2000 AD - January 1986.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon .  *** S ome seekers of global unity may dream of hands across the water but, in January 1986, it was a case of hands beneath the sea, as the UK and France announced plans to construct a tunnel beneath the English Channel. One which would allow people to get on a train in one of those countries and ride it all the way to the heart of the other. And it wasn't the only display of European partnership underway at the time. It was, after all, the month in which Spain and Portugal joined the European Community which would go on to become the European Union. Not so happily for the human race, January also saw disaster when the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up only 73 seconds after launch, killing its entire crew of seven astronauts. Over on the UK singles chart, the month was dominated by just two songs. Firstly, the Pet Shop Boys' West End Girls and then a-ha's The Sun Always Shines on TV . The album chart, meanwhile, was initially topped by Now That's What I Call Music! 6 before even that had to make way for the unstoppable behemoth that was Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms  which had already been on the chart for 35 weeks at that point. But what of the Galaxy's greatest comic ? What was it up to as that year began its long hard trek towards the following Christmas? It was up to The Ballad of Halo Jones, Sláine, Ace Trucking Co, Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog . The observant witness will have noticed that no new strips seem to have appeared during that period.