New 2000AD Audios

[judgeurko]

So we have the cast announced for this but it seems to be slightly confusing to me,are they audio dramas or audio books? The two are quite different formats. https://2000ad.com/news/richard-armitage-sheila-atim-and-joseph-fiennes-to-star-in-2000-ad-audiobook-adaptations/

[Andrew_J]

I'm assuming they meant audio drama. A dry read of a comic would be pretty dull.
I'm really looking forward to these.

[Dash Decent]

I think it's a bit of a mix.  There's an existing thread discussing it here (click).  They also seem to have a cast of about five people - which may put them on par with the Big Finish audios - but I'm somewhat disappointed to see that both Dredd stories include a narrator.  Both The Pit and America have a grand sweep to them.  It would be lovely to have all that put into your mind's eye with a soundscape rather than using narration.

[pauljholden]

Quite a lot if the pit (take this page, for instance) relies on an unseen narrator, so it makes sense to cast one...


You can't have Dredd read that out loud (though it represents his thinking) and it's such fun meaty stuff (and important) you don't want to lose it and I don't think any audio soundscape in the world could cover the text in that last panel...

[judgeurko]

Quite a lot if the pit (take this page, for instance) relies on an unseen narrator, so it makes sense to cast one...


You can't have Dredd read that out loud (though it represents his thinking) and it's such fun meaty stuff (and important) you don't want to lose it and I don't think any audio soundscape in the world could cover the text in that last panel...

True but if it is an adaptation, like they do with novels on radio 4 they will just have to rewrite bits & excise stuff to make it work as a drama rather than an audio book

[Dash Decent]

The BBC made radio adaptions of every Sherlock Holmes story with Clive Merrison in the title role.  They didn't have a good handle on it in the early ones, and there's a lot of Dr Watson setting the scene with narrative.  After a while they were entirely acted with no narration, and they're so much better for it.

Audible now has 5 minute samples up of the start of each production.  I listened to "The Pit", "America" and "the Ballad of Halo Jones".  I'm going to pass.  Looking at the stern face of Dredd on the cover image for The Pit, and listening to the voice they've given him, they just didn't seem to fit for me.  Also, we get other Judges talking during Dredd's opening inspection but when they're not talking, it felt like he was in an empty room.  I didn't get any sense of anyone else being there.  Perhaps I need to listen to it with the sound up, as I don't remember much of a soundscape at all, other than Dredd's footsteps.  It didn't create a picture in my mind what kind of room they were in, or how big or who was there.

I hope others get much more enjoyment from it and that it's a big success.

[Jim_Campbell]

You can't have Dredd read that out loud (though it represents his thinking) and it's such fun meaty stuff (and important) you don't want to lose it and I don't think any audio soundscape in the world could cover the text in that last panel...

Third person narration is desperately unfashionable these days, but this is a brilliant example of how to use it well. The reader isn't supposed to empathise with Dredd in the way that a first person narration would encourage — the use of third person gives an insight into what Dredd thinks and feels, but maintains that necessary distance.

(The only time I can think of Dredd getting first person narration is the opening of America, and that's substantially different because it's not an internal monologue, a transcription of his thoughts, it's a direct address to the reader: "Where do I stand? I'll tell you where I stand…")

[The Bissler]

All of the dialogue is read as written. It's incredibly faithful, only with the most minor of additions. I've put together some video reviews of the full series on the Reviews section if anyone wants to know more. 

[DrRocka]

Just listened to The Pit in its entirety.

Difficult to express a feeling on it. For a start, it’s nowhere near as gritty as I’d have liked it to be - there are several instances where the actors don’t sound like they’re REACTING to one another, just moving through their lines. It’s difficult though, when you’ve read the story as much as I have, you need to realise that this is a different take - an adaptation - and you’ve got to have an open mind. In fact, the only really sore point for me was Ed Winchester doing what can only be described as a comedy tough guy voice for Guthrie.

The rest of the cast do a fine job, Fiennes in particular as Dredd puts a more relaxed and nuanced spin on Dredd. In fact, the whole thing reminded me of The Pit as directed by Kevin Costner. Half the time I could picture Dredd as Costner in a bent - up cowboy hat behind the wheel of a 4x4, going about his business.

There are times when the sound effects take over and it’s difficult to tell what’s going on if you’ve not read the story already - the Grot Pot part in particular is guilt here.

Overall though, I enjoyed it. It was refreshing to hear a Dredd that’s not got a Batman Begins style overly gruff voice, and it filled in a couple of hours as a I went about my daily walk.

I’d recommend it, but keep an open mind.

Slaine tomorrow, will report back when I’ve heard it all.

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

I've got Brink lined up for tonight, and have been working my way through a reread of the whole series to date, in preparation.

I'm slightly nervous- largely because no matter how good audio drama can be (and I've listened to a fair amount over the years) it always, always, makes me doze off.

At 3.5 hours, the best I can hope for is that I start to tonight and finish sometime early next week. But I am.so happy these exist. Hoping for CD releases too.

SBT

[alphadogau]

I bought Brink as I was really looking forward to it but its not great.
Its very flat sounding and I really don't like the music choice.
The acting also feels off. As someone else said it does sound like the actors are just reading the lines to them selves.

So disappointed

[Bad Andy]

I've probably been spoiled by Big Finish productions (their 2000ad line ended up with me spending thousands with the firm over the years) but when I saw that these were adaptations of existing stories, my heart sunk.

It's a totally different medium and these stories are so reverential that I doubt they would have been re-written in a way that's necessary.

So I was going to buy Brink, as it's the one story I know nothing of and have zero expectation. But the sample contained a load of childish swearing and an odd audio mix for the speakers. Didn't even sound like Nina Sosanya was in the same room.

I will probably pick these up but I wasn't inspired to do so last night.

[rogue69]

Started on Slaine last night it's not too bad, most of it is narrated by Ukko as he is writing it down. Good to see that they choose an Irish cast for this. It lacks the energy of the comic as you don't get the effect of the visuals. This would probably suit a new listener

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

Brink: Part One for me last night. I stayed awake! But you know what, I'm glad I'd read the series in the days previous because without it I would have been hopelessly lost. I'm not even sure it would have been clear that it was set on a massive space station, as so much of Culbard's art is not referenced in the script.

It has problems: the main one being what seems to be a standard across these things: British actors pretending to be Americans, or putting on 'working class' voices. My grud, that grates on me.

Some of the cast have exaggerated their performances and just do not suit the story as we know it: Frannie, for instance, is played entirely for laughs.

That said, the leads are superb, and I really, *really* liked the music. It's all what sounds to me like an 80s synth electronic concept album, and I'd even buy a CD of that alone. Loved it.

If this sounds too negative and critical of what is a- let me be clear- very welcome and bloody great thing for 2000AD, then I apologise. I look forward to part two tonight, regardless.

SBT

[judgeurko]

oh dear these don't sound great