I registered a while back, but I don't think I ever said "Hi," so Hi.
Middle aged American reader here who decided to dive into Dredd and 2000 AD about a year and a half ago. I've been reading mostly chronologically and I'm up to about 1993. I'd seen the warnings about the 90s and, sure enough, I'm not enjoying myself as much as I was. I'd really like to pick up the pace.
Is there a guide to recommended 2000 AD stories similar to this: https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=46845.msg1036993#msg1036993 (This is excellent by the way. I'd love to see the "twice as long" version!)
Or is this all I really need: https://2000adbestever.blogspot.com/2022/01/best-thrill-ever.html
I will continue to read the Judge Dredd Case Files. They are currently @ 2004. But if you do not mind digital you can always get the digital progs from 2003 until present.
I can also recommend getting the Brink and The Out from the webstore they are excellent but it al depends on your taste. Classic stuff like Nemesis, Slaine and Rogue Trooper is a fully collectible as well.
And before I forget welcome to the board.
Zoso, everything after 1992 is something of a blur to me, so there'll be others better able to answer your question. I just wanted to welcome you to the board. I've only been here a few months myself, but oh – the stories I could tell!
The Best of 2000AD is also a good option volume 1 is out now with volume 2 coming end of January.
https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/XB799 (https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/XB799)
https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/XB800 (https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/XB800)
I will also just start getting the latest prog 2312 and start reading and then jump back to the older stuff with time.
https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/PRG2312P/2000-ad-prog-2312 (https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/PRG2312P/2000-ad-prog-2312)
The above posters have summed it up. My personal suggestions after I had a hiatus would be Nikolai Dante & Kingdom.
Welcome and if you have any spare time over the year create something for the Annual 2000AD advent calendar and post it next December 👍🏻😁. I'm a trier
I'd flip it on its head and read some current stuff as frankly some of the recent thrills are the best ever. Personally I'd go:
The Out
Brink
Lawless
Kingdom (well newish)
Brass Sun
Then circle back around to classics like Halo Jones, Nemesis and of course Nikolai Dante. Frankly the majority is all good and we've not even mentioned John Smith's work yet!
I'd 100% agree with trying the six-volume Best of 2000 AD. That'll bet you a bunch od different strips and from there you can dig deeper into things you might like.
Zoso5: are there any strips in particular you have or haven't enjoyed so far?
If you want to spoil yourself you could go for the Judge Dredd books Origins followed by the 2 volumes of Tour Of Duty.
Your best bet is to go back in time to about 1980 or '81 – making sure that you arrive in that era a couple of years before adolescence hits. Then you just get stuck in to whatever is on sale. Nothing simpler.
A word of warning: do not attempt to communicate with boys who are reading Roy of the Rovers. You'll be speaking different languages.
One more thing (and this might save you from a beating): when asked whether Adam and the Ants or Shakin Stevens, the answer is of course Madness.
Quote from: JWare on 28 December, 2022, 08:19:16 PM
...the answer is of course Madness.
That's your answer to everything...
Not everything in the 90s was bad. Button Man is excellent. Nikolai Dante started then. Many people would recommend Sinister Dexter, although I wouldn't. There were some good Slaine stories between progs 1104 and 1118. There was a series of one-episode science fiction stories called Pulp Sci-Fi, and a series of fantasy stories called Tales of Telguuth (the latter series has been collected in a book).
The Complete Case Files series has enough good Judge Dredd stories by John Wagner (from the Megazine) to be worth persevering with, in my opinion. But Wagner returned as the main Dredd writer in 2000AD from late 1994, or Case File 21.
:-D
Given that "this far" is posting messages on an internet forum frequented by middle-aged, bald-headed, hairy-arsed comic book fans, that isn't what I'd call an encouraging recommendation...
:-D
But it's all I ever dreamed of!
Thanks for all of the replies. Just to add a little more info, I'd never read any of this before Spring 2020. I jumped in at Block Mania and kept going chronologically prog by prog. I want to keep reading chronologically, but fast forward through the 90s, only reading what the community considers worthwhile from that decade. I'm eager to get to the Matt Smith era which I'm gathering was a new Golden Age for 2000 AD.
Quote from: JWare on 28 December, 2022, 08:19:16 PM
Your best bet is to go back in time to about 1980 or '81 – making sure that you arrive in that era a couple of years before adolescence hits. Then you just get stuck in to whatever is on sale. Nothing simpler.
A word of warning: do not attempt to communicate with boys who are reading Roy of the Rovers. You'll be speaking different languages.
One more thing (and this might save you from a beating): when asked whether Adam and the Ants or Shakin Stevens, the answer is of course Madness.
Yes, Madness obviously. But the again, I don't know Shakin Stevens and I never really cared for Adam and the Ants US hits!
Quote from: Richard on 28 December, 2022, 09:19:43 PM
Not everything in the 90s was bad. Button Man is excellent. Nikolai Dante started then. Many people would recommend Sinister Dexter, although I wouldn't. There were some good Slaine stories between progs 1104 and 1118. There was a series of one-episode science fiction stories called Pulp Sci-Fi, and a series of fantasy stories called Tales of Telguuth (the latter series has been collected in a book).
The Complete Case Files series has enough good Judge Dredd stories by John Wagner (from the Megazine) to be worth persevering with, in my opinion. But Wagner returned as the main Dredd writer in 2000AD from late 1994, or Case File 21.
Thank you. This is the kind of info I was looking for even though I neglected to say so in my original post. You must be a mind reader!
Quote from: Zoso5 on 29 December, 2022, 05:31:04 PM
I don't know Shakin Stevens
You've perhaps heard of Elvis Presley?
Shakin' Stevens was the Welsh Elvis or, to put it another way, Elvis was the Tennessee version of Shakey.
Maybe not as pretty as Adam Ant, but he had a longer career, and he had
moves.
Quote from: JWare on 29 December, 2022, 07:12:17 PM
Quote from: Zoso5 on 29 December, 2022, 05:31:04 PM
I don't know Shakin Stevens
You've perhaps heard of Elvis Presley?
Shakin' Stevens was the Welsh Elvis or, to put it another way, Elvis was the Tennessee version of Shakey.
Maybe not as pretty as Adam Ant, but he had a longer career, and he had moves.
Elvis craftily taking Shakin' Stevens thunder by getting in about three decades earlier. Sneaky!
Quote from: The Legendary Shark on 28 December, 2022, 08:57:54 PM
Quote from: JWare on 28 December, 2022, 08:19:16 PM
...the answer is of course Madness.
That's your answer to everything...
The police.
They weren't as good as madness.
I did not understand her at the time.
I think I understand her now.
Quote from: Zoso5 on 29 December, 2022, 05:25:19 PM
I jumped in at Block Mania and kept going chronologically prog by prog. I want to keep reading chronologically
Blockmania / The Apocalypse War is a fine place to start but it is well worth rewinding a couple of years and picking up Case Files 3.
For my money this is when Dredd really hit its stride. You witness crazy Mega City One trends in the form of Umpty Candy, Boing and Sob Story. The first appearance of Judges Anderson and Death and one of the most succinct mini epics ever written: The Black Plague.