Tharg the Mighty

Tharg the Mighty

Tharg, from 2000 AD #1700
Publication information
Publisher Fleetway
Rebellion Developments
First appearance 2000 AD #1 (1977)
Created by Pat Mills
In-story information
Abilities Rigellian hotshot

The Mighty Tharg is a character in British science fiction comic 2000 AD, one of only two characters to appear in nearly every issue of the comic (the other being Judge Dredd). Other than a spate of strips in the early 1980s, Tharg rarely appears in stories, but instead purports to be the comic's editor. Stories involving Tharg have been written by such notable writers as Alan Moore. (The main Tharg-free period in 2000 AD was when the men from Vector 13 staged a takeover (in prog 1014), while Tharg was away dealing with an unspecified crisis.)

Description

Tharg is an alien from the fictional planet "Quaxxann", supposedly in orbit around the real-life star Betelgeuse (but he works in a British publisher's office), with green skin and a "rosette of Sirius" on his forehead. His favourite food is said to be polystyrene cups.

Tharg writes the comic's introduction, answers letters, and doles out prizes to readers (for artwork or story suggestions) - winners could choose payment either in pounds sterling or in "galactic groats". Tharg speaks mostly in English, but with various pithy Betelgusian aphorisms thrown in for colour.

In one episode, a Tharg suit in the comic's office was explained as a skin that Tharg had shed.

Creation and concept

The concept of using a fictional character to host the comic is comparable to the tradition of hosts in horror comics. It was commonplace in British comics in the 1970s when 2000 AD began publication.[1] 2000 AD's short-lived sister title Starlord used a similar device with the eponymous alien Starlord.[2] Pat Mills created Tharg but regrets it, describing him as an anachronism.[1]

In 1996 David Bishop, determined to get rid of Tharg and challenge the status quo, replaced him as host in #1014 with the Men in Black from the series Vector 13. Reader reaction was "strong and vitriolic" and Tharg was reinstated in #1032.[3] Bishop came to realise that Tharg is an intrinsic part of 2000 AD and that the Men in Black were "a tiresome encumbrance".[1][3] Tharg's return and the ousting of the Men in Black was fictionalised in the Vector 13 story "Case Ten: Case Closed?".

Comic strips

2000 AD regularly features self-contained, science-fiction short stories called Tharg's Future Shocks. Tharg is characterised as the host or presenter of these one-shots.[4] The format also sub-divides into genre-specific variants including: Tharg's 3rillers, Tharg's Alien Invasions, Tharg's Dragon Tales, and Tharg's Terror Tales.

On occasion 2000 AD includes short humorous strips that feature Tharg as a character. The plots of these often concern:

Publication History

Catchphrases and Jargon

Tharg occasionally uses words and phrases from a fictional language. The following is a short list, with approximate translations:[5]

The men behind the Rosette of Sirius

Although claiming to be an actual alien, the part has been played over the years by these editors:

  1. Pat Mills, #1–16 (1977)[6]
  2. Kelvin Gosnell, #17–85 (1977–1978)[7]
  3. Steve MacManus, #86–519 (1978–1987)[8]
  4. Richard Burton, #520–872 (1987–1994)[9]
  5. Alan McKenzie, #873–914 (1994)[10]
  6. John Tomlinson, #915–977 (1994–1996)[11]
  7. David Bishop, #978–1199 (1996–2000)[12]
  8. Andy Diggle, #1200–1273 (2000–2002)[13]
  9. Matt Smith, #1274–present (2002–present)[14]

(Assistant editor Nick Landau largely edited the comic himself in 1978 while Kelvin Gosnell was occupied with editing new sister title Starlord.[15])

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Goodwin, Paul (Director) (2015). Futre Shock! The Story of 2000 AD (DVD). England: Metrodome.
  2. ↑ "A Brief History of Starlord". Starlord Blueprint. Archived from the original on 18 August 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 Bishop, David. "28 Days of 2000 AD #15.1: Dark Bish-OP Pt. 2". Vicious Imagery. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Worley, Alec. "Tharg's Future Shocks". Alec Worley: Comics, fiction, films an' that. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Carter, Wakefield. "A Betelgeusian Phrasebook". BARNEY. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Pat Mills at 2000ad.org
  7. ↑ Kelvin Gosnell at 2000ad.org
  8. ↑ Steve MacManus at 2000ad.org
  9. ↑ Richard Burton at 2000ad.org
  10. ↑ Alan McKenzie at 2000ad.org
  11. ↑ John Tomlinson at 2000ad.org
  12. ↑ David Bishop at 2000ad.org
  13. ↑ Andy Diggle at 2000ad.org
  14. ↑ Matt Smith at 2000ad.org
  15. ↑ "A brief history of Starlord" from "Watch the stars!" website

References

External links

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