Classic Stories and Hidden Gems

[pictsy]

The last couple of months I have been reading some late 80's back issues that have been in my collection for a little while now but which I have not read before.  Starting with prog 445 I am (as of writing this) on prog 628.  This prog features Zenith: Phase III, Slaine: The Horned God and Rogue Trooper: Cinnabar.  All three classic stories (two of which I have had the privilege of reading reprints of).  Also I have been finding nice surprises like Zippy Couriers.

I thought it might be nice to have a thread to discuss and reminisce on the great and wonderful stories of 2000AD.  Those classic stories and hidden gems.

In addition to the aforementioned stories I would also like to mention more recent stories, Brass Sun and Kingdom.  Both of these stories I feel are instant classics and great examples of the quality of the prog today. 

[Colin YNWA]

Until recently I'd have said Tribal Memories was the best of the 'hidden gems' but then that appeared in that complication of shorter stories, which also wiped The Visible Man from that list.

So then Return to Armageddon came to the top of the 'hidden gems' pile, but Tharg after so many years finally saw the error of his ways and gave that its own trade.

So early Dan Dare steps up... whoops that's gone too

Rebellion's trade programme, in conjunction with the Meg's reprint floppie seems to be putting pay to the idea that there are any 'hidden gems' left! Well aside from those Judge Dredd Cursed Earth episodes.

Looking ahead I hope the 3rillers aren't left to rot. While they are a mixed bag there have been some absolute stonewall classics among them, Ghostship Mathematica being a particular favourite of mine, like to see them getting an airing at some point in the future.

[Professor Bear]

Does anyone know if the new "parody" exceptions recently introduced to UK copyright law might now allow the Cursed Earth episodes to see the light of day again, protected by clearly being satire?  I only ask because Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing Pat Mills has ever written, and roughly ninety percent of the panels featuring Ronald McDonald belong on t-shirts.

[TordelBack]

...roughly ninety percent of the panels featuring Ronald McDonald belong on t-shirts.

I'm not sure that either Rebellion or McDonalds would count that as a vote in favour.

[DarkDaysBish-OP]

Does anyone know if the new "parody" exceptions recently introduced to UK copyright law might now allow the Cursed Earth episodes to see the light of day again, protected by clearly being satire?  I only ask because Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing Pat Mills has ever written, and roughly ninety percent of the panels featuring Ronald McDonald belong on t-shirts.

Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing ever written, but it wasn't by Pat Mills - either T. B. Grover [a/k/a/ John Wagner] or Jack Adrian scripted that two-parter, can't remember which...

[pictsy]

Hidden gems does not necessarily have to mean stories that haven't seen a reprint but rather stories that you may think are not as well known or perhaps don't have as much of a reputation.

I recently read Tribal Memories in the original print and I was not aware of its existence before.  Certainly one the many joys I have been having with these old issues.

I don't even know of Return to Armageddon, never heard of it before.

I agree about the 3rillers.  Some of them have been top notch.

Burger Wars sounds interesting.  I wasn't aware there was some contention with some episode of The Cursed Earth saga.  Are those omitted from the Complete Case Files?

[Jim_Campbell]

Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing ever written, but it wasn't by Pat Mills - either T. B. Grover [a/k/a/ John Wagner] or Jack Adrian scripted that two-parter, can't remember which...

Pretty sure Jack Adrian did the Jolly Green Giant story and Wagner the Burger Wars one…

Cheers

Jim

[GordonR]

Does anyone know if the new "parody" exceptions recently introduced to UK copyright law might now allow the Cursed Earth episodes to see the light of day again, protected by clearly being satire?  I only ask because Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing Pat Mills has ever written, and roughly ninety percent of the panels featuring Ronald McDonald belong on t-shirts.

Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing ever written, but it wasn't by Pat Mills - either T. B. Grover [a/k/a/ John Wagner] or Jack Adrian scripted that two-parter, can't remember which...

John Wagner/T.B. Grover wrote it.  Jack Adrian wrote the other banned CE story - the noticeably sub-standard Jolly Green Giant one.

[James Stacey]

It was only the Jolly Green Giant one that caused an issue wasn't it? The burger wars was pulled just in case. Or did I dream it. Either way I doubt there would be an outcry from the lampooned companies in this day and age.

[pauljholden]

Does anyone know if the new "parody" exceptions recently introduced to UK copyright law might now allow the Cursed Earth episodes to see the light of day again, protected by clearly being satire?  I only ask because Burger Wars may very well be the greatest thing Pat Mills has ever written, and roughly ninety percent of the panels featuring Ronald McDonald belong on t-shirts.

Regardless of copyright exemptions, wasn't there a legally binding agreement put in place that would preclude such a thing?

-pj

[TordelBack]

As noted many of the better less-well-known strips have recently been reprinted in the unmissable Tharg's Sci-Fi Shockers, such as Family, Xtnct and Tribal Memories, and some other rarely-seen treats like The Inspectre are currently inbound.

Just a few other lesser-spotted gems:  Shadows, state conspiracies and consciousness by Milligan and an unrecognisable early Elson; Medivac 318 by Hilary Robinson and the criminally underrated Nigel Dobbyn, 2000AD's lost war story; Satanus Unchained, by Grennie and Colin MacNeil, a wonderful romp with lurid dinos that spawned a dozen bilious Pat Mills forewords; London Falling by Spurrier and Garbett, a very fine entry in the 'Mythago City' subgenre; Slaughter Bowl, by John Smith and Paul Peart, more lurid dinosaurs, these ones with chainsaws of their own; Dead Signal, Ewing and Holden, artistically adventurous existential weirdness that needs to be continued.

[Frank]

I've never read Burger Wars, but wouldn't it have been credited to John Howard, rather than TB Grover? His stories before and after The Cursed Earth certainly were - TB Grover was Wagner & Grant.

My nominee for hidden gem is Tales Of Megacity One; the very definition of an occasional series. It appears to have been created as a try-out slot for new artists around prog 520-ish, or maybe it was a way of using story ideas and finished scripts Wagner & Grant had prepped for the aborted first attempt at getting a Judge Dredd solo comic up and running a year or so earlier. Those early outings served as introductions to the world of MC1 for Will Simpson and Colin MacNeil, but the one I enjoyed most was a two-parter by Wagner, Grant, and Paul Hardy, a hard luck story told by a Cursed Earth cabbie.

Recent instalments include the Two-Ton Tony Tubbs strip and The Irrational Lottery, which both ran in The Megazine. To be honest, I didn't really notice the earlier stories were anything other than another Judge Dredd story until that Cursed Earth cabbie one - which doesn't feature MC1's top cop at all. Letting droids get used to writing the city without needing to worry about getting Dredd right, or of being tied to the crime story format, is a great idea, and might be the way forward in the unlikely event editorial ever decide to rest Dredd himself from the comic in-between Wagner's sporadic, significant additions to his continuing larger story.

[pictsy]

Shadow and Slaughter Bowl are upcoming thrills for my reading.

Apparently I've read Satanus Unchained, London Falling and Dead Signal but don't remember these stories by name.  I may dig them out and get reacquainted with them.

I have just finished the first run of Medivac 318 and I thought it superb.  Writing and art both well crafted.

Tales of MC1 is certainly a joy and sometimes more entertaining than the Dredd strip appearing in the same prog.  MC1, for me, is what makes Judge Dredd such a compelling comic.

[Lobo Baggins]

I've never read Burger Wars, but wouldn't it have been credited to John Howard, rather than TB Grover? His stories before and after The Cursed Earth certainly were - TB Grover was Wagner & Grant.

To complicate matters further, I've checked my progs and Burger Wars part one in prog 71 is actually credited to Pat Mills!  Script Droid in part two is credited to TB Grover (it is, I think, the first appearance of that alias), and Giants Aren't Gentlemen and Soul Food are by Jack Adrian.

[TordelBack]

I'd completely forgotten about Tales of Mega-City 1, cheers Sauchie.  A candidate for the Meg floppy, perhaps?