How To Read Rogue Trooper Comics

Rogue Trooper has been a mainstay of 2000 AD for decades. Since the early 1980s, the start of a golden period for the anthology, the military science fiction series has highlighted to readers the horrors of war through loud and gritty adventures. With a Duncan Jones-directed film on the way, it has never been a better time to dive into this classic comic.

But how do you read Rogue Trooper? This guide has the answer, explaining everything you need to know to get started. This includes details on the different series and reboots, who has worked on the comics, terrific starting points, spin-offs, and more.

What is Rogue Trooper about?

Rogue Trooper is a military science fiction series that sees two factions of humanity in a war of attrition. The Southers, the democratic side of what’s left of Earth’s population, have been in conflict with the Norts, a fascist society, for so long that they don’t remember what started the conflict. However, that hasn’t stopped both sides from taking the war across multiple planets, ravaging each through warfare.

This is where Rogue comes into it. He was created to be one of many genetically-engineered infantrymen who can withstand the poisonous environments (created by chemical warfare) of Nu-Earth. However, he and his band of brothers are ambushed by the Norts, set up by a turncoat general. While three of his fellow genetic infantrymen were able to upload their minds to Rogue’s equipment, he is the only one left standing. Rogue now walks the expansive warzone in search of the Traitor General.

Rogue Trooper is an action-packed adventure featuring plenty of over-the-top science fiction ideas through a military lens. Through that, it is an anti-war comic. It explores the horrors of war, showing the cost of chemical warfare from a human and environmental perspective.

2000 AD has a great rundown of the core characters on their blog for those who want to know more.

How is Rogue Trooper serialised?

Rogue Trooper first appeared in the pages of 2000 AD Prog 228 in 1981. The strip has appeared in the comics magazine throughout the decades since.

For those unfamiliar with 2000 AD, it’s a weekly comics anthology published in the UK. Every issue – or “Prog”, as they refer to them – features multiple strips roughly five pages each. Stories may be self-contained within those five pages or span over multiple weekly instalments.

Apart from Judge Dredd, which has only missed a small handful of Progs in 45 years, 2000 AD series usually take breaks. The creative team will tell a story with the character, and then the strip will be rotated out with something else. The early years of Rogue Trooper implemented this practice less often, but later material became more sporadic, like other series.

Who created Rogue Trooper?

Rogue Trooper was created by writer Gerry Finley-Day and artist Dave Gibbons. However, other writers and artists have contributed to Rogue Trooper over the decades.

In the early years, Dave Gibbons rotated art responsibilities with Brett Ewins, Cam Kennedy, Colin Wilson, and others. Later, Cam Kennedy became the primary artist on the series when Dave Gibbons began to do more work for DC Comics in the US. Gerry Finley-Day left the strip in 1985 after completing his overarching story and was replaced by Simon Geller, and later John Smith.

Dave Gibbons returned to the title, being part of the reboot (more details below). This time, he wrote the early stories, with Will Simpson on art duties. Michael Fleisher, John Smith, Mark Millar, and Steve White wrote subsequent stories for the rebooted stories with a who’s who of 2000 AD artists like Chris Weston, Henry Flint, Simon Coleby, Kev Walker, and others.

Several writers and artists have contributed to Rogue Trooper when 2000 AD returned to the original series. These include Steve White, Gordon Rennie, Henry Flint, Simon Coleby, Staz Johnson, Alex de Campi, Mike Carroll, Gary Erskine, Garth Ennis, and others.

Original series and reboots

Most 2000 AD series are straightforward in their lineage. Rogue Trooper, not as much. The series was rebooted in the late 80s and then later reverted to its original form. Throw another publisher’s interpretation of character and concepts, and it’s not as seamless as it could be.

Here’s a rundown to help make sense of it all.

The original series

The original run of Rogue Trooper ran through the pages of 2000 AD (plus specials and annuals) from 1981 to 1989. The first half of the decade mostly consisted of Gerry Finley-Day’s ongoing story about Rogue chasing down the Traitor General, with a few detours along the way. The latter half of the decade’s story focuses on Rogue being a hitman, assassinating key figures in the war, or flashback tales.

Friday reboot

Dave Gibbons, the original Rogue Trooper artist, returned to write a rebooted and reimagined series. This series focused on another Genetic Infantryman called Friday, set on another planet. Certain elements from the original series were dropped in favour of themes like the economics and politics of war and genetic engineering.

This version of Rogue Trooper ran in the pages of 2000 AD from 1989-1996.

Apart from the earliest stories, the Friday reboot has not been collected in any format.

The original series returns

The classic interpretation of Rogue Trooper returned to the pages of 2000 AD in 2002. The stories have been flashbacks, harkening back to the period published between 1981 and 1985 when Rogue was on the hunt for the Traitor General. The series has been published more sporadically in the 21st century, taking multiple long breaks between tales.

This period is the platonic ideal of the character. So it makes sense that 2000 AD would return to this period for new Rogue Trooper stories.

IDW reboot

For a period in the 2010s. IDW Publishing had licensed 2000 AD characters to publish new stories for (predominantly) the US market. While Judge Dredd was the main focus, the publisher also did a four-issue miniseries for Rogue Trooper in 2014.

The series didn’t sell well in its initial run or as a trade paperback, so it may be hard to find. The series was also reprinted by Rebellion in 2023’s Judge Dredd Megazine #459-462.

The best place to start reading Rogue Trooper

So, where’s the best place to start reading Rogue Trooper? You have a few options.

From the beginning

One option is to read from the earliest stories onwards, starting with material from 2000 AD Prog 228 and continuing from there. Rebellion/2000 AD have made it easy to do this with two different collection series.

There’s the older Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth collection series, which includes all the Rogue Trooper stories published in 2000 AD from the original run and post-reboot up to 2006.

The other option for completionists is The Complete Rogue Trooper collections as well. These collect the same material as the Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth, along with stories published in specials and annuals. It’s likely this newer series will eventually collect material originally serialised in the 2010s and 2020s too.

The second option is more accessible, with some Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth volumes long out of print.

Find out more about these collections in the “Collected editions” section.

Essential Rogue Trooper

The Essential Rogue Trooper collections may be more your thing if you’re not too fussed about reading everything. These two collection feature Gerry Finley-Day’s core ongoing narrative between 1981 to 1985.

Find out more about Essential Rogue Trooper in the “Collected editions” section if you’re more interested in reading all killer, no filler.

Free samplers

Not sure if Rogue Trooper comics are for you? 2000 AD has released a free Rogue Trooper sampler in 2018. Alternatively, you can get a free PDF sampler that includes the first two Rogue Trooper stories, along with other classics like Zenith, Robo-Hunter, Nikolai Dante, and Halo Jones.

This will give you a small taste of what Rogue Trooper is about, its tone, and what you can expect from it.

A modern interpretation

If comics from the 1980s are not your jam, then perhaps a modern interpretation might be more to your liking. A great jumping-on point is Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley by Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard. It’s a recent story that captures the classic Rogue Trooper feel and should scratch your military science fiction itch.

Spin-offs

There have been multiple Rogue Trooper spin-offs over the decades. Find out more about them below. Check these out if you want to expand your reading and explore more of Rogue Trooper’s world.

The 86ers

Written by Gordon Rennie and Arthur Wyatt. Art by PJ Holden and Karl Richardson.

This spin-off focuses on the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron, a “dumping ground for every failure and freak”.

The 86ers was serialised in 2000 AD Prog 1480-1485, 1508-1510, Prog 2007, 1544-1549, 1625-1630. The series has been collected in trade paperback.

Venus Bluegenes

Venus Bluegenes first appeared as a supporting character in Rogue Trooper but has also had her own spin-off series.

Venus Bluegenes was serialised in 2000 AD Prog 976-979, 980-982, 2206.

Mercy Heights/Tor Cyan

Written by John Tomlinson. Art by Kev Walker, Lee Sullivan, Andrew Currie, Trevor Hairsine, Colin Wilson, and Jock.

Mercy Heights follows Tor Cyan, a futuristic ambulance driver. At first, the series has no connections to Rogue Trooper but hints at it are slowly revealled. These are explored in more detail when the series continues as “Tor Cyan”.

Mercy Heights was serialised in 2000 AD Prog 1033-1047, 1124, 1133-1137, 1139-1148. Tor Cyan was serialised in 2000 AD Prog 1223-1226, 1250-56, 1263, 1295-1299.

Jaegir

Written by Gordon Rennie. Art by Simon Coleby.

This spin-off looks at the Nort side of the conflict through Kapitan-Inspector Atalia Jaegir, a member of the Nordland State Security Police. In this ongoing series, she hunts down escaped Nort war Criminals.

You can see the first Jaegir story for free here.

Jaegir has been serialised in 2000 AD Prog 1874-1879, 1893-1898, Prog 2015, 1937-1944, 1996-1999, 2073-2078, 2117-2122, 2144-2149, 2291-2295, 2297-2299.

Hunted

Written by Gordon Rennie. Art by PJ Holden.

This flashback series tells events from the Traitor General’s perspective.

Hunted was serialised in 2000 AD Prog 2001-2009, 2034-2043.

Collected editions

Rebellion/2000 AD have reprinted Rogue Trooper in several ways over the years. Each is slightly different, catering to different kinds of readers. Read on to find out the differences.

Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth

Tales of the Nu-Earth collects the classic run of 2000 AD strips and some of the stories from when the original series returned. It’s worth noting that much of it is published in black and white, as it was published when it was first serialised.

These collections were published in the 2010s, with some of them harder to come by than others.

Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth Volume 1
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 228-232, 234-243, 246-258, 260-262, 265-317
Stories collected:

• Rogue Trooper
• Nu Paree
• Glass Zone
• Clash in Doomsday Valley
• Terror of the Decapitators
• Raiders
• Scum Sea
• Ascent to Buzzard-Three
• The Rookies
• Blue Moon
• Poison
• Fear of the Machine
• The Dreamweavers
• The Buzzard
• The Petrified Forest
• War of Nerves
• Bagman Blues
• The Body Looters
• All Hell on the Dix-I Front
• Assassination Run
• Hats Off to Helm
• Marauders
• Fort Neuro Prologue
• Fort Neuro
• Major Magnum Prologue
• Major Magnum
• Bigfoot
• Bio-Wire
• Pray for War
• First of the Few

Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth Volume 2
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 318-365, 367-392, 401-406
Stories collected:

• Mill-Com Memories
• Vid-Vultures
• Eye of the Traitor
• Frisco Phog
• From Hell to Eternity
• Mega-Minefield
• Gasbah
• Timeslip
• Colonel Kovert
• You Only Die Twice
• Message from Milli-Com
• Just Routine
• Blind Terror
• Death Valley
• M For Murder
• To the Ends of Nu Earth
• Re-Gene
• Ode to a G.I.
• War of Words

Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth Volume 3
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 410-419, 422-432, 444-449, 495-499, 520, 531, 568-572, 574-575, 589, 598-600, 602-603
Stories collected:

• Return of Rogue Trooper
• Antigen of Horst
• Return to Milli-Com
• The Hit Man
• Hit One
• The Legend
• Hit 2
• Hit 3
• Through the Eyes of a Gun
• Hit 4
• The Hit: Conclusion
• Milli-Way Sixty-SIx!
• The Droidonators
• Portrait of a Rebel!
• The Fanatics
• Nortville
• Nort By Nort West

Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth Volume 4
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 624-630, 633-635, 2000^, 1301-1312, 2003^, 1344-1349, 1380-1385, 1462-1464, 1477-1479, 2011^
Stories collected:

• Cinnabar
• Rememberance Day
• What Lies Beneath
• Weapons of War
• Overkill
• Lions
• A Visit to the Boneyard
• Requiem
• Angels
• Ghouls
• Realpolitik
• Condor Six Down
• New Model Army
• Dead Ringer
• Rogue Trooper!
• Give War a Chance
• Survival Lesson
• What if…?
• The History of Rogue Trooper – The Rogue Element

^2000 AD had an annual tradition of naming a prog after the year once it reached the year 2000 in the 2000s and early 2010. This is why the numbering appears out of chronology.

Buy Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth on…

The Complete Rogue Trooper

The Complete Rogue Trooper is similar to Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth. However, it’s more comprehensive by also collecting stories from annuals and specials.

The Complete Rogue Trooper Volume 1
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 228-232, 234-243, 246-258, 260-262, 265-315; 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1982; and 2000 AD Annual 1983
Stories collected:

• Rogue Trooper
• Nu Paree
• Glass Zone
• Clash in Doomsday Valley
• Terror of the Decapitators
• Raiders
• Scum Sea
• Ascent to Buzzard-Three
• The Rookies
• Blue Moon
• Poison
• Fear of the Machine
• The Dreamweavers
• The Buzzard
• The Petrified Forest
• War of Nerves
• Bagman Blues
• The Body Looters
• All Hell on the Dix-I Front
• Milli-Way Sixty-SIx!
• Pray for War
• Assassination Run
• Hats Off to Helm
• Marauders
• Fort Neuro
• Major Magnum

The Complete Rogue Trooper Volume 2
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 316-355, 358-392; 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1983 and 1984; 2000 AD Annual 1984 and 1985
Stories collected:

• Bigfoot
• Bio-Wire
• Mill-Com Memories
• Vid-Vultures
• WarHeads
• First of the Few
• Eye of the Traitor
• Frisco Phog
• From Hell to Eternity
• Mega-Minefield
• Gasbah
• Timeslip
• Colonel Kovert
• You Only Die Twice
• Message from Milli-Com
• Portrait of a Rebel!
• War of Words
• Just Routine
• Blind Terror
• Death Valley
• M For Murder
• To the Ends of Nu Earth

The Complete Rogue Trooper Volume 3
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 301-406, 410-419, 422-432, 444-449, 495-499, 520-531, 568-582, 574-575; 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 1986 and 1988; 2000 AD Annual 1986 and 1987
Stories collected:

• Re-Gene
• Return of Rogue Trooper
• Antigen of Horst
• Nortville
• Return to Milli-Com
• The Fanatics
• Killothon
• Nort By Nort West
• Space Zombies
• The Hit Man
• Hit One
• The Legend
• Hit Two: The Traitor General
• Hit Three: Josef Jaegir
• Pleasures of The Flesh

The Complete Rogue Trooper Volume 4
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 589-600, 602-603, 624-630, 633-635, 1301-1312, 1344-1349, 1380-1385, 1462-1464, 1477-1479, 2000; 2000 AD Winter Special 1989; 2000 AD Winter Special 1992; 2000 AD Yearbook 1994; 2000 AD Prog 2000; 2000 AD Prog 2003; 2000 AD Prog 2011 ; 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2014; 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2015; and 2000 AD Sci-Fi Special 2016
Stories collected:

• Through the Eyes of a Gun
• Hit 4
• The Hit: Conclusion
• Cinnabar
• Rogue Trooper: Untitled
• Give War a Chance
• Rememberance Day
• What Lies Beneath
• Weapons of War
• Overkill
• Lions
• A Visit to the Boneyard
• Requiem
• Angels
• Ghouls
• Realpolitik
• Condor Six Down
• Survival Lesson
• New Model Army
• Dead Ringer
• What if…?
• Dregs of War
• The Feast
• Death of a Demon
• Shore Leave
• Ghosts of Nu Earth

The Complete Rogue Trooper Volume 4 will be available on 9th September, 2026.

Buy The Complete Rogue Trooper on…

Essential Rogue Trooper

Usually reserved for Judge Dredd and spin-offs, the Essential line collects classic stories in an oversized format. Rogue Trooper stories have been featured multiple times in this line. The original black and white art has been given modern colouring for this format.

It’s also worth noting that these are not completionist collections, with material skipped to focus on certain stories. However, they’re a good way to sample some of the best stories and see if Rogue Trooper is for you.

Essential Rogue Trooper: Genetic Infantryman
Collects:
Stories collected:

• Rogue Trooper!
• Nu Paree
• Glass Zone
• Clash in Doomsday Valley
• Terror of the Decapitators
• Raiders
• Scum Sea
• Ascent to Buzzard-Three
• The Rookies
• Blue Moon
• Fear of the Machine
• The Dream Weavers
• The Buzzard
• War of Nerves
• The Body Looters
• All Hell on the Dix-I Front
• Assassination Run

Wondering if Essential Rogue Trooper: Genetic Infantryman is a good jumping on point? Find out all about it in our review.

Essential Rogue Trooper: The Traitor General
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Progs 282-289, 327-332, 387-392, 2001-2009, 2034-2043
Stories collected:

• The Marauders
• Eye of the Traitor
• To the Ends of Nu Earth
• Hunted
• Hunted: Furies

Buy Essential Rogue Trooper on…

Other collections

There are a few other Rogue Trooper collections you can check out. These include:

Rogue Trooper: Welcome to Nu-Earth
Collects: Material from 2000 AD 228-232, 234-235, 239-240, 249-250, 266-289, 316-317
Stories collected:

• Rogue Trooper
• Nu Paree
• Glass Zone
• Clash in Doomsday Valley
• Terror of the Decapitators
• Raiders
• Scum Sea
• The Rookies
• The Dreamweavers
• All Hell on the Dix-I Front
• Assassination Run
• Hats Off to Helm
• Marauders
• Bigfoot
• Bio-Wire

The War Machine
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Progs 650-653, 667-670, 683-687; Rogue Trooper Annual 1991; and 2000 AD Yearbook 1992
Stories collected: The War Machine, Bio-Death, and Arena of Long Knives

Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 2326-2335, 2337-2339
Stories collected: Blighty Valley

Rogue Trooper: Blighty Valley is 2024 story by Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard that harkens back to the classic Rogue Trooper run. It’s a good for new and existing readers.

Rouge Trooper: When a G.I. Dies
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 358-365,367-368, 2401-2112
Stories collected: You Only Die Twice and When a G.I. Dies

Rouge Trooper: When a G.I. Dies continues Garth Ennis and Patrick Goddard’s Rogue Trooper run. The collection also includes the classic story by Gerry Finley-Day and Cam Kennedy, You Only Die Twice.

Rogue Trooper: Ghost Patrol
Collects: Material from 2000 AD Prog 2450-2463
Story collected: Ghost Patrol

This collection collects the 2025 Ghost Patrol story by Alex de Campi and Neil Edwards. It will be published on the 17th June, 2026.

Where to find Rogue Trooper comics

Rogue Trooper comics can be found in all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, Amazon/Kindle, and the 2000 AD webshop.

Have your say

Have you read any Rogue Trooper? Share your thoughts in the comments below or via Bluesky, Facebook, or Mastodon.