Messages

2116

General / Re: CSBG - Top 100 comic book storyline - Vote 2013

« on: 10 October, 2013, 02:24:36 PM »

Great list Silent_Bomber, it seems we share a lot of taste in Spider-man and Batman!
I'd love to put some Alan Grant Batman in my list, but there's no one story that seems fair to pick out. However, CSBG also runs an occasional 'Best Comic Book runs' list, and this is where the likes of Grant/Breyfogle on Batman and Wagner/Grant on Dredd can really shine. (I say 'shine', but I am of course forgetting the millions of people who love them some Claremont/Byrne X-Men. Which is fine - but it's not the best comics ever)

2117

General / Re: CSBG - Top 100 comic book storyline - Vote 2013

« on: 09 October, 2013, 12:52:07 PM »

I'm a big fan of CSBGs voting threads. They regularly get well over 1,000 voters chiming in, and often throw up some interesting results - and, more importantly, turn me on to comics I'd not have bothered with, especially when it comes to Marvel and DC.

I'll be putting Nemesis Book 1 as my number 1 choice; am toying with some Dredd and Bad Company book 1 as well, but will throw in a chunk of non-tooth most likely.

I'd love to get an equivalent poll just for 2000AD stories, but even using this forum, I reckon we'd struggle to get 50 votes.

2118

General / Re: Which one are you?

« on: 02 October, 2013, 02:02:26 PM »

I am so close to switchng my sub from physical to digital. I've switched already and happily for a bunch of US comics I read, but it's the size issue that's the main thing - 2000AD pages are just that much bigger than a tablet screen, and the art is ever a big draw for 2000AD.

I have spent too many happy hours of my life next to a stack of old Progs to easily part with them, but I have to admit that since Rebellion has started collecting so many stories in trade or the Meg floppies it's getting harder for me to justify bothering to keep the physical Progs - especially the last few years that have given up more space to finite series versus ongoing serials (*Thargnote, see that long thread on the Reviews section).

I've got a box of mixed old Progs under my bed that contain a bunch of old stories I'd not read in a while, but I'm less and less inclined to go back to it because I've also got a stack of trades I haven't read yet - and in that time, the Meg has already collected Mercy Heights and the Zero City stories, two of the things I'd earmarked!

Ultimately for me, reading stories old and new in the original Progs will always be my preferred option, given an ideal world of infinite free time and storage space (and money to buy them all!)

2119

General / Re: Curious About Old Stories

« on: 02 October, 2013, 01:51:30 PM »

They're not the most popular thrills, but during the 600s-700s Tharg seemed to be keen on experimenting a bit more with what kinds of stories he'd be willing to tell. Sure, Freaks/Tribal Memories are probably better examples of non-action strips, but you might enjoy stumbling across Zippy Couriers and Tao de Moto for variety, and then Hewligan's Haircut for pretentious fun.

My big brother started reading the Prog around the start of this batch, so I was aware of it but didn't properly start reading until around 650ish. At the time, these sort of slice-of life storeis seemed interestingly grown-up and unlike anything I'd seen in a comic before. Spare a thought also for childish but actually rather wonderful stories like Timehouse, and Bradley the sprog who showes up sporadically for some fantastic one-offs during the 500s. (his later outings aren't so good but Simon Harrison's art is always gorgeous)

I remember loving the first parts of Bad Company which I looked at for the art as an 8 year-old, then having my mind blown by the awesomeness of the story when I went back to it a few years later. And then I got the treat of the two really rather good sequels which I had no idea were coming up!

I second the love for the Clown Book 1 + prologue.

2120

Suggestions / Re: Older progs available as digital issues

« on: 30 September, 2013, 02:59:00 PM »

I fully expect this has been answered elsewhere on the forum, but couldn't find an obvious place to look.

Will there ever be a way to read through old digital Progs story-by-story rather than Prog by Prog, or is this specifically a no-go as it'd negate the customers' need to buy a trade paperback (equivalent) of a story in order to read it in one go (easily, that is)?

2121

Prog / Re: I'm not enjoying the prog these days - and I know why.

« on: 18 September, 2013, 12:41:06 PM »

I don't post often on here, but this has been quite the thread.

A) I agree with the original sentiments expressed by Big Jim (are you big?) and whoever it was that started the thread. There is just something chore-ish about reading the prog at the moment. The art's still, on the whole, far more interesting than that in the US comics I read frantically/guiltily - which is as it ever was, and ever shall be Amen. So I don't resent the Prog for being a bit dull.

B) I have a more-than sneaking suspicion that every time Tharg asks for pitches based on a simple idea (space war or what have you), or every time a writer pitches a new idea, both are really hoping/trying to come up with something that will be the next Stront/RoboHunter/Dante/SinDex. I'm sure it's true than modern comics writers are more interested in telling a complete story than they used to be back in the 70s (when they got paid by the page), what with trade collections and all - but who wouldn't want to be the creator of a new character that could potentially become a household name, or at the very least the chosen avatar of one of us forum-botherers?

The problem is it's cussedly difficult to do, as I'm sure 1975-1977 era Pat Mills could tell you. I remember being struck by the info from Thrill Power Overload and the odd annual about how much time and effort went into the creation of the comic as a whole, but then in particular both Rogue Trooper and Slaine, both created with the specific aim of getting them to be lasting, regular characters with a set-up that could run and run. 

I haven't read Prog 1850 yet, but I'm very excited about the new series of Brass Sun. Edginton's best work since Leviathan, a serial that should/could have been a series. Brass Sun looks desperatley as if it's set up to be one long story, but I'd welcome the chance to spend more time in its clockwork worlds enjoying mini adventures.

2122

General / Re: Forthcoming Thrills!

« on: 26 July, 2013, 12:22:25 PM »

I'm really torn about Mills's tendency to do that. On the one hand, some of the throwaway characters and weapons he comes up with (in conjunction with his artists, obv.) are way cool, and I'd love to see them reappear and get used more often. On the other hand, I really respect and appreciate the creativity and bloody-mindedness of his drive to create new concepts all the damn time, and ignore old ones.

As a child, each 5-page epsiode of Mills and O'Neill Nemesis was like a self-contained Universe of delight - and if I'd never read a Prog before, I imagine I'd feel much the same with new episodes of Flesh and Defoe. They can be somewhat unsatisfying as long-form stories, but they excel in the moment, for the most part.

2123

Film & TV / Re: 2000AD on CBeebies

« on: 05 March, 2013, 12:52:16 PM »

I've only seen the adverts for Nina and the Neurons, I'll have to check it out!

2124

Film & TV / 2000AD on CBeebies

« on: 04 March, 2013, 12:26:47 PM »

I'm guessing I'm not the only person on these boards (not that I post very often) who has small children? And I'm guessing further that most fellow parents spend more time than they had ever expected to watching channel 71, aka CBeebies, aka the baby/toddler channel from the BBC?

Anyway, it's only fairly recently dawned on me that two of the better shows on this channel are the product of 2000 AD alumnus Steve Roberts. I'm a massive fan of Dipdap, which at the risk of dumbing it down too much is like a 2D Morph, but generally reminds me that 5 minute cartoons can still be great pieces of work. I gather he also works on the rather charming Abney & Teal, along with the likes of Simon Gurr.

Anyway, both are recommended - Dipdap indeed I'd recommend to anyone who simply likes cartoons, regardless of needing the excuse of a young child to watch them with.

2125

General / Re: Questions for Keith Richardson?

« on: 26 February, 2013, 12:39:16 PM »

Since you've started, what have the been the best and worst selling GNs?

I'm going to assume that Judge Dredd Case Files 1 is a strong contender for best-selling - is there any thought of repackaging the Case Files series, without the 'complete' tag, to only include the 'good' stories? 'Case Files 1' is clearly a title that's going to draw new readers in, but do its contents really encourage said new readers to buy  'Case Files 2'?
For example, could there be a market for 'The best of Judge Dredd, Volume 1', which contains, say, Robot Wars, a few Luna 1 stories, the Return of Rico, and ends with the Cursed Earth saga'?

2126

General / Re: Brass & Bland

« on: 19 February, 2013, 02:40:45 PM »

Walter the Wobot? And while we're on robots, Ro-Jaws and Hammerstein make a neat bickering couple.
But I can't think of any overtly covertly gay characters predating Brass and Bland, good call.

2127

Film & TV / Re: Utopia - C4

« on: 05 February, 2013, 02:46:17 PM »

I agree, this would translate really neatly into 2000AD I think, but then with the quality of original content so high I can see why Tharg's not bothering to court the tie-in people. But if Mr. Brooker could submit some Black Mirror scripts for comic-bookery that'd be neat and might bring in a few new souls, eh?

2128

Announcements / Re: Got any questions for Tharg? Comic Book Resources needs your help!

« on: 24 October, 2012, 12:29:32 PM »

Is the current Judge Anderson in the Megazine meant to be 50 years old (or thereabouts), or is she being drawn younger to match Olivia Thirlby?

Who's your favourite 2000 A.D. villain created in the last ten years?

Would you ever consider running licensed stories in 2000AD or the Meg in future? I know this didn't work out great with Urban Strike! or A Life Less Ordinary in the 1990s, but with maybe it could with the increasing popularity of genre novels and TV shows...

What's Prog 2000 going to be called when the issue count reached that magic number?

2129

Other Reviews / Re: Nikolai Dante Sympathy for the Devil

« on: 19 October, 2012, 11:52:09 AM »

The point is, I'm definitely buying it now! Thanks for clearing that up.

Hardbacks, man. Thye may look luxurious, and no doubt live longer, but I've never found one that was easier to read than the paperback edition, and damnit, reading is what books are for!

2130

Other Reviews / Re: Nikolai Dante Sympathy for the Devil

« on: 17 October, 2012, 09:43:45 AM »

Is this book in Hardback as Amazon claims? I must confess I'd rather it wasn't...
But it's a must buy for sure!