Hey All!
I've been really enjoying the Strontium Dog story in the current progs and wanted some tips of other great Johnny Alpha stories to read? Looking at the back catalogue I get a bit confused to be honest...
They're all great, and it doesn't matter too much which order you read them in really. But there is a complete list on Wikipedia of all the stories and the books they are collected in.
The first four Agency Files books are in black and white and everything else is in colour.
I'd go for The Agency Files first, in order, followed by Final Solution. They may still be on sale at the 2000 AD shop.
Not wishing to knock the early stuff, but it gets seriously good from volume 2 of the case files.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 05 May, 2018, 01:34:04 PM
I'd go for The Agency Files first, in order, followed by Final Solution. They may still be on sale at the 2000 AD shop.
The sale is still on. It is better to get them in the correct order. As IndigoPrime is saying first start with Agency Files vol 1.
I'd argue the best strips are in 2 and 3. I guess it depends on your budget. But these books have been around for a while and so it might be wise to grab them before they're gone if you want the full story. Also, Stronty Dog does become quite continuity heavy, and so it would probably be most rewarding to read those five volumes from the start.
At the beginning,really.
I just checked out the 2000 AD store. Looks like all Stronty Dog bar the latest volume (Repo Men) is currently half price! That means you can buy the entire classic run for 36 quid plus shipping in paper format.
broodblik: The shop page (https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/graphic-novels/strontium-dog) outlines the reading order. Ignore the two B-format books (the £3.49 ones), because they're pocket books whose contents are included in the Agency Files. (At these prices, I'd as a new reader honestly be tempted to buy the entire rest of the run, if funds were available. Life and Death can be a bit of a morose slog at times, but even the worst Stronty Dog is still really good, and there are many superb moments throughout both the original run and the 'reboot'.)
My first encounter with Stront was just a tad before Portrait, the "origins" story (more "childhood of" to be fair) that you will find in book 2 of the Case Files - if you were only to have one of the books, I would recommend this as it is thematically satisfying, contains the biggest chunk of important continuity and also some of the best stories - Book 1 has some stone cold classics too, but is a bit patchier ("Galaxy Killers" is the only sizeable lull to be fair, but even if it isnt to the degree that Dredd suffers from, there is a bit of feet finding in the early runs, and again when Alan Grant comes on board (IMO obvs)
Strontium Dog more then some, probably should be read from the beginning. Its not exactly continuity heavy, but it does build itself up over time enough that having that chronological reading order helps a lot.
Personally I read one of the modern stories, Traitor to his Kind, first because it was running at the time I started reading 2000 AD and while it read okay it made a lot of sense after reading the Agency Files material.
Quote from: Timothy on 05 May, 2018, 02:01:37 PM
Not wishing to knock the early stuff, but it gets seriously good from volume 2 of the case files.
I was thinking just the same. I love the early stuff but a bit like Dredd the second volume is when it all get a bit special with Portrait of a Mutant and Moses Incident.
Another option is the Hatchett 2000ad Ultimate Collection. The first volume released has some of the first stuff from the relaunch and might serve as a good entry point?
I'd start with no 1 and work your way through - the starlord stuff is mostly typical stront, although aimed at a younger audience - the Galaxy Killers and Journey into Hell mostly dispense with the gadgets that were set up in the starlord run.
#1 also contains the Schickelgruber Grab and Willy Blanko/Death's Head in the second half which is probably the first typical Stront story of the 2000 AD era.
We also made a fan short which might interest you - although will probably make more sense with a bit more background reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5EZaO1HPF4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5EZaO1HPF4)
Hachette run isn't going to reprint the starlord strips which is a shame but for a running order, the wikipedia page lists what's out there and order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_Dog#Publication (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_Dog#Publication)
Also Strontium Dog is in today's Free Comic Book Day issue if you can get it.
Best 2000 AD character IMO, 40 years old this week!
Read from the beginning, you wont be disappointed.
Thanks everyone! I ended up picking up Agency Files vol 1 and 2, looking forward to reading them. This will also be my first foray into classic black and white 2000AD.
Steve Green, the film looks great I will defiantly give it a watch!
You're welcome!
Enjoy reading it all for the first time!
You are in for such a treat!
Let us know what you make of it.
Quote from: Steve Green on 05 May, 2018, 09:13:46 PM
Hachette run isn't going to reprint the starlord strips which is a shame
A great shame. I think the Starlord strips are among the best, for me at least.
Quote from: tingramretro on 12 May, 2018, 04:04:02 PM
Quote from: Steve Green on 05 May, 2018, 09:13:46 PM
Hachette run isn't going to reprint the starlord strips which is a shame
A great shame. I think the Starlord strips are among the best, for me at least.
They're certainly a better intro to the characters and universe than
The Galaxy Killers or
Journey into Hell!
I missed out on the 50% discounts :(
do they do discounts often or is it a one time deal ?
Quote from: rs_jr on 14 May, 2018, 01:47:17 AM
I missed out on the 50% discounts :(
do they do discounts often or is it a one time deal ?
Still says its on sale for me. https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/on-sale
Only the first volume now (to tie into the Starboard anniversary).
As for frequency, rs_jr, Rebellion does fairly regular sales, but in scattergun fashion, so you never really know what will be discounted nor when.