The completely self absorbed 2000ad re-read thread

[Hawkmumbler]

You know, sandwiched between The Robot War and The Cursed Earth, I completely forgot Luna-1 was a thing. It's a decidedly unremarkable story arch if I remember correctly.

[ZenArcade]

It did seem distraction, quite entertaining and it did introduce the Sov Judges. Z

[Echidna]

The Oxygen Board is pretty great too.

Also, didn't the Luna-1 arc introduce the Texas City Judges?

[Tjm86]

It was in the early days of trying to figure out the character with a selection of villain of the week vignettes.  Some cracking Gibson and Bolland art though.  In some respects it was a bit like Tour of Duty; full of potential but never fully realised.

Think it was the first time we saw other Dredd world judges.

[sheridan]

The real 1978 action was over in StarLord! Although I share your love for the Visible Man and the later stories for MACH 1.

I don't know if it was a specific editorial decision, but putting Dredd on the Moon definitely amped-up the Sci-Fi elements of a strip that was perhaps in danger of being a bit too earth-bound, especially for some of the artists.

You might have a point there - could have been for balance, and not just for Dredd but for the whole comic.

In the first prog we had one story set in the distant past, one almost in the present (M.A.C.H.1 was set in the eighties), one in the near future (1999), one a century after that, another nearly a century after that (Dan Dare).  The strips themselves featured future war, space, aliens and robots / cyborgs.  One year later, what was the mix in the comic?

[ZenArcade]

Starlord was where it was in many ways. A tour de force in comics IMO. However if you randomly pick up a late 1978 prog, it is still mostly good stuff. Z

[Colin YNWA]

In some respects it was a bit like Tour of Duty; full of potential but never fully realised.

Now while I'm all for free speech and the wondeful diversity of opinions and perspectives that makes 2000ad fandom the best in the land, in this case....

HUSH YOUR MOUTH.

[Colin YNWA]

Prog 71 is a game changer for me... and I emphasize FOR ME as I know what I'm about to say will leave many open mouthed BUT I really like Ant Wars, its probably the best thing Gerry Finley-Day did in the Prog (no, I'm not a fan of Rogue Trooper) and so Prog 71, featuring its first part is a real benchmark.

Since the opening Progs the Galaxies Greatest really struggled to find its groove. The quality of a number of the opening stories dipped. Flesh was never really replaced and yes there were some highlights, Visible Man, Shako later M.A.C.H. 1 amongst them. Dredd is getting there, but has struggled at times finding its feet and for me, a few stories aside, the Luna One episodes were a bit of a low.

Then you look at the line-up for Prog 71 and you can can smell the Prog starting to really become what it started as in those very first few Progs and what it would become for so many more years. Ant Wars starts with a magnificently, almost Millsesque anti-authoritorian veiw. The US soliders are so beautifully vile and ya know GIANT ANTS all gloriously rendered. This story has replaced Death Planet which replaced Colony Earth, so ya know, smell that improvement!

Elsewhere Dredd is in the middle of Cursed Earth a story that really defines Dredd as the best thing in the Prog. Its glorious stuff. M.A.C.H 0 is just an absolute gem. Again its anti establishment stance is a joy and the dark army of 'tramps and vagrants' lead by 'The Three' to release a monster is almost a proto-Nemesis, its that dark and brilliant. Inferno, while a little chaotic just adds to the feeling of anarchy. Dan Dare... well its adds balance and looks great.

So yeah Prog 71 the first (almost) perfect Prog since Flesh finished?

[AlexF]

You mount a strong argument! I too love MACH 0. Watch for another quality hike when Mr Sam Slade arrives...

[Colin YNWA]

So in Prog 74 while editorial eyes are turned to Inferno, cruelly chopped to 3 pages and off panel deaths to avoid complaints, a few pages away in Ant Wars a man is torn in half in anty mandibles of death in full glorious detail.

2000ad the comics they would never tame!

[Hawkmumbler]

Ant Wars...wasn't that the non-Dredd world stripper that got retconned into conti uity via Ciuded Baranquilla and Banzai Battalion? I'm kind of vague on none Judge Dredd strips of this period i'm afraid.

[Colin YNWA]

Ant Wars...wasn't that the non-Dredd world stripper that got retconned into conti uity via Ciuded Baranquilla and Banzai Battalion? I'm kind of vague on none Judge Dredd strips of this period i'm afraid.

Not sure about that, can't remember it specifically being pulled in but no doubt that's just my memory. That said having just read Prog 85 gotta say I loved it and don't know quite why its got a rep for being a bad strip. Okay so it feels as though the last section set in Argentine was a little tacked on after what seemed like an aborted ending with the shelling of Rio, but its really fun strip.

It also marks a grimmly beautiful feature of 2000ad that issue 85 in particular highlights and that's its brutal endings. The fearless way it treats so many of its leds when a story has done its course. Please don't read on if you've not read these old strips and plan to as I'm going to spoil a few. In Prog 85 the happy go lucky ending is found in Cursed Earth, which even though it ends well is quite brutal in and of itself and damning of mankind at the same time. It also makes sure we don't rest on our laurels promising more to come. Elsewhere Dan Dare ends its run (for now) by blowing everything up, having Hitman make the nobel sacrifice and leaving DD spinning into space the solo survivor, even though that's not made clear.

Ant Wars is even worse. Our gloriously entertaining leds are both mandibled to death and a laughing General makes it clear that a lot more will follow. Its hardly the first time this sort of callus denouement has enlightened the Prog's reads to lifes more vicious ways, M.A.C.H 1, Shako, most of Harlem Heroes (and Inferno incarnation) and I'm sure others are keenly dispatched. M.A.C.H. 0, the surviving cast of Flesh and Visible Man are amongst those who might get out alive, but only just and their fates often seem worse.

We often praise Dredd as having a key strenght of bumping off his villians, meaning writers are forced into new and creative areas. What we seem to forget more readily is how harshly the comic as a whole used to treat its leading lights!

2000ad not afraid to underline and ending with death since 1977!

[Grant Goggans]

Ant Wars...wasn't that the non-Dredd world stripper that got retconned into conti uity via Ciuded Baranquilla and Banzai Battalion? I'm kind of vague on none Judge Dredd strips of this period i'm afraid.

Via Zancudo, not Banzai Battalion, but yes.

[AlexF]

You make a good point about how much hero death there was in early 2000AD! I suppose in those days it was all about creating a series that would just keep runnning unti the readership tired of it, then it'd have to end. And what clearer end can there be but death?

[Colin YNWA]

You make a good point about how much hero death there was in early 2000AD! I suppose in those days it was all about creating a series that would just keep runnning unti the readership tired of it, then it'd have to end. And what clearer end can there be but death?

Yeah the funny thing is I don't remember it happening too much more after this, I might be wrong mind my memory isn't the best. Maybe after the Starlord merger they realised they might be around a bit longer than most and so had better take better care of their leds?

I don't remember (see above) 2000ad's peers being quite so ruthless?