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Dredd: The Complete Case Files

Started by Arkady, 24 August, 2015, 01:27:31 PM

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Max Headroom

Disappointing indeed. The two 'America' stories form part of what I consider the five missing Dredd or Dredd-related stories (the others being 'Beyond Our Kenny', 'The Dead Man' and 'Purgatory' which I think really should have a home in the Case Files. Perhaps they could be included as 'bonus material' in the super-deluxe omnibus editions which are surely only a few years away...(!)

Richard

It's Beeny's first appearance for god's sake. It takes the piss.

Hawkmumbler

They have their own trade an are spin-off's under the Dredd banner as far as i'm concerned.

And Purgatory is fuckin' awful why in sweet grud would you want that in the case files?!

Max Headroom

Okay, so admittedly 'Purgatory' was not the best, but I sill see the Case Files as the suitable and natural home for the five stories I alluded to. Just my opinion.

Richard

I can see that Purgatory and Dead Man are spin-offs, and I can even see the point of view that the first America was a spin-off (without agreeing with it). But the second America was unequivocally a Judge Fredc story, indeed it was the only Dredd story running in the Megazine at the time. It introduced a major supporting character. And so it's hardly the "Complete" case files without it.

I don't mind hugely because I already have the America trade from 2008, so it's not exactly hard for me to find it when I want to read it. What bothers me more is that people who aren't as well-informed as us but who are collecting the Complete Case Files will think they are collecting all of the stories, and overlooking two important Dredd stories without knowing it. They won't buy the America trade because it's no longer on sale and they don't know to look for it on ebay or Amazon or wherever, because they don't know their collection is incomplete without it.

Richard


Hawkmumbler

The America trade got re-released recently with a new cover. It's such a vital story in Dredd canon I doub't it'll ever truely be OOP.

Richard

But not vital enough to be in a supposedly complete series JD stories apparently...

TordelBack

They'll buy 26 volumes at a rough total of 500-600 euro, and not do any looking around for what might be missing?  Are we worrying about a type of consumer that doesn't actually exist?

I do see the sense in what you're saying, Richard, but I think once America was excluded (which was a mistake in the design of the serie, I agree),  it was probably the right way to proceed.

SIP

The exclusion of America doesn't bother me in the slightest......quite happy to see it excluded and treated as a separate entity.

Richard

QuoteThey'll buy 26 volumes at a rough total of 500-600 euro, and not do any looking around for what might be missing?
They've no reason to suspect that anything is missing, so no reason to look around.

jacob g

Quote from: Richard on 25 December, 2015, 10:33:43 PM
They've no reason to suspect that anything is missing, so no reason to look around.

TBH when I started collecting CCF with #1 first thing I remember was going online to check if this is really "complete" Dredd. The same goes to few of my friends I persuaded in giving Dredd a chance. I know my example is not for 100% of readers but customers interested in all "collected edition" almost always searching for this kind of info.
margaritas ante porcos

I, Cosh

Luckily, America is total shit anyway. It's not like someone could miss out on a classic like Magnificent Obsession.
We never really die.

TordelBack

Quote from: jacob g on 25 December, 2015, 10:53:16 PM
Quote from: Richard on 25 December, 2015, 10:33:43 PM
They've no reason to suspect that anything is missing, so no reason to look around.

TBH when I started collecting CCF with #1 first thing I remember was going online to check if this is really "complete" Dredd. The same goes to few of my friends I persuaded in giving Dredd a chance. I know my example is not for 100% of readers but customers interested in all "collected edition" almost always searching for this kind of info.

Mmm, there's no reason to suspect there's anything missing, but does the kind of person who buys 26 volumes of a comics collection need a reason? It just seems odd that anyone reading that much Dredd wouldn't be curious about the context of their investment - and it's not like the days of the Titan Nemesis and Slaine volumes, when the relevant info didn't exist.  My position here is that leaving out the original America was a bad decision, but I struggle to imagine the actual person who is going to be affected - if you commit yourself to the Casefiles you are going to wonder about what else there is, especially as characters and stories branch off into the Restricted Files.

Richard

Perhaps you're right about that. It's still a bit hard to justify the series title though.