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2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

Started by Molch-R, 27 February, 2017, 06:03:27 PM

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Molch-R

After the huge success of Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection, we're delighted to tip you off you that Hachette Partworks is to trial a new collection bringing together stories from 40 years of 2000 AD.

You may well see or hear about test volumes appear in newsagents in certain parts of the country over the next month. These tests are being done to see if a series would work and, if the test is successful, there'll be a big national launch at a later date - just like there was with the Mega Collection.

This is very exciting for us as the Mega Collection has been hugely positive for 2000 AD and we want that success to continue.

We appreciate every fan's interest in ensuring these tests are successful - WE want them to be successful too, but we also appreciate Hachette's concerns that people rushing into the test areas and bulk buying copies will skew their numbers and could put the viability of a national launch at risk. We and Hachette don't publicise these tests for that very reason.

At the same time, we know you'll want to get your hands on what promise to be rather tasty new hardcover editions. If you're desperate to get a copy of one of the books and you find yourself NOT in a test area, please send me your name and address through this forum, we'll see about getting you a sample copy from Hachette (dependant on supplies).

The series website is now live at www.2000adcollection.com if you want to see how the collection might take shape if it does launch nationally.

This is yet more great news for 2000 AD in its 40th anniversary year and we know we can count on your support if the collection gets the go ahead!

COMMANDO FORCES


Steve Green

Great news - is it OK to share this on our SD and Minty facebook page or would that upset the Hachette Gods?

moly


robert_ellis

Can you get Patrick Goddard on the spine of this one! Great news but please wrap up the Dredd one first!

Tony Angelino

Sounds good.

My only concern is that sometimes with size of the hardbacks you get a really good story or stories but then padded out with 'filler' material (usually from the 1990's if the Mega Collection is anything to go by).

I would nearly prefer the hardbacks to have less pages in them but be a larger size.

Geoff

Quote from: robert_ellis on 27 February, 2017, 06:50:23 PM
Can you get Patrick Goddard on the spine of this one! Great news but please wrap up the Dredd one first!

I'll second that. Be difficult to justify getting both at the same time...

IndigoPrime

Ha! Brilliant! Very glad to be proven wrong (potentially) that this would never happen. But, man, this is going to be a really tricky series for Matt and co. to put together. So many strips only work fully when complete. But given the pasting my paperbacks are taking on our IKEA Billys, I'd be sorely tempted to double tip if certain series were going to be there in their entireties.

Anyway: good job to all concerned. Here's hoping it does well.

Quote from: Tony Angelino on 27 February, 2017, 07:22:56 PMMy only concern is that sometimes with size of the hardbacks you get a really good story or stories but then padded out with 'filler' material (usually from the 1990's if the Mega Collection is anything to go by).
I think part of that, to be frank, is a decision to attempt to provide more value to the readers. If you've seen the original Marvel collection, you'll know how absurdly varied they are in width. Some volumes are chunky, but others are really skinny. I'd sooner have a decent yarn backed with middling material. The problem is when a book's all what people would consider filler – which fortunately hasn't happened often. (With a 2000 AD collection, it'd be an interesting thought experiment to see what you could get into 60–80 200–250-page books. I'll bet you wouldn't need to dip into the Junkers of this world.)

Steve Green

Yeah, if it went ahead, there are stories which wouldn't fill the average MC volume.

DR & Quinch for example. I'm not sure what you'd do there - either partner it with something tonally similar, or fill it with Alan Moore FS/Time Twisters?

I guess there's even the possibility of stuff that is tenuously Dreddworld that fell through the cracks.

Shako/Ant Wars/Rounded off with Zancudo?

I don't envy the droids putting it together if it goes to a full series.

Tony Angelino

All the Mega Collections seem to have been the same size. I'd rather get a 'skinny' volume than get one padded out with material I'm sure even Garth Ennis is surprised is getting a reprint.

I can see the first volume being The Ballad of Halo Jones (with an Ian Gibson cover). Second volume will probably be Ant Wars with a foreword by Neil Gaiman or some other luminary.

Be interesting to see what they do with the covers. I like the Mega Collection black, white and red but presumably they'll do something different for a 2000AD collection.

opaque

Filler is certainly an issue. And the sheer cost is very annoying. I'm not buying any of the new GN's because of buying the Hatchette series.
And yes it needs the 'Dredd' one to finish first! The quality is lovely but there is a matter of too much at once.

How about one a month?

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Tony Angelino on 27 February, 2017, 08:32:31 PM
I can see the first volume being The Ballad of Halo Jones (with an Ian Gibson cover). Second volume will probably be Ant Wars with a foreword by Neil Gaiman or some other luminary.


You'd be lucky if they did !

http://forums.2000adonline.com/index.php?topic=43337.msg922260#msg922260

He says arrogantly quoting himself. Love me some Ant Wars.

Richard

It beggars belief that out of all the fantastic stories to have appeared in the prog over four decades, three people have gone and suggested Ant Wars as a candidate for inclusion, a dated, cliched, unimaginative strip which made it into an official list of the worst stories to have appeared in the comic (in a Sci-Fi Special I think).

*shakes head in despair, growls under breath, self-harms*

Richard

Great news though. Hope it works out.

Tony Angelino

I actually didn't notice that Steve had mentioned Ant Wars in the post before mine. Just shows you the demand is out there and that Rebellion have been going down the wrong route with the whole Judge Dredd thing.

To be honest I haven't read the strip since it first appeared. My collection of early progs is sadly long gone. One of my only memories of the story is the cover to #78. I was on my summer holidays in Portrush and I can remember getting a bit annoyed that I had difficulty finding 2000AD in the newsagent (as it was cleverly disguised as a newspaper).