The 2009 Advent Calendar Unplugged!

[Pete Wells]

December 16th - Colin YNWA



Another entry brimming with originality. Colin ran a competition where boarders had to guess the artists who'd drawn the above sketches. The winner won sketch no 3!

The answers were: 1) Mark Millar 2) Geoff Darrow 3) Dean Ormston 4) Mike Grell 5) Brett Ewins 6) John Higgins 7) Simon Harrison 8) Will Simpson. Congratulations to Iamthesystem for bagging the sketch!

[Pete Wells]

December 17th - Banners and Logan



Banners posted a link to his 'amateur' choir singing a wonderful version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' with the 'Five gold rings' bit being sung in a different style each time. Banners, I've shown this video to absolutely everyone over the Christmas period, it's fantastic!

You'll find it here: http://www.vimeo.com/8197924.

Also on this day, Logan produced this tricky crossword which has kept many busy over the Christmas period!



Here's the Clues:

Across
3. The board tracked him down just in time, a true legend
7. Can I Eat You
10. Ro busting War Droid
14. Marlon Shakespeare was Chopper, King Scrawler, then he was Chopper, skysurf champ, but what was he known as inbetween
16. He may have been a metal rodent but his deadly wife was my favourite character.
17. The first comic to merge with the Galaxies greatest
19. This square headed droid just isn't mentioned enough in Thrill Power Overload but mentioned twice in the Xmas Crossword.
22. This writer is just Wasted on his latest venture outside of the Prog
26. VC's motto
28. 2000's second Button Man's name
31. His best Cadet bar none
33. Bad Jack Keller, earned his record kill points in this story
34. can i see the rabbits now
35. He spread the Block Mania contaminant
38. The Famous Five, the Jackson Five, Five Star and 2000AD had
39. 1st award winning 2000AD related fanzine
43. They turned their backs on MC-1 for a better life and feat soon to be copied by some boarders attending the Hi-Ex Convention
45. not Robin Hood, this Hooded Man appeared in this story
48. Unlk mny Dnsurs ths arnt
50. Who?
53. No a latin singing sensation but a monosyllabic avenging alien
54. Get Whet with Gene
55. mysterious 7th Warrior
57. who the hells going to mess with his two biggest creations
59. The son of Dr Beat and White Heat
63. Rasputin is no longer Russias greatest love machine
64. Annihilate!!!
66. no longer Dredd's right hand man
67. this man has a History Of Violence
68. Block that's been home to two Dredd's, has a nice bath
69. treacherous, oil drinking General

Down
1. Son of son of Old One Eye
2. These soilders went through the breach
4. She was Amazing
5. Fink Angels sidekick
6. Henry Flint & Big Tanks, nuff said.
8. Famed for his haircut
9. His father was a dentist, he's an undead mass murderer
11. Smush
12. GFD's most famous creation for the Galaxies greatest
13. He went Rogue on this day of the week
15. He was from beyond the stars
18. The second merger, and some truly dire characters soon appeared but didn't last long.
20. A clone of Dredd who turned his back on the Academy
21. Nightmarish enemy of Hans Schmitt
23. Our Lord and Master who runs the board with an iron fin
24. Could Dredd have withstood the sisters influence if he'd remained in the city. No blame was attached for this clone who wept as he killed
25. In this story the God Beast Must Die and he Operated On His Own Brain
27. Immortalised as a block name on the cover of Origins, this droid's skills are still missed
28. She escaped the hoop
29. The horror story Gordon Rennie had to wait until Frazer Irving had run out of Cyan ink before he could write
30. title of story containing 2000's first Button Man
32. Joe's Favourite fruit
36. Ben was Ninety, Big Red was One, what was Harry?
37. First published Dredd and artist who drew Sky Chariots the best art ever to appear in the Prog
40. All he wanted was to be a Fireman, not a mess
41. Do we think its too many, he doesn't
42. Before the Volgs invaded he helped during the Disaster of 1999, nearly as big a disater as his current storylines
44. Commisioned by Andy Diggle, Written By Gordon Rennie, art by Colin MacNeil, three creators who upset the father of 2000AD
46. he can't wait to get his pink pincers on a Dyson
47. So good a Chief Judge she did it twice
49. Nick Stone was known as the
51. Is this the only character to have been created for a fanzine and to have crossed over to the Prog, created by Hugh Janus and stolen by Gordon Rennie
52. The first was corrupt, the second is a stickler
56. The Inspectre called three times in the Meg for this writer and board allumni
58. Friday's number
60. PJ, Maybe, but it isn't
61. Make a mistake and this droid will enjoy doing this to you
62. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No its a bloke with a planes dash stuck to his arm.
63. Johnny's sister

[Pete Wells]

December 18th - Jim Campbell

Some terrible punnage from Jim as he gives us:



And this moody image of his very own Inspectre:



I'd love to see this character back in the Meg preferably with Kev Walker back on art duties. However, if he couldn't, I wouldn't mind seeing Mr Campbell have a go!

[Pete Wells]

December 19th - Supersurfer and Mike Gloady



An absolutely beautiful page of black and white art from Supersurfer which was cetainly worth the wait! Also, back in it's rightful place we have Mike's Robotivity scene. I hope to see his fully finished verion in next year's calendar!

[Pete Wells]

December 20th - DaveyCandlish



It wouldn't be Christmas without awful jokes and Davey gives us two shockers here!

[Pete Wells]

December 21st - Christov

A crackers tale of exploding, anarchist Santa Robots in flying sleighs from Christov. Wonderful, let's see more Christov!

Merry Dreddmas by Christov

It was a cold night in Megacity One. Not a regular cold night though, hardly. It was one of those nights that chilled the air so frightfully that a gust would feel as if thousands of pins had pierced your skin. The streets were filled with noise, assorted chatter blending into the constant whirring and grinding of various machinery and vehicles. Bright neon lights shone from all angles. Advertisements, warnings, traffic signs, all of them combining into an array of colour.

Things were much different in the back alleys however. They were dark and quiet, where so much as a faint cough would echo on and on until it finally died out. A group of dark figures slowly plodded down these alleyways, obscured by a thick haze rising from the manholes and sewer gratings around them. Footsteps rattled back and forth down the narrow passage as it finally became clear that two groups were meeting in the very centre. Dark eyed youths squared each other up, exchanging venomous glances and hateful stares. A young man from one of the groups took a bold step forward out of the grey cloud, his bile coloured Mohawk shimmering in the faint light. He sucked his lip and drew his head back before thrusting it forward, spitting a mighty globule onto the boot of another in the gang opposite.

The splat of the spit hitting faux leather was as loud as an explosion. A moment of silence followed, accompanied later by quiet mumblings from both parties. Another stepped forward from the fog, meeting eye to eye with his rival, the multiple studs and rings protruding from his face jingling and jangling with every step. “Spud”, the Mohawked one grunted, a foul sneer spreading across his face.

“Cork” replied the other, getting as close to his enemy as possible. They stared at each other for a minute, brows lowering, seeing who would divert their gaze first. Spud suckled quietly on the ring embedded in his lip, bobbing his head left and right, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into a wry smile. In an instant, he landed a punch upon Cork’s jaw, felling him quickly. The factions shuffled forwards an inch, the mild chatter between them dying into a sterile silence. Cork rubbed his jaw and looked up at his grinning attacker. He quickly leant back and drew his leg upwards, thrusting it out forcefully, kicking Spud right above the groin. The young man yelped like a wounded animal before collapsing into a wheezing heap of leather and studs.

A slow throaty whine came from either side. It began to build itself into a mighty roar, growing louder, deeper. A primal war cry for a primal activity, a bloody nostalgia of violence and hate. The groups meshed into a sea of heads, their self imposed generals fighting at the very core of this brawl. Bone met sinew, blood and spittle mixed into thick bile that seemed to coat the walls and ground, this simple back alleyway becoming a warzone, a sacred battleground, the coliseum of the modern age.

Megacity One, a civilization that thrived on law and order, even at the price of civil liberties, was famed for its notoriously efficient lawmen. They stalked the streets and the skies, proud figures of authority dressed in a uniform designed more for showmanship than practicality. They were the Judges, and they were the sheriffs in this burg. From the shadows, a figure emerged, adorned in regalia befitting a golden deity, a shining chain rattling against its solid chest with every step. The light struck down upon this figure as it exorcised itself from the shadow, purging itself of the darkness. The badge resting on its chest appeared clearly now, no longer a vague shape in the darkness, and in bold engraved letters, it read ‘DREDD’.

Like some great juggernaut, the Judge stomped forwards. Slowly, he brandished his weapon and fired it once into the air, the crack of it echoing through what seemed like an endless labyrinth of corridors. Hush descended over the adolescents, their heads slowly turning towards the imposing figure advancing on them. They quietly uttered his name, a wave of terror washing over the crowd in mere moments. “Violent public disturbance, ten years” Dredd rasped, “Incitement of violent public disturbance, eight years, unauthorized meeting to conspire a public disturbance, six years…” he continued, rattling off an expansive line of crimes to charge the juvenile delinquents with. Dredd came to a halt, behind a darkened visor his gaze narrowed, carefully scanning the crowd of scared, young faces.

Unrest at the opposite end of the group began to break out, murmurings getting ever so slightly rebellious, malicious whisperings about rushing the Judge circulating through the bloodied and beaten. Surely this many people could take him down with relative ease?

“Cop it!” one cowardly voice cried. That was all it took, just one scared little man with a mouth working faster than his mind. Both gangs turned away from Dredd in unison and pelted their way up the remaining alleyway, the stragglers of the group hauled to the front by the more athletic of their ranks. The lawman grunted bitterly and took a heaving step forwards, but before he could give chase, a solid lump of granite rained down from the sky. The block exploded somewhat upon impact, a fine chalky dust spreading into the air, fragments of varying size scattered about the rough pavement.

Dredd tilted back his head and looked skywards briefly, a darkened ghoul moving back from the very edge of the roof of the Van Cleef block. He turned his attention back towards the escaping junior felons, their figures getting further and further away, dissipating into the murky and swirling vapour. It wouldn’t be long until they hit the perimeter of Judges surrounding the multiple exits to the maze of alleyways anyway, but the shadowy apparition upon the roof troubled Dredd more than a gaggle of spotty youths.

High upon the rooftop, a large, hulking shape heavily waddled its way towards a contraption hovering a mere three inches off the ground, the jets beneath it quietly hissing and casting a violet light onto the dull grey cement. It was coloured a violent red, curved at the edges, and a collection of small golden spheres lining the edge of this obscure mode of transport. It was some kind of sleigh. The hissing exploded into a continuous hum, the carriage slowly gaining altitude while its driver glared down at the sprawling metropolis below. The levitating machine flew off into the chill night air, the unsuspecting masses beneath going about with their daily lives oblivious to the impending danger resting right above their heads.

“Pull your vehicle over!”

The thundering revving of a mighty engine roared behind the sleigh, a bright, white light cast over the garish red monstrosity. Dredd sped up, his Lawmaster getting ever closer. “Pull over, or you will be shot down!” he spat, lip curled into a snarl. The driver of the other vehicle didn’t move, not even a twitch, it just continued sitting at the controls of its flying machine. A low inhuman chuckle filled the stagnant air as hundreds of tiny red and green spheres spilled from an opening at the back of the sleigh. The spheres tumbled through the air and collided with the Lawmaster like a child had thrown a bag of marbles at it, dozens missing the mark and plummeting downwards into the street.

Warning lights flashed, a multitude of sirens wailed, and the radio began to switch itself on and off frantically in an electronic fit. Dredd knew there was something terribly wrong with his vehicle roughly a minute and a half before it started losing altitude. Quickly, he stood on the saddle of his trusty steed and leapt out into the air, arms outstretched. He grunted a throaty animalistic grunt as he managed to get a grip on the very back curve of the sleigh, wrapping himself around it tightly, one leg awkwardly flailing around as he struggled to mount the vehicle. Battling against wind resistance and gravity, the lawman triumphed and hauled himself over the edge, silently slipping the weapon at his side from his holster to his gloved palm.

Dredd looked at the assailant sitting apathetically ahead of him; it wore a deep crimson coat with a white fur trim and a matching ridiculous hat. The chinned crusader seethed silently, fluffy hats had been banned in Megacity One for well over twenty five years. He pressed the barrel of the Lawgiver up against the back of the felon’s head, “Land this thing, or I plug you and land it myself”. The head of the badly dressed villain jerked to the right an inch with a heavy ‘clunk!’ Slowly, it rolled around to face Dredd, it’s metal maw wide open, two glowing red orbs for eyes, and a display of sparks spilling from every facial orifice.

“Ho-ho-ho” it said in a metallic whine.

“Grudd” Dredd sighed, “You have got to be j-”

His sentence was cut short. The robotic menace swivelled it’s body around to align with its head, and in the process slamming it’s outstretched claws into Dredd’s ribs. He tumbled to the left, gasping for air. He raised his Lawgiver and stared at the monstrosity, intent on blowing it’s rusting head clean off. Oddly enough, it stared at him back, it’s eyes either sorrowful or blissfully ignorant about the incoming attack about to be unloaded on its face. Dredd decided it was simply ignorant and fired, creating yet another hole in the machine’s noggin. It shot back for a moment before tilting forwards on its cylindrical base, it rolled to the left, then back to the right, then it spun clockwise for half a second singing a collection of pop songs all at once, the result of which sounding like a cat being mutilated by a very sadistic teenager who considered cutting himself a hobby.

“Ho-timer activated, charge now live-ho-democracy lives on, the Judges must die-ho” it burbled, two pieces of audio overlapping and cutting each other out.

Dredd started at the soulless metal man for a moment, it’s body jerking wildly, flailing around in a strop like an irritable child. Suddenly, it stopped, it’s innards whirring, a faint crackling side echoing from within its core. Like a kettle boiling, a rising screech began pouring out of it, faint distorted fragments of a sentence intertwining with the horrid scream.

“Take off sequence initiated, escape protocol 5”.

Like a firework, the robot shot upwards with a grating whizzing sound. It swirled around in the air aimlessly, heading higher, and higher, and higher still, the sparks erupting from the bullet hole lighting the ill fitting velvet jacket and hat. The ball of flame began to slow down, the mighty jet beneath it failing. It was suspended in the air for a moment, frozen in time. Finally, it began to sink downwards, steadily gaining more and more speed as it plummeted towards the city beneath it. The next few moments were a blur for Dredd as he struggled to land the sleigh. As he finally managed to steer the contraption low enough to scrape the very top of a residential block, everything around him became overwhelmingly bright. He glanced up briefly to see a ball of light where the robot once was, still hurtling towards the ground at an alarming speed.

There was an almighty bang. It rang out through every inch of Megacity One, no crevice or corner left deaf to the noise.

Heavy boots trudged through the gathering snow, the sound of children laughing and adults conversing amongst themselves about explosions and arrests filled the air. Dredd brushed the white flakes from the armour draped over his shoulders and stared upwards. Whatever type of bomb the robot was carrying was certainly unconventional, if it were a bomb at all, but what had actually happened to the machine was entirely unprecedented.

A glowing sphere floated calmly in the air by its own inherent state of non-mass, casting a white light on the city below. The shower of snow started beneath the sphere, indicating it was some kind of weather modulator, freezing the water vapour in the air to create the white cascade. Atop of a block nearby lay the manic machine’s sleigh, landed awkwardly but safely by the lawman despite the explosion blinding him temporarily. Dredd sighed and looked on; it was a peaceful scene that would have melted his heart if it were not made out of the coldest stone. He turned away from the gathering crowd, pacing ahead with a sense of authority, letting his features soften once he’d strode out of view. He’d let them enjoy the snow for now, even if the luminescent orb would inevitably be shot down long before its power would fade.

Questions still hung heavy on Dredd about the demented robot, why did it edge the lump of granite from the top of the Van Cleef block? Why did it spout a message befitting a democratic protestor? Why did it claim to have a bomb when it didn’t? And who in the world created it in the first place? He figured they could wait for now, other matters concerned him. Besides, it was Christmas after all.

[Pete Wells]

December 22nd - Flip-r Mk2



Ukko, sitting atop the Christmas Tree, like one of Santa's elves gone bad. Superb painting from Flip!

[Pete Wells]

December 23rd - Wake



Good Old Wake offered boarders 25% off the price of his new and improved replica Judge Dredd badge. No one can accuse him of being a Scrooge at Christmas!

[Pete Wells]

December 24th - EVERYBODY!

Christmas Eve was open to all, so that everyone could get in on the fun. I contacted some of 2000AD's artdroids too, many of whom were kind enough to add to the calender. So we had:

Nick Percival:

Zombie Santa and a character from nick's forthcoming graphic novel...





PJ Holden:

Anderson with Klegg! What more could we ask for at Christmas?



Karl Richardson:

Beautiful! This is a 'sketch' would you believe?



Jock:

Cool, as ever!



Jon Davis-Hunt:

A great Tempest sketch.



Flip-r Mk2:

Dirty Dante



Kevlev:

Sexy Miss Jones...



Bhuna:

Happy Winter Solstice from the boys!



Iamthesystem:

So cool...



Mikey:

Dredd in the snow!



Daveycandlish:

More awful jokes!



Mangamax:

Going upta 4 on us!



Mygrimmbrother:

Let's see where Fractal Friction has taken us this time next year!



Legendary Shark made a wallpaper site so boarders can download his vector images:


Link here: http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p147/the_legendary_shark/2000AD%20PC%20Wallpapers/

SuperSurfer shows us that Boing(R) has sponsored Christmas!:



And finally Dredd has the last word, courtesy of Mr Jim Campbell:

[Pete Wells]

Bonus - 25th December - Pete Wells

Phew, that was hard work! As a bonus, the link below is to a little song from erm... Tharg himself! I meant to mess about with my voice and forgot, so apologies for my awful warbling! Banners, if you want me to join the choir I'm available!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eT0alJnqmb4

HAPPY 2010 ONE AND ALL!

[locustsofdeath!]

Fantastic job organizing this, Mr. Wells. I had a great time viewing each entry as you posted them.

All of them are great, but hands down my favorite belongs to Uncle Fester. The mischief in Anderson's eyes makes it...the followup by Cravenoir wasn't bad either  .

[Jim_Campbell]

Fantastic job, Mr Wells! It was like having the advent calendar all over again.

Just one more example of why this here forum is just about the finest place on the internet. Thanks to all of you, folks!

Cheers

Jim

[Kerrin]

Nice one Mr.Pete! Same again next year I should hope.

[SuperSurfer]

Thanks so much Pete for organising the advent calendar and well done to all who contributed. I thoroughly enjoyed every entry and taking part.

Commando Forces accused me of being "a bit early" with my second effort. Not quite. I uploaded it as my Mrs was waiting for me in a cab as we were on our way to an Xmas eve meal.

The calendar really added to the Christmas atmosphere. Look forward to more of the same next year.

All topped off with a brilliant vid from Pete Wells.

[flip-r mk2]

Exellent Pete Wells just exellent,what a brilliant idea to come with.Well done to all those who took part and made my xmas that bit better, it was great waiting for the next piece to be posted.


Once again a big thanks to Pete and all those who took part.



filip