Exclusive: Bad guys rule in our extended peek at 2000 AD's FCBD 'Villains Takeover Special'

Say hello to the bad guys of the 2000 AD universe as they infiltrate Free Comic Book Day in a sinister salute to the rowdy characters who relish the lesser angels of their natures.

In May, the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic strikes up a dastardly edition of ultimate evil with the first-ever 2000 AD Villains Takeover Special, featuring a terrifying volume of criminal capers and villainous adventures.

Released to align with the festivities of Free Comic Book Day on May 4, a bounty of baddies spawned from some of 2000 AD’s biggest strips, including Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, and Sláine, each score their rare moment in the limelight for the paltry sum of just 99 cents!

Creators involved in this 32-page rogues gallery include Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and Pat Mills (Marshal Law), with art courtesy of Swedish concept artist Henrik Sahlstrom, Kyle Hotz (Lucifer), Kael Ngu (Justice League), Henry Flint (Judge Dredd), and Chris Weston (The Filth).

Inside the anthology, a cadre of felonious fiends and outlandish outlaws awaits, as the grim lawman of the future faces a familiar toothy grin in Judge Death: The Judge Who Laughs by Rob Williams and Henrik Sahlstrom, alongside a nightmarish fantasy with Lord Weird Slough Feg: Lord of the Hunt by Pat Mills and Kyle Hotz.

Also featured is the chem-wreathed criminality from the world of Rogue Trooper in Brass and Bland: The Professionals by Karl Stock and Kael Ngu, while malevolent mutant bountyhunters The Stix, from Strontium Dog, wreak havoc in Stix: Sleeping Dogs Lie by Matt Smith and Chris Weston. Rounding out this rambunctious edition of wrong is the masterful Henry Flint's Terror Tale: Last of the Hellphibians.

“Villains are what make comics tick – the challenge, the problem, the thing to overcome," 2000 AD editor Keith Richardson tells SYFY WIRE. "Well, we’re giving them their own limelight and finding out what keeps them going when they’re not being defeated by the usual heroes.

“The Villains Takeover Special is a great way to discover some of our most classic bad guys. There’s the popular ones like Judge Death, of course, but also some of the lesser-known villains such as Brass and Bland from Rogue Trooper – characters who met their match but are too interesting to let slip into the darkness."

“This will be a juicy dark edge to Free Comic Book Day – something to tempt people into the worlds of 2000 AD at a really great price point," he adds. "And we’ve got some absolutely fantastic talent, many of whom are working for 2000 AD for the first time – such as Kael Ngu and Henrik Sahlstrom – and the results are spectacular.”

Brace yourself for our early look at the 2000 AD Villains Takeover Special in the gallery below, then tell us if your dark side will be grabbing a copy when it strikes comic shops starting on May 1.