Does Dredd need to be in every Prog?

[Jim_Campbell]

The difference between when I dropped off at the 950's

I completely misread that as 1950s and was expecting an anecdote about the end of rationing.

Cheers

Jim

[Colin YNWA]

I'm always been intrigued by the idea of Dredd being given a rest. Not because I don't 'approve' of none Wagner Dredd, there are some bloomin' brilliant none Wagner Dredd's and a few writers in particular that have shown they have the chops to carry the flame once John Wagner calls it a day.

No the reason I'd be interested in seeing it is that I'm intrigued with how the comic would fare. 2000ad is more then the some of it parts and I'm conscious that for some readers (a relatively small group I'd guess?) 2000ad is a Judge Dredd comic with a few other strips thrown in. I'd love for 2000ad to show that it doesn't need Dredd and in doing so could do with pretty interesting things by resting Dredd and playing with continuing its real time aspect.

In my dream world whenever John Wagner, or whomever decides that enough is enough and he removed Joe from the head seat let it sit out a year or so. After that time bring the strip back with a new status quo to explore and a year to fill in with how the city coped with this change. Of course there's a history of this sort of thing going horribly wrong but I'd be intrigued to see a comic as bold as 2000ad try it.

All that said, yeah I'd miss it. I have no idea how bad the impact on readership would be (if marketed correctly it could work... right... maybe... or at least not be catastrophic? I've no idea) and I don't think for one minute anyone in their right mind would be willing to do it from a Business perspective.What the heck would happen to The Meg etc etc etc

Just saying I'd be intrigued to learn what this kind of change would bring to the comic.

[ZenArcade]

Ah Jim my rationing anecdotes: when I were a lad, space spinners were made of bakerlite and there were none of this fancy red colour, t'were grey back then....Z

[Judge Brian]

He can tale one prog off every decade. Wasn't there a prog with only Sinister Dexter?

[Jimmy Baker's Assistant]

Dredd isn't nearly as good when Wagner isn't writing it, but it's still often the best thing in the Prog.

Let it be.

[JamesC]

Wasn't 2000ad without Judge Dredd called Starlord?

Good comic.

[judgerufian]

So we are talking about a JD story where Dredd does not feature at all or the absence of a JD strip from the prog? There are quite different animals as has been picked up on so far in the thread.

I've always been a fan of Dredd and especially MC-1 and can certainly vouch that when the craziness of MC-1 is bought to the fore, JD can easily be just a supporting character in his own strip. That said there has been something missing in some Tales of MegaCity One where it just doesnt gel and could be set in any future or 2000ad character city (with some exceptions of course).

A complete absence of JD in the prog would be unusual and as one of the strongest characters that 2000ad has in its arsenal, it would be a mistake to leave him out. The real test is to find a replacement in the JD world to take over as he has been aging for sooooooooome time now, would hate for the strip to do a 'Strontium Dogs' and just become a weak shadow of its former self. The scene was set quite well for Rico in the Cursed earth but nothing was ever explored to its full potential.

With regard to Wagner JD vs non-wagner JD, I enjoy stories by both as you cant have a hard hitting story every week, it would deaden the character and world too much and become big two-like (This week true believers, everything changes....again!) but saying that I have hated the way some stories have jarred post DoC with making MC-1 feel like nothing has happened. Is this the fault of the writers though? Its not as if they all conference call each other every week to get an update, it must be tough to catch up fast!

[Steve Green]

I think it's fine to have the odd Dredd story without Dredd appearing, especially in a multi-parter where he might drop out for an episode.

There have been a few missing Dredd stories, but the reader always knows where he is within an issue. I don't think there's been an absent Dredd strip without the reader being aware of where he is?

As for a Dredd strip absence completely, I can't see it happening, at least not for any length of time.

[JayzusB.Christ]

There have been a few missing Dredd stories, but the reader always knows where he is within an issue. I don't think there's been an absent Dredd strip without the reader being aware of where he is?

I think you could pretty much count the number of Dredd episodes or one-offs where the man himself* is absent on one hand.  I always thought it was 2000ad / Megazine policy.  The first episode I remember without Dredd was one from Wilderlands.

*Or at least a clone of him.

[Colin YNWA]

As I recall there were quite a few as far back as Oz?

[13school]

Isn't the first episode of 'Portrait of a Politician' basically Dredd-free apart from a panel at the end showing Dredd in a shoot-out and having a caption that says something like "meanwhile, across town, Dredd was doing something that had nothing to do with the story so far"? And that was prog 350-360ish I think.

[Steve Green]

I was thinking more along the lines of an extended absence for the character himself - a 10 parter or longer.

I guess the closest was around the Dead Man/Countdown to Necropolis, even though Dredd wasn't technically gone from the prog (but we didn't know that)

[Richmond Clements]

I'd like to see the writer's name not appearing on the Dredd strip, too. I reckon that's confuse most of the 'Wagner or nothing' agruements...

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

I'd like to see the writer's name not appearing on the Dredd strip, too.

Even if YOU were the writer?

[Richmond Clements]

I'd like to see the writer's name not appearing on the Dredd strip, too.

Even if YOU were the writer?

Yeah, that way nobody would be dismissing it as 'filler' or 'not canon'..!