Johnny Alpha

Strontium Dog (starring Johnny Alpha) made its debut in the short-lived but innovative British comic 'Starlord' (published by IPC Magazines Ltd on 13th May 1978). The mutant bounty hunter was created and scripted by John Wagner and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra (who continue to chronicle his adventures to this day).

When Starlord was cancelled after only 22 issues, Strontium Dog (along with Ro-Busters) joined 2000ad for the new merged line-up in Prog 86.

Johnny was exposed to Strontium 90 radiation while still in his mother’s womb. His father, Nelson Bunker Kreelman, was a politician with strong anti-mutant policies and was disgusted at having a mutant for a son and hid Johnny from the public until his early teens.

Johnny escaped from his father and joined the Mutant Army and became one of its top lieutenants in the fight against the Government endorsed 'Kreelers' which were little more than thugs employed by his father to police the 'mutant menace'. During these years the Mutant Army grew and finally attacked the Government HQ, winning their war for mutant equality. The mutants were given land to build ghetto's and were promised work. But all the leaders of the Mutant Army had to leave Earth and never return.

Johnny left Earth and joined the Search and Destroy Agency set up to give mutants work as bounty hunters. The SD soon become know as Strontium Dog.

Johnny's mutant power is to emit powerful Alpha rays from his eyes allowing him to see through rock and flesh and also into people's brains (where he can extract the truth and tell when people are lying).

N.B. Strontium 90 which gave Johnny his mutant powers is a radioactive isotope of strontium present in fallout from nuclear explosions. Strontium 90 can be biologically absorbed and may cause cancer and mutations in humans and animals.