Oi! Hands off!

[Trout]

Trying out starting a discussion for the first time:

Which 2000AD stories are already perfect and, in the interests of their precious memory, should NEVER be resurrected?

Consider the evidence: Rogue, Sam Slade, Harlem Heroes, Mean Team and I'm sure a few others were soiled by attempts to "update" them.

As I've blurted out below, I would start the list with Halo Jones and Zenith. They're already perfect and ought to be left alone.

Mind you, if Alan Moore were to turn up, I might change my mind.

Any thoughts?

MikeD

[Trout]

Actually, couple of things occur to me:
1. If this was a previous thread, refer me there.
2. Can't answer posts in the next few hours; have stuff to do. Will look in later to see if anyone was interested.
Thanks
MikeD

[paulvonscott]

Halo Jones, but what if instead of 3 amazing books, we had TEN amazing books by Mr Moore.  All drawn in lovely B&W by Ian Gibson.

Seriously, I think if some royaly deal on reprints could be done, a contract for seven new Halo Jones novels would be the most azaming thing in the world.

If Zenith could be prevented from flying up his own butt and have stories set in modern britain with satire and decent plots, yeah.  I just don't think Grant Morrison could (or would) do it.

[Trout]

On Zenith, I have dearly loved practically everything baldy Grant has done, but you're right - it's certainly possible he couldn't do anything new with the strip.

This is exactly what I'm getting at. If there's nowhere new to go with it (with the original creators) then Tharg should pass a law forbidding any molestation, ever.

If, however, Moore and Gibson did revisit Halo...
It clearly doesn't take much to change my mind. One reply to my post and I'm immediately salivating about ten Halo Jones books.

No - no - leave it alone. I'm determined. Back off Brussels!

MikeD

[paulvonscott]

Yeah the problem with these add-on strips is that the orginal creators aren't involved.

Rogue Trooper, Robo-Hunter, Flesh, Satanus, Harlem Heroes, Chopper, etc.

All have suffered, or at least been reduced to a bland mush.  I think sometimes a new writer can bring a lot to a new character.  They have to be more than good, they have to be the right person for the strip.  

Also I think the original creator should have some say in it.  I know it's all based on good will, there is no legal reason to do it, but surely their veiws on where a strip should go or the style it should maintain should be listened to.  

And if that can't be agreed upon, leave it with the original creator and let him come back to it when he's good and ready.  Personally I'm not happy at all with what Grant did with Alpha later on, I still can't believe this is the person who brought us Rage.

I was a bit pissed off about Satanus.  He had a really good ending in Nemesis, you couldn't ask for a better end to a character.  Then he was brought back just to chew on some more people.

[Trout]

Agree on Satanus.
Interested in the mention of Chopper, who I forgot about.

I agree the character was run into the ground a bit, but he's also an example of how revisiting a character can be beneficial.

Remember he started off as King Scrawler, then was reinvented in the Supersurf stuff, with (IMHO) his best moments in Oz.

Now we remember him with a tinge of regret, because the "franchise" - without original creators' involvement? - was allowed to go a bit too far.

As with many things in life, the trick seems to be knowing when to stop.

MikeD

[2000AD Online]

"knowiing when to stop".  Exactly.  I don't think there's a character who can't be bought back entertainingly.  The bland and/or mushy ones seem to be partly the result of new writers trying to do what the old ones did but without having their hearts in it.  I'm thinking of Bad Company and Zenith  here.  The original BC being reprinted in the Megazine is excellent the new one was...well, bland mush says it all.   I didn't see the original Zenith but his recent comeback was very boring.    It would be better to completely violate the spirit of the original and make something new and good.
   Missionary Man is always fun but the writers and the artists seem to start anew each time with him.

[Oddboy]

I liked the new Satanus story although I can't remember what happened to him in Nemisis (he was hanging with Nem's son wasn't he?).

Here are some previous botched attempts (IMO)
Nemisis - the last book was rubbish thought wasn't it?

Wasn't keen on The Scarlot Cantos version of Durham but the artwork was so amazing I didn't mind what was happening plotwise.
(I have a point on Alpha but I'll do it as a seperate thread because it's a touchy subject.)

The first Fr1day story (The War Machine?) I thought was really good, but it should have been a one off as the series got pretty lame with the follow up stories.  Don't understand Tor Cyan at all.  (Missing a coupla years worth of progs so I haven't read his first story).
The best thing to do with Rogue is to reinvent him a few more times.  He can become something of a Doctor Who figure & hopefully sooner or later he'll hit on a really good incarnation.