Bad Company #9

Bad Company #9 was published in 1988 as part of the long-running British science fiction anthology 2000 AD. The series, written by Peter Milligan and illustrated primarily by Brett Ewins and Jim McCarthy, emerged during a fertile period for the magazine, blending gritty, surrealist war imagery with the existential dread of a futuristic colonial conflict on the planet Ararat. It was conceived as a satirical take on the war comic genre, emphasizing the psychological toll on soldiers rather than traditional notions of heroism.

The visual identity of the series was defined by Ewins’ kinetic and often disorienting ink work, which effectively captured the nightmarish landscape of the planet and the bizarre nature of the alien opposition. This specific issue continued the narrative exploration of Danny Franks, the protagonist whose journey through the wreckage of the colonial unit became a hallmark of the series' cult status. Readers and critics at the time noted the comic for its dark humor and its willingness to dismantle the tropes of military fiction, solidifying its place as a significant entry in late 1980s British comics history.