Minor Orgins Gripe

[Robin Low]

>I know, that is rather odd. Is it mentioned anywhere else?

"not in the comics. Except for that cover image and some RPG stuff."

As you probably remember me mentioning, I heard years ago that the timeline given in the original JD RPG came from an annual. Somebody here mentioned an annual in a recent post, too. But then if you haven't found it, I'd be surprised it does exist.

However, I still think it's an interesting idea. There's plenty of room between 2071 and 2099 for all sorts of stuff to happen, including the Germ War.

As I've said before, Wagner has done a remarkable job of telling the story he wanted to tell and yet still leave room for the fanwankers to get on with what they do best.

Regards

Robin

[[YT-2]]

The Annual timeline was put together by a reader f i remember correctly, or it was in a special or something so again easy to ignore if needed.

Cant recall exactly where it appeared but will try and find it later.

As for Texas City heres  piece from the 1982 JD Annual that makes no reference to the civil war.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c212/rico2074/JDA1982TexasCity.jpg">

[Funt Solo]

Oh, right - well that clearly contradicts the stuff from the RPG.

So, Logan, you compiled a timeline as part of the research for Origins, right?

Any chance that might see print in some form or another?  It would be a cool article to see in the Megazine, I reckon.

[[YT-2]]

>So, Logan, you compiled a timeline as part of the research for Origins, right?

not so much a timeline as pulled out all Dredd related facts that had a date, or worked out the date of events. They were also sort of cross referenced with who had written the story.

>Any chance that might see print in some form or another? It would be a cool article to see in the Megazine, I reckon.

Its not the most readable of documents as it was one to give a basis for John to use as a reminder and use to work out what was elevant and what wasnt. Theres also a lot of stuff that was done by e-mail and talking to John.

[Robin Low]

"Oh, right - well that clearly contradicts the stuff from the RPG."

I don't see that piece on Texas City as contradicting the RPG timeline. Firstly, it supports the idea there were arguments between the mega-cities. Secondly, the RPG timeline gives a date for this supposed civil war as 2083-86, ample time for Texas City to build itself up into a power capable of taking on the other two. In the absence of a dateline, I just interpret that article as being written before the war happens.

I'm revising my timeline in light of Origins. It's also missing the 2121 to 2129 period, but that will come.

It will also contain Volgans, ABC Warriors, Robo-Hunters, Strontium Dogs and Nikolai Dantes when it's finally done, but I'm trying to arrange it so people can copy it, then cut and paste stuff they like and don't like.

Regards

Robin

[Tweak72]

My other Grip is that Jonny Alpha and Dantie should be different worldfs
Strontiam dog should have never been included in the Dredd time line. ever!

[Richard]

"...did Rico #1 have a "Dredd" badge in an earlier story or something?"

Yes. In the flashback in "The Return of Rico" in prog 30, and in the flashback to the same incident in Rico #2's first appearance in "Blood Cadets," Rico #1 has a badge that says "DREDD."

The Civil War of 2083-2086 was mentioned in the 2000 AD Annual 1984, but that feature was written by a fan who sent it in and had the enormous good luck to get it published. The only mention in the comic is that cover. However it was also mentioned in one of the Virgin novels, "Dread Dominion" by Stephen Marley. Marley's book mentioned a lot of old Dredd history stuff which was 100% accurate when it was written (although it has since been overtaken by new stories). It even described a scene from the war.

[Robin Low]

"My other Grip is that Jonny Alpha and Dantie should be different worldfs
Strontiam dog should have never been included in the Dredd time line. ever!"

Well, even so, Alpha was included. Twice. And McNulty has crossed-over, too. Of course, we've another two decades before it matters one way or the other.

As for, Dante my justification is that there's a brief reference to a linking character (Shimura) and Dante is the only significant new character to appear in 2000AD in almost two decades. Also, given the 500 year gap between Dredd and Dante, his addition has no effect on continuity in the slightest, which makes life an awful lot easier.

But then I've said all this so many times before. You'd think I'd be fed up of rabbiting on about it by now.

Regards

Robin

[Steve Green]

Hi Robin,

are you including all the Dreddworld spin-offs in your timeline?

Wasn't there a Brit-cit civil war in Armitage around 2080ish?

I suppose you could also include any Dredd/SD/Flesh timetravel stories as well.

Hitler brought to justice, Reagan kidnapped, Clinton Bodyswapping with a mutant, Dredd wiping out carriers of that virus, that sort of stuff.

It would be a pretty epic timeline - I still reckon you could get round Durham Red by having Earth fall into the Black Hole bypass :)

And then - um - fall back through it, for the Monad.

- Steve

[Will I. Cooling]

I'm confused by the concept of the Union; that doesn't really seem to square with how Mega City Two was presented in the comics i.e. their neutrality in the Apoc. War

[Tweak72]

"Well, even so, Alpha was included. Twice. And McNulty has crossed-over, too. Of course, we've another two decades before it matters one way or the other."

Mmm yeah and I felt it was a blatant attempt to do a US cross over style load of old tosh for a quick buck

I have always like the idea that 2000ad's Storys are from many different universes and that for me had always been one of its strengths. There are some Storys that run through the dredd world and have kind of worked such as invasion 1999 robusters ABC worriors and nemesis but every so often some idiot tryâ??s to stuff another thing in to the dredd continuity so as to probably make it more accretive to the US and it has never worked.

Dredd has some clangers in continuity ill admit (Judgement day was whilst the product of a lot of talent ultimately a large steaming pile of poo. Helter skelter was limp and dull both where bad attempts at â??mega epicsâ? Inferno could have been a great one but was ultimately I think GM just wasnâ??t cut out to write Dredd as he suffered at the time too much from being Grant Morrison) but it has been going for in the same time line unbroken for 30 years with out any major revisions or resetting of the Dreddverse just the odd tweak
I am wholly behind JW for what he is doing because he is making sense of what has gone before and ironing our the clangers plus making it more linier
He is cleaning shop with out any Crisis on infinite Earths or other convenient and now over used plot devise the real test of the writers who come after is carrying on the Dreddverse while keeping true to the fact it is an unbroken line

[Tweak72]

The other American Mega Cities didnâ??t get involved purely because East Meg 1 was fighting MC1 on its own and not involving its own allies thus avoiding

Possible World War IV version 1:
East Meg 1 (EM1) invades MC1 then MC2 and Texas City (TC) get involved (TC whist having its own issues with MC1 & MC2 is still closely allied to them).
Then EM2 joins in, possibly with Sino Cit 1 and 2 joining in on the east Megâ??s side.
Brit Cit would defiantly come down on the Mega Cities side.
Then its who has what treaty with which other city states (things escalating such as the Sino cities making noises about Oz and it supplying MC1 with item A as per trade agreement B Sino cit units shoot down un armed passenger liner from Oz blah blah blah)
Massive world land war with end result some one launches TADs some one retaliates with TADs
Then world cracks in half

Possible World War IV version 2:
Mc2 and TC (and possibly Brit Cit) end up TADing EM2 and the EM1 (after it drops its Apocalypse shield) and Sino Cit 1 and 2 for good measure
EM1 and 2 TAD Mc2 and TC (and possibly Brit Cit) in retaliation
Sino Cit 1 & 2 also TAD Mc2 and TC (and possibly Brit Cit) and Oz and who ever else they feel like
Oz retaliates and TADs Sino Cit 1 & 2 and possibly Brit Cit for good measure
Cal Hab wishes they had thought of that but now itâ??s all too late
Then world cracks in half

[Robin Low]

"are you including all the Dreddworld spin-offs in your timeline?"

I've tried to limit myself to 2000AD stories that are (A) regarded as absolute classics and (B) connect to one another in some way and (C) contain events that are historically signifcant.

So, by and large, in addition to Dredd as the core series, I consider myself largely limited to: Invasion 1999, Ro-Busters, ABC Warriors, Robo-Hunter, Strontium Dog and Nemesis. These series have obvious ties and dates.

I'll also consider stuff like Harlem Heroes and Flesh. I include Dante for the reasons outlined in an earlier post, but I admit my justifications are tenuous.

Then there's the issue of personal taste. Although I liked Armitage as a character, the stories themselves were not that strong, so I've found it easy to resist adding them. However, I remember the Brit-Cit civil war stories and I may well take a second look at them someday. Same thing for Cal-Hab Justice.

And I just ignore Abnett's Durham Red altogether, because it has nothing to do with the original character - if ever there was a 2000AD series that's in a universe of its own, that's it.

Of Hitler, Reagan, Clinton and the virus (actually alien parasite if I'm thinking of the same thing), I've only included the parasite one as I think that constituted an actual historical event, if you see what I mean.

Regards

Robin

[Steve Green]

Cool,

Yeah, sorry, parasite.

I guess adding the spin-offs increases the amount of work quite a bit. I'm quite surprised it hangs together at all really.

I Look forward to seeing it when you're done.

Cheers,

Steve

[Eric Plumrose]

With the exception of a few contentious dates ('Harlem Heroes', 'Inferno', 'Hammerstein', 'ABC Warriors: The Volgan War'), 2000 AD's cross-continuity holds together remarkably well.