2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

[Tomwe]

Sorry if I missed it, but is there a picture of the new spine art anywhere?

there was, a bit back upthread, but the link has expired. It's more of a collage, with different styles of 2000AD logo and characters in the foreground.

EDIT: here it is
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[Arkady]

Mmm. The colouring change is quite jarring.

Do we know why Boo Cook didn't do it?

[Proudhuff]

The Middenface book is far better than I was expecting it to be. Tbh after the 3 Strontium Dogs volumes I didn't have particularly high expectations for it at all. Turns out it's far better than most of the SD strips in those books. It's a great mix of humour and action with a few serious moments and some superb art. You can tell the creators are enjoying themselves. This book is the surprise hit of the 2nd extension imo, if you're cherry-picking and skipped it you might want to reconsider.

First one of these I've cherry picked in a long, long time. and worth reading these collected, never worked for me when in the Meg with a month between five or so pages, you do get into the rhythm of the tales and speak in this collection. 

[Dark Jimbo]

No disrespect to Ben Willsher - his character artwork isn't the problem - but I think it's an absolute mess. Like a placeholder knocked up by the work expierience kid.

[OrnateColt]

No disrespect to Ben Willsher - his character artwork isn't the problem - but I think it's an absolute mess. Like a placeholder knocked up by the work expierience kid.

Hmm that was my reaction to the image floating around, but having seen a couple of the spines now, I think it will look better 'in the flesh'

[The Monarch]

i kinda wish there was more characters on it i get what they are going fo showing the various 2000ad logos but some of it feels so empty if that makes sense?

[sintec]

Return of the Mean Team really is drivel isn't it   The first book was at least readable but this is a real struggle. What a sad waste of Bellardinelli's art.

[Colin YNWA]

Return of the Mean Team really is drivel isn't it   The first book was at least readable but this is a real struggle. What a sad waste of Bellardinelli's art.

Have to be honest one of my least favourite thrills ever.

[The Monarch]

wasn't this one of Bellardinellis final strips he ever did for 2000ad which makes it even sadder

[mitchuk]

Find it bit weird that Hachette haven't confirmed the extension outside of Facebook, latest issues showed up with no mention of the extension or how many extra issues there would be, must have took a few people by surprise.

[Barrington Boots]

My wife was impressed with the Mean Team group pose picture on the back of last weeks Prog and asked if it was as good as it looked (which was exactly the reaction I had when I first saw it as a star scan)
It fell to me to explain to her why it was not. From Ding Dong Dooley to the reveal of the 'magic word', absolute drivel sums it up. It's a good job it looks stunning else surely it wouldn't have made this collection - I think Bellardinelli's lovely artwork is far better in the risible part 2 than in part 1.

On the flipside though, we could use more Henry Moon!

[IndigoPrime]

wasn't this one of Bellardinellis final strips he ever did for 2000ad which makes it even sadder

Judging by Barney, yes. From what I can tell, Moon Runners was his series swansong, after the final Mean Team. He also did a handful of one-offs. But a horrible end for a one-time great.

[Jim_Campbell]

Judging by Barney, yes. From what I can tell, Moon Runners was his series swansong, after the final Mean Team. He also did a handful of one-offs. But a horrible end for a one-time great.

I remember thinking, back then, as Bellardinelli kept getting stuck with (charitably) second-string thrills, that someone really needed to just write something for him. Look at (say) the Black Hole episodes of Blackhawk and then write something that just let him draw all the mad shit that he clearly loved.

[JohnW]

someone really needed to just write something for him.

I could well be wrong, but wasn't that the thinking behind Ace Trucking?

[Jim_Campbell]

I could well be wrong, but wasn't that the thinking behind Ace Trucking?

Could well have been, but Ace Trucking was long gone by then and it just seemed to me that no one was playing to Bellardinelli's artistic strengths any more and it seemed like, well, a waste.