Space Spinner 2000AD

[SpaceSpinner2000]

In our thrilling hundred and sixty-eighth episode Fox and Conrad continue their journey through the Galaxy's Greatest Comic with Progs 531-534 of 2000AD, covering July & August 1987. This time Orlock escapes, Rogue gets his hit, Bad Jack is immortal, Johnny Alpha aids a royal wedding, and the revolution begins, and ends, in Judge Dredd.

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Please let me know what you think of the episode!

[TordelBack]

Great episode, hard to believe now that the Democracy storyline ran at the same time as the criminal waste of Massimo that was later Mean Team.

[Frank]

I like how seriously you both took Revolution, the most misidentified story* in 2000ad fandom.

You're completely wrong about Taxi Driver, the story which, as a new reader, made me realise Megacity stories didn't need Judge Dredd in them to work. That's the direction I'd take the strip in once I let Dredd die, which is why nobody's asking me to edit their comic or give them financial advice.

Vera Duckworth's mostly a riff on Lady Di, who - despite growing up in a castle and being an actual Lady - was figured as Cinderella by UK media because she had a job and drove a mini. The more recent marriage of Fergie might have given Wagner & Grant the idea of marrying a mutant. The character's name, as usual, is from Coronation Street.


* Tharg might as well retroactively retitle it Democracy, since that's what it will be called forever. On a related note, one of the groups voted for their favourite Judge Dredd story ever at the weekend. The winner was The Dark Judges, a story that does not exist.

[JOE SOAP]

You're completely wrong about Taxi Driver, the story which, as a new reader, made me realise Megacity stories didn't need Judge Dredd in them to work. That's the direction I'd take the strip in once I let Dredd die

Or when he retires from Justice Dept.

[SpaceSpinner2000]

I like how seriously you both took Revolution, the most misidentified story* in 2000ad fandom.

You're completely wrong about Taxi Driver, the story which, as a new reader, made me realise Megacity stories didn't need Judge Dredd in them to work. That's the direction I'd take the strip in once I let Dredd die, which is why nobody's asking me to edit their comic or give them financial advice.

Vera Duckworth's mostly a riff on Lady Di, who - despite growing up in a castle and being an actual Lady - was figured as Cinderella by UK media because she had a job and drove a mini. The more recent marriage of Fergie might have given Wagner & Grant the idea of marrying a mutant. The character's name, as usual, is from Coronation Street.


* Tharg might as well retroactively retitle it Democracy, since that's what it will be called forever. On a related note, one of the groups voted for their favourite Judge Dredd story ever at the weekend. The winner was The Dark Judges, a story that does not exist.

Thanks, Revolution (along with the previous episode's Reasons to be Fearful) are really important to me as a Dredd fan, making the subtext that runs through the character explicitly text.

That's a fair point about Taxi Driver, though I might have dismissed it because felt like that was a pretty known quantity? I'm thinking of previous stories that focus on Mega-Citizens where Dredd and other judges exist mostly as vague antagonists or are just there to pick up the pieces (Stories like: Citizen Snork, Taxidermist, The Magnificent Obsession (aka Two Ton Tony), Eat of the Night and so on). I know on the show I've said a couple times that some of my favorite Dredd stories are ones where Dredd doesn't show up that much. I definitely agree that it's a mistake to focus exclusively on Judges and Judge intrigue, there's a massive city full of weirdos out there! I appreciate the point though, it's important to remember that every prog is someone's first and not everyone is carrying out the weight of every prog in their minds!

Vera Duckworth as Lady Di is interesting, I admit I don't know a lot of the ins and outs of her story, probably because I'm too young and too American! Same with Coronation Street, though I'm increasingly feeling like I have to watch it so that I can get all the weird in-jokes built into Dredd!

Personally I remember this one as Democracy because I think later there is an actual referendum vote on the Judges? Though I guess that one's called The Devil You Know. Also I personally always get the title Judge Death Lives confused with the Anderson story Four Dark Judges, so I guess I can't throw stones

[Frank]

I might have dismissed it because felt like that was a pretty known quantity? I'm thinking of previous stories that focus on Mega-Citizens where Dredd and other judges exist mostly as vague antagonists or are just there to pick up the pieces (Stories like: Citizen Snork, Taxidermist, The Magnificent Obsession (aka Two Ton Tony), Eat of the Night and so on). I know on the show I've said a couple times that some of my favorite Dredd stories are ones where Dredd doesn't show up that much.

Oh yeah, I'm sure everyone knew that, but I'd only read 20 progs at this point. I mostly enjoyed it for the cabbie's indifference and casual cruelty towards the guy dying in the back of his cab - that dialogue's great.

[Dandontdare]

Grud bless you Conrad! Somebody's clearly had a quiet word, because I was steeling myself for weeks of wincing every time you said "Zee-nith", but you now seem to be saying it correctly 

You're right in that we always tend to think of 1987 as late-golden-age, but in between those big classic stories, there is quite a lot of filler, especially in these last few progs!

King Clarkie wasn't really a bad guy in the revolution - he was the one that offered amnesty and reform in return for surrender, but was then overruled by the politicians who decided to execute them all anyway - and thus restarted the war. Another nod to the Charles & Di story is that Prince Charles, like King Clarkie, famously talks to his plants (I don't think they talk back yet...).

As for Jack Keller's codpiece - he's effectively got his junk in a facsimile of his best friend - nothing weird about that then!

[SpaceSpinner2000]

Grud bless you Conrad! Somebody's clearly had a quiet word, because I was steeling myself for weeks of wincing every time you said "Zee-nith", but you now seem to be saying it correctly 

You're right in that we always tend to think of 1987 as late-golden-age, but in between those big classic stories, there is quite a lot of filler, especially in these last few progs!

King Clarkie wasn't really a bad guy in the revolution - he was the one that offered amnesty and reform in return for surrender, but was then overruled by the politicians who decided to execute them all anyway - and thus restarted the war. Another nod to the Charles & Di story is that Prince Charles, like King Clarkie, famously talks to his plants (I don't think they talk back yet...).

As for Jack Keller's codpiece - he's effectively got his junk in a facsimile of his best friend - nothing weird about that then!

Haha, stay tuned for next week as we have a low-key fight about the pronunciation!

I'm liking '87 a lot actually, but I think it does have a different energy compared to earlier in the decade. We're post golden age, but not yet in decline, imo.

It's a fair point about Clarkie, but I think he could have done more. Certainly not a great voice for mutant rights in the aftermath of the revolution, it doesn't seem like anyone was.

And for having your best friend on your codpiece...now I know what to get Fox for Christmas!

[SpaceSpinner2000]

In our thrilling hundred and sixty-ninth episode Fox and Conrad continue their journey through the Galaxy's Greatest Comic with Progs 535-538 of 2000AD, covering August and September 1987. This time the Universal Soldier makes landfall, Mean Team is back in the pit, the Strontium Dog wedding is off, Dredd is heading down the bayou, and Zenith begins-with a bang! This episode we reach an amazing milestone, we've now read 25% of 2000AD! We're halfway to halfway!

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Please let me know what you think of the episode!

Also, I can't stress enough how excited we are to cross the 25% mark!

[Vernoona]

Congrats on the milestone! Space Spinner has been hugely helpful to me as a very recent fan of the comic. Long may you continue!

[Frank]

I wouldn't trust assurances that there's a correct UK pronunciation of Zenith. Good luck on getting any three 2000ad readers to agree how to say Cursed Earth, Sláine or (a new one to me) Souther.

I like Gaiman's Future Shock more than Fox, although I think we agree it's too good an idea just to be a Future Shock. I might have misunderstood Fox's point, but Gaiman wasn't a name writer at the point he scored these gigs.

And thank you. Yes, that's what's wrong with Universal Soldier.

[sheridan]

I wouldn't trust assurances that there's a correct UK pronunciation of Zenith. Good luck on getting any three 2000ad readers to agree how to say Cursed Earth, Sláine or (a new one to me) Souther.

New one to me too - the word 'South' with 'er' on the end?  How else would it be pronounced?  Or are their more ways to pronounce the word 'South' than I thought?

[Dandontdare]

Is it Souther as in SOUTH or as in SOUTHERN? 

[Funt Solo]

I got three: south-er, suther, sow-ther. Pretty sure I'm the third one.

[Dark Jimbo]

Suther, surely? As in suth-ern.