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2000AD Annual 1978

Started by Dandontdare, 24 June, 2009, 11:40:47 PM

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Emperor

Quote from: "TordelBack"
QuotePerhaps it allowed them to boast about having more colour pages, as it would have been better to leave them B&W.

Rufus is about to pop up and tell us he added the colour tones for free when he was but an infant Dayglo.  ;)

 I think even as a Nipper, knee high to Mother Dayglo, he'd have done a better job on the "Colour By Numbers" 2000 AD annual (which would be an interesting idea, actually - the 2000 AD Acivity Book, an idea for an future art competition or possibly a parallel challenge for anyone wanting to try their hands at colouring Judge Dredd?).
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

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Dandontdare

Quote from: "Emperor"This is one I didn't get and I may have to track it down for the sake of completeness and because some of those stories ound... intriguing ;)
Quality-wise, it's head and shoulders above the following ones, and there are enough genuinely insane bits to make it a must!

The six non-regular stories are a real mixed bag:

First up is HUNTED, a nest little 3-pager with art by Kev O'Neil - cute little critter is being hunted across an alien landscape until... he runs into a glass wall with stars beyond - turns out to be a space station where nasty future humans hunt aliens. Ends with Tharg giving a grumpy lecture about nature conservation.


END OF VOYAGE is the aforementioned nuclear war story - sailor gets caught in a Pacific atomic test, goes bald and becomes paranoid about atomic war. Sets off on transatlantic race to get away from  al the FOOLS who won't heed his warnings, but throws his radio overboard when it seems war is imminent. Smells "the same stink of death" as before and assumes the world has been destroyed, but makes it home just in time for the apocalypse. Very odd tale, with a wonderful final "N0-O-O-O-O-O!!!".


I've explained the deranged nonsense that is THE DREAM MACHINE above, but I really like the art on this strip. Can anyone identify this artist?


THE MONSTERS is like a prototype Future Shock, with such an obvious twist that all the easy ideas clearly hadn't been used yet. A farmer and son are visited by Space Aliens - they come in peace, but fear and misunderstanding leads to bloodshed - but wait - the boy and his dad are robots and are rightly freaked out by these strange organic creatures. So who is truly the monster? Eh? Eh? Makes you think!


THE SYMBIOTE is a neat little story about a space pirate and his girlfriend who are arrested. he is sentenced to be spliced into a patrol ship as a cyborg pilot. He eventually comes to enjoy his violent new role, until his latest kill turns out to be his girlfriend who's been spliced into another ship. Shame the art is so poor.


Finally DEATH BUG is pretty much a comic version of 1975 film schlocker 'Bug', featuring killer cockroaches overrunning a western town. The only story in the whole annual that smells of filler intended for another publication.


And the deliberate mistake in my first post - I meant Christmas 1977, naturally!

Jim_Campbell

QuoteI've explained the deranged nonsense that is THE DREAM MACHINE above, but I really like the art on this strip. Can anyone identify this artist?

Looks rather familiar. Could you post anything else from the strip?

Cheers!

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

flip-r mk2

I've explained the deranged nonsense that is THE DREAM MACHINE above, but I really like the art on this strip. Can anyone identify this artist?
Image
It's all right, that's in every contract.
That's what they call a sanity clause.
You can't fool me, there ain't no sanity clause.

http://flip-r.deviantart.com/

http://forflipssake.blogspot.com

http://weeklythemedartblog.blogspot.com/


Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like a banana

flip-r mk2

Sorry pressed submit instead of preview.

I've explained the deranged nonsense that is THE DREAM MACHINE above, but I really like the art on this strip. Can anyone identify this artist?




I believe it was drawn by the legendary Massimo Belardinelli



THE MONSTERS is like a prototype Future Shock, with such an obvious twist that all the easy ideas clearly hadn't been used yet. A farmer and son are visited by Space Aliens - they come in peace, but fear and misunderstanding leads to bloodshed - but wait - the boy and his dad are robots and are rightly freaked out by these strange organic creatures. So who is truly the monster? Eh? Eh? Makes you think!


 I think this was drawn by Kieth Page.




flip
It's all right, that's in every contract.
That's what they call a sanity clause.
You can't fool me, there ain't no sanity clause.

http://flip-r.deviantart.com/

http://forflipssake.blogspot.com

http://weeklythemedartblog.blogspot.com/


Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like a banana

Dandontdare

Yes, it does have hint of Belardinelli about it..

Peter Wolf

Definately looks like Belardinelli.
Worthing Bazaar - A fete worse than death

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: "flip-r mk2"I believe it was drawn by the legendary Massimo Belardinelli

It definitely has a Belardinelli vibe to it ... the brushwork is certainly Massimo-ish, but I'd like to see a bit more before I put my name to such an attribution!

Cheers

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

Dandontdare

But I also wondered if Belardinelli may have been responsible for the Dan Dare, the only full-colour strip in the book:

flip-r mk2

That is definatley  Massimo's Artwork.



flip
It's all right, that's in every contract.
That's what they call a sanity clause.
You can't fool me, there ain't no sanity clause.

http://flip-r.deviantart.com/

http://forflipssake.blogspot.com

http://weeklythemedartblog.blogspot.com/


Time flies like an arrow, Fruit flies like a banana

Jim_Campbell

That second Dream Machine pic is definitely Belardinelli. Just look at those hands in the main panel ... I'd bet cold hard cash on the Dare image being Belardinelli as well. Isn't that the Speedo Ghost in the background?

Cheers!

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

Leigh S

Isnt death bug a story tht was created during teh run up to 2000ADs launch that never made the grade?  In the same way as I believe "Doctor Sin" in the 79 annual is the castoff original Pat Mills occult Judge Dread strip with art bodges and added pages to finish it off.  Another vote forthat being  Keith Page on the Monsters tale

Colin YNWA

Quote from: "Leigh Shepherd"Isnt death bug a story tht was created during teh run up to 2000ADs launch that never made the grade?  In the same way as I believe "Doctor Sin" in the 79 annual is the castoff original Pat Mills occult Judge Dread strip with art bodges and added pages to finish it off.  Another vote forthat being  Keith Page on the Monsters tale

That'd make a lot of sense given how Progs were originalated at the time tying in to films of the time. Wasn't Michael Caine's Swarm released and heavily marketed around this time? I remember this strip is very remonisant of that movie?

Colin YNWA

Well what was a re-read, became and read and then back to a re-read has gone into its planned extra time now as I start to work my way through the annuals, specials etc.

This has started naturally enough with Annual 1978. Which is terrible. Well that's harsh. To be honest it pretty poor but it does has this wonderful nostalgic vibe that reminds me of so much. This annual is after all the last surviver of my brothers original collection and the 2000ad items thats been in the Taylor family the longest, by some margin. I know this object to look at like no other comic I own. To the extent that I know that half the crossword has been rubbed out etc.

I've not read it for a long time however and while I know the images in here I'd not read the stories for a long time. Most of them, well frankly all of them don't really stand up. They're not as strong as the stories in the prog at this time and while some of the art is fine it does make me wonder how these early annuals will fare on a viewing now, especially since this is the only one before 1982 I've read before so they'll be no nostalgia, at least not directly from here on in.

All that said the stories are interesting curios with Dredd's worlds forming, a curious Flesh side effort that must surely have continuity buffs spinning and an interesting 'Shako' story that again I do wonder if it was ever meant to be an original of the FBIs most wanted (bear). Its a terrible read but I'd heartily recommend it to all 2000ad fans. I n the way people know most of the stories in Case File 1 are poor, but where would we be without it?

One thing I was wondering even Barney can't name the creators beyond the obvious Mike McMahon, Massimo, Kev O'Neill and the signed Kevin Page. I was wondering whether sharp eyed fans here had any clues to the various creators work on display. I'll do a started for 10. I really think the Invasion story is Jim Baike on art. Any other ideas?

Terrible fun

Dandontdare

It is is awful but interesting isn't it? Here's my take on it from a while ago (though all the picture links seem to have vanished: 1978 annual