Mean Team

The Mean Team was a science fiction comic strip which first appeared in 2000 AD prog 437 and ended in 2000 AD prog 541. It was written by 'The Beast', a pseudonym for the partnership of John Wagner and Alan Grant, and drawn by Massimo Belardinelli.

In the words of the first episode, "In the annals of the sport of Death-Bowl, no names stand higher than the all-galaxy champions of 2882-2886, the Mean Team — and their captain Bad Jack Keller, who set an individual kill-point total that would never be equalled.

This is their story — and the story of the cruel twist of fate which led them to be branded outlaws... and took them back to battle the satanic forces that ruled the long-abandoned desolation of planet Earth.

In a galaxy crying out for new thrills, the art of Death-Bowl has stood the test of time. For over 400 years it has remained the number 1 spectator sport.

Now, by the year 2886, its all-action spectacle is being broadcast to 600 worlds — and its heroes are acclaimed by trillions."

Death-Bowl took place in a replica of a city. It ended when a team's flag was captured, when the team with the most points won. One point was awarded for maiming, one for capturing, five for killing and ten for capturing the flag. The points were doubled when any of these resulted from hand-to-hand combat.

The members of the Mean Team were:


 * Bad Jack Keller
 * Munngo, a criminal who chose a career in Death-Bowl as an alternative to capital punishment
 * Amok, a 'Beester' captured in the third Orb World and sold into slavery
 * Henry Moon, a psychic who sold himself into Death-Bowl to pay off his divorces
 * Steelgrip