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Hello - new to 2000AD - reading recommendations?

Started by Chancer, 20 January, 2009, 02:17:55 PM

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Chancer

Greetings all!

I'm fairly new to 2000 AD, and comics/graphic novels in general really.  Read a few progs when I was younger so am familiar with Judge Dredd, but have only started reading properly for the last few months.

Just wanted to ask what collected editions you would recommend as essential reading?  Whether significant Dredd storylines, or other classics like Strontium Dog.

Also any recommendations on graphic novels in general?  I've read the Preacher series which was excellent (are the Garth Ennis Dredds worth picking up?), as well as Watchmen and some of the Punisher Max series - so anything along these lines.

Thanks in advance... :D

satchmo

Welcome Chancer!

There are some fantastic collections of Dredd stories, the Complete Casefiles series reprints everything in order from the beginning, and of more recent stuff I would recommend The Pit, Total War, Brothers of The Blood, and America.
And if you like Preacher check out The Boys. Garth's Dredd run isn't his finest hour I'm afraid.

IndigoPrime

In general: Hellboy, Usagi Yojimbo, Lucifer and Sandman are series I enjoyed. V for Vendetta, Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (at least vols 1 and 2) by Alan Moore are also often cited as being at the pinnacle of good comics, along with Maus, by Art Spiegelman. I'm sure many will recommend Preacher, too, but I never really cared for that series—for me, it was like to comics equivalent of Die Hard with a 'clever' religious bent draped over it.

In terms of 2000 AD, the following would be good places to start:

Strontium Dog: the four Search/Destory Agency Files and Final Solution—collects in its entirety the original Strontium Dog run, which for me was 2000 AD best series.

Sláine: Warrior's Dawn—the first Sláine book, offering the background into his work. Some of the best artwork ever seen in 2000 AD, too.

Nikolai Dante: everything. The most successful of 2000 AD's modern characters, this is a remarkably well-written ongoing story with genuine character development. It also manages to mix action, depth, humour and emotion in the way Sin/Dex doesn't.

Judge Dredd: the case files are a complete collection of Dredd's 2000 AD adventures, but the first couple of books are iffy. I'd therefore suggest initially avoiding them and instead picking up America, The Art of Kenny Who?, and perhaps Total War. These entries showcase some of the best Dredd stories, but also pack a standalone punch that means you won't be left scratching your head with backstory.

Alan Moore: The Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks—fantastic bite-sized stories that pack as much imagination into five pages as most entire US books do into 22.

Bad Company: Goodbye, Krool World—solid future war and 2000 AD's best in this area (making Rogue Trooper, in my opinion, pretty much redundant). Avoid the 'Kano' follow-up, however.

Lots of other stuff is very worthy (Kingdom, Ace Trucking, Button Man, the first Nemesis book, Red Seas, Leviathan, Caballistics, Indigo Prime, Shakara, Ro-Busters, to pick a few off the top of my head), but the above list is a decent chunk of top 2000 AD thrills.

Ignatzmonster

Hey, welcome to the board. Love the name. Go for those fat phone book collections Rebellion put out, they are weekend killers in the best sense and the best bang for the pound.

-Strontium Dog
-Judge Dredd. IMO, which many would disagree with, start with The Judge Dredd Case Files 4.
-Nemesis
-Nikolai Dante
-Halo Jones
-Stickleback


Lots more to recommend but start with those and I think you'll be glad you did. Avoid those Ennis Dredd's. He's a damn good writer but not at that moment.

TordelBack

If you were to get just one 2000AD collection, it should be Judge Dredd: America, the new version which reprints all three series.  Nothing else is a better single-volume primer for the world and unique tone of Dredd.

However, if you were to buy three books, make it Judge Dredd Casefiles Volume 7, and Slaine: Warriors Dawn and Alan Moore's Future Shocks.  You're all set, there.

radiator

Hi Chancer,
This site is a great resource for the 2000ad graphic novel range: //http://www.2000adonline.com/books/index.php

I'd recommend pretty much all of the Judge Dredd volumes that Rebellion has put out in the last few years - pretty much solid, quality-wise. I'd start with the Case Files Series, America, The Pit and Mandroid. You can see a complete list of them here: //http://www.2000adonline.com/books/judge-dredd-the-pit.php

As for the other 2000ad books, here is my definitive list of the absolute cream of 2000ad thats available in print:
Slaine: The Horned God
Bad Company: Goodbye Krool World
The Ballad of Halo Jones
Button Man (all)
Caballistics Inc (all)
Glimmer Rats
Hewligan's Haircut
Indigo Prime
Judge Death: Young Death
Kingdom: The Promised Land
Leviathan
Necronauts
The Complete Nemesis the Warlock Volumes 1-3
Nikolai Dante (all)
Shakara: The Avenger
Stickleback: England's Glory
Storming Heaven (Irving Collection)
Strontium Dog (all)
Xtcnt

and if you wanted to learn a bit more about the comic, I'd recommend Thrill Power Overload.

As for non-2000ad comics, I'd recommend:
100 Bullets
We3
Transmetropolitan
Akira
Watchmen
The Dark Knight Returns
Batman Year One
The Invisibles
New X Men (The Grant Morrison run)
The Authority books 1-4
Vinamarama
Kill Your Boyfriend
Global Frequency

Chancer

Wow - thanks for the welcomes, and extensive recommendations!

Got a lot to choose from there, think I'll definitely start with some of the recommended Dredd collections.

I've already started looking into the Nikolai Dante books as I enjoyed the recent series in the progs, despite not really having a clue what was going on.

Thanks again, I will have a proper look over these posts when I get home from work  :mrgreen:

radiator


TordelBack

I have three new recommendations for current non-2000AD comics:

The Incredible Hercules.
The Boys.
Scalped.

To add to my perennial favourites:

Cerebus.
Age of Bronze.
Love and Rockets (Palomar and Locas collections)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Bone.
Berlin.
Sandman.

Watchmen probably goes without saying, as may Batman: Year One.

Batman's Superior Cousin

2000 AD:

ABC Warriors
Button Man
Caballistics, Inc.
Invasion! /Savage
Judge Death (My Name is Death, Young Death)
Judge Dredd Case Files, Origins, The Complete PJ Maybe Collection
Nemesis the Warlock
Nikolai Dante
The Red Seas
Rogue Trooper
Shakara
Stickleback
Storming Heaven
Thrill-Power Overload
The V.C.s

Star Wars:

Knights of the Old Republic
Clone Wars
Dark Times
The Force Unleashed
Empire
Rebellion
The Dark Empire series
Legacy

Misc:

30 Days of Night
Batman: The Killing Joke
Captain America: The Death of Captain America
Ex Machina
Fables/Jack of Fables
1001 Nights of Snowfall
From Hell
Kingdom of the Wicked
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Mr. Amperduke
V for Vendetta
The Walking Dead
The War of the Worlds Trilogy
Watchmen
I can't help but feel that Godpleton's avatar/icon gets more appropriate everyday... - TordelBack
Texts from Last Night

Richmond Clements

And you should, of course, get yourself along to a comic convention... like this one: http://www.hi-ex.co.uk/

satchmo


Richmond Clements


Kerrin

Hello Chancer, welcome mate. If you want to find out more about 2000AD and comics in general you're in the right place.

Ignatzmonster

It occurs to me we are doing this all wrong, Chancer. You should of course listen to the recommendations everyong agrees on: Judge Dredd, Nemesis, Slaine:Warriors Dawn, Dante, and Strontium Dog (The ultimate comfort food in comics form). But as for the rest, rather than trying to figure out the static of multiple individual enthusiasms, why don't you tell us what YOU like.

Give the hive mind your top five favorite movies and top five favorite books and we will make recommendations accordingly.