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Dumb question from an old newbie

Started by The Prodigal, 30 March, 2012, 07:37:32 PM

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The Prodigal

Guys just started to read 2000AD again after a short break of 30 years and complete disenchantment with superheroes. I am getting the prog but haven't been able to clap eyes on a megazine to give it the once over. Could someone give this idiot an insider's take on it and a steer on why to buy it? I have of course done the internet research bit but value the greta advice I have had already on here on a range of 2000AD related matters.

Thanks in advance.

staticgirl

1. Partly you might order it because you just want MORE.
2. The stories set in Dredd's world often help to explain old questions or flesh out the premise beyond what can be done in 2000AD. Some of those stories have become epics in their own right.
3. There have been some cracking characters over the years which have become stars in their own right and could easily be the leads in their own comics. The 2000AD and Megazine stable is that packed with talent.
4. You get to read some great non-Dredd stories which might struggle to get a leg up anywhere else because they're such pure sci-fi and the other great publishing houses in America don't really fulfill that remit (and the translated French stuff is pretty expensive). Some of the stories may be less sci-fi but very experimental in another way. Sometimes it works for you sometimes it doesn't but it's never dull.
5. More opportunities to see the best of the old and new Brit-Cit based talent out there.
6. Some people don't like the text features. I do. I especially like the interviews with noted creatives of the past who I've grown up with and not necessarily known much about them. It feels like getting to know someone as a friend who I've admired from afar.
7. The bagged story is a way of catching up on old Thrills that you missed in the past or reconnecting with old friends you'd not seen in a while.



Hegel

You get 4 strips, each one approx twice as long than the 5-6 pages you normally get in the toothy prog. There is always a Dredd strip and typically one of the others comes from the Dredd universe. The other two can be a very diverse selection and although some really divide opinion (the recent American Reaper for instance) they are typically of a high standard. The selling point of the meg used to be touted that it was a more mature take on the judge system but the difference between it's stories and those of 2000ad has really narrowed over the years and the Meg very rarely gets proper 'epics' these days.

You also get a GN reprint of an old 2000AD series bagged with the main magazine and naturally this can also be hit and miss in quality. If you have missed out on a lot of the last 3 decades then it is a nice way to read some old stories and sometimes feels like a great cheeky bonus and sometimes like a bit of filler.

There are also written sections that concentrate on comics and comic culture in general. These typically take the form of an interview with a well known creator (usually a 2000ad/meg creator) along with the odd article here and there on any particular aspect of the medium. There is a film review section which concentrates on sci fi/ horror/ fantasy etc and is normally well written, and a letters page that rarely gets beyond 'I like that one, I disliked that one' opinions.

As a subscriber I love that special Saturday every month when this mag drops on my doormat along with 2000ad, usually because I don't keep track of when it is due and it is always a nice surprise. I do wish there was more of a focus on strips but I understand how tight the margins are in this market and as a completist I couldn't bare to miss out. Overall I would highly recommend you give it a whirl, and for at least a few months rather than a single issue.


The Prodigal

Thank you big time for this advice guys-that is as thorough an insight as I could have hoped for. Appreciate you taking the time.

a chosen rider

If I might cheekily hijack this thread while it's here, can anyone recommend a good jumping on point for the Megazine?  I've been catching up on digital and am just about up to the present prog-wise, so now I'm eyeing up getting into the Meg as well.  I see the shop has digital issues going back to 294, but my budget won't stretch to that many, so is there a relatively recent issue that would make a particularly place to start?  (And/or maybe specific Megs from that range that have standout stories worth getting?)
On Twitter @devilsfootsteps

Emperor

Quote from: a chosen rider on 31 March, 2012, 03:01:41 PM
If I might cheekily hijack this thread while it's here, can anyone recommend a good jumping on point for the Megazine?  I've been catching up on digital and am just about up to the present prog-wise, so now I'm eyeing up getting into the Meg as well.  I see the shop has digital issues going back to 294, but my budget won't stretch to that many, so is there a relatively recent issue that would make a particularly place to start?  (And/or maybe specific Megs from that range that have standout stories worth getting?)

The Megs are usually pretty easy to jump into - the Dredds are usually one or two parters, the Tales From the Black Museum are one-offs and because the stories usually get a longer page count there is a quicker turnover of them. So one good place to start is Meg 305 as that gives you the start of Insurrection II and the first Samizdat Squad. It is the last Lily MacKenzie (but you can catch-up online, I believe) and then Numbercruncher starts in the creator-owned slot of Meg 306. Another bonus is that, if you're quick, this is only £3 in the sale (cheaper than the digital):

http://shop.2000adonline.com/products/judge_dredd_megazine_305

After that it could be Meg 316, which saw the start of American Reaper but that might be a difficult call as AR has proved a little... Marmitesque for the readers - you might love it but if you don't then it might be a bit off-putting as your first Meg.

So I'd recommend 305 - it makes a useful jumping-on point with a really solid line-up of stories which should ease you into the Meg nicely.Then, even if you don't like AR, you'll have the incentive to hang on in there as the Cursed Earth Koburn, Armitage and Strange & Darke stories that start in Megs 314, 318 and 319, respectively, make it worth sticking with.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

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a chosen rider

Thanks!  I think 305 is probably going a bit far back for me to buy up all the issues in a timely manner, but I might hop back to that point and fill in from there after I've caught up on more recent stuff.  I'm contemplating starting with 314, actually, even though it's at the tail end of some things, since I'm pretty interested in the Cursed Earth Koburn story, and it will give me a bit of a lead-in should American Reaper indeed turn out a bit Marmite.  (I have to confess I've not really got on with Pat Mills' recent works in my prog catch-up, so I can't say I'm expecting to fall into the 'love it' camp, though I guess I might be pleasantly surprised.)
On Twitter @devilsfootsteps

Emperor

Quote from: a chosen rider on 31 March, 2012, 07:07:11 PM
Thanks!  I think 305 is probably going a bit far back for me to buy up all the issues in a timely manner, but I might hop back to that point and fill in from there after I've caught up on more recent stuff.  I'm contemplating starting with 314, actually, even though it's at the tail end of some things, since I'm pretty interested in the Cursed Earth Koburn story, and it will give me a bit of a lead-in should American Reaper indeed turn out a bit Marmite.  (I have to confess I've not really got on with Pat Mills' recent works in my prog catch-up, so I can't say I'm expecting to fall into the 'love it' camp, though I guess I might be pleasantly surprised.)

Yes, there is no easy jumping-on point within range where everything starts afresh, but diving in has not been a problem for most of us unless we started with issue #1. If that works for you then you can always work your way back in batches anyway.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Judo

the megs not quite so 'real time' as 2000ad so you can just get stories that interest you than necessarily going in order and fill in from there. I think armitage is a good starting point with lovely mr adlard x
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