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Free Comic Book Day - 2000ad???

Started by james newell, 04 May, 2019, 02:18:25 PM

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james newell

I am confused, was 2000ad involved with the FCBD or not?

is the 2000 AD VILLAINS SPECIAL part of the FCBD or is it news stand only, because I cant find it in both?

Anyone else experience this?

broodblik

The Villains special is not part of FCBD but was priced at 99c/p only at comic stores. You can get it here: https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/SPE1902

2000ad did not have anything for FCBD but they have a Funny Pages from the Treasury of British Comics. Here is a preview: http://www.comicon.com/2019/04/30/fcbd-2019-preview-the-funny-pages-from-rebellion/
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Colin YNWA

There was an interview linked from this weeks Thrill mail with Keith R (who edited the villians special) and he said they commissioned the work (in US format) before acceptance into the FCBD list. Rebellion only had the Funny Pages comic reprinted and so as they couldn't easliy repurpose the pages as they were different dimensions to the regular Prog they decided to release a a 99p (or c) issue on the same week as FCBD - which strikes me as pretty cool and smart thing to do.

What baffles me when you see so much half arsed content on the FCBD shelves why on earth this quality (I assume not read it eyt bit look at the line-up) material would be knocked back. Sometimes the workings of FCBD befuddle me noggin.

james newell

Ok confusion over, not FCBD but out at the same time, I was looking forward to this and would have paid full price if I had to, but I will have to wait if it not newsstand.


Jim_Campbell

FCBD seems to have spent the last few years introducing new rules specifically designed to preclude 2000AD's offerings, so I don't in any way blame Rebellion for adopting a bit of a "well, fuck you, then" attitude to the whole thing. The 99c/p special is almost certainly a loss-maker for them so I think they deserve credit for trying to still participate in the spirit of the thing, even if the official FCBD event has been bafflingly hostile towards them.
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TordelBack

Our beloved Big Bang Comics was handing out at least some Villains Specials for free - my kids got one each.That and the absolutely stonking Treasury anthology were the highlights of the day: the latter had me in nostalgia nirvana, and the kids got a kick out of it too. As usual Tharg showing how it's done.

Interesting to report that we spent €35 between us on our visit today, which has to be a good thing.

james newell

Quote from: TordelBack on 04 May, 2019, 09:55:45 PM
Our beloved Big Bang Comics was handing out at least some Villains Specials for free

Is that BBC Dublin? it's a Wonderful comic shop, I always try to make it there when I am in town!

IndigoPrime

Incidentally, if you couldn't get to FCBD, want that Rebellion Funny Pages collection, and have stared aghast at the usual eBay scalpers, the reliably wonderful A Place In Space is now offering its FCBD books for 99p each plus shipping. The latter cost drops substantially when you order more items.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F362641131666

sheridan

My theory is that other publishers have been shamed by the quality output from 2000AD.  If you look at some of what the big two/three/however many count as 'big' these days - some are a couple of pages reprinted from existing comics, not even the semblance of a complete story.  I hasten to add that certain publishers in previous years actually do put out something that rivals the offerings from Rebellion (not sure how original the content is, but they're certainly comics that would be worth a fiver, or in a few cases a full squarebound graphic novel worth over a tenner).

Link Prime

#9
Quote from: james newell on 05 May, 2019, 10:25:31 PM
Quote from: TordelBack on 04 May, 2019, 09:55:45 PM
Our beloved Big Bang Comics was handing out at least some Villains Specials for free

Is that BBC Dublin? it's a Wonderful comic shop, I always try to make it there when I am in town!

The gold standard.
Also the best prices in Dublin (Ireland?) - Dollar to Euro parity since day 1.

Mardroid

I've yet to finish them all (I've the DC Villains Special to go. Yes, DC comics also did a villains related comic for FCBD*) but I pretty much enjoyed all the free comics I picked up from FP Shaftesbury Avenue. Most are intros to a longer story, but they mostly worked. The Image comic was particularly promising, and Animosity was a rather original, and fun.

Granted, I'm often pleased when others are not, but I have found the fare of FCBD wanting in previous years aside from 2000ad wanting.

I confess I wasn't that taken by the recent Cor/Buster special (apologies, it wasn't awful. Maybe my mood just wasn't right) so I wondered if my reaction to Rebellion's Funny pages offering would be similar, since it seemsed to be more of the same. Not at all, I really enjoyed this.

Now, I don't know if that means the new material, didn't agree with me like the classic stuff did**, or again if it was just my mood at reading the former. I just left one thinking "not bad, but not for me. I'm probably just to old for this.", but I left the other amused. It wasn't 'laugh out loud' funny, (the jokes at the bottom of each page were mostly pretty awful, but I kinda liked them too) but it was nice.



* I know 2000ads wasn't free. I'm just referring to the fact they came out around the same time.

** I believe the stuff in the FCBC funny pages was reprint material, but I might be wrong. I didn't read those comics much as a kid. (Beano and Nutty (later Dandy they joined) for me. I did read Whizzer and Chips a couple of times too.

Dash Decent

Quote from: Mardroid on 07 May, 2019, 07:25:54 PM
** I believe the stuff in the FCBC funny pages was reprint material

Yes it was.  The only down side was that Rebellion had to shrink the lovely big British comic pages to fit them into a US-sized comic book.  That left a big open space at the foot of each page that they filled with characters asking each other riddles.  I think a better idea would have been to rotate the pages 90 degrees so a single comic page ran 'down' a double page spread when the comic book was held sideways.  Would that improve the fit any better?  Even if it didn't, it would be easier to read the larger text and admire the larger art.

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 04 May, 2019, 09:18:19 PM
FCBD seems to have spent the last few years introducing new rules specifically designed to preclude 2000AD's offerings

Quote from: sheridan on 06 May, 2019, 10:09:27 AM
My theory is that other publishers have been shamed by the quality output from 2000AD.

"Quoted for truth" x 2.
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james newell

Got my villain special after all, very high quality production for .99 cent, Chris Weston's work is gob smacking good, would love to see with out colours just to see his ink lines.

Everything appears a little tight in the american size, to me, perhaps 2000ad could go standard size (A4) next year or drop the average panel per page to 4 & 5  and not 6 just to let the work breath a little.

All in all great special!