2000 AD Online Forum

Well my slow but steady reread of the highlights of my 2000ad collection has reached the 600s. A great period which has much to look forward and it would seem some forgotten gems.

I always remember liking Zippy Couriers and its turning out to be a nice fun bit of comics. So I thought I'd re-read Hilary Robinsons Medivac 318 as well, it had pretty pictures after all. Wow I'd forgotten how great the first 'book' of this was. The second 'book' was ok BUT the first was a quiet piece of gold. Fantastic characters and the 2 parts where the nurse is waiting to be picked up from the planet war zone are so atmospheric.

Here's hoping when I get to the third book its more like the first than the second (not that the seconds that bad just not up to the fantastic quality of the first)

Hmm. I would say that I disliked Zippy Couriers however I will re-visit them at some stage to see if my opinion has changed over the years since the first reading.
Medivac 318. I honestly have no memories of this beyond an 'ambulance' coming into land with a 'danger below!' sort of warning. Is that the same series?
I think this may have been from the time in my life when I was getting a bit 'meh' to 2000AD.

-Bouwel-

Quote from: "Bouwel"I honestly have no memories of this beyond an 'ambulance' coming into land with a 'danger below!' sort of warning.

That's the fella. Well worth digging out. For me this period is still 2000ad at its best but also stretching its wings a little as the next generation of cool writers has settled in and is finding its feet and confidence.

I can definately see why Zippy Couriers was an acquired taste and while I enjoy it not sure its a 2000ad story. Mind that's why I like a lot of Hilary Robinson's stuff she gave 2000ad a different and at the time new voice. Shame much of her stuff (not the two mentioned but other stuff she did) was so blighted by if not bad art then unsuitable art.

Ah, Medivac 318. I liked this, if mainly for the art by Nigel Dobbyn. I 'may' be wrong here, but Hilary has regained the rights to these characters and has used them since in other publications. Not seen them myself, but they are on the list of 'to be tracked down'

So no chance of a Medivac 318 Trade Floppy ibagged with the Meg then?

Quote from: "Proudhuff"So no chance of a Medivac 318 Trade Floppy ibagged with the Meg then?

Given that Rebellion don't own the rights to the series anymore, I suspect it's unlikely. Kind of a pity, really—I wasn't particularly enamoured by much of Robinson's stuff, but I really liked Medivac (and it was substantially better than the duff Mercy Heights, both in script and art), and I'd have liked to have seen more.

Are you sure Hilary Robinson owns the right sto Medivac 318 (//http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=MEDIVAC). I know that this Irish Comics Wiki (//http://irishcomics.wikia.com/wiki/Hilary_Robinson) says she managed to retain her copyright for it along with Zippy Couriers (//http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=ZIPPY) and Chronos Carnival (//http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=CHRONOS), but I had only previously heard that she help the copyright for Zippy Couriers.

[Edit: Okay -- I've also just found it here (//http://thrillpoweroverload.blogspot.com/2006/08/robinsons-crusade.html) in David Bishop's blog, which is good enough for me.]

QuoteThe only debate we had was over the title. I wanted to call it Medivac Station and Richard didn't seem to like that. I renamed it Medivac 318 after my extension number at the hospital where I worked. Richard said I couldn't have a number in the title. I asked him what the comic was called.

Great quote, there!

Well, I tried to read these series again last night and...no. They just don't work for me I'm afraid.

-Bouwel-
(Who also thought Button Man was pedestrian and oddly placed in 2000AD so go figure!)

I liked Medivac 318 but it suffered from to many really long gaps. but that may have been my parents stopping my comic access for some misdeed or other. but any way I wish this had gone on more. I loved Zippy Couriers and miss it greatly. Chronos Carnival? Ewwwwww!

I don't remember a thing about Zippy Couriers apart from the name.

I really enjoyed Medivac 318 and thought it had great potential beyond what was published, so it's interesting to find out she's used the characters elsewhere.

M.

//http://www.goatking.co.uk/myshop/prod_240376-MEDIVAC-318-TSHIRT.html

I wonder what Robinson thinks of that?

M.

Quote from: "Mikey"http://www.goatking.co.uk/myshop/prod_240376-MEDIVAC-318-TSHIRT.html

I wonder what Robinson thinks of that?

Dunno, but thanks for the link - I may get one of those strontium dog shirts!

Quote from: "Mikey"I don't remember a thing about Zippy Couriers apart from the name.

Ditto.

Was Medivac 318 the one with the Rogue-trooper ambulance pilot, or were there two "E.R. in space" stories in the prog? I've been racking my brains trying to think of the title of the other.

Chronos Carnival - *shudder* - the mighty Ron Smith's darkest hour!

Quote from: "dandontdare"Was Medivac 318 the one with the Rogue-trooper ambulance pilot, or were there two "E.R. in space" stories in the prog? I've been racking my brains trying to think of the title of the other.

That was Mercy Heights (//http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=mercy) featuring Tor Cyan (//http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=TORCYAN).

That's the one! Of course, they've both merged into one in my memory....!

Tor Cyan was in a seperate series? That must have happened during my 'wilderness years' with the comic.

-Bouwel-

medivac started very well, but went off the biol, sadly the involvement of tor cyan and that stuff took it the wrong way.
but the basis was strong.

i agree book 1 great.

Quote from: "Devons Daddy"medivac started very well, but went off the biol, sadly the involvement of tor cyan and that stuff took it the wrong way. but the basis was strong.

Er, what? Tor Cyan wasn't in Medivac 318—he was a character in the massively inferior ER-in-space Mercy Heights.

Yeah, Mercy Heights was ER-meets-Babylon5, but only 0.1% as cool as that might sound, while Medivac 318 was more China Beach meets Star Trek, without Robert Picardo.  It was a far better story, and had a real sense of taking place in a larger universe.  Cool Dobbyn designs.

tor cyan was another script entirely??? gosh i was also placing them together.
but i do believe medivac had potential.

that period was a of low for us though, as for ZIPPY COURIERS i can only recall it was DIRE!!!!!! did tharg spend a while in rehab after he saw it in print?

I liked Zippy Couriers, it had a bit of that Hap Hazzard vibe but it still didn't fit well in the Prog at the time,
but then I also liked McKenzie's Moonrunners.

The only part I can remember with Tor Cyan is something about him going outside onto a planet with a deadly atmosphere. He's all 'Ah-ha! I'm gened me so I'm like, all OK' when the girl he's with suits rips and suddenly he's like all 'Oh-no!' and drags her back into a ship of some sort for a gratuitous boob shot while they try and fix up the skin that is now peeling off.

Did that really happen or was that a fevered dream I had during an episode of the flu?

-Bouwel-

Quote from: "Devons Daddy"medivac started very well, but went off the biol

Wasn't that ABC warriors? (geddit?)

The only thing I liked about the Tor Cyan character was that he was so obviously drawn as Rogue Trooper, but for ages NOBODY MENTIONED IT! When they inevitably filled in the back story and explained it all, it was far less interesting

Finally got up to Book 3 and while it was fun no even close to being as good as Book 1. Shame because by this stage Dobbyn's art is glorious by this point. I remembered he did a great Gronk story but what else has he drawn?

Trash.

-sigh-

Quote from: "TordelBack"Trash.

-sigh-

I believe it was Trash that Mr Dobbyn had to draw the final episode without actully seeing the script, and then had to fit the dialouge in around it?
I'm pretty sure it was this strip (might well ahve been Red Razors, as it was shite also)... he told me at a con a couple of year ago.

Such a brilliant artist, badly served with poor scripts.

Quote from: "His Lordship rac"I believe it was Trash that Mr Dobbyn had to draw the final episode without actully seeing the script, and then had to fit the dialouge in around it?
I'm pretty sure it was this strip (might well have been Red Razors, as it was shite also)...

Red Razors was the one where the last page (of Millar's script, anyway) had the kid picking up the dead Razors' badge and shaking a defiant fist at the Kremlin, as though inspired by his sacrifice to rebel.

Dobbyn was so fed up of the strip by that point that he instead drew a final page where the kid just throws Razors' badge away in disgust, and no-one at editorial even realised (or cared, I surmise).

Nigel has done loads of stuff that I love, but I have to admit to a soft spot for...

(//http://www.futurequake.co.uk/fq/images/shop/dogbreath17.jpg)

Quote from: "TordelBack"Trash.

-sigh-

Yeh, what a waste, haha. But seriously, another artist I would love to see more of. Go on, tharg!  Great stuff.

Embarrassingly, I have one of the old issues with "Trash" in, and I filled in one of those little survey type things on the letters page, where you had to list all the stories in the prog in the order of which was best down to which was worst. To my shame, I had Trash at number one - above Dredd! Thank God I never sent that one in to Tharg, eh?

He did draw quite a chunk of the early post alpha/grant strontium dogs didn't he?

So is there a wasy of getting Medivac 318 all in one GN or something similar?

Page 1 of this thread talks about that and reckons not, which is a shame. Wish I'd thought to ask Tharg at the weekend. Mind you , he'd enough to deal with having contracted 'Pink hand' syndrome.

Quote from: "The monarch"He did draw quite a chunk of the early post alpha/grant strontium dogs didn't he?

Yeah and in most cases wonderful stuff it is too. I mentioned on another thread that I met him at Bristol last year and showed me some wonderful pictures of toads he was drawing for some commercial work or other. Come on Tharg get this fella back in the prog.

I've been saying that for years. Nigel is a big fave of mine.

Quote from: "Colin_YNWA"Come on Tharg get this fella back in the prog.

Another vote here.

Regards

Robin

Someone asked Nigel about this not so long ago, on this very board.

I think he basically said he'd like to, but that he'd shown some samples to Tharg and he wasn't very impressed.

Still, great artist. I remember his stuff mostly from Sonic the comic; "Village of the damned" being a real highlight of his time there.