Messages

Shirley Temple of Doom would probably fit in The Hunting Party best to my mind.
Not sure what else, non-Dredd we might expect;
Marauder
Tempest
Pan-African Judges
Bato Loco
Harke and Burr
Harmony

There are several others that either had short runs or I simply can't bring myself to type.

I would MUCH prefer another 2 or 3 themed Dredd books as I think these work really well as a solid read and sets the collection apart from the Case Files and existing trades (mostly).

Of the remaining books we are pretty certain on the contents of about half of them so there is still plently of room for speculation.
Take Independent Operators or Weird Science. As far as I know that is all we have on those books so far.
Other than Lenny Zero and Wally Squad (112 pages combined) what is in the next book?
Add to that 3 or 4 volumes we don't even have titles for, only the vaguest idea based on where they fall in the collection and I would say there is plenty to talk about.
Far more than I would expect at this stage.

Apologies if this comes over as preachy or overly anal, had a rough chemo last time and have spent far too much time the past week in bed contemplating my navel.

I always find it surprising how quiet this thread is, given the interest in the series.
Has no one received their books or just have nothing to say?

Excellent prog.
Deadworld is just what a Dreddverse story should be with cracking art and a detailed examination of a supposedly familiar corner of Dredd's world in a way that would not be possible in the main strip.

Dredd is an odd one since the story so far is as good as 100% retread but I still like it. Presumably Wagner has something to add to his previous tales or it wouldn't exist but 36 pages seems very light to me.
Never been a huge fan of McCrea's art, a bit cartoony etc but I love his work here. I appreciated little touches such as the metallic elements repeated in the drawing of the Mechanismo and the regular judges' uniforms.
Looking forward to see how this pans out and what it adds to the Mechanismo debate.

Latest books turned up today and are much as expected.

MegaCity Justice includes the Meg run of Cursed Earth stories that, while variable in quality, add a depth to the saga and Dredd's plight. Brilliant to have them included at last.
Would have been nice to have Relentless in there too for completeness, not to mention Colin Wilson's sublime art.

Treasure of the Sierra Murder is a similarly satisfying volume featuring unadulterated Missionary Man.
Most of the Meg run is here, bar  the Quitely stories and Marc Wigmore's Mortal Combat.
Presume the 'first' volume will have Quitely, Promised Land, Place of the Dead (192 pages) with question marks over Mortal Combat and Silence, but either way it looks like we will be getting virtually the entire run.
Not a series without some major dips in form but I have long hankered for a collection beyond those reprinted to death.
Very, very happy.

Backing articles are covers in both books, an article on mutants and an, all too brief, interview with Simon Davis whose formative work is featured heavily in the volume.

A great pair of books even if the release order is nuts.

Yep, official site has Tour of Duty: Mega City Justice as the next book which strongly implies the next book will be Treasure of the Sierra Murder.
Quite why these two trilogies are being released in such a wierd order is beyond me, but 2 very strong books coming in a week or so nonetheless.

I'd prefer a selection of genres rather than an Alien fest necessarily.

For Costner add 13 Days and the excellent Open Range but for different genres he allows Man of Steel and sequel, Waterworld, JFK, Robin Hood and others.

Not too many (intentional) laughs but some great movies.

Just watching McFarland USA and would happily spend a day watching Kevin Costner movies.
From The Untouchables to Field of Dreams, No Way Out, Mr. Brooks, Wyatt Earp etc a really good selection of movies.
I really rate Costner and find it interesting that he really seems to polarise opinion unlike most other actors, but the films mentioned would keep me happy for a day.

Ironically, considering my reservations about the Prog these days the Meg provides exactly what I want.

All stories are crisp and the monthly format seems to steer writers towards concisenessin their storytelling.

Recent offerings such as Angelic, Lawless and Anderson are prime examples of what 2000AD used to be all about with neat, self contained arcs which actually work even in monthly doses often better than the weekly.

Absolutely loving everything about the Meg at the moment, possibly the best it has ever been. Even the floppy adds to the mix; great to finish the VCs and enjoying the 3hrillers.

Only downside with the Meg is that these stories are harder to collect in trades which I tend to prefer retrospectively over wading through Megs/Progs.

I thought that the remaining DeMarco stories might be there too.
Tricky to judge which way they are going to go with volumes as 'Independent Operators' covers a broad spectrum.
We might have Tempest or Marauder in there or even the likes of BritCit Babes or Pussyfoot 5.
Find out in due course I guess.

Looking over Barney made me wonder if Harmony is going to make the cut as the complete run would fit a single volume perfectly. Don't particularly want it despite Hairsine and Murray art, but hell, if Calhab can qualify!

Hmmm, 6 episodes in the Prog is only 36 pages. Not sure what'll be told in such a comparatively short tale but with Wagner at the helm I doubt it will disappoint.
Messes up all the Mechanismo trades/Mega Collection a bit - the fun of Dredd being a vibrant ongoing property.

There is still the volume called Undercover Brothers to come (delivery after next) which has Lenny Zero and other Wally Squad stories.

Elsewhere in the collection, The Pit has strong elements of undercover judging and still to come are Independent Operators and Brothers of the Blood which might work for you.

Not too much elsewhere but the Meg has featured a few DeMarco stories not yet reprinted anywhere if you wanted to track them down (check Barney).

Frank, I appreciate the potential pitfalls but just wondered if there was a way of producing cheaper Dreddworld strip instead of unrelated stories as has been the case.

There is plenty of fan fiction around and its existence doesn't have to impact on the canonical views of Dredd.
Indeed, there has been lots of Megazine stories which have either been retconned as desired (Calhab) or simply ignored (Pan African Judges).

Ownership might be tricky other than perhaps granting specific character rights or simply treat as semi-professional for first run stories in a given slot. Need to think about protecting creators etc but I am just putting the question out there.

Obviously the current situation with the Meg is pretty much my ideal with 4 genuine Dreddworld strips in line with the original vision for the Meg but I always fear for its financial stability and was just seeing what folks might ponder should the worst come to worst and savings need to be made.

My point is valid, I believe.

Plenty of strips have either been one or two runs and done or managed to tell stories that were sufficiently discrete that they could be enjoyed in isolation. Rogue Trooper and Strontium Dog managed it.

The three stories this week have not been too bad in bringing things to some sense of closure but increasingly, unless you have read all previous stories things become impenetrable or simply offputting.

Good old uncle Pat is the worst offender with 12 episodes devoted to maybe killing someone off and advancing the overall plot a couple of microns. Compare with the profusion of ideas and compactness of storytelling in say The Cursed Earth.

Sometimes 2000AD just feels like it is getting a little flabby in middle age.

Still easily the best read out there, of course.

Great cover by Jake Lynch - I would love a poster (or the original) of this. Superb, and arguably what the spine of The Mega Collection should have looked like.

Absolutely loving the Meg at the moment with all Dreddverse stories even if somewhat tenuously.

Boo Cook and Eglington are on a one off Dredd.
Havn features gorgeous Lynch art with effectively 3 full page splashesin the 9 pages. Fortitude meets 2000AD.
Anderson continues as does the ever wonderful Lawless.

Articles are an interview with Kim Raymond which I look forward to reading with interest given my somewhat harsh comments in the past, feature on new Dredd as a wolf story and an interview with Ben Wheatley, not quite sure why as this isn't Fangoria but maybe the subject matter makes it appropriate for inclusion.

Advert for Dominion but no start date and the floppy has 4 more 3Rillers to reread.

Is it just my imagination or has the paper quality on the floppy deteriorated slightly with this issue?

Once again the Meg hits its straps and is in the best shape it has seen for many a year. I really love the absence of nonDredd creator owned material and perhaps, if cashflow demands a deal could be done for creator rights in stories set within Dredd's world rather than sweary vampires and ostriches.