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Bad Company (comics)
Encyclopedia
Bad Company is a comic book team created for 2000 AD
by Alan Grant and John Wagner
but their initial story remained unpublished for over 16 years . Peter Milligan
, along with regular collaborators Brett Ewins
and Jim McCarthy
, reworked the concept into the form that was finally seen in the magazine in the mid-eighties. They first appeared in their self-titled strip in 2000 AD prog 500 (December 13, 1986).
. As their name might suggest this is no ordinary group of soldiers; instead they are a collection of freaks and maniacs led by Kano, a Frankenstein's Monster
-like character with a secret kept in a little box.
Although starting as a simple future war story it rapidly went off into strange, dark and often hallucinatory territory which made the run in the eighties a solid fan favourite.
species that serve as the main foe in Bad Company. They are led by a being known as the "Krool Heart" on the unnamed Krool Home Planet. The "Krool Heart" controls the Krool race via its vast psychic
mind. Whatever the heart thinks, the mind will obey.
The Krool have the technology
to create "War Zombies", hybrids and other such monstrosities. Due to their sadistic behaviour, they have also created machines to extract the "soul" out of their human prisoners. They have also been known to employ sadistic brainwashed human captives as guards.
The Krool were ultimately responsible for creating Bad Company and their leader when they took half a human brain and inserted it into a Krool and vice-versa thus creating the Krool-hybrid. In conversation between Mad Tommy and Danny Franks Tommy explains that the Krool have reached their evolutionary limit, while Humanity (specifically the two races brain
s,) are only using a fraction of their potential. This leads the Krool hybrid to lapse into insanity while Kano's human brain assumes dominance over the implanted Krool half-brain.
waged against Earth
. The Krool wanted to capture Ararat to add to their seemingly infinite empire
whereas the Earth elite needed it to evacuate to as Earth was on the verge of being destroyed by ecological catastrophe. They employed their "War Zombies" to attack the front line's defences. They finished off the survivors personally. Officially, the war ended when the planet imploded. Unofficially, the war continued on other worlds, known as Ghetto Planets, led by the remnants of Human
ity who had survived the destruction of Earth.
Elite" and a masochist called Rackman, track down a monster terrorizing the Ghetto Planets whilst looking for Kano, unaware that the two are one and the same. After finding and recruiting Kano, they head to the Krool Homeworld to destroy the Krool once and for all. Danny sacrifices his life to merge with/replace the Krool Heart by taking the place of the Heart's offspring at the moment it was to take its place and prevent the traitorous Protoid from achieving the same goal. Afterwards, Danny/The Krool Heart allows the survivors and prisoners to leave the planet promising to make the Krool more passive, it being revealed that the sadistic excesses of the Krool had been due to the corruption and decadence of the old Krool Heart.
A few years later, Kano returns to the Krool Homeworld with a further incarnation of Bad Company. After a long battle, Kano and Bad Company managed to free Danny. As they leave, Kano elects to stay to continue fighting the Krool.
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
by Alan Grant and John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
but their initial story remained unpublished for over 16 years . Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
, along with regular collaborators Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins
Brett Ewins is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper in the weekly comic book 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy (comics)
Jim McCarthy is a British comics creator. He became well known for working on Bad Company in 2000 AD before going on to write a number of graphic novels based on musicians, as well as becoming a music journalist.He is the brother of Brendan McCarthy....
, reworked the concept into the form that was finally seen in the magazine in the mid-eighties. They first appeared in their self-titled strip in 2000 AD prog 500 (December 13, 1986).
Plot
Humanity is at war with a strange alien species known as the Krool. Young soldier Danny Franks is fighting on the planet Ararat, recruited by the renegades known as Bad Company after the destruction of his own platoonPlatoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
. As their name might suggest this is no ordinary group of soldiers; instead they are a collection of freaks and maniacs led by Kano, a Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
-like character with a secret kept in a little box.
Although starting as a simple future war story it rapidly went off into strange, dark and often hallucinatory territory which made the run in the eighties a solid fan favourite.
Characters
- Danny Franks - a naive young soldier whose story we follow as he gets broken and broken in. He narrates the story through his diary. He later becomes the leader of Bad Company when Kano supposedly "dies".
- Mac - A member of the same battalion as Danny, who joins Bad Company at the same time.
- Trucker - Another member of Danny's battalion.
- Kano - the leader of Bad Company, who has had half his human brain replaced with a Krool half.
- Mad Tommy Churchill - a soldier who apparently believes himself to be a British soldier fighting World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - Thrax - a cadaverous and unpleasant figure, who often expresses mistrust at Kano's leadership abilities.
- Wallbanger - the Company's robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, who as well as being a heavily armed fighter, is also the group's medic, scientist, food synthesizer and chef. - Malcolm - one of the few members of the Company to treat Danny in a friendly manner, and perhaps the most "human".
- Dogbrain - a man whose brain has been replaced with that of a rabid dog by the Krool.
- Flytrap - having lost his arm, he replaced it with a carnivorous Ararat plant. This makes him sensitive to changes in the Ararat environment.
- Gobber - a native of Ararat. He acts as the Company's guide. He also has the ability to spit a substance like "unbreakable chewing gum".
- Shrike - Companion of Thrax - resembles a voodoo-style witch-doctor in appearance.
- Joe Scummer - Member of Bad Company. The first to try and open Kano's box.
- Stitches - Bad Company member with heavy facial scarring, hence his nickname.
The Krool
The Krool are an alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
species that serve as the main foe in Bad Company. They are led by a being known as the "Krool Heart" on the unnamed Krool Home Planet. The "Krool Heart" controls the Krool race via its vast psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
mind. Whatever the heart thinks, the mind will obey.
The Krool have the technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
to create "War Zombies", hybrids and other such monstrosities. Due to their sadistic behaviour, they have also created machines to extract the "soul" out of their human prisoners. They have also been known to employ sadistic brainwashed human captives as guards.
The Krool were ultimately responsible for creating Bad Company and their leader when they took half a human brain and inserted it into a Krool and vice-versa thus creating the Krool-hybrid. In conversation between Mad Tommy and Danny Franks Tommy explains that the Krool have reached their evolutionary limit, while Humanity (specifically the two races brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
s,) are only using a fraction of their potential. This leads the Krool hybrid to lapse into insanity while Kano's human brain assumes dominance over the implanted Krool half-brain.
The Ararat War
The Ararat War was a warWar
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
waged against Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. The Krool wanted to capture Ararat to add to their seemingly infinite empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
whereas the Earth elite needed it to evacuate to as Earth was on the verge of being destroyed by ecological catastrophe. They employed their "War Zombies" to attack the front line's defences. They finished off the survivors personally. Officially, the war ended when the planet imploded. Unofficially, the war continued on other worlds, known as Ghetto Planets, led by the remnants of Human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
ity who had survived the destruction of Earth.
Aftermath of the war
The second incarnation of Bad Company, now led by Danny Franks & consisting of the last Protoid (an alien shapeshifter) in existence, Sheeva a "Boom Baby", (genetically enhanced, and with the ability "...to make atoms dance...",) De Racine, one of the "EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
Elite" and a masochist called Rackman, track down a monster terrorizing the Ghetto Planets whilst looking for Kano, unaware that the two are one and the same. After finding and recruiting Kano, they head to the Krool Homeworld to destroy the Krool once and for all. Danny sacrifices his life to merge with/replace the Krool Heart by taking the place of the Heart's offspring at the moment it was to take its place and prevent the traitorous Protoid from achieving the same goal. Afterwards, Danny/The Krool Heart allows the survivors and prisoners to leave the planet promising to make the Krool more passive, it being revealed that the sadistic excesses of the Krool had been due to the corruption and decadence of the old Krool Heart.
A few years later, Kano returns to the Krool Homeworld with a further incarnation of Bad Company. After a long battle, Kano and Bad Company managed to free Danny. As they leave, Kano elects to stay to continue fighting the Krool.