If we're talking 40K, a *lot.* Specifically, you can tell the 40K team really loved Pat Mills and the late Kev O'Neill's NEMESIS THE WARLOCK, a story about, oh what was it again...
Right, right. Far-future xenophobic human empire declares war on all aliens, led by the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada and his army of Terminators. The biggest difference is that Nemesis starred an alien freedom fighter, while Torque and his crew were undoubtedly the villains, but you can absolutely see the skeleton of 40K. There's even a small but salient plot point about how the Terran empire's greatest war machines are busted-up pieces of shit because most of the knowledge used to maintain them has been lost to time.
So yeah, Nemesis is the biggest inspiration. There's also a bit of Judge Dredd in the Hive Cities and especially in the Adeptus Arbites because, I mean, just look at these guys:
That's a fucking Dredd alright.
Of course, the extra fun part of the 40K/2000AD connection is that, when Warhammer Monthly started coming out, a lot of its creative teams were 2000AD alumni, from artists like Colin MacNeil to just straight-up Dredd's co-creator, John Wagner. And even Pat Mills himself got in on the action with the delightfully absurd Redeemer:
So overall, yeah, I'd say a nice chunk of 40K's initial premise at least has a lot of 2000AD roots.
RIP Kev O'Neill. A fantastic artist who deeply influenced my own work and that of so many others. You will be missed. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckt9QP_quth/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Mark Montague is the first winner of the 2000 AD Art Stars contest, the incredible competition giving you the chance to see your art gracing the pages of a future issue of 2000 AD!
Mark's piece shows Judge Dredd captured and in the clutches of Brother Morgar and the Brotherhood of Darkness, fondly remembered by us all from the 'Cursed Earth' saga and will be appearing in a future Prog as a Star Scan.
The Star Scan has been a staple of 2000 AD for many years, with pin-ups over the years from many of the greatest names in 2000 AD and British comics history, including Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Kev O'Neill, Jock, Liam Sharp, and many more.
The second Art Stars theme for winter 2018 is Rogue Trooper, so get your entries in as soon as you can! We'll be featuring selected entries on 2000 AD's social media and the very best will be featuring in the Prog!
Hailing from Dublin and fronted by vocalist and guitarist Keeley, the band includes Marty Canavan on keyboards, Martin Fagan on bass and Pete Duff on drums.
This four-track collection was produced and engineered by Alan Maguire, who mixed it together with Keeley, and mastered by Anthony Chapman (Franz Ferdinand, DEVO, Cathal Coughlan, Jesus Jones, Wolfhounds).
Lead track 'The Glitter and the Glue' is a blistering buffet of psychedelic rock, post-punk and the fuzzier, more frantic end of the dreampop spectrum. The shortest, fastest and most ecstatic explosion of energy released by Keeley to date, this is a hook-laden, melodic monster of a song with very unusual lyrical content. It is already receiving Irish airplay from Newstalk FM, Radio Nova, 98FM and has now been added to the playlists of Dublin City FM, KCLR 96FM and 8Radio.
The 'Brave Warrior' EP demonstrates the multi-faceted songwriting smarts of one of Ireland’s most talked-about emerging bands, ranging from this upbeat lead track to more spacey, darkly-dreamy electronic offerings, drenched in drama and soaked in sadness. Keeley pursues an unusual conceptual thread, conceived several years ago, focusing on German tourist Inga Maria Hauser, whose murder in Northern Ireland in 1988 remains unsolved.
For the past five years, the band's frontwoman and songwriter Keeley has been publishing a blog with a devoted global following - 'The Keeley Chronicles' - documenting the many facets of this unique, harrowing and mystifying case, correcting the falsely published details of Inga’s life and piecing together what really happened in the final days on her trip. By working in close quarters with Northern Irish police, senior politicians and Inga’s legal representatives in Northern Ireland in concerted efforts to advance and resolve this notorious case, she is keeping the memory of this beautiful and mysterious soul alive.
"Inga is the subject of everything I write. From the moment I first read about her exactly five years ago now, her cause became a burning obsession for me. Since that day I haven’t written a song about anyone or anything else... I consider myself a concept artist and my purpose is to give Inga a voice," says Keeley.
In October 2020, Keeley released the debut single 'Last Words’, topping Newstalk FM’s airplay chart, getting playlisted by RTE Radio 1 and 8Radio, and attracting support from radio in multiple countries. Picked by legendary broadcaster Tom Dunne as one of his ‘Top Tracks of 2020’, it was listed at #12 in Radio Nova's ’Top 15 Irish Songs of 2020’ and, upon its release, she became the subject of full-page articles in the Belfast Telegraph and Derry Post newspapers, a frankly unheard-of feat for an indie artist on their debut single.
Dimple Discs is a new Peckham label with deep Irish music connections, founded in 2018 by Damian O'Neill of The Undertones and Brian O'Neill, initially as a vehicle for Damian's solo projects. It has now grown to encompass such artists as The Undertones, Cathal Coughlan, Kev Hopper, Eileen Gogan, Dragon Welding, Nick Haeffner and Baby Shakes with forthcoming archive material from Microdisney and Fatima Mansions.
Keep up with Keeley
Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify
Keep up with Dimple Discs
Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Discogs | Proper Music | Press contact