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As discussed on the podcast, and as suggested by AlexF, we are compiling two top ten lists.
Your top ten Dredd stories of all time.
And your top ten non-Dredd thrills.
Try and put them in order as well and send them to me at MCBCpodcast@gmail.com
We chatted about some of the rules on the Facebook page and the podcast thread here, and decided that for long running recurring characters you should vote for individual volumes or story arcs e.g. The Horned God, Halo Jones book 3, Zenith 4 etc
And if a story appeared in the Judge Dredd title then it's a Dredd story. But anything that appeared under its own title goes into the non-Dredd list.
So Midnight Surfer and Oz are Dredd stories, but Song of the Surfer is not. If that makes sense.
If anyone's vote needs clarification I will contact them.
Cheers all
Is it just a list of titles you want, or reasons for choices?
Happy to take reasons. May get to read some of them on the show.
Cheers
God this'll take ages!
Top 10 Dredd -
1. Midnight Surfer
2. Graveyard Shift
3. Block Mania
4. Pirates of the Black Atlantic
5. Necropolis
6. Apocalypse War
7. The Executioner
8. In The Bath
9. Black Plague
10. The Shooting Match
Top 10 Non-Dredd Stories -
1. Nemesis Bk 3
2. Strontium Dog - The Killing
3. Slaine The King
4. Indigo Prime - Killing Time
5. Zenith Phase 3
6. Strontium Dog - Portrait of a Mutant
7. ABC Warriors Bk 1
8. Shakara - The Destroyer
9. Nemesis Bk 7
10. Tyranny Rex - Deus Ex Machina
I'm sure it came up elsewhere, but does America count as Dredd or non-Dredd? I don't remember it being under Dredd when originally published but suspect current editions are.
America was published with a Judge Dredd title on its first run in the Megazine. Been left off at some point and I suspect it was misinterpreting this that led to its current classification of not being a Judge Dredd story.
Yes, I'm calling America a Dredd story.
Top Ten Dredd
1. Block Mania
2. The Apocalypse War
3. Judge Death Lives
4. America
5. Bury My Knee At Wounded Heart
6. The Starborn Thing
7. Cry Of The Werewolf
8. Mechanismo
9. Alabammy Blimps
10. The Graveyard Shift
Top Ten Other
1. The Ballad of Halo Jones [Book 1]
2. Zenith [Phase 1]
3. Nemesis the Warlock [Book 1]
4. Rogue Trooper - Nu Earth Flashback - Cinnabar
5. Strontium Dog - Portrait of a Mutant
6. Anderson, Psi-Division - Hour of the Wolf
7. Kingdom [Book 1]
8. Slaine - The Horned God [Books 1-3]
9. D.R. & Quinch - Go To Hollywood
10. Firekind
It's an impossible question and the answers I will give will depend on what occurs to me at the time.
Anyway here goes.
Dredd
1. The Judge Child
2. The Mega Rackets
3. Judge Death Lives
4. Xmas comes early to Des O'Connor Block
5. New Year is Cancelled
6. Trifecta
7. America
8. Otto Sump's Ugly Clinic
9. Day of Chaos
10. Six
Non Dredd
1. Nemesis book 1
2. Slaine Warrior's Dawn
3. Nemesis Book 3
4. Nemesis Book 6
5. ABC Warriors 1
6. Zenith book 1
7. Slaine the King
8. The Last Rumble of the Platinum Horde
9. The Doc Quince Case
10. The God Droid
Judge Dredd
1. Tale of the Dead Man
2. By Lethal Injection
3. America
4. The Graveyard Shift
5. Cockroaches (prog 1627)
6. Oz
7. Death of a Judge
8. Jimps
9. Mega-City Confidential
10. Choose Your Own Xmas
Non-Dredd
1. Anderson: Triad
2. Nemesis: Book VI
3. Strontium Dog: Rage
4. Strontium Dog: The Killing
5. Zenith: Phase IV
6. ABC Warriors: The Khronicles of Khaos
7. Halo Jones: Book III
8. Firekind
9. Slaughterbowl
10. Devlin Waugh: Chasing Herod / Reign of Frogs / Sirius Rising (it's all one story really)
This is what I had to say about my first two choices in another thread way back in 2001 (SPOILERS):
"The effect Judge Morphy's murder had on Dredd -- blimey! He nearly MURDERED the perp!. I first read that story years and years ago (and many times since) and I still remember the suspense from that first reading when you don't know what Dredd will do. Would he have gone all the way if Kraken hadn't been there? I think Wagner should explore this angle again if he ever writes the demise of Dredd's career/life.
"My favourite ever episode of any story is the one where Kraken rescues the hostages. He walks alone into the building, unarmed, in handcuffs, and surrenders. Then he disarms a terrorist, massacres the lot of them and saves the hostages single-handed. The other judges outside storm in fearing the worst... and he's just standing there like "can I help you?" They give him a round of applause when he walks out. Even Dredd is impressed. There is this page by Will Simpson with Kraken crouching in the middle, blazing away, and around him are four panels showing each terrorist getting blown away, falling through windows and over furniture, and huge gouts of blood spraying everywhere.
"In the epilogue story, By Lethal Injection, Kraken executes himself to prove he was worthy to be a judge. He's all calm and defiant, and all the other judges are watching and can't quite believe it. And it had Carlos Ezquerra's best artwork out of the entire Necropolis epic."
I'm too lazy to give reasons for all of my choices. But I had to mention Death of a Judge (prog 137).
It's a great introduction to Dredd's character for new readers, and a brilliant illustration of his morals and viewpoint. [spoiler]A judge is murdered at the beginning, and another judge who was in love with her storms off to murder (not execute) the perps who did it. Dredd kills the judge to stop him murdering one of the judge-killers. I was shocked the first time I read that, as a kid, but I also admired Dredd's decision. I also liked the trick title: you assume it refers to the death at the beginning, but it's really about the death of another judge at the end.[/spoiler]
Cockroaches is just a brilliant and twisted idea for a story. I could happily read 30 episodes about that guy!
Nemesis Book VI is just one of the best things 2000AD has ever done. The vision of how the world ends and what ultimately becomes of the human race is something that has always stayed with me, and the crime Torquemada commits there elevates him to the most appalling villain in the whole comic. And there is a great little epilogue episode where Thoth is hunting down Torquemada's earlier incarnations, and he meets Colonel John Chivington of the US Cavalry in the 19th century, and it's all about the real-life massacre at Sand Creek, but without Pat Mills getting too preachy, just letting the facts speak for themselves. I was probably about 12 when I read it, and it was the first time I'd seen the Americans portrayed as the bad guys. It blew my mind. 2000AD at its best.
I'm going to repeat what I've said before. To me, the greatest Dredd story will always be "Alone in a Crowd". Notwithstanding Dillon's first and finest work on Dredd (for me), the multilayered story is incredibly subtle and intricate. It captures perfectly the depersonalising nature of the meg, the claustrophobic quality of existence, the multiple threats citizens face, perps and normal 'citz' alike. As a commentary on the tensions of modern life it works perfectly. More to the point, it drives home its point so surreptitiously. It is an absolute masterclass.
Wait, reasons?
Top Ten Dredd
1. Block Mania: "I'm with Rowdy Yates Block..." + the rain
2. The Apocalypse War: stub guns bringing down the junction
3. Judge Death Lives: "Stare into the fist of Dredd" + four dark judges
4. America: it sums up the democracy storyline
5. Bury My Knee At Wounded Heart: pathos!
6. The Starborn Thing: Dredd is vulnerable
7. Cry Of The Werewolf: "Grim"
8. Mechanismo: insane robots running amok
9. Alabammy Blimps: it should be flatin' obvious
10. The Graveyard Shift: everything about MC-1 in one story
Top Ten Other
1. The Ballad of Halo Jones [Book 1] - it's about a shopping trip
2. Zenith [Phase 1] - "Oh dear, I think I broke him"
3. Nemesis the Warlock [Book 1] - even just for this cover (http://www.2000ad.org/covers/2000ad/mediumres/222.jpg)
4. Rogue Trooper - Nu Earth Flashback - Cinnabar - reminds us that this can be a great thrill
5. Strontium Dog - Portrait of a Mutant - thwup guns
6. Anderson, Psi-Division - Hour of the Wolf: Kitson's art, plus the threat of Orlok
7. Kingdom [Book 1] - anyone who doesn't have this in their top ten has a brain full of wrong
8. Slaine - The Horned God [Books 1-3] - kind of sums it up beautifully
9. D.R. & Quinch - Go To Hollywood: "Mind the oranges, Marlon" - I'm still getting new value out of this strip even though I read it in 1984
10. Firekind - Well, if it's good enough for Jim Macaroon, it's good enough for me
Dredd:
1. The Apocalypse War. Informed the future of Dredd's world like nothing else.
2. Day of Chaos. Wagner's game-changer turned everything on its head.
3. Tour of Duty. Richly detailed and nuanced.
4. The Pit. Showing the human side of judges.
5. Necropolis. Showing the horror more than the humour of Death and co.
6. The Dead Man. John Ridgway's hugely atmospheric art and that twist.
7. Trifecta. A crazy drunken idea that worked brilliantly.
8. Blood of Emeralds arc. Dredd's future is in safe hands.
9. Oz. Supersurf 10 is as gripping as a real race. Brendan McCarthy's Judda are one of his all-time best designs.
10. Midnight Surfer. The illicit exhilaration is tangible.
Non-Dredd:
1. Cradlegrave. You can feel the decay. Just brilliant.
2. Strontium Dog - Portrait of a Mutant. Seminal, universal story of fight against oppression.
3. Strontium Dog - Rage. And when that fight becomes darker and personal.
4. Devlin Waugh - Chasing Herod/Reign of Frogs/Sirius Rising arc. John Smith's imagination is boundless.
5. Anderson - Half-Life arc. Some of Arthur Ranson's panels could be on the walls of galleries.
6. Rogue Trooper - Cinnabar. The best original Rogue story, in my opinion.
7. Indigo Prime - Killing Time. Creators at the top of their game.
8. Brass Sun. INJ Culbard's precise art depicting the clockwork system and inhabitants with cinematic brilliance.
9. Slaine - The Books of Invasion. Clint Langley's widescreen images are something else.
10. Chopper - Song of the Surfer. A truly great character of Dredd's world, brilliant art by Colin MacNeil, a tragic ending...what's not to like?
Lot of cool lists in here! Graveyard Shift has a memorable ending that changed how I look at Dredd a bit, which is cool. Necropolis would be on my list too for sure.
What's with the 'would be on my list'? Put it together and send it to Eamonn!!
Seeing other people's offerings already has me thinking I missed some crackers, but it's too late now.
Here's what I sent:
Top Ten non-Dredd Thrills:
1. Nemesis the Warlock Book 1
2. Low Life: Creation
3. Indigo Prime: Killing Time (but I cried inside about not finding space for Cradlegrave and the Herod epic)
4. Bad Company book 1
5. Anderson, Psi Division: The Protest
6. Strontium Dog: Incident on Mayjer Minor
7. Brink (man it was tough choosing this one over Brass Sun and indeed Lawless)
8. Caballistics, Inc: Downtime
9. Defoe: Brethren of the Night
10. Ace Trucking Co: The Doppelgarp (reckon I'll be on my own with this one, but I had to have some Belardinelli in there and the visual gags are killer in this story)
Top Ten Dredd Thrills:
1. The Dead Man
2. The Cursed Earth
3. America
4. Judge Death (the first story)
5. It Pays to be Mental
6. Rehab
7. Wot I did in my Summer Holidays (the second PJ Maybe story)
8. Road Stop
9. Letter from a Democrat
10. Unamerican Graffiti
-feel crazy about leaving out 'Alone in a Crowd', but there's so much amazing Dredd.
-fascinated that Nemesis VI is getting a lot of love - I knew it was good but I guess I need to read it again. For me it was a toss-up between Books I, IV and VII.
Non Dredd
1). Nemesis Book 6
2). Strontium Dog Rage
3). A.B.C. Warriors on Mars – Mad George
4). Ace Trucking – Strike
5). Slaine the King
6). Bad Company Book 1
7). Balls Brothers
8). Button Man Book 3
9). Robo-Hunter – Farewell my billions
10). Big Dave – Target Baghdad
Dredd
1) Judge Child Quest
2) Revolution
3) By Lethal Injection
4) Tale of the Dead Man
5) The Dead Man
6) In the Bath
7) The Pit
8) Sin City
9) Total War
10) Slow Crime Day
Quote from: AlexF on 18 June, 2018, 02:15:35 PM
-fascinated that Nemesis VI is getting a lot of love - I knew it was good but I guess I need to read it again. For me it was a toss-up between Books I, IV and VII.
For me it's book I then Book III then book VI. But I could easily put books IV and V on the list too.
So to provide some sort of answer as to "why Book VI"?
For me Bryan Talbot's art is a huge part of it, especially the way he gets expressions out of Torquemada's helmet. You just wouldn't think such a thing was possible but he does it here. There is just a wonderful gothic sort of feel to the whole thing.
And I just lover those scenes on the beach, especially the way Torquemada gets the Terminators back on his side and that he never doubted it for a second.
2000AD
1. Blackhawk
2. Halo Jones 2
3. Fiends of the Eastern Front
4. Disaster 1990
5. Skizz
6. The Stainless Steel Rat
7. Slaine The Horned God
8. The Mind of Wolfie Smith
9. Summer Magic
10. Savage 1
DREDD
1. Battle of the Black Atlantic
2. Tour of Duty
3. Day of Chaos
4. Blood of Satanus
5. The Apocalypse War
6. Judge Death
7. Return of Rico
8. The Judge Child
9. City of the Damned
10. The Emerald Isle
Wow... seriously hard!
DREDD
1 - Finger Of Suspicion
2 - Apocalypse War (including Block Mania)
3 - Sob Story
4 - Origina
5 - the Pit
6 - AMerica
7 - Cry of The Werewolf
8 - Necropolis
9 - Judge Death
10 - the day the law Died (Judge Cal Saga)
2000AD
1 - Strontium Dog, Portrait Of A Mutant
2 - Halo Jones Book 3
3 - Skizz
4 - DR & Quinch Go To Hollywood
5 - Kingdom
6 - Slaine, The Horned God
7 - Nemesis, the Victorian EMpire
8 - the Stainless Steel rat For President
9 - Harry 20
10 - meltdown Man
Dredd:
1. Firepower
2. Trifecta
3. Apocalypse War
4. PJ Maybe age 13
5. The Graveyard Shift
6. Necropolis
7. The Mega Rackets
8. The Pit
9. Return of the King
10. Day of Chaos
Non Dredds
1. Glimmer Rats
2. Shakara
3. Firekind
4. Ace Trucking Co: Vol 1
5. Strontium Dog: The No Go Job
6. Venus Bluegenes: The pleasures of the Flesh
7. War Machine
8. Tyranny Rex: Deus ex Machina
9. Slaine: The King
10. Halo Jones
Z
Not one single Dante story yet?!
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 21 June, 2018, 09:51:58 PM
Not one single Dante story yet?!
Really wanted to include Dante in my list but ...
... I've not read it for quite a while and its awesomeness has pretty much blended into one continuous narrative. I could tell you lots of amazing things that happened, and split it into thematic parts, but couldn't actually pinpoint one single story that would be my goto example of why it's great.
Yeah, Dante as a whole would easily make my Top 10 Thrills (well, I say 'easily', but maybe it wouldn;t be that easy), but picking out any one story arc for this exercise just didn't work.
Funnily enough, if we were narrowing it all down to a single page, I'd pick out John Burn's stunning intro splash for
'How could you believe me when I said I loved you when you know I've been a liar all my life'
as perhaps even my number 1. Love me some giant letters! Also it cleverly encapsulates so much about the character and relationship of Nikolai and Jena Makarov.
Any list of ten can't help but leave out some amazing stories. There's nothing wrong with Dante but I just had ten things I liked better.
Quote from: Richard on 23 June, 2018, 03:03:13 PM
Any list of ten can't help but leave out some amazing stories. There's nothing wrong with Dante but I just had ten things I liked better.
Also the question was what are your top ten favourite volumes or story arcs, not what are your top ten favourite characters or series. That would produce a slightly different answer. For example I have listed three Nemesis books and a future shock.
Last chance for top tens.
Counting up the votes soon and drawing the lucky voting winners for the two Hachette covers books.
Dredd:
Necropolis
America
Cursed Earth
Apocalypse war
The Pit
the one where he takes McGruder out to die as a judge (can't remember name)
Origins
Day of Chaos
Judge Child quest
Judge Death Lives
Non Dredd
Strontium Dog - Ragnarok/Rage especially
Nemesis the Warlock
Ballad of Halo Jones
Nikolai Dante
ABC Warriors (Meknificent 7 only)
Zenith
Skizz
Kingdom
Brink
Robohunter - (Verdus only)
(wasn't sure how specific the non-Dredds need to be - I cant choose a particular part of Dante or Nemesis!)
Quote from: Dandontdare on 13 November, 2018, 06:15:15 PM
Dredd:
the one where he takes McGruder out to die as a judge (can't remember name)
Prog 1009: Death of a Legend
Not sure how I missed this thread before: I do like a list.
Non-Dredd:
1: Bad Company Bk2
2: Bad Company Bk1
3: The Dead Man (others seem to be listing this as a Dredd story, for obvious reasons, but it appeared under its own title, and is very much its own thing.)
4: Revere (I know there's 3 books, but they're only six episodes each, so I'll count it all as one.)
5: Chopper: Song of the Surfer
6: The Dead
7: Nemesis the Warlock: Bk V
8: Nemesis the Warlock: Bk I
9: Ace Trucking Co.: The Great Mush Rush
10: Zenith: Phase III
Dredd:
1: Necropolis
2: Young Giant
3: The Raggedy Man
4: Hitman
5: In the Bath
6: Crazy Barry, Little Mo / Banana City
7: The Pit
8: Blood Cadets
9: The Apocalypse War
10: The Lurker
That's a good list.
Quote from: Greg M. on 13 November, 2018, 07:24:47 PM
Non-Dredd:
1: Bad Company Bk2
2: Bad Company Bk1
3: The Dead Man
4: Revere
5: Chopper: Song of the Surfer
6: The Dead
7: Nemesis the Warlock: Bk V
8: Nemesis the Warlock: Bk I
9: Ace Trucking Co.: The Great Mush Rush
10: Zenith: Phase III
Dredd:
1: Necropolis
2: Young Giant
3: The Raggedy Man
4: Hitman
5: In the Bath
6: Crazy Barry, Little Mo / Banana City
7: The Pit
8: Blood Cadets
9: The Apocalypse War
10: The Lurker
Our mums must have been wheeled into the delivery suite within minutes of each other,
Greg. Please don't enter me into the prize draw,
Eamonn. I pick all of Greg's, obviously, but these too:
1/
Requiem For A Heavyweight by TB Grover & Ezquerra (331-334)1/
Citizen Snork by TB Grover & Smith (356-358)2/
Bloodline by Wagner & Simpson (583-584)3/
Blow Out by Wagner & Doherty (1213)4/
Slow Crime Day by Wagner & Doherty (1191)5/
Jimping by Wagner & Goddard (Meg 3.71 - 3.72)6/
I, Jovis by Wagner & Parkhouse (Meg 3.60)7/
Revolution by Wagner Grant & Higgins (531-533)8/
Wot I Did During The Summer Holidays by PJ Maybe (Age 13) by Wagner & Sharp (592-594)9/
Our Man In Hondo by Wagner & MacNeil (608-611)1/
Strontium Dog: Portrait Of A Mutant by Alan Grant & Carlos Ezquerra1/
Big Dave by Morrison Millar & Parkhouse2/
Indigo Prime: Anthropocalypse/Everything & More by John Smith & Edmund Bagwell3/
Ordinary by Williams & D'Israeli4/
Torquemada The God by Pat Mills & Kev O'Neill5/
Cradlegrave by John Smith & Edmund Bagwell6/
Zaucer Of Zilk by Brendan McCarthy & Al Ewing7/
Shadows by Pete Milligan & Richard Elson8/
Taxi Driver by Alan Grant & Paul Hardy (531-532)9/
DR & Quinch Get Back To Nature by Moore & Davis
Quote from: Frank on 13 November, 2018, 09:42:52 PM
Our mums must have been wheeled into the delivery suite within minutes of each other, Greg.
From what you've said previously, I'm pretty sure our first progs are only weeks away from each other (I'm 506, for what it's worth.)
Quote from: Greg M. on 13 November, 2018, 09:51:55 PM
Quote from: Frank on 13 November, 2018, 09:42:52 PM
Our mums must have been wheeled into the delivery suite within minutes of each other, Greg.
From what you've said previously, I'm pretty sure our first progs are only weeks away from each other (I'm 506, for what it's worth.)
511 (http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=profiles&choice=511), old-timer.
Quote8/ Taxi Driver by Alan Grant & Paul Hardy (531-532)
Now I often say "Eh? I have no memory of this?!?", but
usually the thrill in question is from the mid-90s and there's a good reason. This is from a period when I hung on every dribble from Tharg's well-wrung organ. So why does something that makes it into Frank's Top Ten ring no bells?
Quote from: TordelBack on 13 November, 2018, 10:29:01 PM
Quote8/ Taxi Driver by Alan Grant & Paul Hardy (531-532)
Now I often say "Eh? I have no memory of this?!?", but usually the thrill in question is from the mid-90s and there's a good reason. This is from a period when I hung on every dribble from Tharg's well-wrung organ. So why does something that makes it into Frank's Top Ten ring no bells?
My fault; insufficient information. It was one of the first
Tales Of Megacity One (https://i.imgur.com/nfS8Yvi.png?1).
It appeared during a run of progs I'd nominate in my personal golden era, when all was snug and baby tight (janglechimes). It stands at the opposite end of the dramaturgy spectrum to
America, as an example of the potential the format of
Dreddworld-stories-without-Dredd has, but rarely fulfils.
I liked Paul Hardy's art* for the same reason most seeing it now for the first time will dislike it; it looked like the kind of thing I could do. The easy confidence and flow of Ian Gibson and the meticulous detail of Glenn Fabry were beyond even my aspiration, but Hardy (like Weston & Walker) looked like he was learning on the job.
* Lots of artists only do one job for Tharg. Hardy's that rare beast, the creator who worked for 2000ad twice (http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=droid&page=thrills&Comic=2000AD&Field=Artist&choice=paulh) then dropped off the face of the Earth.
Presented with the usual caveats i.e. if I did my lists tomorrow they'd be completely different!
Non-Dredd:
Nemesis: Book I - Mills/O'Neill
Absalom: Noblesse Oblige - Rennie/Trevallion
Indigo Prime: Anthropocalypse - Smith/Bagwell
Strontium Dog: Portrait of a Mutant - Wagner/Grant/Ezquerra
Bad Company: Book 1 - Milligan/Ewins
Rogue Trooper: Cinnabar - Smith/Dillon
Nikolai Dante: The Romanov Empire - Morrison/Burns
DR & Quinch Go To Hollywood - Moore/Davis
ABC Warriors: The Black Hole - Mills/Bisley/SMS
Slaine: Sky Chariots - Mills/McMahon
Dredd:
Sin City - Wagner/Walker
Cold Deck - Ewing/Flint
Apocalypse War - Wagner/Grant/Ezquerra
The Talented Mayor Ambrose - Wagner/Higgins
America - Wagner/Macneil
Eve of Destruction - Wagner/Flint/Willsher/Macneil
Sector House - Wagner/Ezquerra
Total War - Wagner/Flint
It's Deja Vu all Over Again - Wagner/Kennedy
The Americans - Ewing/Dyer
Okay. Lets do this... no particular orders for me. They change wildly from moment to moment.
NON-DREDD
Nikolai Dante - The Romanov Empire
Shakara - The Assassin
Indigo Prime - Perfect Day
Lobster Random - The Agony & the Ecstasy
Robo Hunter - Day of the Droids
Stickleback - Mother London
The Red Seas - Twilight of the Idols
Strontium Dog - Blood Moon
The V.C.s - Down
Sinister Dexter - Murder 101
DREDD
Mandroid
Apocalypse War
Total War
America
Terror
Brothers of the Blood
Fading of the Light
the Monsterus Mashinashuns of P.J. Maybe
Robot Wars
The Art of Kenny Who?
Thanks for all the submissions, here, on the Facebook page, and by email.
Voting is now closed and the Mega City Book Club super computer is now crunching the results, imagine lots of flashing lights and spinning tape reels and you'll get the idea.
Results will be out in a podcast episode this Sunday and posted up here.
I'm restricting myself to one book per series, and I'm going to leave out something essential here and remember later, but...
Non-Dredd:
1. Sláine The Horned God
2. Bad Company 1
3. Zenith 4
4. Halo Jones 3.
5. Killing Time
6. Nemesis in Deathbringer
7. Cradlegrave
8. Nikolai Dante's last book
9. Firekind
10. Revere
Dredd:
1. Sunday Night Fever
2. Necropolis
3. Apocalypse War
4. Sin City
5. Democracy Now
6. Full Mental Jacket
7. Oz
8. The Midnight Surfer
9. The Americans
10. America
The Results are in and you can listen to them in my latest podcast at:
http://megacitybookclub.blogspot.com/2018/12/81-top-ten-results.html
Let's start with the top ten Dredd stories.
1. The Apocalypse War
2. America
3. Necropolis
4. The Pit
5. Day of Chaos
6. The Cursed Earth
7. Judge Death Lives!
8. The Judge Child Quest
9. Tour of Duty
10 The Dead Man
The Apocalypse War was always the frontrunner with more than twice the number of votes of second place America.
And John Wagner had his hand in all of them, either as sole writer, co-writer, or popping up for a couple of Progs in The Cursed Earth.
And nice to see three great stories by Carlos Ezquerra in the top four.
Next up is the top ten non Dredd stories.
1. Portrait of a Mutant
2. Nemesis the Warlock book 1
3. Rage
4. Halo Jones book 3
5. The Horned God
6. Nemesis the Warlock book 4: The Gothic Empire
7. ABC Warriors The Meknificent Seven
8. Bad Company book 1
9. Rogue Trooper: Cinnabar
10. Halo Jones book 2
Strontium Dog: Portrait of a Mutant was a clear winner but the voting was a lot tighter after that.
And again it's a number one for the great combo of Wagner, Grant and Ezquerra.
And finally I amalgamated the votes for all the differrent individual non Dredd stories to come up with a not too surprising top ten non Dredd thrills.
1. Strontium Dog
2. Nemesis the Warlock
3. Halo Jones
4. Slaine
5. The ABC Warriors
6. Rogue Trooper
7. Anderson: PSI Division
8. Indigo Prime
9. Zenith
10. Bad Company
And it is a clean sweep of three top spots for Wagner, Grant and Ezquerra!
Thanks to everyone who voted, made comments and said nice things about the podcast.
Thanks to Alex Frith for the suggestion.
And the two lucky names out of the hat for the Hachette collection covers books are Roland Ungoed-Thomas and the forum's very own Zenarcade. I'll be in touch to arrange delivery. :D
Thanks Eamonn, that was very interesting.
Interesting to see John Smith's Indigo Prime edge out more predictable top-tenners like Zenith and Bad Company - strips that make it onto character montage covers alongside the holy trinity.
Cheers, Eamonn.
I always really enjoyed the ideas presented in Indigo Prime tales (and that they existed in a sort of pantheon) but sometimes had a hard time figuring out the techno-babble. It's the level of confusion that would stop me listing those. I should probably re-read them to see if they make any more sense decades later.
These lists are a bit rose-tinted, probably. I haven't read Portrait of a Mutant for maybe 30 years.
Very interesting stuff: thanks for putting it together.
Yes very much an 80s heavy list. Bit surprised to see no placing for Nikolai Dante, Kingdom or Brink. But then again I didn't vote for them when I cast mine- but I think I would if the vote was held again.
The mods have corrected it for me. Phew!
I kept meaning to get to this and when I got close continually flip-flapped about getting my list right and hnece procastinated enough to never get to it.
Now I feel bad as while its difficult to argue against any of the decisions here I feel I've let my favourites down and lament the lack of Nikolai Dante and Sinister Dexter.
Many, many thanks to Eamonn for putting this all together! Easy to make a suggestion, less easy to do all the necessary admin and recording to bring it to life.
It's kinda hard to argue with any of those three lists, and also gratifying to see that the Dredd list contains a range of strips from across the last 40 years. Bit sad not to see any Dabnett, Grennie or Rmorrison but it's not exactly clear what you'd bump off the list to fit them in!
Dredd Stories
1) Trifecta
2) Monkey On My Back
3) Great Expectations
4) House of Pain
5) The Small House
6) Choose Your Own X-Mas
7) Terror Rising
8) Road Stop
9) Regime Change
10) Meet The Umbersons
Non-Dredd
1) Nikolai Dante
2) The Ten-Seconders
3) The 86ers
4) Brink
5) The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael (And The Dead Left In His Wake)
6) Caballistics, Inc
7) Cradlegrave
8) Shakara
9) Stickleback
10) Kingdom
Honorable Mentions include Absalom, The Alienist, the first series of Bad Company, Counterfeit Girl, Dead Signal, The Fall of Deadworld, Grey Area, Nemesis the Warlock, Rogue Trooper, Tharg's 3rillers (especially Voodoo Planet, The House of Gilded Peak and Colony), The Zaucer of Zilk, Zenith and Zombo