Middenface McNulty
Encyclopedia
Archibald "Middenface" McNulty is a fictional character from the 2000 AD
series Strontium Dog
, as well as his own spin-off series. He is a frequent companion of the series' star, Johnny Alpha.
, which has been warped by radioactive fallout where mutants are the underclass of future Britain. McNulty grew up in the Scottish mutant ghetto
called Shytehill (evidently a reference to Sighthill, but also a reference to the British slang term 'shite' which is pronounced like Shyte, and means shit).
Middenface gets his nickname from his signature mutation - his skull is covered in hard,knobby bumps which range in size, number and density depending on the artist.
Although this mutation is usually portrayed in the comics as purely cosmetic,there have been instances where Middenface shows to have an unnaturally hard skull. Either dealing blows with it or sustaining blows to it that would kill a normal man.
But like all the members of the Search/Destroy agency he is a seasoned guerrilla fighter. He has had experience in fighting for his life, leading attacks, and defending himself and others against fanatical hatred and violence since the age of ten.
. Alan Grant wrote and created the story, with various artists (the last one being Shaun Thomas) and Ellie De Ville on lettering.
The strip started off with a young, teenage McNulty as a juvenile delinquent on the streets of Shytehill, and followed him in his path to becoming a mutant guerilla and eventually the leader, filling in the gaps before his debut in Portrait of a Mutant. Forced into guerilla activism after becoming a fugitive, he became a highly violent and reckless soldier, with the death of many of his friends giving him hatred for the mutant-killing Kreeler police.
Eventually, with the threat of the genocidal Sir William "Stinking Billy" Cumberland (which is the name and nickname of the Duke of Cumberland who crushed the 1745 Jacobite uprising in Scotland) becoming Head of Kreelers in Scotland, the Scottish Mutant Army launched an uprising. They overran the Kreelers, capturing multiple cities and eventually the Scottish Parliament
building (still not fully paid for in the 2160s), but were unprepared when Cumberland simply blew up Parliament instead. Kreeler reinforcements forced the mutants into a retreat, making a last stand at Killoden theme park and being massacred in their tens of thousands. Cumberland becomes First Minister of Scotland on the back of this. Middenface and the surviving resistance members continue to fight and eventually succeed in assassinating Cumberland.
Many of the storylines are subtly (or not so subtly) based on contemporary Scottish politics, society and culture, with Scots slang
and dialect
used to reflect this. Two stories, Brigadoom! and Midnapped!, parody the musical Brigadoon and the classic Scottish novel Kidnapped
, but with twists - the mystical village of Brigadoom is made up entirely of cannibals led by Sawney Bean, who happen to break into song for no reason.
, he has also appeared in his own eponym
ous series in the Judge Dredd Megazine
:
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...
series Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog
Strontium Dog is a long-running comics series featuring in the British science fiction weekly 2000 AD, starring Johnny Alpha, a mutant bounty hunter with an array of imaginative gadgets and weapons....
, as well as his own spin-off series. He is a frequent companion of the series' star, Johnny Alpha.
Plot
The story is set in 22nd century ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, which has been warped by radioactive fallout where mutants are the underclass of future Britain. McNulty grew up in the Scottish mutant ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
called Shytehill (evidently a reference to Sighthill, but also a reference to the British slang term 'shite' which is pronounced like Shyte, and means shit).
Middenface gets his nickname from his signature mutation - his skull is covered in hard,knobby bumps which range in size, number and density depending on the artist.
Although this mutation is usually portrayed in the comics as purely cosmetic,there have been instances where Middenface shows to have an unnaturally hard skull. Either dealing blows with it or sustaining blows to it that would kill a normal man.
But like all the members of the Search/Destroy agency he is a seasoned guerrilla fighter. He has had experience in fighting for his life, leading attacks, and defending himself and others against fanatical hatred and violence since the age of ten.
Young Middenface
Young Middenface was a long-running black and white strip featured in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
. Alan Grant wrote and created the story, with various artists (the last one being Shaun Thomas) and Ellie De Ville on lettering.
The strip started off with a young, teenage McNulty as a juvenile delinquent on the streets of Shytehill, and followed him in his path to becoming a mutant guerilla and eventually the leader, filling in the gaps before his debut in Portrait of a Mutant. Forced into guerilla activism after becoming a fugitive, he became a highly violent and reckless soldier, with the death of many of his friends giving him hatred for the mutant-killing Kreeler police.
Eventually, with the threat of the genocidal Sir William "Stinking Billy" Cumberland (which is the name and nickname of the Duke of Cumberland who crushed the 1745 Jacobite uprising in Scotland) becoming Head of Kreelers in Scotland, the Scottish Mutant Army launched an uprising. They overran the Kreelers, capturing multiple cities and eventually the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
building (still not fully paid for in the 2160s), but were unprepared when Cumberland simply blew up Parliament instead. Kreeler reinforcements forced the mutants into a retreat, making a last stand at Killoden theme park and being massacred in their tens of thousands. Cumberland becomes First Minister of Scotland on the back of this. Middenface and the surviving resistance members continue to fight and eventually succeed in assassinating Cumberland.
Many of the storylines are subtly (or not so subtly) based on contemporary Scottish politics, society and culture, with Scots slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
and dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
used to reflect this. Two stories, Brigadoom! and Midnapped!, parody the musical Brigadoon and the classic Scottish novel Kidnapped
Kidnapped (novel)
Kidnapped is a historical fiction adventure novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Written as a "boys' novel" and first published in the magazine Young Folks from May to July 1886, the novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis...
, but with twists - the mystical village of Brigadoom is made up entirely of cannibals led by Sawney Bean, who happen to break into song for no reason.
Publications
As well as appearances in Strontium Dog (comics and audiodramas), Strontium Dogs, Young Middenface, and DogbreathDogbreath
Dogbreath is a fanzine dedicated to the 2000 AD series Strontium Dog.-Publication history:Dogbreath was started by Dr Bob , who had been writing Strontium Dog fan fiction since 1981...
, he has also appeared in his own eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous series in the Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd Megazine
Judge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
:
- Middenface McNulty (by Alan Grant):
- "Wan Man an' His Dug" (with co-writer Tony Luke and artist John McCreaJohn McCreaJohn McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#1.15-1.20, 1991-1992) - "Grannibal!" (with pencils by Patrick Goddard and inks Dylan Teague, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#3.76, 2001) - "Tambo Shanter" (with pencils by Patrick Goddard, inks Dylan Teague and colours by Richard ElsonRichard ElsonRichard Elson is a British comic book artist best known for his work on Sonic the Comic, 2000 AD and Thor.-Biography:Richard Elson is a fine art graduate with over sixteen years experience as a cartoonist and illustrator....
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#4.11, 2002) - "A Parcel of Rogues" (with pencils by Patrick Goddard and inks Dylan Teague, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#4.16-4.18, 2002) - "Mutopia" (with John RidgwayJohn Ridgway (comic artist)John Ridgway is a British comics artist.-Career:Ridgway began his career initially as a hobby, drawing D.C.Thompson's Commando War Stories alongside professional work as a design engineer...
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#205-207, 2003) - "Brigadoom!" (with pencils by Patrick Goddard and inks Dylan Teague, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#218-220, 2004) - "Killoden" (with John RidgwayJohn Ridgway (comic artist)John Ridgway is a British comics artist.-Career:Ridgway began his career initially as a hobby, drawing D.C.Thompson's Commando War Stories alongside professional work as a design engineer...
, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#224-229, 2004-2005) - "Midnapped!" (with Shaun Thomas, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#234-236, 2005) - "A Scottish Sojer" (with Shaun Thomas, in Judge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd MegazineJudge Dredd: The Megazine is a monthly British comic magazine, launched in October 1990. It is a sister publication to 2000 AD. Its name is a play on words, formed from "magazine" and Dredd's locale Mega-City One.-Content:...
#240-243, 2006)
- "Wan Man an' His Dug" (with co-writer Tony Luke and artist John McCrea
Name
- A middenMiddenA midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...
is a waste pit. The term is still used in Scotland and (as the Wikipedia entry says) "has come by extension, to refer to anything that is a mess, including people." This reflects McNulty's rather nobbly and unattractive face.
External links
- "Middenface" McNulty's 2000 AD profile (out of date as of August 2010)