Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection discussion thread

[Trent]

Tony, I get the cherry picking view but even so, if anyone had dared to suggest that over half of all Dreddverse material published would be collected in a series of premium hardback books with volumes often twice the thickness of the equivalent trades I would never have believed it.
Marvel, DC, Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars sure, but never Dredd.
A smattering of clearly substandard volumes is a very small price to pay even if the missed opportunities they represent are a damned shame.
I am too happy to have this collection in the first place to ever get too churlish.

[Tony Angelino]

I think there have been quite a few substandard volumes, not just the last couple. That's just my opinion but it is difficult to look at stories like Sleeze 'n Ryder and say this is worth me continuing to pay £20 a month for two hardbacks on subscription.   

Don't get me wrong there have been some fantastic collections but for me there have also been too many, dare I say it, 1990's reprints.

I think they should maybe have capped the Mega Collection at around 50-60 issues and left out a lot of the stories where fan opinion is very divided.

[Trent]

I hear you Tony but personally I'll take what comes.
My beef is that certain key and iconic Dredd stories are not being included at the expense of some of the aforementioned dross.
Given we just about know every volume now (I think there are 3 I don't know about assuming The Hunting Party is included) I would welcome even a short extension to capture these omitted stories.

[robert_ellis]

I think the pricing is excellent when you compare these hardcovers to the slim reprints of Misty & Monster recently. I really do think Sleeze N Ryder was forgettable dross - it's frustrating when there's so much good early Dredd out there unreprinted. It was really odd on Facebook when Hachette referred to Anderson volumes like The Trip & Dead End which clearly must be additional to the 80 planned books. Only Patrick Goddard knows if there's more spine art!

[moly]

Someone needs to ask Patrick Goddard next Saturday

[JaHawkDroid]

Does anyone know whether this collection will include Titan/Enceladus?  Thinking of buying the TPB but won't if it'll be one of the volumes in the collection.

Titan and its sequels won't be in the Mega Collection.

Titan is included in one of the Low Life volumes. Will Enceladus be included?

[Skullmo]

I think the pricing is excellent when you compare these hardcovers to the slim reprints of Misty & Monster recently. I really do think Sleeze N Ryder was forgettable dross - it's frustrating when there's so much good early Dredd out there unreprinted. It was really odd on Facebook when Hachette referred to Anderson volumes like The Trip & Dead End which clearly must be additional to the 80 planned books. Only Patrick Goddard knows if there's more spine art!

What good early unreprinted Dredd is there?

[Trent]

Word is that Enceledus is not included. Titan was an unexpected bonus.

In terms of classic Dredd not yet included and either ruled out or not yet announced, where to start?
Graveyard Shift
Unamerican Graffitti
Pirates of the Black Atlantic
Sob Story
Early Bolland such as Punks Rule, Forever Crimes
Uncle Ump
Alone in a Crowd
Nosferatu
Death of a Politician
Death of a Legend
The Warlord
The Falucci Tape
Kenny Who? stories
Compulsory Purchase
Pinboing Wizard

Just the tip of the iceberg which is why some of us grumble over Sleeze n'Ryder when we could have these stories on high quality paper maybe even with colour centrespreads restored.

[Skullmo]

These have all been reprinted before

[Trent]

Sorry Skullmo, assumed you meant not reprinted in the Mega Collection given the thread.

All early Dredd has of course been reprinted at some time and is currently in the Case Files and Restricted Files. Only the 4 Cursed Earth episodes had escaped until recently.

[abelardsnazz]

Does anyone know whether this collection will include Titan/Enceladus?  Thinking of buying the TPB but won't if it'll be one of the volumes in the collection.

Titan and its sequels won't be in the Mega Collection.

Titan is included in one of the Low Life volumes. Will Enceladus be included?

I personally hope not as I bought the TPB then Titan appeared! However Enceladus would sit well in the collection if it's extended, along with Dark Justice.

I found Cursed Earth Carnage to be a mixed bag. Really enjoyed Helltrekkers, Wagner and Grant having fun in the sandpit outside the city, with no established characters to worry about. Citi-Def and Sleeze & Ryder then run with the same basic theme, but take it too over the top and end up falling flat. The best thing I can say about either is that I enjoyed some of the artwork.

And to those of you in attendance this weekend, have a fantastic time. I shall be there with you in spirit.

[opaque]

Sorry Skullmo, assumed you meant not reprinted in the Mega Collection given the thread.

All early Dredd has of course been reprinted at some time and is currently in the Case Files and Restricted Files. Only the 4 Cursed Earth episodes had escaped until recently.

It's the selling of it as the Mega Collection. So it needs to be mega even if that means something is being printed again, unless it should only be Mega Collection years x to y, that would work, just ignore the early years totally and leave that to other already published titles maybe.  I see these amazing quality books publishing subject groups in a different way. So the first 20 would be one character or stream, the next 20 would be someone else so collectible in smaller clumps or still as a whole. That way you could continue to bring out more and more ad infinitum. Also means you could bring out the newer materials that are currently in tpb into the hb's much later on when most people already have the original tpb but keep continuity of hb groups.

Maybe this is for the future as the quality of these hardbacks is really good. And in a good size for bookshelves!

[Skullmo]

I think it needs to cater for new fans as well as old - I know that if it reprinted the stuff i already have I would not buy it. even though I know some of the stories were a bit pantsit is nicet o read them finally collected in a book rather than in the issues. There have been a few stories that when collected were much better than I remembered (Maelstrom for example).

[Trent]

Truth is that virtually everything in the collection has been reprinted at some point bar a few later Dredd stories, Holocaust whatsit, Sleeze n Ryder, Citidef, final Koburn story, Missionary Man and a few others.
Very little for 55 volumes and even less to justify getting the collection in terms of quality.

Obviously what each individual holds in terms of reprint will vary from person to person but to many on these boards the collection is a repackaging of material they already have in nice hardback volumes, on better paper, in themed volumes with a few extras and sometimes with colour restored for the first time since the prog. More than enough to justify a tenner a pop.

Even books that are effectively reissues of existing trades have something to offer with generally a higher page count allowing for more back up stories connected either directly or thematically.

I have read pretty much everything before although some not for many years and look forward to each 4 weekly delivery with childlike enthusiasm.

[DarkDaysBish-OP]

I think it needs to cater for new fans as well as old - I know that if it reprinted the stuff i already have I would not buy it. even though I know some of the stories were a bit pantsit is nicet o read them finally collected in a book rather than in the issues. There have been a few stories that when collected were much better than I remembered (Maelstrom for example).

I love the fact people are rediscovering and/or appreciating material from the Meg that didn't get much attention at the time.