2000 AD Online Forum

2000 AD => Announcements => Topic started by: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:53:18 PM

Title: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:53:18 PM
Mutant mayhem: gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020 (https://2000ad.com/post/5978)

The earliest adventures of one of 2000 AD's greatest characters - Strontium Dog - are to be reprinted in colour for the first time in decades.

Reprinted with its original colour pages, Strontium Dog: Search and Destroy is a sumptuous 144-page hardcover collecting the origins of John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's hard-hitting story of prejudice and violence.

The 210 x 276mm book, retailing at £19.99, will hit shelves on 26th June 2020 with a new introduction by co-creator John Wagner and featuring gorgeous artwork by Ezquerra, along with Brendan McCarthy, and Ian Gibson.

(https://2000ad.com/assets/pimg/00/67/52-230.jpg)

Strontium Dog: Search and Destroy brings back into print one of the seminal series of British comics, a science fiction Western that merges everything from time travel to a trip to Hell itself. This new edition, with colour centre spreads lovingly restored, is a must for fans and collectors alike, putting these stories back to their rightful place as one of the key series in the annals of British comics.

Originally published in Starlord, 2000 AD's sister comic, these early stories had a profound effect upon readers, including future film director Edgar Wright. After the comic merged with 2000 AD, Johnny Alpha quickly became a fan favourite character and Strontium Dog remains one of the most iconic strips in the history of British comics.

The series is set in a world where nuclear war has left two classes of people - the mutants and the Norms. The mutant, their bodies warped by Strontium 90 fallout, are a persecuted minority barred from public life and herded into ghettos. Their only option for employment is as 'Strontium Dogs', bounty hunters tracking down the scum of the galaxy for cold, hard cash. It's a difficult and dangerous life where only the toughest can survive. But Johnny Alpha and his Viking partner, Wulf Sternhammer, are the toughest there is.

One of the most influential names in the British comics industry, John Wagner started his professional career in the 1960s, working for DC Thompson in Dundee. Sub-editing various titles including Romeo, Wagner went freelance in the early seventies, forming a writing partnership with Pat Mills. Soon after, Wagner then made the move down south, joining IPC's staff, where he initially edited girls' titles, Sandie and Princess Tina, before helping to develop Battle Picture Weekly. Appointed as editor to the ailing boys' comic Valiant, Wagner had an instant impact, co-creating and writing the hard-hitting cop strip One-Eyed Jack. He is best known as the co-creator of both Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog for 2000 AD.

Carlos Ezquerra is one of the biggest names in British comics, his utterly unique style and designs inspiring generations of comics fans and creators. Originally from Zaragoza in Spain, Ezquerra began his career on Spanish romance titles before getting work for IPC in London, where he moved from romance onto war and action stories, working extensively on Battle Picture Weekly and Action on strips such as El Mestizo, Rat Pack and Major Eazy. As co-creator of Judge Dredd for 2000 AD, Ezquerra designed the classic original costume as well as visually conceptualising Mega-City One. He also co-created Strontium Dog and illustrated A.B.C. Warriors, Judge Anderson, Tharg the Mighty, Al's Baby and Cursed Earth Koburn, amongst many others. Away from 2000 AD, Ezquerra illustrated Third World War for Crisis magazine, and regularly worked with Garth Ennis on Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, Bloody Mary, Just a Pilgrim, Condors, The Magnificent Kevin, and Preacher. He passed away in 2018.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:54:33 PM
^

This is pretty great – the missing piece that'll slot in with the Hachette collection and ensure none of the S/D material is missed out in HC.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: broodblik on 11 October, 2019, 07:33:49 PM
Looks great

(https://2000ad.com/assets/pimg/00/67/52.jpg)
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Dark Jimbo on 11 October, 2019, 08:02:20 PM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:54:33 PM
^

This is pretty great – the missing piece that'll slot in with the Hachette collection and ensure none of the S/D material is missed out in HC.

I know, so excited!  :D  Been hankering for this volume for years.

All we need now is that Hachette extension, with a final Stronty hardcover collecting Jing-Jong Job through to The Son
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Bolt-01 on 12 October, 2019, 07:59:39 AM
Oh man. That looks astounding. Definite must buy for this Squaxx.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Steve Green on 12 October, 2019, 09:51:17 AM
Was Journey into Hell collected in the Hachette books with colour spreads?
Title: Stront Hardback
Post by: Tjm86 on 12 October, 2019, 12:25:13 PM
So the news today is of plans to reprint the Starlord tales in a hardback edition with colour pages in full colour.

Thank you Rebellion!   :D

Not 'til June next year.

F***!   :(

Soon as this goes on preorder I know what I'll be doing.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: IndigoPrime on 12 October, 2019, 02:02:33 PM
Quote from: Steve Green on 12 October, 2019, 09:51:17 AMWas Journey into Hell collected in the Hachette books with colour spreads?
Nope – black and white (not greyscale).
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Steve Green on 12 October, 2019, 02:15:45 PM
Cheers,

I'd skipped a few of them, must have forgotten and that's why I didn't bother with that volume.

hoping for a Vol 2 in this style then.

There are a few things that could be added for that - some colour annual/special stories for example.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Colin YNWA on 12 October, 2019, 06:39:00 PM
Its so good to see these quality hardcover things coming out. Okay so the Nemesis one was a bit of a tease it was so limited but good to see more of this type of thing.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Max Headroom on 12 October, 2019, 07:22:19 PM
Brilliant news! Hope all the extra stories are included to make it the complete experience.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: sheridan on 12 October, 2019, 09:40:05 PM
As somebody who's recently read the Starlord stories it's great that they're finally being reprinted in their original colour!
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: sintec on 13 October, 2019, 08:49:14 AM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:54:33 PM
^

This is pretty great – the missing piece that'll slot in with the Hachette collection and ensure none of the S/D material is missed out in HC.

Yep it's certainly hit my must buy list for precisely that reason. Awesome.

Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 11 October, 2019, 08:02:20 PM
All we need now is that Hachette extension, with a final Stronty hardcover collecting Jing-Jong Job through to The Son

^This very much this. There are going to be a few series missing endings if we don't get an extension. Would be a shame to get so close to being complete and then fail at the final hurdle.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: dweezil2 on 13 October, 2019, 01:21:09 PM
Are the dimensions of the GN listed Starlord size or something bigger?
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Tjm86 on 13 October, 2019, 01:24:28 PM
Personally I'm glad they've done this rather than including it with Hachette.  Rebellion's printing choices do sometimes seem a little arcane though.  One moment they're doing hardback's, the next it's softcover only.  I get how with strips such as Trigan, colour can make the cost potentially prohibitive.  Then again they go with hardback editions of arcane stuff from Wildcats of all places.

As has been observed as well, some of the limited runs they have done have been snapped up at an incredible rate of knots.  Nemesis, Zenith and Thirteenth Floor all went pretty quickly.  Quite a few others have lingered for a long time after publication.

I for one would love Rebellion to do a proper run of Stront as hardback editions, limited or otherwise.  They gave us the Vote Dave t-shirt, maybe there is hope!
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: IndigoPrime on 13 October, 2019, 02:18:24 PM
As I understand it, Brits just don't buy many hardbacks, otherwise we'd get more. I do wonder why Nemesis was set at 300 though. Seems like they could have done more and easily sold them.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Steve Green on 13 October, 2019, 05:51:52 PM
Not even that... 250.

Yeah, I don't know why either.

I know they were still trying to shift Fiends of the Eastern Front, Rain Dogs etc a decade later, so maybe they just don't want to risk it, especially if it's just had a h/c in the Hachette one.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: IndigoPrime on 13 October, 2019, 09:00:03 PM
I suspect that some of the other limited editions in the 2000 AD shop took longer than they'd have liked to shift. But it's... Nemesis.

Again, I just wish more Brits bought hardcovers. I'd love to see Brink released in the same format as the stuff I've been buying from Image.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Swerty on 15 October, 2019, 12:11:30 PM
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 11 October, 2019, 08:02:20 PM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:54:33 PM
^

This is pretty great – the missing piece that'll slot in with the Hachette collection and ensure none of the S/D material is missed out in HC.

I know, so excited!  :D  Been hankering for this volume for years.

All we need now is that Hachette extension, with a final Stronty hardcover collecting Jing-Jong Job through to The Son

Which Progs were The Jing-Jong Job in?
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: The Amstor Computer on 15 October, 2019, 12:28:01 PM
Quote from: Steve Green on 13 October, 2019, 05:51:52 PM
Not even that... 250.

Yeah, I don't know why either.

I know they were still trying to shift Fiends of the Eastern Front, Rain Dogs etc a decade later, so maybe they just don't want to risk it, especially if it's just had a h/c in the Hachette one.

Fiends, Rain Dogs etc. were all in the awkward Euro hardback format though - very slim hardback volumes like that just don't seem to be hugely popular over here, and even when I had the disposable cash to buy them as they came out I still struggled to justify picking them up for what they were.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: IndigoPrime on 15 October, 2019, 12:30:20 PM
I suspect decisions are being made on the basis of more recent hardback sales. No way for us on the outside to know how they've done. But it's very sad that, say, Brass Sun hasn't seen a second book, for example.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: I, Cosh on 16 October, 2019, 08:57:41 AM
Quote from: Swerty on 15 October, 2019, 12:11:30 PM
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 11 October, 2019, 08:02:20 PM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 11 October, 2019, 06:54:33 PM
^

This is pretty great – the missing piece that'll slot in with the Hachette collection and ensure none of the S/D material is missed out in HC.

I know, so excited!  :D  Been hankering for this volume for years.

All we need now is that Hachette extension, with a final Stronty hardcover collecting Jing-Jong Job through to The Son

Which Progs were The Jing-Jong Job in?
It's the original title of The Stix Fix.
Title: Re: Gorgeous new hardcover for 2000 AD classic, Strontium Dog, coming summer 2020
Post by: Rogue Judge on 18 October, 2019, 04:26:30 AM
This is fantastic, definitely the comic/trade I'm most looking forward to in 2020. I've only read the B&W Search/Destroy files so look forward to seeing the color pages.

Hopefully there will be a "Mek Files" type HB collection of the complete 2000ad years.