Comic Review: Bradley is Out by 2000 AD

Guess what! It’s a comic review day. Today's comic is a 2000 AD Showcase: Bradley is Out! Which I picked up for a dollar at Comet Comics here in Ottawa (sadly now gone). I was surprised to find it but stupidly happy to pay only a dollar for it.

I remember reading Bradley Progs in 2000 AD as a young teenager (maybe 13ish) and though I loved the artwork, I couldn't really remember anything else about it. So, I purchased the comic and started reading it straight away. Before I get into the review, here are some Bradley facts:

First Appearance: Prog 533 on August 1st, 1987 (I was only four then).

Theme: It follows Bradley, a diabolically ill-behaved alien child.

Creators: Alan Mckenzie and Simon Harrison.

Physical Appearance: The comic itself has a gloss card cover featuring the above image. It shows the demented main character, Bradley, with his wild multicoloured hair and classic onesie outfit. The comic has no date of publication that I can find, but it is 32 pages long.

The tales included in this volume are based on ''Bradley's Bedtime Stories'' arc. Which mainly involves Bradley telling his younger sister, Annabella, his version of popular fairy tales. Guess which classic tales might fit these titles:

• Were-maid

• The Ice Queen

• Nightingale

• The King's Birthday Suit

Review

As far as storytelling goes, these aren't anything special and are quickly forgotten. Each heavily relies on a pre-existing story, giving an Eerie Indiana a twist ending. The high point of this comic is the excellent artwork. It is truly remarkable. It is detailed and slightly different from the norm found in 2000 AD. The artwork saved the lacklustre stories and reminded me why this character didn't stick in my head.

It took maybe ten minutes to read cover to cover, and I won't be re-reading it anytime soon (so if you want it, feel free to contact me). I hate finishing a review like this, but you can’t win them all.

Thanks for reading!