Rog-2000
title: "Rog-2000" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["pacific-comics-titles", "charlton-comics-superheroes", "comics-characters-introduced-in-1974", "fictional-robots", "american-mascots", "magazine-mascots", "comics-by-john-byrne-(comics)", "characters-created-by-john-byrne-(comics)", "male-characters-in-comics", "male-characters-in-advertising", "1974-comics-debuts", "mascots-introduced-in-1974"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rog-2000" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox comics character"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | Rog2000.jpg |
| caption | Pacific Comics' one-shot (July 1982), cover by John Byrne. |
| debut | fanzine: CPL #11 (1974) |
| comics: E-Man #6 (Jan. 1975) | |
| creators | John Byrne |
| species | Robot |
| module | {{infobox comic book title |
| :: |
| image = Rog2000.jpg | caption = Pacific Comics' one-shot (July 1982), cover by John Byrne. | debut = fanzine: CPL #11 (1974) comics: E-Man #6 (Jan. 1975) | creators = John Byrne | species = Robot | module = {{infobox comic book title | subbox = yes | italic title = no Rog-2000 (pronounced "Rahj-two-thousand", and sometimes spelled "ROG 2000") is a fictional robot that was the first professional creation of comic book artist-writer John Byrne. Rog-2000 serves as the mascot of Byrne Robotics.
Publication history
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Rog2000CPL11.jpg" caption="Detail from Rog-2000's first appearance, ''CPL'' #11 (1974)."] ::
The character began life during Byrne's fan-artist days in the 1970s, as a spot illustration for Roger Stern and Bob Layton's fanzine CPL (Contemporary Pictorial Literature).
On the strength of that fan piece, Charlton Comics writer Nicola Cuti contacted Byrne about drawing the character for professional comic books. Written by Cuti, "Rog-2000" became one of several alternating backup features in the Charlton Comics superhero series E-Man, starting with the eight-page "That Was No Lady" in issue #6 (Jan. 1975). This marked the color-comics debut of future industry star Byrne, who'd previously drawn a two-page story for Skywald Publications' black-and-white horror-comics magazine Nightmare #20 (Aug. 1974). The character also appeared the same month in the small-press hobbyist magazine The Comic Reader #44 (Jan. 1975).
As Byrne recalled the character's origin in a 2000 interview: ::quote
::
Three additional, seven-page "Rog-2000" stories – "Withering Heights", "The Wish", and "Rog. vs. The Sog", all by Cuti & Byrne – appeared in E-Man #7, 9–10 (March, July–Sept. 1975), respectively. All the Charlton stories were reprinted in Pacific Comics' ROG 2000 #1 (June 1982), as well as in A-Plus Comics' Hot 'N Cold Heroes #1 (1990) and Herbie #4-4 (1991).
In a 2000 interview, Byrne recalled that:
Stern was reunited with Rog-2000 when Charlton accepted two of his scripts for the feature, but the company then canceled E-Man the following workday.
References
References
- Though the character's chest plate reads "ROG 2000", the name is generally spelled at Byrne's website, Byrne Robotics, with an uppercase "R" and lowercase "og" along with a hyphen.
- (1974). "The Coming of the Gang". CPL/Gang Publications.
- During this same period, the [[CPL Gang]] was producing the officially sanctioned fanzine ''[[Charlton Bullseye (fanzine). Charlton Bullseye]]''.[http://www.comics.org/series/2283/ ''The Charlton Bullseye'' (CPL/GANG Publications, 1975)] at the [[Grand Comics Database]].
- [http://www.comics.org/character/name/Rog%202000/sort/chrono/ Rog 2000] and [http://www.comics.org/character/name/rog-2000/sort/chrono/ Rog-2000] at the Grand Comics Database
- Byrne, John. "What was JB's first professional job in comic books? At Marvel? At DC?". Byrne Robotics (official site).
- John Byrne interview. (March 2001). "Byrne's Robotics: The prolific Marvel/DC stalwart on his big break at Charlton". [[Comic Book Artist]].
- Roger Stern interview. (March 2001). "Rog-2001: Sterno Speaks! Writer Roger Stern on the CPL/Gang-Charlton Connection". [[Comic Book Artist]].
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