Prog 2350 - 2000ad Battle Action*

[Funt Solo]

Just read this - brilliant prog. I'll echo what Colin YNWA said about this being a great example of what Regened could be.

In terms of the ones I'd really like more episodes of:

- Death Game 2049 - they had me at "GUK!"
- El Mestizo - loved the crossover magic at the end. Blocker looks like Michael Landon.
- Hellman of Hammer Hell Force - this should somehow crossover with Mechastopheles.
- Major Eazy - like Cursed Earth Koburn, it's just too much fun not to have in the comic.

Dredd was fun as a one-off alternity-intro, and the premise could easily replace the rather moribund Cadet Dredd in Regened. Beyond that, though - expanding the idea doesn't hold much interest for me. Dredger, despite the future-scape stuff, just felt the most anachronistic. I think this would have worked better if his hyper-violent, Dirty Harry approach to problem-solving left the future-folk aghast: more like Ulysses Sweet.

[Le Fink]

link=msg=1105761 date=1696479703]
Just read this - brilliant prog. I'll echo what Colin YNWA said about this being a great example of what Regened could be.

My first reaction too, but apart from cadet Dredd, they're over Regened's age limit policy for leads.

It would have to be Hellboy's hammer force and Easy minor.

[nxylas]

link=msg=1105761 date=1696479703]
Just read this - brilliant prog. I'll echo what Colin YNWA said about this being a great example of what Regened could be.

My first reaction too, but apart from cadet Dredd, they're over Regened's age limit policy for leads.

It would have to be Hellboy's hammer force and Easy minor.

Plus, I wonder how appealing these stories would be for youngsters. Much of their appeal lies in the nostalgia factor. What entertains old farts like me might bore a teenager. The "age limit policy for leads" you mention is not some arbitrary rule imposed for no reason, it's based on current trends in the YA market.

[Le Fink]

link=msg=1105761 date=1696479703]
Just read this - brilliant prog. I'll echo what Colin YNWA said about this being a great example of what Regened could be.

My first reaction too, but apart from cadet Dredd, they're over Regened's age limit policy for leads.

It would have to be Hellboy's hammer force and Easy minor.

Plus, I wonder how appealing these stories would be for youngsters. Much of their appeal lies in the nostalgia factor. What entertains old farts like me might bore a teenager. The "age limit policy for leads" you mention is not some arbitrary rule imposed for no reason, it's based on current trends in the YA market.

Indeed! I remember well Jim's missives on the subject. I was just being silly - no dig intended.

[IndigoPrime]

On the above, hence my earlier thinking that I didn't really consider this a template for Regened. Maybe some of the concepts might work, but mostly I felt like the stories had legs in and of themselves for 2000 AD. Probably not taking over the whole Prog, but one of them now and again running as a full series could be good.

[nxylas]

On the above, hence my earlier thinking that I didn't really consider this a template for Regened. Maybe some of the concepts might work, but mostly I felt like the stories had legs in and of themselves for 2000 AD. Probably not taking over the whole Prog, but one of them now and again running as a full series could be good.

Would deffo like to see more Indiana Easy.

[GordonR]

On the above, hence my earlier thinking that I didn't really consider this a template for Regened. Maybe some of the concepts might work, but mostly I felt like the stories had legs in and of themselves for 2000 AD. Probably not taking over the whole Prog, but one of them now and again running as a full series could be good.

Would deffo like to see more Indiana Easy.

Mate, it would basically just be the same story over and over again. (Kinda like the original Battle strip....)

I wrote it, and I don't see much mileage in it as a continuing story. And the suggestions about it being suitable for Regened are just bizarre.

[Funt Solo]

Kind of what I liked about early 2000 AD - it wasn't the mainstream - it had an edge.

[Tjm86]

I'd have to agree with the emerging consensus regarding Regened.  The Dredd story is probably the only one that really fits. 

Then again this assumes the driver of connections is the age of the character.  That's not really something that fit back in the day.

When you look at the roster of characters right from the off, none of them were 'target market age'.  Granted some supporting characters were but IIRC Wolfie Smith is probably the first lead character that could be described as such.

I think I'd also have to agree with Mr Rennie on the mileage for 'Indiana Eazy'.  It's likely to become fairly formulaic.  Even with some sort of backdrop 'conspiracy' to contend with.  As an occasional strip it would be fun but that would be about it in all honesty.

[Blue Cactus]

For me this prog looked fantastic and the strips were good, but I don't have any nostalgia for Battle/Action characters so it was just another week, along with the Regened weeks, where I'm missing a proper 2000ad, which is what I'm interested in. I find it harder to get into one-off episodes like this where I know they're designed to be one and done and there's nothing to get invested in. The prog itself has ongoing stories and characters that I care about and I want to see what happens next. I'm not complaining mind, no problem with Regened or with 2000ad trying out this or things like the zombie crossover, I prefer the standard prog.

[nxylas]

Mate, it would basically just be the same story over and over again. (Kinda like the original Battle strip....)

I wrote it, and I don't see much mileage in it as a continuing story.

Fair enough, I can't really argue with the actual writer of the strip. It's just that whole "high adventure with speculative fiction elements" is not something I can ever really remember 2000AD doing before, even when everyone else was doing it in the wake of Raiders. Maybe it's because everyone else was doing it, but 2000AD has never traditionally been shy about jumping on bandwagons.

[Funt Solo]

It's not as if the "monster of the week", repetitive nature of the idea was something that prog 2350 handled with so much subtlety that it was escaping anyone's notice. An un-killable villain, hyperbolic next prog messages, this:




So, this sort of exchange was amusing:

Squaxx: "That was really fun! More! More!"
Script Droid: "Pathetic imbeciles! Can't you comprehend the subtle genius at work here?"

[Art]

Hear me out here...

"Major E.T."

[Leigh S]

Dice Man was 2000ADs shameless Indy rip off? 

[Funt Solo]

AI's response...