Howabout suggestions for new 2000AD titles...

[pauljholden]

I'll start:

What about a new reprint aimed at the 7-12 year old market. Reprinting material they'd be comfortable with in a larger A4 sized format. You'd have to spend money on re-colouring (or colouring) but the golden rule should be no black and white. I'm thinking of something not unlike the UK reprints of Ultimate Spider-Man.

It should start with stuff like Robo-Hunter, Very Early Slaine, Early Dredd, future shocks, Thargs tales, etc. You could also include the Walter the Wobot 1 pagers and anything else that would look really odd in 2000AD/Megazine at the moment (what was that daft superhero thing drawn by Kev O'Neill?). Jazz it up with new fresh covers and price at ?1.20, and REALLY push the Alien Editor angle. Call it "2000AD presents..."(in small letters) "THRILLPOWER" (in BIG letters) or something snazzier (what do I know, I only draw).

Hmm... Zarjaz would be a great title...

It's important that something like that look sufficiently like 2000AD that people will draw a connection (hence the "2000AD Presents...") but sufficiently different that it will be recognised as a kids comic (hence the larger size+larger font and the pushing of Tharg).

While a new reprint title (especially one which is using recoloured artwork - sacrilige!) won't draw the current readership over to it (unless theres something in it they really want) I don't think 2000AD /as it is/ now can attract the younger reader (or even the older reader buying for their sprog), so why not a new title /aimed/ at the younger reader?

- pj

[critter]

Hey PJ how would you draw the cover....maybe a sample for us loyal readers.....hmmm.

Just a thought
Judge Krites

[pauljholden]

How's this?

Link: http://www.pauljholden.com" target="_blank">Mek-War

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pauljholden/pictures/images/mekwar.jpg">

[almighty mat]

++Hmm... Zarjaz would be a great title...++


++You'd have to spend money on re-colouring (or colouring) but the golden rule should be no black and white.++


Why not just mass-release the Zarjaz fanzine, with a free pack of crayons instead of a space-spinner?

mat

Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zarjaz/" target="_blank">Zarjaz

[almighty mat]

Did anyone see next week's League Of Gentlemen on BBC Choice last night? Absolutely amazing, I was laughing out loud for the first time this series. Looks like there's hope for 'em yet.

mat

[Mudcrab]

"Robo-Hunter, Very Early Slaine, Early Dredd, future shocks, Thargs tales, etc."

These are all B&W though. But before you mention colouring again, it had better be better than the Quality [sic] Comics version of Slaine the King. That was the most hideous thing I've ever seen. Glenn Fabry's fabulous artwork coloured by some twat that made it look like some early Spider-Man or something. I'm not starting another B7W or colour argument, just saying that if it was meant to be B&W, then it should stay that way, especially Glenn Fabry Slaine. Same with Robo-Hunter and everything that was dumbed down with drab primary-ish colours for the yanks.

One of those was called 2000ad Presents... and had a hideous logo and really bad covers.

Hmm, it's still morning, that was almost a rant :o) I've no objection to your ideas at all, only to colouring old strips that were meant to look good in B&W.

[damnandblast]

Interesting thought. 2000AD's grew out of the kiddies arena a long while back, but that's where the new readership is (if it's to be found anywhere at all). I'm not sure if colouring old strips would work though... doesn't the artist work differently if he/she knows their work is to be coloured? Wouldn't it jar as much (and look as obvious) as colourised B&W photos?

I suspect that Robo-Hunter and other stand up quite well, but some of the old strips have dated quite badly - very early Dredd, Invasion etc.

The BIG question is whether 7-12 year olds are going to be interested in this stuff. There's nothing similar around (maybe Action Man comic?) so it's difficult to know, but all things considered I reckon it's worth a punt.

Nigel

[pauljholden]

I hate the thought of b&w artwork coloured, if I had my way 2000AD would still be all black and white with a colour centre spread but ... a title aimed at kids, competing in the kids market is gonna be sold on the coolness factor of the stories and art, and, imho, b&w art (even GREAT b&w art) will not appeal as much as /well/ coloured art. Since the "Quality" colour reprints, technology has moved on. Colouring could easily be farmed out to a number of high quality companies/people using computer colouring to really enhance what was there. I'm pretty firmly of the opinion though that b&w artwork to a modern youngster will look different than it would've looked to younger me.

- pj

[critter]

"that was dumbed down with drab primary-ish colours for the yanks."

What do you mean by that, primary-ish...er...nevermind. But actually those badly colored comics gave me my first glimpse of Dredd (circa 1986). Got me hooked and stayed hooked, until I discovered 2000AD in 1999.

Will

[Tu-plang]

You really went from 1986 to 1999 without knowing that Dredd came from 2000ad?

[Mudcrab]

Yep, very true, things have moved on a lot. I'm sure Blythe et al could make a superb job of colouring old Robo Hunters and probably older Dredds too. Fabry should be left alone though.

Yeah, it's a different thing these days. I was used to the Beano and Dandy etc before I started on Starlord/2000ad so I was used to B&W being the norm (or B&W&R of course). Was always exciting seeing the centre spread in colour though.

[Mudcrab]

He he, primary-ish. You know, the pink/orange/area of blue spots type colouring. That's probably a criticism covering many kinds and many years of comics however, so I may be pushing it a bit there.

Regardless of my opinion though, it's obvious those reprints saw a lot of readers and probably broke through to the States a lot more than the progs did, what with size/colouring style etc. From an older reader's point of view, it seems rushed and a bit pointless, but from a new reader's point of view it'd have been just as good as reading it first time round.

PS No offense meant at all with the rest of that quote. Just meaning the american comic style.

[Marbles]

I'd suggest 2 new titles : -

(1) A 'Best Of 2K' monthly. Megazine style, good quality reprints of classic tales from the thrill vaults. The 'Fiends Of The Eastern Front' stand-alone reprint with Meg 201 at Xmas sounds like it might be the way forward.

(2) A monthly 'Beyond 2000' reprint anthology. A whole Meg of the best of old US/European/Japanese non-2k stuff, available in newsagents to 2k readers (who for the most part don't read other comics).

[karne]

Just a thought, but if earlier strips were reprinted would they have to be altered for reason's of a PC nature. I know this is probably an extreme example to use, but when D.C. Thompson released the Dandy/Beano compilation they had to alter the title of the story "Musso The Wop" (the hilarious adventures of the pudgy faced mass-mudering dictator Mussolini) to just plain Musso. Now I know this could be classed, and rightly so as highly offensive, but from my point of view it defeats the purpose of reprints, which is showing how our attitudes and beliefs have changed over the year's and how we as a society have grown.

As long as something was included in the editorial of the proposed mag to explain that the story is a product of it's time I see no reason why they could not be reprinted intact, I can't remember anyone censoring Shakespeare, (although if there is an instance I'm sure you'll all point it out to me :-)), mind you most people these days don't have a clue what he was babbling on about anyway do they :-)  

[damnandblast]

"...the purpose of reprints, which is showing how our attitudes and beliefs have changed..."

Forgive my cynicism, but the true purpose of reprints is to make more money for the publisher! For the purposes of PJ's proposal I think that tweaking them to make them PC is an entirely necessary measure - they would be aimed at young children with a view to A: wringing dosh out of old strips and B: getting those children into comics.

Having said that, I agree entirely that they CAN show how society has changed (maybe more so with stories in contemporary settings than those in 2000AD).

Nigel