| Friday | |
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| Character information | |
| First appearance | 2000 AD #650 (October 1989) (1989) |
| Created by | Dave Gibbons |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Fleetway |
| Schedule | Weekly |
| Title(s) | Numerous |
| Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a strip in the comics anthology(s) 2000 AD. |
| Genre | Military science fiction |
| Publication date | 1989 – 1996 |
| Main character(s) | Friday Venus Bluegenes |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Dave Gibbons Michael Fleisher Steve White Mark Millar Dan Abnett |
| Artist(s) | Will Simpson Ron Smith Simon Coleby Chris Weston Henry Flint Steve Tappin |
| Creator(s) | Dave Gibbons |
Friday is a 2000 AD character. Like Rogue he is a Genetic Infantryman fighting on Nu-Earth although his connections with Rogue were initially unclear. At one point he also teamed up with Venus Bluegenes.
Contents |
On the strength of the success of Watchmen the editorial staff asked Dave Gibbons if he would be interested in redesigning the Rogue Trooper character. Gibbons accepted and proposed also writing it, which was greenlit by Richard Burton. However, time commitments would not allow him to both write it and provide the stories art and Will Simpson was brought in to cover the art duties.[1] Gibbons says the redesign "was my chance to put everything into Rogue Trooper I wanted and take out all the crap, like the bio-chips"[2]
Unfortunately, the fourteen-part story was hit by scheduling problems due to the lateness of the art. Gibbons said "I'm still quite happy with the story, although the way it was serialised was erratic - in for two issues, then out again. I was trying to have something that was quite cumulative."[2] Michael Fleisher took over the writing of the series with artists Ron Smith, Simon Coleby and Chris Weston, but the reaction was "lukewarm" and editor Alan McKenzie has said "on paper Fleisher was a good bet. ... But his work on 2000 AD was embarrassing. I did my best to save it, but you can't polish a turd."[3]
After five stories Steve White was brought in to help address some problems. According to editor John Tomlinson "Ever since "War Machine" in 1989, readers had been confused as hell about who is Friday and whether he was the original Rogue. I told Steve to figure that out and explain it"[4] This led to a two-year long run on the series for the writer, although there was a move to hand the series to Mark Millar which only resulted in a three-part story.[4] During this period Friday met both Judge Dredd, in an issue-length story,[5] and the Rogue Trooper,[6] the latter being designed to settle the issue of their origins and connections. Unfortunately, according to Tomlinson "Steve came up with a fairly watertight explanation, but it was enormously complicated and probably confused far more people than it enlightened."[7] That story also brought in Venus Bluegenes, a G.I. Doll, who would appear in one more story[8] before her appearance in the final story to feature Friday. Dan Abnett, co-author for that story, was complimentary of White's work, "Steve had such a great feel for military goings on," however, this couldn't overcome intrinsic problems with the story as "he was absolutely hamstrung by the weight of continuity."[9] The two characters disappeared into a black hole and have not reappeared since.
Friday's adventures are a retcon of the Rogue Trooper storyline. Since all the G.I.s were identical and had serial numbers instead of names, they gave each other descriptive nicknames to tell each other apart.
He has appeared under his own spin-off Rogue Trooper title as well as appearing in Judge Dredd. His appearances include:
Other Genetic Infantrymen (and women) with prominent roles: