Best Non-Dredd story

Gavin Hanly: A difficult one - with Dante, Kingdom and Stickleback all putting in good efforts in particular.  But I'm going with Button Man for simply being one of the grumpiest action thrillers I've ever read. 

James Mackay: Nikolai Dante: Hellfire. Although Dante is still in the middle of a long process of setting up its dominoes for a new saga, it was with Hellfire that it really, erm, caught light after the, erm, damp squib of the piratical adventures. Lulu has to be one of the better ambiguous figures in 2000AD’s history, and it’s a mark of the newfound ballsiness of the strip that Morrison managed to make us root for a murderous, unrepentant terrorist.

Adam Crabtree: After years of expectation, the rumble with Ethan Kostabi in Cabalistics Inc came down to dirty, punishing scrap on open ground. Back to basics, and playing very much for keepsies, long-time strip heroes like Hannah Chapter and Lawrence Verse were almost casually crippled and it was left up to the barracuda sensibilities of Solomon Ravne to (seemingly) destroy his creator. It was the culmination of Ashes, a strip we all thought was Cabs’ last, and just the latest of many defining moments for the story, euthanasia and telekinetically downed airliners all.

Charles Ellis: Tough decision this. However, for emotional impact on me, for art and for general strong story-telling, I’m giving the nod to Stickleback: Mother London. It was constantly surprising and inventive, with a shocking nasty edge and a great pace (something that undermined Detonator X) – Edginton’s best this year, I felt. On D’Israeli’s part, there’s a mastery of mood and character design: for both at once, just look at that Stickleback cover he did! And England’s Glory looks to be more of the same!

Robert Cornell: “Sterling team work, people. I really couldn’t have shot an unarmed man through the back of the head without you.”

A tough one, with Kingdom, Savage and Stickleback all challenging but I’m going for Caballistics because of its great characters, snappy dialogue and under-your-skin nastiness. Reardon’s artwork continues to be the perfect example of how to put pictures to words.

Most of all, unlike certain strips I could mention, Caballistics has shown a willingness to end its storylines. This has given it a dramatic punch nothing comes close to matching at the moment.

Alex Frith: Nikolai Dante has had another storming year, but I think his very best effort was the Christmas special in Prog 2008 - Destiny's Child. When Burns is on form, his Dante is astonishing.

Daniel Payne: The Sword of the Tsar brought one of the comic's best characters back to everyone's attention spectacularly last year, following a long spell in no man's land; 2007 has seen a continuation of that quality. Nikolai Dante's Hellfire was the best example, not least because it was drawn brilliantly by co-creator Simon Fraser. It also threw some light onto the shadowy minds of Dante's siblings Lulu and Constantin. The conclusion was rather anti-climactic, but judging by past events it would be surprising if we have heard the last from the latest Romanov to fall.

Pete McCosh: In a year that saw some pretty important developments in Dante and Cabs and a fantastically off-kilter return for the Red Seas, my favourite story was the bit of lightweight fluff that was Low Life: Baby Talk. Rarely have I laughed so much and so heartily at a 2000AD story and never have I been so keen on Simon Coleby’s art.

Plus, I’ve never trusted babies anyway, so finding out they’re all a bunch of closet Nazis was something of a relief. More of this please, Tharg, and we can consign the truly dreadful Con Artist story to history.

WR Logan: Technically it started in 2006 but for me the story I enjoyed most from a writer that has never really hit it with me is Kingdom.

Steven Denton: Button man 4: The Hitman's Daughter. Razor sharp pulp fiction and quite simply by far the best written story of the year. 

Martin Charlton: Kingdom. A story stripped down to its bare bones, leaving only what was absolutely essential. One of the bleakest storylines since Abnett’s own Durham Red stories back in the day. And now it’s back for another run. Rejoice in celebration of minimalist storytelling!