Word is, there's a new podcast in town, reviewing all of Judge Dredd, in order.
Details to be found here:
http://www.waitwhatpodcast.com/wait-what-ep-264/ (http://www.waitwhatpodcast.com/wait-what-ep-264/),
- but you have to the end. (or download the episode and fast forward by about 2 hours!)
It's being co-hosted by comics/pop-culture journalist Graeme MacMillan, who's appeared on the Thrillcast at least twice already, so it's in good hands. (Wait, What?, his main podcast, is bizarrely entertaining and listenable, despite the general rambling tone. I guess it's down to the chemistry with his co-host, which is on the same level of infectious as Fox 'n Conrad.
Apparently it kicks off next week...
Frankly, what has me most excited are the comments at the bottom of the above-linked post, in which their American listeners get very excited to find out more about Dredd.
Who'd have thought that the best way to promote the joys of 2000AD, a silent comic, would be via podcast, an auditory-only experience...
SpaceSpinner 2000 has no rival! viva la Fox & Conrad! *Friend of the show!*
Honestly (as a North American) I have no one else to really talk to about my passion for 2000 AD (The comics, the art, the creators etc.) so I get great joy from listening to both Space Spinner 2000 and the Mega City Book Club podcasts. It's great to hear others enjoying the comics I've become obsessed with.
(I also discovered Heroes of 2000 a.d. via MCBC and have began reading through it from the beginning - today I read No.14 Robbie Morrison, next up is the Dreddcount part 1. Fantastic effort, much appreciated!)
With that said, there is so much Dredd to cover and so many perspectives that I think there is always room for more - hopefully this is more of a complement than a competitor.
Had a prod around the Podcast advertising this and they certainly seem to have the relaxed chit chatty relationship that makes these things work (well as long as you don't take it too far and forget folks are there to listen about comics and related stuff and not middle aged men belly aching as some podcasts seem to forget!). Be really interesting to see how they handle the amount of content and they seem to have a good grip on that.
Will defo check this out, thanks for the heads up.
The two hosts, Graeme and Jeff, talk about 2000AD at least a little bit on most episodes of Wait, What?, they're big fans. They have a deep abiding love of Zombo, for one.
I'm sure they'll give their own background when they start putting out the Drokk spinoff, but as far as I can tell Graeme (the Scot) grew up reading 2000AD in the early 80s, and has kept in touch ever since. Jeff (the American), has read bits of Dredd here and there before reading 2000AD on the regular in recent years, so I imagine the early stuff will be brand new to him. As with Conrad and Fox, it's likely to yield a fun dynamic of opinions / appreciation.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 07 February, 2019, 07:48:14 AM
(well as long as you don't take it too far and forget folks are there to listen about comics and related stuff and not middle aged men belly aching as some podcasts seem to forget!)
Everything comes back to that.
Ouch! :lol:
Gotta check this one out! Of course there's always room for more 2000AD based podcasting!
always happy for more podcasts to listen to
Great!
Imagine Space Spinner will get some crossover too anyway, as this one is concentrating on Dredd casefiles.
I can see how to play that from the website , but can't see how I can download to play later where threse's no wifi - am I being dense and missing something?
Aha- I see it is up!
http://www.waitwhatpodcast.com/category/podcasts/drokk/ (http://www.waitwhatpodcast.com/category/podcasts/drokk/)
Listening to the last "Wait What" podcast, they do seem to get very analytical, which should make for an interesting listen if they do the same here.... let's see!
That was excellent listening! So many good insights (already got "The Spirit" parallels, the idea Dredd vs technology rather than the Citizens, but how the strip really clicks in when the citizens lack of impulse control vs Dredds absolute impulse control becomes the focus) and new info - Bill Ward was an older American Artist?
Doesn't tread on the toes of Space Spinner but is a perfect accompaniment to it listen to SS to get the details and reaction, and this to get the analysis - Zarjaz!
Quote from: Dandontdare on 13 February, 2019, 07:17:12 PM
I can see how to play that from the website , but can't see how I can download to play later where threse's no wifi - am I being dense and missing something?
I don't know how to do it from the website - I get the podcast by subscribing to Wait, What? on my iTunes podcast app. I imagine you can find + download episodes through any of the usual podcast apps, although I think you'd have to search for 'Wait What?' as the umbrella show, with episodes labelled 'Drokk!' coming out as part of that feed.
That was nice and they clearly know a lot about comics. I know nothing about comics outside of 2000AD, Viz and The Beano so couldn't really relate to some of the stuff discussed but could understand the general context (e.g. Will Eisner must be somebody highly respected in the US comic scene).
The joke at the end of the Return Of Rico has never bothered me, in fact I think it pretty cool that such a high quality early strip can end on a gag that would have gone over many readers heads anyway.
Also, they found the smokatorium story to be a corny anti-smoking thing but that is not I have always seen it. In the 1970's smoking would have been far more prevelant than it is today with people smoking at work, in restaurants, in planes, on trains, basically everywhere. Health warnings had started to appear on packaging and restrictions to advertising were just starting to creep in and I can well imagine many smokers feeling their rights were being eroded, which they were. Smokatorium takes this to what would have seemed like an extreme in 1977 but doesn't look so extreme now where many things once common place with regards to smoking are now illegal.
That was a great listen. Don't necessarily agree with everything said - but then that's half the fun. The Eisner comparison is pretty shallow at this stage and its something that's better served later in the series. I also think they sometimes over look at things in a way that if you say enough things will stick BUT they are clearly knowledgable and thoughtful and definately hit more than they miss.
Great stuff and I'm really looking forward to how this will develop. Once a month may feel like a long wait since we're been treated so well by Conrad and Fox but well worth it.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 14 February, 2019, 10:04:10 PM
That was a great listen. Don't necessarily agree with everything said - but then that's half the fun. The Eisner comparison is pretty shallow at this stage and its something that's better served later in the series. I also think they sometimes over look at things in a way that if you say enough things will stick BUT they are clearly knowledgable and thoughtful and definately hit more than they miss.
Great stuff and I'm really looking forward to how this will develop. Once a month may feel like a long wait since we're been treated so well by Conrad and Fox but well worth it.
Pretty much agree with everything said by Colin. Subscribed to the pod. A brilliant companion to Space Spinner - a Yang to Conrad and Fox's Yin.
Just started to listen to the latest one that came out earlier in the week and its already a very interesting listen. I'd forgotten it was about so thought I'd just revive this thread to remind folks who might have missed it - like I was close to doing.
Quote from: CalHab on 07 February, 2019, 09:24:30 AM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 07 February, 2019, 07:48:14 AM
(well as long as you don't take it too far and forget folks are there to listen about comics and related stuff and not middle aged men belly aching as some podcasts seem to forget!)
Everything comes back to that.
I used to love that podcast; though it gradually became a bit of an anti-liberal rant.
Yeah, ECBT2K started OK - when it was Richard and Steve (I think?) and you had more of a counter balance between the two, a but once Richard became a bunch of other people who thought like Steve, it became pretty depressing and mired in sniping - and i say that as someone who says what he thinks about modern stuff! Havent listened to it in ages, outside of possibly some of the Pat Mills interviews, so maybe it isn's such a downer these days.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 23 March, 2019, 02:59:20 PM
Quote from: CalHab on 07 February, 2019, 09:24:30 AM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 07 February, 2019, 07:48:14 AM
(well as long as you don't take it too far and forget folks are there to listen about comics and related stuff and not middle aged men belly aching as some podcasts seem to forget!)
Everything comes back to that.
I used to love that podcast; though it gradually became a bit of an anti-liberal rant.
Aye, Rich and Flint worked well as a double act. But later on if you'd taken a shot for every time "cheesecake" was mentioned you'd end up in detox.
(Edit: I don't really have a problem with either type of cheesecake)
Not finished this yet, in fact only half way through, so should probably finish before commenting... if I don't do this now though I'll lose sight of what I want to say and never get around to it, and I want to say its fascinating and at times infuriating.
Now to be far worth saying I adore 'Cursed Earth'. It came out when I was 6 and along with Flesh probably helped shape my view of what good entertainment is. I remember it feeling so special and important at that time. So when folks find a way to pick out faults with something so fundamental to my mindset my heckles naturally raise, powered by nostaglia. That said in hyper-analysing the tale Jeff and Graeme often seem to lose sight of what the story is. that being a wonderfully crafted action adventure for 6-12 years old created the 70s. A couple of examples of this really stood out to me this time.
First they are right in saying that the story isn't really a single story, but a premise on which to hang together a series of fantastic smaller tales into one whole. That said it does have a very effective spine that I think it works really well, in a way the Luna City stories doesn't. Luna One isn't a story from which to hang those smaller tales on its a scene shift it is just the premise. The overarching narrative of Cursed Earth remains consistantly there even if as secondary to the stories within.
What I think they miss is that the story is told and the ending is fantastic. They suggest that they story is the fight to cure Mega City 2 and that aspect is lost at the end. For me that was never the case. The idea of the disease ravaging MC1s twin city isn't the point, that's just an excuse to craft the story, which is the journey. The continue struggle to get there. not what happens when they get there which is utterly secondary. The Mega City 2 stuff is just the thing that thrown to 6 - 12 year olds to allow them to suspend belief to allow themselves to get pulled into that journey. It doesn't have to watertight as it just needs to sate the appetite of that specific audience and therefore 'The Legion of the Damned' and the final episode struggle from Dredd himself are just perfect. The struggle against 2-T-Fru-T (spelling?) isn't needed and isn't the point and would drag the ending away from the point of the story, the journey.
Another example is Spikes, they comment on the fact that he's just not a punk, he's the 'Emerson Lake and Palmer' fan's vision of such and of course he isn't. He's the 6-12 year old 2000ad fans vision of a punk. That is the scary, ununderstandable other as portrayed my the media and Mums of the time. A terrfiying rebel who can't be trusted and again as such perfect for the story as told in its context.
Likewise they do Tweak a massive disservice. Sure he's there to allow the tale of slavery to stand in the story and he works well for that. But he's also a cool anteater super-guy to emphasis man's humanity to anteater super-guys and ultimately man to entertain and thrill 6-12 year old boys. He may be bland in hindsight but he was so cool at the time and so in my eyes, clouded by nostaglia tinted spectacales, he remains so.
Now of course its great fun and I certainly do it a lot, to review these kids stories through a contempory lens and our modern sensibilities and a good story written for 6-12 years old should and can stand up to heavy scrutiny if its done well. In doing that however its important to remember the context and audience that story was crafted in and for me Cursed Earth passes that test really well and some of the questions the podcast raises seem to drift from that.
All that said the fact I have so much to say about the Podcast just goes to show what a great job they are doing in casting their clearly intelligent eye over the story and making me react in my defensive unnecessary way...
... but there had to say it.
Have to also so I'm really looking forward to listening to the second half.
Great, if infuriating, job!
I'm inclined to agree with everything you just said!
In defence of Jeff and Graeme, have a read of their own blog entry about the episode, in which Graeme admits that he's being way too curmudgeonly in his hate for Tweak...
http://www.waitwhatpodcast.com/drokk-ep-2-im-a-cheap-punk/ (http://www.waitwhatpodcast.com/drokk-ep-2-im-a-cheap-punk/)
Quote from: AlexF on 25 March, 2019, 01:09:44 PM
In defence of Jeff and Graeme, have a read of their own blog entry about the episode, in which Graeme admits that he's being way too curmudgeonly in his hate for Tweak...
I refuse to believe it's possible to hate any character based on a tamandua. Tamanduas are brilliant.
Anyone still going with this Podcast. i still really enjoy it - though again it can be at time infuriating. The analysis of the Restricted Case Files volume 1 is immense fun. In large parts its spot on as well. What surprised me though was how they pass the art. They defo mention that the art is the best thing about the volume but they fail, fail I tell you to spend many, many worthwhile minutes lavishing praise in those McMahon and Ezquerra tales from the early Dredd annuals. Instead - and very amusingly - they have at John Byrne's woeful effort in the 198? Special for quite some time.
Its very funny and pretty much spot on. Mind I did raise an eyebrow when they suggested that the story from the Dan Dare annual in which Tharg and the creator droids visit Dredd to thank him could almost be a parody. Could - COULD - come on chaps it so definately is just that.
Still a very very good listen and on the most part a fantastic examination of Dredd through new eyes and well worth checking out if folks have dropped off.
Nope.
Listened to the first one, and wasn't to my taste.
Just got through to the second episode. I'm liking the discussion (I don't agree with all of it, but nice to hear it).
Going to give this a listen.
Loved Graeme's Fanboy Rampage blog back in the day. Always entertaining.
I've been enjoying this podcast, although I'm a couple of episodes behind. The pair do go on a bit, but somehow it's always in an engaging fashion, and it's definitely fun to hear the analysis from the perspective of two comics fans who seem to be more steeped in US comics culture (even Graeme, despite growing up in Scotland as a regular reader of the usual British comics including 2000AD).
I don't think I've ever heard people comparing Wagner/Grant Dredd one-offs to Will Eisner's the Spirit before, but they make a good case. And, much like the SpaceSpinner crew, they seem to agree with general consensus on which strips are great and which ones aren't.
I get a kick out of their attempts to identify general trends in what Wagner 'n Grant are doing with each Case File, too, another different type of analysis from what I've heard/read in other places.
Nice bit of necro here!
I don't know if folks have been comtinuing listening to Drokk!, and indeed its parent podcast 'Wait What?!?' but I have and its become a firm, infuriating, but fantastic favourite of mine for the last few years.
ANYYWAAAYYYY. I post here to mark the fact that both are coming to an end. Drokk! as Graeme and Geoffry (I think its G not J, its defo not with one 'F' Geofry) have caught up with the Case Files releases and so its hit a natural end - with a little epilogue covering Day of Chaos coming up.
At the same time they have decided 'Wait What?!?' is reaching an end too, at the end of the year as its just too much work and they feel done with it. They seem really sad and guilty (!?!) about this but also know its the right thing to do.
I'm going to really miss it and if anyone did drop off listening to Drokk! it will all still be there and is a wonderful set of freshing and interesting insights into Dredd from beginning up to Total War (essentially). Fresh insight is always so valuable - and sometimes infuriating, but that's part the fun and its well worth dipping back into.
https://waitwhatpodcast.com/ (https://waitwhatpodcast.com/)
Thanks to Graeme and Geoff for hours of entertain. I'll miss ya!
Totally echo what Colin says. I've a couple of epsiodes left of Drokk, now thinking I should savour them.
Absolutely agree with Colin and Alex.
Drokk is a superb podcast, one that got better and better as as time went on. The enthusiasm and insight was infectious. Every episode was a winner, even when the volume being dissected (Restricted Files 4 for instance) was total dreck.
As much as I'd love them to stick around (hell, Mandroid is in the next Case Files) going out on Total War / Day of Chaos is going out on a high.