2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

[IndigoPrime]

They get one thing very right: replacements. I've never had a problem getting a replacement issue when I've _explicitly_ asked for one. For those who've not done that, provide all the details via Facebook Messenger. For example: My subscription number is: NNNNNNN. Issue XX (Volume YY, 'Name of book') today arrived damaged. Please send a replacement copy.

For everything else, I despair. And it really wouldn't surprise me if Tomwe gets 23 and 24 next dispatch. Or possibly some other random issues. I'm just glad Rebellion has its head screwed on, rather at the opposite end of customer service – and ability to read.

[Tomwe]

And it really wouldn't surprise me if Tomwe gets 23 and 24 next dispatch. Or possibly some other random issues.

I'll be trying to clarify my next delivery again soon. At least I know if I do get sent 23 & 24 again I can send them back and not be out of pocket. Just behind once more...!

[Tomwe]

And it really wouldn't surprise me if Tomwe gets 23 and 24 next dispatch. Or possibly some other random issues.

(Alice came back to me today: "We can confirm that we will not send your issues 23 and 24 again"  )

[Tomwe]

With Rebellion due to publish The Complete Caballistics Inc. next year (as noted in SO WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO STICKLEBACK???) does that mean the volumes in this collection will be on the small side at 150pgs a piece, or will it be padded? Did I read it will have some Absalom in there too?

[Dark Jimbo]

With Rebellion due to publish The Complete Caballistics Inc. next year (as noted in SO WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO STICKLEBACK???) does that mean the volumes in this collection will be on the small side at 150pgs a piece, or will it be padded? Did I read it will have some Absalom in there too?

Not padded; we're getting it across two volumes, with the first Absalom story included.

[IndigoPrime]

I assume the Rebellion one will be paperback, too, rather than the HB volumes in the UC. (£20 seems on the low side for a HB with that page count, but dead-on for PB.)

[Tomwe]

Not padded...

Ugh, no disrespect meant to Absalom, its a great strip.

[Tomwe]

Having just compared volumes, the change to the SMS art is noticeable. In the Mek Files, there's much less nuance, and a lot of the greyscale is lost. That said, Mek Files 01 includes the complete Black Hole, rather than just stopping part-way through. (It's also a really lovely book.)

The main thing I don't like about the Mek Files volume 1 is the way they cropped the art to remove the next Prog caption boxes. I just don't see why they didn't just leave them in. Especially it's (series 1 anyway) quite episodic.

on the subject of SMS's 'remastering', I was surprised to find in the second ABC Warriors volume there are quite a few differences to the artwork in the Mek Files book. See here, there are others (Mek Files at the top):

[abelardsnazz]

For the record, Rogue Trooper volume 2 collects from Hats off to Helm to The Vid-Vultures. Looks as if volumes 3 and 4 will collect the rest of the original run up to Return to Milli-Com. If The Hit is then missed out, volume 5 should be Cinnabar, War Machine, and hopefully the Dice Man strips and a smattering of annual and special stories.

[Tomwe]

For the record, Rogue Trooper volume 2 collects from Hats off to Helm to The Vid-Vultures. Looks as if volumes 3 and 4 will collect the rest of the original run up to Return to Milli-Com. If The Hit is then missed out, volume 5 should be Cinnabar, War Machine, and hopefully the Dice Man strips and a smattering of annual and special stories.

Hoping your maths is right as I'm really keen to see War Machine as part of this Collection. Why would The Hit be left out?

[abelardsnazz]

For the record, Rogue Trooper volume 2 collects from Hats off to Helm to The Vid-Vultures. Looks as if volumes 3 and 4 will collect the rest of the original run up to Return to Milli-Com. If The Hit is then missed out, volume 5 should be Cinnabar, War Machine, and hopefully the Dice Man strips and a smattering of annual and special stories.

Hoping your maths is right as I'm really keen to see War Machine as part of this Collection. Why would The Hit be left out?

The story was rubbish, in my opinion - "I just killed Yuan-Toh's double - again!". What?

[Jade Falcon]

Having just compared volumes, the change to the SMS art is noticeable. In the Mek Files, there's much less nuance, and a lot of the greyscale is lost. That said, Mek Files 01 includes the complete Black Hole, rather than just stopping part-way through. (It's also a really lovely book.)

The main thing I don't like about the Mek Files volume 1 is the way they cropped the art to remove the next Prog caption boxes. I just don't see why they didn't just leave them in. Especially it's (series 1 anyway) quite episodic.

on the subject of SMS's 'remastering', I was surprised to find in the second ABC Warriors volume there are quite a few differences to the artwork in the Mek Files book. See here, there are others (Mek Files at the top):

I notice as well that Nemesis Volume 1 was different from the original source material as well.  I'll try and get pictures, but when Torquemada was introduced as 'Traffic Controller' in Killer Watt his helmet was significantly different looking from his later Terminator Grand master one.  The Ultimate Collection volume used his Terminator one.

[Jim_Campbell]

I think Kev significantly redrew chunks of the early Nemesis stories for the Quality (?) reprints — knowing that the pages were different proportions to the originals, he re-worked them for the reprint, meaning that there are two versions of many of those pages. It may be that Rebellion/Hachette have opted to use whichever version gave the best repro. (As Rebellion did with Charley's War when presented with multiple sources for the same page.)

[Steve Green]

Yeah, they were also updated to be a better match for Book 1 of Nemesis - Torque is a bit spikier, less sleek - Terminator masks more like the Book 1 versions, also coloured rather than b/w.

The Rebellion Deviant Edition collects this version.

[sintec]

Made a start on Ace Trucking this morning.  As I mentioned up thread I didn't have particularly high expectations from this one initially.  Seeing Belardinelli's art in Slaine Vol 1 made me revise that upwards but I was still expecting the story to fall flat.  A space trucking story inspired by the late 70s CB radio craze is a pretty hard sell in 2018 and I was worried the humour might be a bit juvenile and/or have aged badly. 

Anyway suffice to say I struggled to put it down and get to work on time this morning.  Read the first 2 stories and it's great stuff.  The art is just jaw dropping on every single page, absolutely stunning work, and the stories are really fun romps.  Couldn't be happier to be proved wrong about this one.