2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

[Tomwe]

Actually I've just read the letter & it's almost exactly the same as the previous one - i.e. contact us to cancel receiving this item you never showed any interest in the last time we sent this letter. Bit pissed off - thought they might have had a different letter for people who contacted to cancel previously asking if they'd contact if they'd changed their minds. Obviously that would be too sensible/complicated - I hope there's not a similar disaster waiting subscribers!

My letter came last month. I had before opted out and so emailed and complained. They said they would opt me out of the remaining too as well but we shall see. Just got my 29&30, no covers book, same short delay as everyone else.

[Tomwe]

It’s only the Alan Moore written SKIZZ collected, in case anyone was wondering. (308-330)

[IndigoPrime]

My account status now states "running". I've no idea what that means. But I don't want to subscribe online now, in case I end up with two lots of subscriptions. ARGH. Natch, they won't answer the phone.

[athorist]

My account status now states "running". I've no idea what that means.

Mine says that too, so it probably means you're subscribed again.

[Lobo Baggins]

Got my copies of the Strontium Dog and Sinister Dexter books -nice to see Dogbreath getting name-checked in the notes section!

[Neil C]

If there's anyone who is subscribing who doesn't want the covers special, I will happily buy it from you.

I managed to get the first one on eBay after Hachette refused to sell me one because I prefer to support my local thrill merchant than subscribe.

[sintec]

I've been playing around with stats a bit more and have produced a graph showing the number of stories included in the collections per prog.  The outcome is a reasonably predictable dip in the early 700-1000s and what looks like another dip around the 1300s.  It'll be interesting to see how that changes as the UC fills up, particularly given that most of the long running series are being done chronologically so we've yet to reach that era of Slaine for example.

Prog 415 is currently the only one from which we have 5 stories.  There are about 50 progs from which we have 4.  And currently around 400 progs from which we've had no stories at all.

If you want to play with the data it's https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bxJ3aSc82OEkdvvIb2BA0CIlpqWuQWBjehOpvU1vZFw/edit#gid=1381449197

[Frank]

I've been playing around with stats a bit more and have produced a graph showing the number of stories included in the collections per prog.  The outcome is a reasonably predictable dip in the early 700-1000s and what looks like another dip around the 1300s.  It'll be interesting to see how that changes as the UC fills up, particularly given that most of the long running series are being done chronologically so we've yet to reach that era of Slaine for example.

Prog 415 is currently the only one from which we have 5 stories.  There are about 50 progs from which we have 4.  And currently around 400 progs from which we've had no stories at all.

If you want to play with the data it's https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bxJ3aSc82OEkdvvIb2BA0CIlpqWuQWBjehOpvU1vZFw/edit#gid=1381449197

You're a genius, sintec. 415's not the particular issue you'd expect; interesting to contrast this with the Greatest Issue Ever discussion on the current Prog Discussion thread:

http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=profiles&choice=415

[sintec]

Looking through some of the suggested greatests in that thread:

335 & 339 - Next volume of Rogue Trooper should give us 5 from both of these
228 - We've got everything but the Mean Arena already and we're not getting that
503 - I don't think we're getting that Dredd but I think we'll suspect we'll get the Slaine and Bad Company soon
653 - No Zenith and I'm not convinced we'll be getting that Rogue Trooper either
1634 - Don't think we're gettng Cradlegrave and with only 1 book of Savage getting to Book 5 seems unlikely
178 - No Dash Decent or Mean Arena but we already have everything else

Seems ironic that 415 is right in the middle of Time Killer.

[Arkady]

That graph is glorious. Geekery of the highest and finest order. Sir, I salute you. I look forward to updates!

[Colin YNWA]

Be interesting to see how much that red spreads as we go one. I'd hope by the end of the series its more balanced like the Mega Collection one. The start will of course have some biase towards older issues as runs have just started.

[TordelBack]

Magnificent, Sintec, simply magnificent. Now do it for ALL collections currently in print!

[sintec]

Be interesting to see how much that red spreads as we go one. I'd hope by the end of the series its more balanced like the Mega Collection one. The start will of course have some biase towards older issues as runs have just started.

I've got some, offline, speculation on the content of future release and I think it will balance out.  The dip in the 700s-1000s looks likely to be even more pronounced in the Ultimate Collection than it was in the MC though (although from what I hear that's maybe not a bad thing).

[Frank]

The dip in the 700s-1000s looks likely to be even more pronounced in the Ultimate Collection than it was in the (Judge Dredd Mega-Collection)

Hilary Robinson, Mark Millar and Alan McKenzie often had 2 or 3 strips running at a time during (different) parts of that era. Some of their work can't be reprinted. Some of it can't be reprinted without renaming the Ultimate Collection.

[Greg M.]

The dip in the 700s-1000s looks likely to be even more pronounced in the Ultimate Collection than it was in the (Judge Dredd Mega-Collection)

Hilary Robinson, Mark Millar and Alan McKenzie often had 2 or 3 strips running at a time during (different) parts of that era.

Hilary Robinson's last prog credit was 699 - her work didn't make it into the era in question. (And whilst no-one is ever going to argue Chronos Carnival was anything other than a dud, I'd maintain most of her other work was good, sometimes great.)