates) 8 March 197 ...
'' under editor
David Hunt. While working on ''Battle'' he also freelanced on ''
Action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
'',
appearing as the title's mascot "Action Man", who performed and wrote up stunts and activities such as exploring London's sewers or flying a hot air balloon, as well as writing "The Running Man", "Sport's Not For Losers", and episodes of "Dredger".
In 1978 he was taken off ''Battle'' to sub for
Kelvin Gosnell
Kelvin Gosnell is a British comics writer and editor. He was involved in the founding of the long-running comic '' 2000 AD'' in 1977, and was its second editor (1977–1978). He also edited '' Starlord'' (1978) and ''Tornado'' (1979).
Biography
...
on a new science fiction title, ''
Starlord''. When it was cancelled later the same year, he became Gosnell's sub on ''
2000 AD'', replacing
Nick Landau
Nick Landau is a British media figure. He is co-owner of the Titan Entertainment Group, which publishes Titan Magazines and Titan Books, and owns the London Forbidden Planet store. In the 1970s, before starting up Titan Distributors, he publishe ...
who was moved to ''Battle''. He wrote scripts for "
M.A.C.H. 1", and was the main writer for its spin-off "
M.A.C.H. Zero", as well as contributing episodes of "
The V.C.s", and also wrote "The Lawless Touch" for another of Gosnell's titles, ''
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
''.
[Steve MacManus' droid profile at 2000ad.org](_blank)
/ref>
In 1979 he was promoted to editor of ''2000 AD'', a job he held until 1986. This period is widely regarded as the title's "golden age", during which 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. ...
, Alan Grant, 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 ...
and Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
produced some of their best work, and new talents like Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', '' Revo ...
and Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for th ...
joined the line-up. MacManus had a hand in the creation of one of the comic's most enduring characters, "Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
", alongside writer Gerry Finley-Day
Gerry Finley-Day (born 1947, Broughty Ferry, Dundee) is a Scottish comics writer, prolific from the 1960s to the 1980s, best known as the creator of "Rogue Trooper".
Career
He began his career at D.C. Thomson & Co., before becoming the edito ...
and artist 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 ...
, and he co-wrote the character with Simon Geller Simon Geller (1919/1920 - 1995) was an American classical music station radio personality who ran a one-man radio station in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Radio career
Geller was a radio engineer before starting his own station. The station, WVCA ...
in 1986.
His one-off story "Shok!", created with Kevin O'Neill for the 1981 ''Judge Dredd Annual'', was the basis of Richard Stanley's 1990 film '' Hardware''. Only after a court case, which Stanley lost, were the two given writing credits on the film. ''Hardware'' is now considered the first ''2000 AD'' story to be adapted into film.
MacManus gave up editing ''2000 AD'' in December 1986. In the following year he became managing editor of the ''2000 AD'' Group, during which time he launched ''Crisis
A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...
'', a politically aware comic which introduced Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...
, John Smith, Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips (born 27 January 1965) is a British comic book artist, best known for his collaborations with Ed Brubaker on comics including '' Sleeper'', ''Incognito'', the '' Criminal'' series of comics, '' Fatale'', '' The Fade Out'', and ' ...
and Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo (; born 1964) is a British comic book artist.
Career
Born in Leicester, Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a sh ...
, among others. After IPC's comics division became Fleetway
Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London. It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies that merg ...
, he quit ''Crisis'' after 50 issues following problems with censorship under new owner Robert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster.
Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from ...
. He married in 1990.
In the early 1990s he edited the first twelve issues of the ''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 ...
'', and co-edited the Batman/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 ...
crossover '' Judgement on Gotham'' with DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
' Denny O'Neil
Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...
. Other titles he oversaw in the ''2000 AD'' Group included '' Revolver'' and '' Dice Man''. In 1995 he became Managing Editor of the Pre-School Group of Fleetway's new owners Egmont, editing ''Sonic the Comic
''Sonic the Comic'' was a British children's comic published by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002. It was the UK's Sega comic, featuring stories about its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters, as well as comic strips based ...
'' and overseeing titles such as ''Toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...
'' and ''Ben 10
''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device resem ...
''.
In 1997 he returned to ''2000 AD'' to write their ''3000 AD'' twentieth anniversary special with David Bishop. After Egmont sold ''2000 AD'' to Rebellion Developments in 2000, MacManus moved out of comics and into Egmont's magazine editorial. He announced he was stepping down in 2011.
In 2016 Rebellion published his memoirs, ''The Mighty One: My Life Inside the Nerve Centre'', with a limited edition hardcover and a standard paperback edition.Eclipse magazine
/ref>
Bibliography
Comic strips
*''The Running Man'' (with Horacio Lalia, Mike White, in ''Action'', 14 February – 12 June 1976).
*''Sport's Not For Losers'' (with Dudley L. Wynn, in ''Action'', 14 February – 1 May 1976).
*'' M.A.C.H. 1'':
** "Chinese Formula" (with Kato, in ''2000 AD'' No. 14, 1977).
** "Tokyo" (with Lopez, in ''2000 AD'' No. 20, 1977).
** "The Death Trumpet" (with Marzal Canos, in ''2000 AD'' No. 26, 1977).
** "M.A.C.H. Zero" (with Ramon Sola, in ''2000 AD'' #43–46, 1977–1978).
** "The Dolphin Tapes" (with Jesus Redondo
Jesús Redondo Román (born 8 August 1934)
Down the Tubes, 9 June 2011 is ...
(1–2), Montero (3–4), in ''2000 AD'' #54–57, 1978).
*'' M.A.C.H. Zero'':
** "Cousin George " (with Mike Donaldson (1–2, 4, 6–8), Ramon Sola (3, 5), in ''2000 AD'' #65–72, 1978).
** "The Suit" (with Montero, in ''2000 AD'' #73–75, 1978).
** "M.A.C.H. Zero" (with Mike Dorey, in ''2000 AD'' #162–165, 1980).
*''Strontium Dog
''Strontium Dog'' was a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner (under the pseudonym T. B. Grover) and artist Carlos Ezquer ...
'': "Assault on Trigol 3" (with Rob Moran, in ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1979'').
*''The Lawless Touch'': "The Dogs of Death" (with Mike White, in ''Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
'' #20–22, 1979).
*'' The V.C.s'': "The VCs" (with Cam Kennedy
Campbell ("Cam") Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' 2000 AD'', especially the flagship titles ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper''.
Biography
Following work in commercial art in his hometown of Glasgow, ...
, in ''2000 AD'' No. 145, 1979).
*''One-Off'':
** "Shok!" (with co-writer and artist Kevin O'Neill, in ''Judge Dredd Annual 1981'', 1980
** "Last Thought" (with John Higgins (comics), John Higgins, in ''2000 AD'' No. 202, 1981).
*'' Tharg's Future Shocks'': "Say 'Aaaaagh!'" (with Dave Wyatt, in ''2000 AD'' No. 493, 1986).
*''Rogue Trooper
''Rogue Trooper'' is a science fiction strip in the British comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in 1981. It portrays the adventures of a "Supersoldier, Genetic Infantryman" named Rogue ...
'':
** "The War of Words" (with Robin Smith, in ''2000 AD Annual 1985'', 1984).
** "M For Murder" credited as "Rogan" (with art by Cam Kennedy
Campbell ("Cam") Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' 2000 AD'', especially the flagship titles ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper''.
Biography
Following work in commercial art in his hometown of Glasgow, ...
, in ''2000 AD'' #384-386, 1984).
**"The Hit Man" (with co-writer Simon Geller and artist Steve Dillon, in ''2000 AD'' #495–499, 1986).
*'' Tharg the Mighty'': "The Last Laugh" (with Carlos Ezquerra
Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra (12 November 1947 – 1 October 2018) was a Spanish comics artist who worked mainly in British comics. He is best known as the co-creator of ''Judge Dredd''.
Biography
Early work
Born in Ibdes, province of Zaragoza, Arag ...
, in ''2000 AD Winter Special 1990'').
*'' B.L.A.I.R. 1'': "B.L.A.I.R. 1" (with co-writer David Bishop and artist Simon Davis, in supplement to ''2000 AD'' #1034, 1997).
*'' Dan Dare'': "Dan Dare 3000 AD" (with co-writer David Bishop and artist 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 ...
, in supplement to ''2000 AD'' #1034, 1997).
*''Flesh
Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
'': "Flesh 3000 AD" (with co-writer David Bishop and artist Carl Critchlow
Carl Critchlow is a British fantasy and science fiction comic illustrator. He is best known for his character Thrud the Barbarian, which originally appeared in ''White Dwarf'' magazine, and for his work for the ''Lobster Random'' comics.
Car ...
, in supplement to ''2000 AD'' #1034, 1997).
*'' Harlem Heroes'': "Hike Harlem Heroes" (with co-writer David Bishop and artist Jason Brashill, in supplement to ''2000 AD'' #1034, 1997).
*''Invasion
An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity aggressively enter territory (country subdivision), territory owned by another such entity, gen ...
'': "Invasion! 3000 AD" (with co-writer David Bishop and artist Henry Flint
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
, in supplement to ''2000 AD'' #1034, 1997).
*Blazer! (2019)
Books
*''The Mighty One: My Life Inside the Nerve Centre'' (Rebellion, 2016). .
*''Elmsworld. My Life At Dartington Hall School 1963-1971'' (eBook Publication, 2017). .
Notes
References
Steve MacManus
at 2000ad.org
*
External links
Shok! online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macmanus, Steve
British comics writers
Comic book editors
Living people
1953 births