Would the Megazine be better off with fewer strips?

[MumboJimbo]

For me reading the Magazine is always a slightly clumsy affair where I'm constantly leafing through back issues to remind myself of the current story arcs. It's one thing to remember where we are in 5 separate ongoing sagas if I last read them a week ago, but for my middle aged brain, rather too much to expect it to dredge up such detailed information from a month ago. So that got me thinking why not reduce the number of stories in the Megazine? Why does it have to match 2000 AD's story count of 5?

In this month's Meg there are 44 pages of comic strip material, so each strip averages to about 9 pages, which is less than double the 2000 AD average strip size of 5-6 pages. What I personally think would be great is if we had instead were 3 stories of 14-15 pages each - a far more meaty proposition and something to really get your teeth into each month. And a longer story, together with only 3 would mean it would be far more likely you'd have remembered what the hell was going on a 4 weeks later.

Tharg would still have to commission the same amount of work for the Meg each year, so that and the schedule of graphic novels borne from the work wouldn't be radically altered.

I'm sure there are probably lots of good reasons why this can't happen and many other squaxxes may not like the idea in the first place, but it really would transform the Meg for me.

[Colin YNWA]

I have the same problem with my addled noggin and if a story hasn't fully engaged me need to kick myself back into  gear - actually one of the advantages of being digital with the Meg as it goes.

The thing is I like the variety. One of the great thing about both of Tharg's organs is the number of strips me you get exposed to all sorts you might not otherwise. If there's less variety a duff strip, as of course happens, has a much bigger impact. I also wonder about the econmics for arts as well. Not sure how paying them works but would Tharg only pay them if he got the whole puiblishable story in? If that's the case and artist having to produce say 15 pages in a 3 strip Meg before being paid might be an issue... utter speculation there there may well be different models.

All that said they are different comics, so maybe a different format might be fun to try and say two 22 page series would give different story opportunities and ways of telling stories. One Dredd, one other Dredd world strip. The more I say it the more the idea appeals!

[MumboJimbo]

I have the same problem with my addled noggin and if a story hasn't fully engaged me need to kick myself back into  gear - actually one of the advantages of being digital with the Meg as it goes.

Off topic, but my annual sub runs out in October and I was thinking of changing to digital and reading the prog on my ancient third-generation iPad. Am I right in thinking you don't get the prog/meg early like print subscribers do? And does the CBZ format handle double page spreads correctly? The recent Anderson in the prog had lots of double-pagers and I was worried if that would be treated as two separate pages digitally.

[MumboJimbo]

The thing is I like the variety. One of the great thing about both of Tharg's organs is the number of strips me you get exposed to all sorts you might not otherwise. If there's less variety a duff strip, as of course happens, has a much bigger impact.

Yes, that's a great point, and I agree that would be missed if it were to change.

I guess where I'm coming from though is a strip is often only 9 pages long, and it takes my a lot longer to catch up on the story than actually reading those 9 new pages. It's not too bad when you're on, say, episode 8 of the Torture Garden, when the main premise is firmly established and characters are ones you've been familiar with for a while. But at the moment, all the stories are on about episode 2 to 4. There's no way I'm going to be able to digest ep 3 of Diamond Dogs without reading the first two episodes again. All I can remember is it's set in the East End and the protagonist is a female plain-clothed cop. I'm sure if I started reading the new installment with that knowledge alone, I would be missing a load. If I'd already read 30 pages of it, rather than 20 I'm sure I'd be more up to speed with what was going on.

[Colin YNWA]

I have the same problem with my addled noggin and if a story hasn't fully engaged me need to kick myself back into  gear - actually one of the advantages of being digital with the Meg as it goes.

Off topic, but my annual sub runs out in October and I was thinking of changing to digital and reading the prog on my ancient third-generation iPad. Am I right in thinking you don't get the prog/meg early like print subscribers do? And does the CBZ format handle double page spreads correctly? The recent Anderson in the prog had lots of double-pagers and I was worried if that would be treated as two separate pages digitally.

I'm digital Meg, physical Prog. I have to 'wait' until the Wednesday for the Meg rather than the typical Saturday delievery for the Prog. I say that but no e-mail reminder that there's new issue and I sometimes even forget then - see comment about addled noggin.

I read via the 2000ad app on a Samsung Tablet and it works fine for double page spread as when I turn my device landscape it displays two pages anyway.

I have to be honest I like being digital for the Meg for storage reasons but removing such factors I'd stick with physical for both.

[sheridan]

The problem with less, but longer strips is if you don't like one of them then the percentage of the Meg you don't like has increased (witness the reaction of many to American Reaper).  Just as long as it doesn't go back to fortnightly!

[broodblik]

I do have the same problem that I can not always remember what happened last. What I do now is to take the previous Meg and scan trough it to tingle my memory circuits.

I am fully digital and the double pages works like a charm on my iPad, so you can go for this option.

[IndigoPrime]

For me, part of the problem is the synopses are too short. Perhaps the contents page should become a double-page spread itself, with a larger area for bringing you up to speed. Perhaps the house ad on page two could become half a page to allow that.

[broodblik]

I also do not believe having less but longer stories is a better option. With 5 you have a better balances. Just imagine not liking any story with less

[Mardroid]

When I turn my tablet (Apple iPad in my case.) to landscape to get a double page spread, it doesn't always collate the right pages, so I get one single page and half of the spread. It didn't used to do that...

Aside from that, the tablet is great for comics.

[Andy B]

I think part of the problem is that the current bunch of strips just aren't very... memorable.

Sometimes I think I need to catch on the Meg, get halfway through a story, then realise I already read it.

Could be my aging brain, but on the other hand I had no problem following 'Lawless' every month.

[MumboJimbo]

For me, part of the problem is the synopses are too short. Perhaps the contents page should become a double-page spread itself, with a larger area for bringing you up to speed. Perhaps the house ad on page two could become half a page to allow that.

Yes, that would another solution. Most of the synposes tell you very little about the current story and are mostly a generic introduction to the strip itself. Consider this one from the current meg for Dredd:

Mega-City One, 2141 AD. This vast urban hell on the east coast of post-apocalyptic North America is home to over 130 million citizens. Crime is rampant and stemming the tide of chaos are the Judges, empowered to dispense instant justice. Toughest of all is Judge Dredd – he is the Law! After past encounters with La Reine Rouge, Dredd's ready to take on the Euro crime syndicate...

Here only the final sentence helps you get up to speed. Everything else is only relevant to someone picking up the Meg for the first time and who has no idea who Dredd is. And let's face it, even new readers would mostly have a good idea who Dredd is. You could just dispense with the general intro, and just have purely a synopsis of the current story. That way it could still fit on a page.

[MumboJimbo]

Thanks for all the comments on reading 2000 AD/Megazine on tablets. I think I will change to digital in October as I have nowhere to store all the progs!

[broodblik]

If you go digitally you can get back-issues from 2003 for both the prog and meg

[Funt Solo]

If you go digitally you can get back-issues from 2003 for both the prog and meg

Which has saved my life in getting caught up from 2010.  I'm in the US and I have physical copies of progs 1-1683 (plus Megs).  It just isn't viable to add to the pile of paper both due to space and shipping costs.  Digital is great for me (although back in the day I'd have argued vehemently that paper is somehow purer).

I use the PDFs, and for 2-page spreads the reader software gives options for how to display the comic.

Oh, and having a digital copy makes it really easy to casually to something like this:



---

On topic: I'm still reading back in 2014, where the Meg has a standard 4-strip line-up, but my condensed re-read means I don't as easily forget what's happening.

Generally in 2000 AD & the Meg, because it takes so long between chapters (or books) sometimes I do become easily befuddled.  Especially in Dredd, where each writer takes turns and introduces their own characters, I often have no idea what's going on.  I'd love the preview parts at the beginning of each prog and Meg to help get us caught up when it's been a while.  Even more than they already do.

A diagram I would love at the moment is one that details all the different Dredd / Fargo clones.  I got lost and now don't really know what Dolman's origin story is.  (It wasn't in Origins, was it?)  Imagine a new reader, who's being presented with this guy with a goatee and it's clear from the narrative that he's supposed to be important (side characters are going "It's Dolman!  Wow!  He's back!") but there aren't any overt clues as to who he actually is.