Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog is a long-running British comics series starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter who lives in Earth's future. The series was created in 1978 by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra for Starlord, a short-lived weekly science fiction comic. When Starlord was cancelled, the series transferred to the British science fiction weekly 2000 AD. In 1980, Wagner was joined by co-writer Alan Grant, although scripts were normally credited to Grant alone. Grant wrote the series by himself from 1988 to 1990. Wagner revived the series after a ten-year hiatus in 2000. After Ezquerra's death in October 2018, the series was put in indefinite hiatus with no current plans for its continuation.
The series takes place in an imagined future after the Great Nuclear War of 2150. Due to nuclear fallout of strontium-90, humanity has an increased number of mutant births, most of whom have physical abnormalities but some of whom possess superhuman abilities. John Kreelman is born with white blank eyes and a mutant "alpha radiation" power that grants him greater perception, allowing telepathy and the ability to see through many surfaces. Facing discrimination, John Kreelman adopts the name "Johnny Alpha" and becomes a bounty hunter for the Search/Destroy Agency. Due to the origin of their mutation and their S/D badges, mutant bounty hunters are nicknamed "strontium dogs." A formidable bounty hunter, Johnny Alpha uses not only his mutant abilities in combat but also an array of high-tech gadgets and weapons.
Strontium Dog stories are often known for a bleak, minimalistic edge at times reminiscent of spaghetti westerns. Several stories veer into satire and overtly bizarre science fantasy. Johnny Alpha's adventures sometimes involve time travel or alternate dimensions. On several occasions, Johnny Alpha's time travel adventures to periods before the Great Nuclear War have featured him crossing paths with another 2000 AD character Judge Dredd.
Series background
In the world of Strontium Dog, the Great Nuclear War of 2150 wipes out 70% of Britain's population, leading to a huge increase of mutant births due to exposure to nuclear fallout. The mutants of Strontium Dog differ from the usual depiction of mutants in American comics, such as those published by Marvel, in that they are generally afflicted with obvious physical abnormalities. Only a rare few are born with superhuman powers. These strontium-influenced mutants face a high degree of prejudice from average humans. Born in 2150 to Diana Kreelman and her husband Nelson Bunker Kreelman, the boy Johnny Kreelman has mutant eyes that can increase his perception by channeling "alpha radiation", allowing telepathy and telekinesis, as well as the ability to see through most surfaces. Nelson is a bigoted politician who gains popularity by drafting anti-mutant laws and creating the anti-mutant police force known as the Kreelers. Despised, abused, and hidden away by his father, Johnny escapes his parents at a young age and adopts the name Johnny Alpha. He then joins the rising resistance group known as the Mutant Army and quickly becomes a valued leader, despite still being a teenager.The Mutant Uprising of 2167 fails to overthrow the government. Despite this, Johnny Alpha blackmails his father, leading to the man's resignation and the disbanding of the Kreelers. Members of the Mutant Army are pardoned for their actions only on condition that they leave Earth forever. An orbital space station is built and becomes the headquarters of the new Search/Destroy Agency, an organization that accepts contracts to hunt criminals and threats deemed too dangerous for conventional law enforcement and "norms." The former Mutant Army members become galactic bounty hunters for the S/D Agency. Due to their S/D badges and the origins of their mutations, these bounty hunters are nicknamed "strontium dogs" by Earth people. This also leads the S/D orbital base to be nicknamed the Doghouse.
On Earth, new laws protect mutants from being hunted and targeted for extermination. However, they still face great prejudice from society and are segregating into ghettos, such as a large mutant settlement at Milton Keynes. Additionally, mutants have limited working opportunities and cannot own businesses. Several mutants succumb to societal pressures and poverty, while others join the S/D Agency as new bounty hunters. By 2180, Johnny Alpha is one of the most famous strontium dogs.
Earth
Earth is rarely seen in the strip. When it is, the focus is often New Britain — Great Britain after a devastating nuclear war. It is much closer to modern-day Britain than Judge Dredd's Brit-Cit by the same writers, but it contains areas of nuclear devastation such as the Greater London Crater and Birmingham Gap; areas known to survive include Salisbury, Glasgow, Newcastle, Dover, Christchurch & Bournemouth, Cardiff, Isles of Scilly, and Winchester. The flying building of Upminster contains both the parliament and the monarchy. According to the sequel series Strontium Dogs, Britain has a large empire of outer-space colonies.The mutants of New Britain live in ghettos, isolated from the human population and living in poverty. Stories like Traitor To His Kind reveal some figures in the government, such as the First Lord of the Military, make attempts to slowly improve the mutants' situation, but much of this goes unnoticed by the public. Many other figures in the government prefer to regress toward greater oppression or even attempted extermination of the mutant population.
Ireland is known to still exist, though little has been shown; the US and Canada are both visited in The Mork Whisperer ; and the leader of a West African Mutant Republic is shown in The Final Solution. Antarctica is the setting of part of Outlaw, shown to have been turned into a tropical area with marshes and rainforests by the Rad Wars. The centre is Antarctic City, with military and police matters handled by the Antarctic Militia.
In The Final Solution, the government is usurped by the New Church and the incumbent monarch killed. According to the first Strontium Dogs story, after the destruction of the New Church by the strontium dogs, a hastily assembled junta government exiled all mutants from Britain. Crossroads, in 2000 AD prog 898, reveals that Earth is a severe political mess, with 26 "minor wars", and the rest of the galaxy was cutting ties. The later strip The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha ignores all of this, instead having post-Church New Britain ruled by a more liberal government.
Dating
The first Strontium Dog stories in Starlord and 2000 AD were said to be set in the year 2180. During the Strontium Dog series published in 2000 AD, in-story events progressed were indicated as occurring in real time to publication. The story "Max Bubba" was published five years after the first Strontium Dog story and gave the date 2185 for its events. Similarly, the main Judge Dredd stories progress in parallel to the real time publication dates. Exceptions to this are some stories appearing in annual issues and summer specials that indicate they are revisiting earlier points of Johnny Alpha's life.Despite this, there have been some dating discrepancies in the Strontium Dog series. The stories "The No-Go Job" and "The Final Solution" present a date of 2180 but are said to take place two years after the events in "Max Bubba." Likewise, the story "Judgement Day" gives the date 2178 even though it is set after the events in "Max Bubba."
Johnny Alpha
John Alpha is the main character of Strontium Dog stories. His mutated eyes allow him to see through walls and read minds. Born in 2150, he is the son of Diana Kreelman and her husband Nelson Bunker Kreelman. Nelson is a politician who drafts the anti-mutant laws and gains power on the back of bigotry, creating the anti-mutant police force known as the Kreelers. Johnny leaves his parents at a young age and joins the Mutant Army, changing his surname from Kreelman to Alpha and deciding to keep his father's identity secret. Johnny becomes one of the Mutant Army's key leaders, playing a major part in the mutant uprising of 2167 when he is only 17.By the time he joins the Search/Destroy agency, Johnny Alpha is a highly skilled and dangerous fighter, adept at combining his mutant powers with hand-to-hand combat and weaponry. A sarcastic, cynical man, he nonetheless believes that innocent life must be protected or avenged, even if against the odds. Deeply loyal to friends, he can be impatient and quick to anger if plans go wrong or situations continue to worsen, but often this motivates him to improvise new solutions rather than simply stew in anger. A dogged bounty hunter determined to earn reward for his work, Johnny is also guided by a moral conscience. He is persistent and pursues a target even if the job becomes difficult. However, he may relent for a good enough reason, such as if his target is a victim of greater evil. If he believes the cause is great enough, he may forego payment or decide not to accept it. In "The Doc Quince Case", learning new information convinces him to no longer pursue a man he has been hunting but instead to rescue and help him. In "The Slavers of Drule", Johnny tracks down a group of slavers simply because he believes it is the right thing to do. Despite his morality, Johnny is not above vengeance for himself or those he considers family. A device he used on his own father caused Nelson Kreelman to be locked in a time-loop where he continuously relived his final moments, begging for his life.
During the course of his career as a strontium dog, Johnny Alpha becomes a formidable legend and even a hero to some. He is responsible for such legendary achievements as destroying the Wolrog homeworld, leading the mutant uprising on Earth, and bringing Adolf Hitler to the future to face trial. He becomes known for generously assisting mutants in trouble, such as when he donates a large sum of money to the Milton Keynes ghetto in "Mutie's Luck".
At times, Alpha has encountered another 2000 AD character, Judge Dredd, by journeying into the past via time travel, but it is ambiguous whether Johnny Alpha's future world is the fate of Dredd's timeline or one of several possibilities.