IDW's Complete Brian Bolland Judge Dredd collection review and thoughts...

[blackmocco]

A couple of things:

This isn't something I would have sought out seeing as I've most of Bolland's stuff in other formats and frankly, I've been of the thought that this kinda thing is the only reason IDW is even interested in taking on Dredd which kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth. However, the significantly better half went and got this for me for Xmas and I have to say, I'm very happy to be eating crow.

This book's a beauty. Looks like maybe four or five of the pages have reproduced a little muddily but overall the quality is top notch. Right up there with the original Titan collections but on superior paper quality. (I made sure to compare...) Good solid blacks, crisp line work. Have to say, I could probably compare it to watching your favorite movie on Blu-Ray for the first time and just noticing details you'd never been aware of. It's not just the strip. Bolland's color work from the annuals is here, pin-ups, the Walter strips and a bunch of the US Eagle covers.

Maybe it's just because Bolland didn't actually produce a huge amount of art for 2000AD that it's so easy to take his work for granted because we've all pored over it so much (and to be honest, I really feel his art is missing something vital since he went all digital...) so I was pretty excited and delighted to rediscover how utterly brilliant, exciting and masterful his Dredd work is. The Judge Death stuff we all know back-to-front at this point but some of his storytelling during The Cursed Earth and Judge Child is just dizzying. The detail, the expressions, the sense of design and really just making the concepts and designs look completely functional and real while still staying utterly ridiculous. I loved Bolland's work when I was younger and then as I got older (and realized I'll never be able to draw as well as him! Haha!) I got lost in O'Neill and McMahon and guess I just pushed his work to the side.

To cut a long story short: this is a fucking awesome book and if you buy it, you won't be disappointed.

[mogzilla]

got mine today! gorgeous!!! and you dont care that weve seen the stuff inside many many times it just oozes quality and i also noticed a big "1! on the spine ...is this gonna be a series of ...series?

 

[opaque]

Now it turns out I ordered this from FP when it had the Dredd burning picture as the cover months ago.
I have also ordered the Complete Brian Bolland in it's signed form.
I'm guessing I'm going to end up with 2 copies exactly the same but with one signed?

[shaolin_monkey]

Given that his work was sporadic on some of the epics, how us it introduced? For example, is there a quick story update before it launches into his Judge Child work? Is the work given context somehow?  Or is it all stand-alone with no intro?

[blackmocco]

Given that his work was sporadic on some of the epics, how us it introduced? For example, is there a quick story update before it launches into his Judge Child work? Is the work given context somehow?  Or is it all stand-alone with no intro?

No update. Bolland himself writes a pretty humorless introduction and then the art is just presented as they appeared. There's no context given. It doesn't detract from re-reading the stories though and I would think to anyone who hasn't read any of this before they'd be compelled to go out and track down the complete stories. There's enough in the opening text of any episode to more or less fill in the blanks for the uninitiated and you have to remember, this was how it was for all of us picking up their first prog anyway.

The only thing that might throw someone off is Bolland did the center spread for one of the Luna-1 episodes and McMahon did the rest of the art. The spread's here alone.

Also, one other niggle: The centerspread for part 2 of The Dark Judges isn't the original. I believe it was altered for reprints and this is the one that's used here. Would've liked it as it was first featured but maybe that's just me.

[Mike Carroll]

It is a gorgeous book, and definitely a must for any Bolland fan. For me, the only real niggle (and it's a minor one) is that the dates are presented in American format - mm-dd-yyyy - which even at the ripe old age of 46 I still find confusing at times!

-- Mike

[Spikes]

got mine today! gorgeous!!! and you dont care that weve seen the stuff inside many many times it just oozes quality and i also noticed a big "1! on the spine ...is this gonna be a series of ...series?

Ive not given this book any thought TBH, and i kinda dont like the idea of incomplete storylines, but itll be interesting to see what other books they produce. Got to be an Ezquerra, or a McMahon collection in the pipeline, id imagine.

[blackmocco]

Ive not given this book any thought TBH, and i kinda dont like the idea of incomplete storylines, but itll be interesting to see what other books they produce. Got to be an Ezquerra, or a McMahon collection in the pipeline, id imagine.

That's exactly how I felt until I was looking through it. You probably haven't seen the art reproduced this well before though. Well worth it, in the end.

[opaque]

It is a gorgeous book, and definitely a must for any Bolland fan. For me, the only real niggle (and it's a minor one) is that the dates are presented in American format - mm-dd-yyyy - which even at the ripe old age of 46 I still find confusing at times!

-- Mike

That's the problem when it's an American published book isn't it.

I got mine today (so I will have 2 copies when the signed edition arrives) and as I ordered it back in November this one only cost me £25.45!

It is a beautiful book, the size is really good for the strips.

[Steve Green]

Mixed bag TBH,

I don't have a problem with them rejigging layouts - that particular panel on part 2 of Death Lives falls right in the gutter of the Titan hardback.

However, comparing the printing of the Judge Death Lives with the Titan hardback, the page of Mitson getting put in the conversion coffin is blotchier, with detail being lost.

Considering this is supposed to be a signature collection, you'd expect it to at least equal what's gone before.

The colour reproductions of covers are a bit variable too, I'd hoped they might have been cleaned like the ones in Steve Cook's blog - there is the argument that it's how it appeared, but I'd also suggest that it's also cheaper and takes less effort to do it that way.

Some are scans of progs, others b/w - nice to see the Eagle covers.

[Skullmo]

I had a look at this in Orbital comics and it looks nice, but does not contain anything I do not already have. . . .

If IDW had done an artists edition, now that would be amazing! If only the original art could be found!

[simontm]

Ooh, need money 

[Rio De Fideldo]

Whats the reproduction like on the last episode of block mania? The reprint of this in my copy of the case files is very blurry.

[Rio De Fideldo]

Oh yes forgotten how much I miss Cam Kennedy's art. Good to see this again.

[Steve Green]

Block Mania seemed fine - judge death lives second part worse than Titan hardback.