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Started by Matt, 29 October, 2001, 10:25:32 PM

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Matt

Has anyone got anything interesting to voice other than your future shock is crap, oh no it isn't, oh yes it is, oh no it isn't, oh yes it is.....

nathan

Hate to be pedantic, but it was more like:

"My future shock is fantastic"
"no it isn't "
"yes it is, you're just too stupid to get it"

repeat to fade

N

GordonR

>Has anyone got anything interesting to voice other than your future shock is crap, oh no it isn't, oh yes it is, oh no it isn't, oh yes it is.....

Well, I did try to start one plonker-free discussion about 2000AD novels, and what prose-writing 2000AD contributors have done outside of 2000AD, but no-one seemed vey interested yet.

I know that the possibility of doing a line of 2000AD novels (but better than the old Dredd range that Virgin did in the mid 90s, yes?) is being vaguely kicked around, and was mentioned by Jason Kingsley at Dreddcon.

What 2000AD novels would people want to see, and should they try and get the relevant scriptdroids to do them (ie. a John Wagner Dredd novel) or should they bring in outside writers, as with the Virgin books?


Wake

I really liked the David Bishop novels because he had a good understanding of Dredd's world, and it showed through in the writing - especially the zanyness of The Savage Amusement.

I'd love to see Dredd novels by John Wagner and/or Alan Grant.

Wake

Matt

I think the 2000AD novels are a cool idea but only if handled correctly. Can anyone remember the awful 100 Fold Problem? Novels like that we can do without. Maybe if the novels were treated in the same way as 2Kad itself, with the stories being extensions of the strips in the mag itself. With only 52  progs a year, the novels could see the return of characters with more frequency than the existing schedule allows. Script droids could explore storylines in more detail giving us more time on stories than the weekly prog makes possible. I would love to read a Pat Mills or Bernard Cornwell Slaine novel. A Wagner Strontium Dog. And of course Anderson lends herself to a range of novels. Even supporting characters could be fleshed out in their own novel. Or what about a novel that takes an event from 2Kad and replays it through the eyes of various narrators, a bit like the Star Wars "Tales from the Mos Eisley Canteener".
I think the potential the novels have to expand on the 2Kad universe is something that should be explored.

Matt

That and Cursed Earth Asylum were easily the best ones in the series. I loved the villain in Cursed Earth Asylum, he made the Judge Child look like Uri Geller. Shame he never made it into the progs. What was his name again?

nathan

> Well, I did try to start one plonker-free discussion about 2000AD novels, and what prose-writing 2000AD contributors have done outside of 2000AD, but no-one seemed vey interested yet.
--

I was interested , just couldn't think of any writers you hadn't already mentioned.

I'd have thought the horror stuff and the psi-/metaphysical strips would make a better transition to novel form than out-and-out action. I'd prefer to see Anderson than Dredd.

Durham Red might hold my interest more as prose than it did as a strip.

Necronauts could be fun, done in epistolic style like Dracula, with each author's account written in a pastiche of their literary style.

As for who would write the novels, it would be interesting to see what the scriptdroids could do with their own creations outside the limitations of the strip form. I loved Moore's Voices of the Fire. Another idea might be to get well-known non-comic novelists to have a go. Might get new readers into the comic. Maybe a mix of both?

GordonR

>I think the 2000AD novels are a cool idea but only if >handled correctly. Can anyone remember the awful 100 >Fold Problem?

Never read it, but I know it's supposed to be the worst of the bunch, written by an SF author.  I'm told the problem was that the author didn't know or care a great deal about Dredd's world and turned in a story that was basically a straight SF idea with Dredd awkwardly shoe-horned into it.  

Which would be what any future novels would definitely have to avoid.  

>Or what about a novel that takes an event from 2Kad >and replays it through the eyes of various narrators, >a bit like the Star Wars "Tales from the Mos Eisley >Cantina"

That could be pretty cool.  I imagine you could do something like Tales of the Apocalypse War or Tales of Judgement Day, showing a range of stories (funny, poingnant, action-packed, plain weird, whatever) told from the point of view of various characters caught up in events of big Dredd epics like that.  2000AD is always best when it's a mixture of stuff, and a themed anthology book with contributions from different writers might catch that '2000AD in prose' feel the books should be going for.

You could also do other similar non-Dredd books themed anthology books.  Tales of Nu-Earth (Rogue Trooper), Welcome to the Doghouse (Strontium Dog), 2000AD Future War (Rogue, Bad Company, the VCs, Dante Tsar Wars, Glimmer Rats, hell even Fiends of the Eastern Front)

>I think the potential the novels have to expand on >the 2Kad universe is something that should be explored.

Definitely.


GordonR

>Necronauts could be fun, done in epistolic style like >Dracula, with each author's account written in a >pastiche of their literary style.

Heh.  That would be kinda interesting.  If a bit demanding on the poor old novelist, who would have to be able to mix four different pastiche-writing styles together.  Conan Doyle is quite easy to do, Lovecraft's style is easy to parody but very difficult to do seriously, and Fort's unique writing style is just plain barking mad and inimitable!

>As for who would write the novels, it would be >interesting to see what the scriptdroids could do >with their own creations outside the limitations of >the strip form. I loved Moore's Voices of the Fire. >Another idea might be to get well-known non-comic >novelists to have a go. Might get new readers into >the comic. Maybe a mix of both?

I think that would be best.  As I've already noted, there's a fair few scriptdroids who alrrady have novel-writing experience, and I'd love to see someone like Kim Newman having a bash at 2000AD fiction, especially since he's so prolofic and a lot of his work references comics so often.  (2000Ad gets mentioned a couple of times in his work.)


W. R. Logan

>That and Cursed Earth Asylum were easily the best ones in the series. I loved the villain in Cursed Earth Asylum, he made the Judge Child look like Uri Geller. Shame he never made it into the progs. What was his name again?

'Soon' and his sidekick 'Novar' the six fingured telekenetic from 'The Curse Earth'

La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan.

Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theclassof79" target="_blank">The Class Of '79

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theclassof79/files/%23%20Logan/class%20of%2079.jpg">

Leigh S

The idea of novels really doesn't fill me with anticipation i'm afraid.

1: If Wagner was to write a novel, he ain't writing Dredd in the comic... I know which I'd rather see. Anyone really want to see a three to six month void of Wagner stories just for one novel? I'm sure John would make a pile more cash out of six months scripts than one novel...

2: If someone else was to write it, it would invariably be shit - see the Virgin novels.  I've enjoyed the odd short story in annuals and specials, but thats because they don't need an epic (and therefore utterly unbelievable) storyline to sustain them.  

3: I cant see how such a novel would be economically viable - I'd rather efforts were concentrated on the comic.

O Lucky Stevie!

Nathan wrote:
>Necronauts could be fun, done in epistolic style like >Dracula, with each author's account written in a >pastiche of their literary style.

get on the phone to kim newman straight away!

steven l'enfant terrible
"We'll send all these nasty words to Aunt Jane. Don't you think that would be fun?"

Jim_Campbell

> 1: If Wagner was to write a novel, he ain't writing
> Dredd in the comic...

Precisely the reason he didn't write one the last time around, as I understand it.

Shame, really ...

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

El Spurioso

S'funny, because I've always been a huge advocate of getting-back some text stories in 2000AD.  I've read one or two of 'em in annuals and thought they were pretty brilliant, but nobody else seems to have liked them.  

 Think of it, though - you end up with an anthology of short one-offs, illustrated by some really big names (because if someone's too expensive to commission to draw a comic, maybe they'll do a single story-illustration for rather fewer magic-beans?).  Be a work of genius.

That and the fact that I'd hack off my right arm and murder small puppies just for the chance to contribute..

GordonR

I think Newman could do great 2000AD fiction, but I don't think he'd be interested in merely doing a novelisation of an existing story.  A Newman original Durham Red or Devlyn Waugh story would be much more interesting than a Necronauts rewrite.

And, traditionally, the original author is often given first refusal on things like novelisations.