Tharg The Mighty’s Mega Plan was first announced in 2000AD sometime in 1982 or 1983, in amidst the usual upcoming new story hypes. Judge Anderson was getting her own strip – exciting stuff! A new Nemesis saga – excellent! But what was this? THE MEGA PLAN was on its way – blimey! What could it be? Tharg was being very secretive – all he could say was that this was the biggest, most thrilling thing ever to happen to 2000AD, and that it was going to be very special indeed.
What could it be? A new story? More colour? A whole new comic? A – be still my beating heart! – Judge Dredd film?* No clues. And over the next few months mentions of the Plan died away somewhat – but then, finally, just when it seemed forgotten, in Prog 403 the MEGA PLAN was unveiled.
And what was it? A single. By The Fink Brothers. Who turned out to be a couple of moonlighting members of Madness. Big 2000AD fans, they had decided to do a side-project electro record (not an uncommon move in the mid-80s, it seems to me) and based it on the comic, calling it “Mutants In Mega City One”. Tharg devoted a front cover and an inside page to the release, and then never mentioned it again – the silence probably not unrelated to the fact that it stalled at No.50.
But here, rescued from the abyss of time, are the Fink Brothers. (MP3) I’m reserving comment on the track’s quality, but it’s a little slice of comics history.
*(I rather like the Judge Dredd film we actually got, as it happens. But it’s fair to say mine was the minority opinion. That, however, is another post.)