Tharg's Future Shocks
Rebranded in the year 2000 as just "Future Shocks" (after the long hiatus of Tharg during his ousting by the Vector 13 crowd), these are a staple of 2000 AD - a place to tell a short, one-off thrill.
Sometimes things don't quite fit in the bracket of being either futuristic or having a particularly twisty ending (or even neatly fitting in a single episode), so the one-off idea is also served either without any branding, or as (with varying longevity) Ro-Jaws' Robo-Tales, Tharg's Time Twisters, Tharg's Dragon Tales, Tales From Beyond Science, Terror Tales, Vector 13, Pulp Sci-Fi, Tales of Telguuth or Past Imperfect. A modern take on the idea has been to do specifically three-parters under the Tharg's 3rillers banner.
The Dreddverse gets similarly served with the sporadic Tales From Mega-City One and more successful Tales From the Black Museum.
| 1977 | 1978 | 1979-1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983-1984 | 1985 | 1986 |
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992-1993 | 1994-2000 | 2001 |
| 2002-2003 | 2004-2007 | 2008-2011 | 2012-2014 | 2015-2017 | 2018-2020 | 2021-2023 | 2024-2025 |
Art by Cliff Robinson
- The 2000 AD ABC: Tharg's Future Shocks
- Shop: Tharg's Future Shocks
- In Orbit Every Wednesday: What's the Ultimate Future Shock?
| 2004 | |||||||||
| Story Title | Parts | Pages | w indicates a wraparound coverCovers | Year(s) | Issues | Writer | Artist | Colourist | Letterer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| War for Sale, One Previous Owner | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2004 | 1380 | Richard McTighe | Simon Coleby | [greyscale] | Annie Parkhouse |
| Lucky for Some | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2004 | 1381 | Colin Clayton Chris Dowsvarious | Alan Burrows | [b&w] | Annie Parkhouse |
| The Mainstream | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2004 | Reprints: M354 (supplement)1396-1397 | Colin Clayton Chris Dowsvarious | Andy Clarke | Gary Caldwell | Annie Parkhouse |
| Red Moon | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2004 | Reprints: M276 (supplement) FCBD3 1398 | Andy Diggle | Kevin Walker | <-- | Annie Parkhouse |
| The Shape of Things to Come | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2004 | 1404 | Chris Blythe | Steve Parkhouse | Chris Blythe | Steve Parkhouse |
| Opiate of the Masses | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2004 | Reprints: M341 (supplement)1405 | Chris Blythe | Steve Yeowell | Chris Blythe | Annie Parkhouse |
| Escape | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2004 | 1410 | Andrew Lewis | Gary Crutchley (P) Cliff Robinson (I)various | [b&w] | Ellie de Ville |
| 2005 | |||||||||
| Black Jack's Revenge | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2005 | 1457 | Steve Moore | Ben McCloud (P) Cliff Robinson (I)various | [b&w] | Tom Frame |
| 2006 | |||||||||
| Going, Going, Gone! | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2006 | 1475 | Gary Wilkinson | Steve Roberts | <-- | Tom Frame |
| Earthsong | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2006 | 1480 | John Smith | Steve Parkhouse | [greyscale] | Ellie de Ville |
| Optimal | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2006 | 1496 | Al Ewing | Adrian Bamforth | Dylan Teague | Ellie de Ville |
| Gifts of the Magi | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2006 | 1499 | Al Ewing | Lee Townsend | Chris Blythe | Ellie de Ville |
| Spaceland | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2006 | Reprints: M363 (supplement)1508 | Al Ewing | Edmund Bagwell | <-- | Annie Parkhouse |
| 2007 | |||||||||
| Natural Order | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2007 | 1527 | Arthur Wyatt | Edmund Bagwell | <-- | Ellie de Ville |
| Drive, He Said | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2007 | 1532 | Al Ewing | Edison George (P) Steve Roberts (I)various | [b&w] | Simon Bowland |
| A Terrible Hunt | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2007 | Reprints: M383 (supplement)1560 | Alec Worley | PJ Holden | [b&w] | Simon Bowland |
| Yggdrassil | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2007 | 1561 | Arthur Wyatt | Vince Locke | [b&w] | Simon Bowland |
| year | episodes | pages |
| 1977 | 19 | 61.5 |
| 1978 | 31 | 81 |
| 1979 | 17 | 64.5 |
| 1980 | 3 | 16 |
| 1981 | 37 | 157 |
| 1982 | 29 | 96 |
| 1983 | 6 | 17.5 |
| 1984 | 22 | 64 |
| 1985 | 22 | 68.5 |
| 1986 | 22 | 77 |
| 1987 | 30 | 87 |
| 1988 | 28 | 85 |
| 1989 | 32 | 116 |
| 1990 | 13 | 46 |
| 1991 | 16 | 71 |
| 1992 | 10 | 42 |
| 1993 | 10 | 50 |
| 1994 | 4 | 23 |
| 1995 | 7 | 35 |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 7 | 35 |
| 2001 | 20 | 100 |
| 2002 | 12 | 62 |
| 2003 | 6 | 31 |
| 2004 | 8 | 40 |
| 2005 | 1 | 5 |
| 2006 | 5 | 25 |
| 2007 | 4 | 20 |
| 2008 | 6 | 30 |
| 2009 | 6 | 30 |
| 2010 | 6 | 26 |
| 2011 | 4 | 17 |
| 2012 | 4 | 16 |
| 2013 | 4 | 16 |
| 2014 | 9 | 37 |
| 2015 | 6 | 25 |
| 2016 | 4 | 16 |
| 2017 | 7 | 28 |
| 2018 | 7 | 31 |
| 2019 | 7 | 30 |
| 2020 | 10 | 47 |
| 2021 | 7 | 34 |
| 2022 | 7 | 35 |
| 2023 | 10 | 49 |
| 2024 | 6 | 30 |
| 2025 | 4 | 20 |
| 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| 2027 | 0 | 0 |
Comic strip data (excludes other content):