2000 AD - The Ultimate Collection

[Dark Jimbo]

The intro also states that Cradlegrave is forthcoming in the collection, yay!

Amazeballs! This is actually going to be a damn good little John Smith hardback library when it's done - not bad considering he was all but absent from the initial run.

[IndigoPrime]

I really miss John Smith in the Prog. He's the reason I stuck with 2000 AD. Without him, the comic's nadir would have been unbearable. But there was always the promise of something at least interesting from Smith would crop up sooner or later.

As for that piece, I half agree with it. Smith's work can frustrate sometimes, but then that's through its somewhat abstract nature rather than — as was common elsewhere at the time in 2000 AD and the Magazine — poor storytelling.

As I've said before, here's hoping bridges weren't entirely broken and Smith might return to the comic again one day. And kudos to Matt Smith for recognising the sheer quantity of quality strip he had from Smith and including the majority of it in the extension, even if there was no room for it in the first 80 books.

[The Monarch]

i read that john smith retrospective....did he seriously sneak indigo prime into a dc comic book?

[sintec]

The intro also states that Cradlegrave is forthcoming in the collection, yay! - guess it's likely this will be paired with Revere, leaving enough pages for some Smith Future Shocks/Terror Tales - or even Slaughterbowl!?

Great news even if it does mean I'm going to end up with a spare. Grabbing it in the sale was always a gamble though. The more Smith we can get in the collection the better imo.

[Michael Knight]

Anyone got any news as to whether 'Brigand Doom' will make the extension?
I was getting into 2000ad proper around the run of that series, and its one id like to see included complete in hardback. Anyone else? 

[Hackenbush]

Anyone got any news as to whether 'Brigand Doom' will make the extension?
I was getting into 2000ad proper around the run of that series, and its one id like to see included complete in hardback. Anyone else?

No news about that yet but I would also like to see it included. I always loved the art on that series.

There are lots of strips from that era I'd love to see in the collection but I expect that I may be an audience of one...

But hey how about the old Megazine Hershey stories coupled with the new series?
The art of Kevin Cullen is criminally underrated.

Quote repair—IP

[Tomwe]

Any update on this graph showing the percent of progs included on the collections? I'm hoping that middle section circa 600-900 is showing some improvement now.

[IndigoPrime]

Given how poor 2000 AD was during the mid 700s to 900 or so, I'm not sure it needs 'improvement'.

As for Brigand Doom, lovely art but a half-baked V for Vendetta knock-off that never really went anywhere. Frankly, I had enough of "nice art, pity about the terrible writing" in the Dredd collection. I'd love it if the 2000 AD one was almost entirely objectively quality content. (Given what we know's coming in the post-111 extension, I'm not sure that'll always be the case, mind, but even then there's no real need to mine the dreck.)

[Tomwe]

Given how poor 2000 AD was during the mid 700s to 900 or so, I'm not sure it needs 'improvement'.

What can I say, these were the progs that landed in the room next to me when my mother remarried, and I subsequently took over the newsagent order around 750. Not that I've revisited them for many a year.

[sintec]

Any update on this graph showing the percent of progs included on the collections? I'm hoping that middle section circa 600-900 is showing some improvement now.

The Smith books will definitely be adding a little more to those columns, not sure it'll be enough to make a big difference though. I'll get the spreadsheet up to date with the latest releases (including Indigo Prime 2) and upload a new version over the weekend. Most of the recent run has been taken from Prog 1300 or later with a few bits from the pre-300 era.

[IndigoPrime]

What can I say, these were the progs that landed in the room next to me when my mother remarried, and I subsequently took over the newsagent order around 750. Not that I've revisited them for many a year.

With astonishing timing, my own regular 2000 AD journey didn't start that much earlier: #651. Although I'd been buying the monthly and quickly started buying up back issues after that point.

From the extension art, it seems likely we will get Revere, Tyranny Rex, some Fr1day, a bit of Strontium Dogs and (urgh) Finn. But I'm not sure we need to see Junker, Millar Robo-Hunter, Wireheads, Trash, The Clown, Fleisher's Harlem Heroes, Dead Meat, Maniac 5, McKenzie Mean Arena, Mother Earth, Grudge Father, Dinosty, Bradley, etc, in hardcover.

I'd still love an Armoured Gideon HC though.

[Tomwe]

But I'm not sure we need to see Junker, Millar Robo-Hunter, Wireheads, Trash, The Clown, Fleisher's Harlem Heroes, Dead Meat, Maniac 5, McKenzie Mean Arena, Mother Earth, Grudge Father, Dinosty, Bradley, etc, in hardcover.

That's quite a list there, and some things that never need to be seen again!

(On the 2000AD start date, looks like TFUK 332 landed July 1991 so that maps just about right)

[davidbishop]

There's more than enough material for a Middenface McNulty book. [Would love to see Wan Man a' his Dug reprinted finally, it's been 30 years!]

[lasereraser]

Here's hoping Blackhawk is the Belardinelli incarnation

Does anyone agree with me that an oversight in the collection is not including Harry 20?

[davidbishop]

Harry 20 in a Hard Time collection with all the other prison sagas?