Curious About Old Stories

[pictsy]

Today I received my second batch of 2000 AD back issues from a time before I started to collect.  I have from prog 445 - 896 minus around 50 missing progs.

I have been so excited about these back issues, there are so many stories I'd really love to read - many from the early days of being a Squaxx.

So I thought I'd through it out there.  I'm sure there are plenty of people on the forum who didn't start at prog 1 and don't own nor have read the entire catalogue of 2000 AD.  Do you hear talk of stories past or have you caught the end of the run of a story and you wonder "what was all that about?"  Whether good or bad, what are you curious about?

To get the ball rolling, here is a sample of my list that I now have the opportunity to read (but obviously haven't yet).

Original Rogue Trooper after Re-Gene.  I bought the first lot of the collected Rogue Trooper editions by Rebellion before they released in the Case File format.  IIRC publication stopped before the Hitman stories.

New Rogue Trooper Friday.  I caught the end of Fridays run and I haven't seen much of a good word said about him, but I thought he was great and to this day I still prefer him over the original.  I really want to read those earlier stories as I doubt there will ever be a reprint.

Zenith.  I know that there is word that a collected edition is coming out but I now have the old progs.  I saw a few episodes of late Zenith as a kid and loved Steve Yeowell's artwork.  The whole thing has been this intriguing mystery, even now.

The Journal of Luke Kirby.  I caught the last printed story of Luke Kirby and was again drawn in by the artwork.

Tyranny Rex.  I've heard mixed things about this strip but I enjoy John Smith's work and I reckon I'd probably like it.

There are more, but I think that will do for now.

Also would love to hear views (spoiler free, of course ) from people who have read any old stories mentioned in the thread.

[Proteus4]

drop everything and read Zenith right now!

I started getting the prog around the end of book 1 and immediateky went out to my local comic shop (Talisman, smithfield market) and bought the issues back to 535 (where it started IIRC) - i loved it soooooo much.  Book 2 was harder to get into, i thought, but then War in Heaven came along and melted my thrill circuits.

I think you'll also have Rage and Max Bubba in there (Strontium Dog) which are epic and awesome.

And Bad Company! That was another one i couldn't get enough of.

And ABC Warriors - The Black Hole.

I'm jealous if you're reading these for the first time.

Cheers
Dave

[pictsy]

Ahh yes, old Strontium Dog is a given as well.  The Final Solution is one story I've been aware of (for many obvious reasons) that I want to read.  I would also like to read the Strontium Dogs stories as well.  They never seemed to get an ending and I always felt that was a shame, I was really enjoying the story (and do when re-reading it).

I have both Bad Company! and ABC Warriors - The Black Hole as collected editions.  Both are definitely awesome.

You have me salivating even more about Zenith.  Is it unladylike to drool?

[Colin YNWA]

Yeah there's a whole lot of incredible comics coming you're way. Really hope you enjoy them.

There's some great Anderson stuff but of more importance if you're a fan of John Smith there's some magnificent stuff in there. Ever read Firekind? If not you are in for such a treat BUT check the notes here.

http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=prog&page=profiles&choice=832

[TordelBack]

Halo Jones Book III!   Bad City Blue!  Metalzoic!  Strontium Dog: Ragnarok Job through to Bitch!  The Dead!  Sooner or Later!  Tharg's Head Revisited!  Bad Company!  And so much good Dredd! 

And that's just the first year of your haul!  Glarggle...

[pictsy]

Ever read Firekind? If not you are in for such a treat BUT check the notes here.

I haven't read Firekind.  I was aware of it and saw some episodes in some back issues but never read it.  It is only recently I've become more aware of it and that was from finding out that John Smith wrote it.  It is another one on my list.

Halo Jones Book III!   Bad City Blue!  Metalzoic!  Strontium Dog: Ragnarok Job through to Bitch!  The Dead!  Sooner or Later!  Tharg's Head Revisited!  Bad Company!  And so much good Dredd! 

And that's just the first year of your haul!  Glarggle...

I've read all Halo Jones.  I have had the Titan collection for years and still feel sad that Moore and Gibson never finished it off.  Halo Jones was great not just for the story but also for the female characters.  It's one of my favourite comics ever.  Probably my favourite Alan Moore comic.

There are plenty of titles there that I haven't heard of as well.  I saw Bad City Blue when I was sorting through and organising everything and briefly wondered if it had anything at all to do with that Second City Blues story.  I suspect it doesn't.

[Frank]

I'm sure there are plenty of people on the forum who didn't start at prog 1 and don't own nor have read the entire catalogue of 2000 AD.  Do you hear talk of stories past or have you caught the end of the run of a story and you wonder "what was all that about?"  Whether good or bad, what are you curious about?

I started reading around the time of the progs you've just picked up, pictsy, and my disorganised acquisition of back issues only stretches as far back as prog 127. I've read odd things from before that point in reprints, but I only know most of the All-Pat-Mills-All-The-Time era of stories from chance encounters with random episodes. Some of the writing seems a bit shaky, but Artie Gruber has such fantastic visual impact I've always meant to go back and find out what his deal is.

I'll add Pete Milligan and John Higgins curio Freaks (542-547) to the list of unexpected delights coming your way, as well as a story called Taxi (532-533) by Alan Grant and Paul Hardy, which appeared under the seldom used banner Tales of Megacity One. I presume this and another couple of short stories which ran in the comic around the same time were material jettisoned from the abandoned Judge Dredd comic which gave us the brilliant Bad Company (with Kano replacing Dredd).

Odd that you prefer Friday to Rogue, since they seem like the same essentially blank character to me. The only difference between those eras of the strip is how well or how badly it's written, and the absolute best Rogue Trooper tale of all time - John Smith's Cinnabar (624-635) - is good because of everything else in the story apart from the either confused or sad titular hero. When you get to that era you're in for a treat.

[I, Cosh]

Bad Company
The Dead.
Sooner or Later
Firekind
Killing Time
Big Dave
Shadows
Metalzoic
Slaine the King
A Man Called Greener
Really & Truly
Simon Harrison on Stronty
Some great, great stuff.

[Colin YNWA]

Uh Tribal Memories is in there too as well. One of my all time favourite 2000ad shorts (4 episodes as I recall). Absolutely brilliant.

[Call-Me-Kenneth]

Simon Harrison's strontium dogs, as mentioned above. With all respect to Colin MacNeil, I wish Harrison had have been let finish 'the final solution'.

Also, Harrison and Smith's 'Revere' is pretty brilliant.

ABC Warriors: Khronikles of Khaos is a great story with super artwork.

Killing time.

Necropolis and Dead Man.


Sssshh...but I really liked 'the Clown' pt1 and the prologue for pt2 in prog 841 too...



I see you've already read 'The Black Hole' so I presume that you have read 'Slaine: The Horned God' also.

[pictsy]

I see you've already read 'The Black Hole' so I presume that you have read 'Slaine: The Horned God' also.

Yes, I have a copy of the Rebellion trade print (along with Warrior's Dawn).  I also have a copy of Khronikles - I think it's the peak of the ABC Warriors with Black Hole and Hellbringer.

I managed to catch Necropolis when it was reprinted in the Megazine but have never read Dead Man.  I already know the twist to Dead Man so I'll never really know what it was like to read it the first time round.  I imagine it's a great story nonetheless.

[Greg M.]

I already know the twist to Dead Man so I'll never really know what it was like to read it the first time round.  I imagine it's a great story nonetheless.

That's what so great about it - whilst it's impossible to deny just how mind-blowing that twist was at the time, the story holds up perfectly well even with foreknowledge. Ridgway's art is hugely atmospheric, and Wagner's control of tension is masterly - it's a bloody scary story at times.

[Colin YNWA]

I already know the twist to Dead Man so I'll never really know what it was like to read it the first time round.  I imagine it's a great story nonetheless.

That's what so great about it - whilst it's impossible to deny just how mind-blowing that twist was at the time, the story holds up perfectly well even with foreknowledge. Ridgway's art is hugely atmospheric, and Wagner's control of tension is masterly - it's a bloody scary story at times.

Yeah this is so true. I re-read it not that long ago (couple of years maybe) and while at the time the twist seemed to dominate readers thoughts, quite understandably, once that's gone it still really holds up as just a plain great story. I'm really looking forward to getting around to re-reading Trifecta as I think this will have similar longevity.

[Frank]

I already know the twist to Dead Man so I'll never really know what it was like to read it the first time round.  I imagine it's a great story nonetheless.

That's what so great about it - whilst it's impossible to deny just how mind-blowing that twist was at the time, the story holds up perfectly well even with foreknowledge. Ridgway's art is hugely atmospheric, and Wagner's control of tension is masterly - it's a bloody scary story at times.

The Dead Man had become my favourite story in the comic long before Wagner whipped away the table cloth, for exactly the reasons Greg states above.  It's got the feel of an old Western about it, crossed with childrens' stories where a kid gets a powerful or magical monster as a pet - like Shane meets Pete's Dragon. Maybe Whistle Down The Wind would have been a better comparison than a Disney cartoon for the way kids are drawn to figures like the Dead Man as a source of fun and fascination and because they're grotesque and dangerous.

[Recrewt]

13 replies and not one of you has mentioned Button Man! 

This will appear near the end of the bunch of progs you have just got pictsy, and you'll only get book 1 but it is one of the best stories that has ever been in the Prog.

I came on-board with 2000ad in the 600s and there is plenty of older progs that I still have not read.  The thing with the prog is that some strips keep coming up, you will like them and then you will seek out past stories.  But, there are also the lesser know ones, such as Tribal Memories that Colin mentioned, that you will stumble across and love.  I think you are doing it the best way - get a bunch and then work your way through.