2000 AD, the iconic 1970s sci-fi comic that’s home to Judge Dredd, is the subject of a new exhibition hosted by Carhartt WIP.

Held at Clerkenwell’s Dinner Party Gallery, PROG-RESS is an exploration of the counterculture publication’s lasting legacy that features original artworks on display from the likes of Ed Davis, Skatething, Will Sweeney, Mudwig and Oliver Payne. Originally birthed from a feature in Carhartt WIP’s biannual WIP magazine, the prospect of an exhibition saw the brand invite a handful of artists from their own sprawling network of collaborators to give their own takes on a few 2000 AD classics, across mediums such as illustration, painting, collage and sculpture. 

First launched back in 1977, 2000 AD for many remains a gateway into an art world that fused a kind of politics, literature, subculture and film not seen anywhere else in the world of superheroes. The magazine would host a weekly ‘prog’, from which the exhibition lends its name, set in imagined worlds that were eerily futuristic but reflected the world affairs of the time with a nod and wink. With many of the participating artists already huge fans of the title, the display features an eclectic mix of looming collage prints, distorted cartoons, obfuscated alien doodles and even an LED-lit Gameboy in brash emerald green.

Still publishing today both online and in print, Carhartt WIP ultimately hopes to highlight the enduring legacy of a publication blazing its own enigmatic trail for countless generations of superhero lovers to come.

PROG-RESS runs until Sunday 10th April at Dinner Party Gallery