{"id":35303,"date":"2026-04-18T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35303"},"modified":"2026-04-17T17:03:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:03:20","slug":"ant-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/04\/18\/ant-wars\/","title":{"rendered":"Ant Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Gerry Finley-Day<\/strong>, Jos\u00e9 Luis Ferrer<\/strong>, Alfonso Azpiri<\/strong>, Luis Bermejo<\/strong>, Lozano<\/strong>, Pe\u00f1a<\/strong>, Simon Spurrier & Cam Kennedy <\/strong>& various (Rebellion\/REBCA)
\nISBN: 978-1-78108-622-3 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

The sun\u2019s out and the sarnies are packed so let\u2019s shamble down memory lane with a bug-beguiling packed lunch for all us oldsters which might, perhaps, offer a fresh, untrodden path for younger fans of the fantastic in search of a typically quirky British comics experience. <\/em><\/p>\n

This stunning paperback\/eBook package provides another knockout nostalgia-punch from Rebellion Studios\u2019 scintillating 2000 A.D. <\/strong>treasure-trove, gathering the 15 weekly episodes of seminal shocker A<\/strong>nt Wars <\/strong>a<\/strong>s first seen in Progs #71-85 (July 1st<\/sup> – 7th<\/sup> October 1978). There\u2019s also <\/strong>a later resurgence of creepy creatures, which initially infested <\/strong>The<\/strong> Judge Dredd Megazine<\/strong> (#231-233, May to July 2005).<\/p>\n

The strip debuted with ferociously prolific writer Scots Gerry Finley-Day (Ella on Easy Street<\/em>, The Camp on Candy Island<\/em>, Rat Pack<\/strong>, The Bootneck Boy<\/strong>, D-Day Dawson<\/strong>, The<\/strong> Sarge<\/strong>, One-Eyed Jack<\/strong>, Hellman of Hammer Force<\/strong>, Sgt. Streetwise<\/em>, Dredger<\/strong>, Dan Dare<\/strong>, Invasion<\/strong>, Judge<\/strong> Dredd<\/strong>, Harry 20 on the High Rock<\/strong>, The V.C.s<\/strong>, Rogue Trooper<\/strong>, Fiends of the Eastern Front<\/strong> and dozens more) establishing a contemporary scenario to explore human greed and venality against a setting of increased pollution and eco-barbarism in the heart of the Amazon basin. The creepily compelling visuals came via an international tag team of illustrators – beginning with co-creator Jos\u00e9 Luis Ferrer, and followed by Alfonso Azpiri, Luis Bermejo, Lozano and Pe\u00f1a -who skilfully combined local knowledge of Central\/South American locales with old fashioned monster movie riffs to deliver a wicked and wild cautionary tale.<\/p>\n

In an era of burgeoning eco-politics, increasing environmental awareness and growing advocacy for Indigenous rights, the saga confronted entrenched corporate greed, Military-Industrial Complex arrogance and political complacency in a rip-roaring, grossly anarchic Doomwatch<\/strong> scenario that revelled in an innate love of irony married to macabre and bloody carnage. It was also pretty cool to see an utter absence of Yanks or Brits casually saving the day…<\/p>\n

It begins in the depths of the Brazilian rain forest as helicopter-borne soldiers descend on \u201cwild Indians\u201d they find eating ants. After despatching the disgustingly primitive indigenes, the troops complete their mission, expediting a test of GGS<\/em>: a new super-insecticide created by a multinational corporation which needs testing without too much oversight…<\/p>\n

Some months later captive natives are being forcibly \u201ccivilised\u201d by those soldiers in a Reservation Camp. The captives (grudgingly) wear clothes and can speak to their \u201cbenefactors\u201d now, but recidivism remains stubbornly high. When one youngster is caught eating ants again, he endures another punishment beating before escaping. Delighted to have something to do, the soldiers board their copters and track him into the verdant hell all around them. That\u2019s when they discover skyscraper-sized anthills and are ambushed by hungry Formicidae the size of buses and far smarter than they are or, indeed, most humans…
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\nThe squad are wiped out, but Captain Villa<\/em> survives, aided by the Indian boy they had disparagingly dubbed \u201cAnteater<\/em>\u201d. His speed, agility and dexterity with a machete are the only counter to the big bugs – which readily dismember troops and destroy aircraft – so the enemies form a reluctant partnership to escape the ant-controlled jungles and alert humanity to the imminent peril they all face. The boy understands bugs implicitly and his knowledge saves them over and again as they struggle through green hells barely ahead of an endless army of colossal soldier ants apparently intent on eradicating humankind.
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\nAfter many close calls and stomach-churning hairsbreadth escapes – avoiding the plantation-consuming, outpost-conquering, riverboat-confiscating bugs, Villa and Anteater reach Rio de Janeiro, and at last convince people with actual power and authority of the existential threat, but it is far too late. Ant queens have already established forward bases there and as the humans waste time and resources partying at Carnival, a horrific battle for control of the continent and ultimately the planet begins.<\/p>\n

Soon ant colonies are found in Argentina, Bolivia and beyond and the struggle must be decided by humanity\u2019s most unforgivable armaments…<\/p>\n

And in the aftermath, there are many profitable opportunities to test even better bug sprays and formulations…<\/p>\n

In 2005 the concept was retooled, crafted in tribute to the original by Simon Spurrier & Cam Kennedy. A notional sequel set in the future world of Mega-cities and mass madness where Judges like Joe<\/em> Dredd<\/em> were sworn to curtail and control Zancudo <\/strong>was a short serial running across 2000 A.D.<\/strong> spin-off title The<\/strong> Judge Dredd Megazine<\/strong> (issues #231-233). It focused on less-than-upstanding Judges Xavi Ancizar<\/em> and Sofia Perez<\/em> as they escort sociopathic \u201cmutie\u201d telepath Fendito \u201cEl Bandito\u201d<\/em> in a medical-supply flyer bound for the penal facility in La Paz. It\u2019s 2171 and they have left sprawling metropolis Cuidad Barranquilla<\/em> to risk the perils of the Peruvian rainforest, but don\u2019t get far. When the ship is brought down, and even after surviving the crash, their chances diminish every second as they are attacked by giant intelligent mosquitos. They are also blithely unaware that the device neutralising El Bandito\u2019s psionic powers has malfunctioned…<\/p>\n

Although Judges are trained to resist, smart giant bugs are easier to handle, and it might have all worked out differently for the mind-thief if they hadn\u2019t stopped to save a little girl and stumbled into Los Zancudo Pichu. This bizarre embattled colony is home to human natives enslaved to Mosquito queens and where all inhabitants – even the big bugs – are slowly expiring of a malarial infection they call The Blight…<\/p>\n

Those downed Judge medical supplies promise a cure for the dying city and all its inhabitants, and Fendito is delighted to betray his own (more or less) kind to save his skin, but even corrupted, debased Judges have standards, so their discovery of the original purpose of Zancudo prior to the insects\u2019 triumphal takeover offers a slim chance of atonement if not personal survival…
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\nA grand, old fashioned Mankind vs Monsters yarn dripping with wit and edgy social commentary, Ant Wars<\/strong> is an unreconstructed romp to while away a little time with and a splendid way to prepare for the long hot and possibly few days ahead.
\n\u00a9 1978, 2005 & 2018 Rebellion A\/S. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Today in 1828 trailblazing cartoonist, caricaturist and author Frank Bellew<\/strong> was born, with Marvel bulwark Carl<\/strong> (Human Torch<\/strong>) Burgos<\/strong> coming along in 1916 and – in 1986 \u2013 mainly-Marvel comic book illustrator Paulo Siqueira<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ken Reid<\/strong>\u2019s Roger the Dodger<\/em> debuted in The Beano<\/strong> this date in 1953, but we lost British underground star and newspaper cartoonist Edward Barker<\/strong> (International Times<\/strong>, The Largactilites<\/em>, The Galactilites<\/em>) in 1997 and Steve Canyon<\/strong> artist Dick Rockwell<\/strong> in 2006.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gerry Finley-Day, Jos\u00e9 Luis Ferrer, Alfonso Azpiri, Luis Bermejo, Lozano, Pe\u00f1a, Simon Spurrier & Cam Kennedy & various (Rebellion\/REBCA) ISBN: 978-1-78108-622-3 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. The sun\u2019s out and the sarnies are packed so let\u2019s shamble down memory lane with a bug-beguiling packed lunch for all … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Ant Wars”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,42,255,66,396,111,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-best-of-british","category-environmentalism","category-horror-stories","category-monsters","category-satirepolitics","category-science-fiction"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9bp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35308,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35303\/revisions\/35308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}