That wasn’t the end of the Rogue Trooper concept, however the following year, 2000 AD debuted a new series called Mercy Heights, which featured a Genetic Infantryman called Tor Cyan. Unfortunately, subsequent storylines failed to build on the foundations laid by “The War Machine,” and Friday essentially vanished by 1996. (Will Simpson’s painted artwork helped this, considerably.)
The decision was made to reboot the concept from scratch, with Dave Gibbons returning to write a story that came to be called “The War Machine” - a refresh that removed the talking equipment, gave Rogue a name finally (Friday) and made over the strip as a darker, more downbeat entity. Both Gibbons and Finley-Day left the strip eventually, but other creators who worked on its initial incarnation subsequently included Alan Moore and Preacher co-creator Steve Dillon.īy 1989, however, Rogue Trooper was in a state of disrepair the Traitor General had been uncovered and a subsequent direction - that saw Rogue attempt to assassinate the figures responsible for keeping the war going - had failed to inspire readers and creators alike. The strip was an enjoyably contradictory mix of hyper-masculine action and “War is Hell” reflection, enlivened with occasional intrusions advancing the larger mythology or featuring more heavily obvious science-fiction elements. Only one survived, with a new mission: Find the traitorous Southern High Command general that betrayed the G.I.s, and kill him.įor years, Rogue and his talking equipment searched for the figure who became known as the Traitor General, only occasionally distracted by Norts (who would, underscoring their Axis inspirations, scream “NAIN!” as they were ruthlessly gunned down) or other events that would underscore the dehumanizing aspects of space war. Seeking the edge, scientists from Southers’ “MilliCom” created a breed of seemingly unstoppable clones, called Genetic Infantrymen - G.I.s for short - only for all of them to be massacred upon their arrival on Nu Earth. “Zarjaz” was a word that only made sense to the 2000 AD faithful - it meant “excellent” in the alienspeak of the comic’s mythology - but it wasn’t incorrectly used in this context from that first seven-page installment in 1981, the future war dynamics of Rogue Trooper captured the hearts and minds of the target audience for the comic, and launched a property that continues to this day.Ĭo-created by Watchmen’s Dave Gibbons and writer Gerry Finley-Day, the high concept behind Rogue Trooper is remarkably simple: An ongoing war between two human factions - the Norts and the Southers the Civil War references weren’t particularly subtle, although to all intents and purposes the Norts are essentially space Nazis - has become centered on Nu Earth, a planet so destroyed by the conflict that soldiers can only survive with the assistance of breathing apparatus and “chemsuit” armor. “Zarjaz New Future War Story!” ran the banner across the top of the cover for the 228th issue of British comic anthology 2000 AD, teasing the arrival of Rogue Trooper. The screen fades to black as the words “If that’s not enough of a clue….” appears. Who, oh, who, should it be?” as he takes off his hat to reveal a blue mohawk, similar to that worn by Rogue in the comic book series. After some more pondering, Duncan, son of late rock icon David Bowie, concludes, “Yes, one from the Megaverse, now let me see.