As people have been asking what's in this book, here's the run-down:
DREDD
The taking of sector 123
Helter Skelter
Phartz!
Sturm Und Dang
KOBURN
Kuss hard
Burial party
The assizes
Malachi
COVERS
20000 AD: 254, 284, 673, 333 (the classic "Um... Synthi-sausage)
Meg: 221, 239, 244
In Ezquerra-related news, Strontium Dog 3 showed up today, and it's great to see that Jon's continued to dig up stuff from old annuals for the 'bonus' strips. This book includes 'The beast from Milton Keynes', and a bunch of other stuff.
any chance of listing all the extras on that SD3?
The Dredd book seems a bit of a missed opportunity - Helter Skelter is neither Ennis or Carlos' finest hour - there are a whole load of painted stories that havent been reprinted recently that could have taken up the space surely?
Well, theres enough to repace it, admittedly of variable quality, but certainly nothing as poor or as recently reprinted as Helter Skelter.
Kirby's Demon 1 episode (Prog 638) 6 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Thrill Power: 7.00 (10 votes)
The Amazing Ant Man 1 episode (Prog 640) 6 pages
Script: Alan Grant, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Thrill Power: 5.91 (11 votes)
Young Giant 5 episodes (Progs 651 to 655) 30 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra, Letters: Steve Potter
Featuring: Judge Giant
Thrill Power: 7.85 (47 votes)
First appearance of Cadet Giant, Judge Giant's son
The Random Man 3 episodes (Progs 657 to 659) 15 pages
Script: Alan Grant, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra, Letters: Steve Potter
Thrill Power: 7.37 (19 votes)
And skipping merrily past a good few Millar monstrositiesâ?¦
Time Machine 2 episodes (Progs 889 to 890) 13 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra, Letters: Tom Frame
Thrill Power: 6.38 (16 votes)
The Neon Man 1 episode (Prog 951) 6 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Thrill Power: 6.13 (15 votes)
Megalot 1 episode (Prog 952) 6 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra
Thrill Power: 6.64 (11 votes)
"any chance of listing all the extras on that SD3?"
Incident at the back o' beyond (2000 AD annual, 1983)
In the doghouse (text, 2000 AD annual, 1983)
The beast of Milton Keynes (2000 AD annual, 1986)
Covers: 417, 469
Here's hoping Complaint (2000AD Annual 1988) and Incident at the End of the World (2000AD Annual 1991) show up in the next volume.
"The Dredd book seems a bit of a missed opportunity - Helter Skelter is neither Ennis or Carlos' finest hour"
Mm. It certainly doesn't have the pulling power of the Kennedy collection, which is still my favourite Rebellion Dredd collection; it almost seems an excuse to get Koburn into print, but then I guess Ennis may pull in sales, due to the name. Having re-read Helter Skelter a while back, it's not nearly as bad as I remembered it, but it's certainly not great Carlos art.
"Young Giant 5 episodes (Progs 651 to 655) 30 pages"
My favourite period of Carlos art (and that's a great Dredd tale, too). I loved the vibrant colouring of 2000 AD in that era. Sadly, it appears that's pretty much gone for good, in favour of "realism". I can only hope that the Case Files will continue into colourâ??at least in the medium termâ??so we can at least get up to around Prog 700 or so.
"The Neon Man 1 episode (Prog 951) 6 pages
Script: John Wagner, Artist: Carlos Ezquerra"
If that's the story I'm thinking of, I remember the colouring almost shining from the pages. Literally brilliant.
Regards
Robin
"Having re-read Helter Skelter a while back, it's not nearly as bad as I remembered it, but it's certainly not great Carlos art."
Going from memory, that's probably a pretty fair assessment of both story and art. It wasn't so much bad as terribly disappointing. It's a greater tragedy that Ennis was paid for HS with the rights for Troubled Souls, which he never wants reprinted (or so I heard).
Regards
Robin
"It's a greater tragedy that Ennis was paid for HS with the rights for Troubled Souls, which he never wants reprinted (or so I heard)."
A don't see why that's a tragedy, unless you're hankering to see Troubled Souls on the shelves again. Ennis wanted the rights to his characters back (specifically to a couple of characters that first appeared in TS, whose names currently escape me), and in return he was happy to script a Dredd series. Rebellion get Ennis, and he gets his characters. To be honest, while I don't think we'd have ever been putting Helter Skelter alongside The Pit, Apocalypse War or Necropolis, I reckon had Carlos not been under such strain at the time (and had he turned in top art), it would have resulted in it being one of the good Dredd epics, rather than something that was merely disappointing or all right.
Hmmmm, Helter Skelter was decent enough, I suppose. However, my original gripe about this, elsewhere on the board, is that it's already been reprinted and there are far better Carlos strips out there that haven't.
I wonder if this just an excuse to put Ennis' name on the cover of a 2000ad book in the hope of selling more copies?
Yikes! Despite how horrible that last line sounds, I really don't mean any offence to Jonathan, who does a wonderful job. It is a genuine question.
I assume the characters in question are the ones who went on to star in Dicks (recently sold on e-bay for 50 pence plus postage.) If anybody's interested and hasn't read it, save yourself the bother and get the Hellblazer spin-off Heartland instead. It's similar, but written after Ennis had spent quite a few years becoming a better writer.
I'm being unfair. Troubled Souls is pretty good compared to True Faith which I spent ages anticipating only to find it was a bit rubbish.
There's already another longish Ennis story in there, so you wouldnt need to add another to justify Ennis having a credit.
Helter Skelter could have been a decent if fannish story with a bit more thought - as it was, the whole bicycle tour of North sector 44 wore thin very quickly.
Hmmm - if i was a conspiracy theorist.....
Maybe the Ezquerra Dredds from the 600's havent been included, because they might be toying with the idea of continuing the case files in some form or other into colour?
I was seriously wondering, what has Carlos done that's A)Not Black and White (and there for going to appear in a Case File for sure) and B)Not a mega epic/extended story arc that could conceivably get a TP of it's own in the future (*cough*NecropolisGNpleasekaythanx*cough*)?
What else could have, should have, been in this book? That's wasn't Cursed Earth Koburn?
I'm actually slightly miffed the Cursed Earth Koburn got lumped in here, as I think that strip should have had it's own TP line. Or they should have called this the Cursed Earth Koburn: The Carlos Ezquerra Collection, and thrown all those Dredd odds and ends in the back as extras to round it out. Not the other way around. That way, when they need to collect more Koburn in the future... it doesn't create issues with spine numbering.
Hell, maybe this should have been The Complete Al's Baby: The Carlos Ezquerra Collection. That would have been great.
If you lok at the lists above - (whats in the book, and what I suggested could ahve been in there) you have pretty much all of of, barring about 6 or 7 weeks (i think) of horrible Millar stuff
Personally, I'm hoping we dont see anymore Koburn, but only because I want to see a lot more Stront!
Personally, I'd be pleased if the case Files tried to get to the end of Necropolis - thats about 120 progs worth of full colour - maybe 3 or 4 volumes?
At that point, if its a success, you can continue (though at your own peril!)
Or you can then start to sensibly package up the best and most important of the Meg and prog stories that followed - Necropolis is a good full stop to that run of Wagner only/mostly that was soon to end. That way, you can showcase the fact that the character did still have some great stories in amongst the dross, and stories that are likely less read and reprinted than the B&W era.
also, "the town that died of shame" from the 1988 summer special (i think) deserves a slot in SD 4!
Theres just under 800 pages of Dredd from Twister onwards (including The Dead Man) - 4 books worth I think, if you take the Cam Kennedy collection as the max you can fit in a colour book as about 250.
This could form the first post necropolis book:
Most of the follow up Necropolis stories, plus Young Death takes you 241 pages:
Theatre of Death 2 episodes (Progs 700 to 701) 12
Nightmares 5 episodes (Progs 702 to 706) 30 pages
Wot I Did During Necropolis 3 episodes (Progs 707 to 709) 18 pages
La Placa Rifa 1 episode (Prog 718) 6 pages
The Apartment 1 episode (Prog 722) 6 pages
Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home 4 episodes (Progs 723 to 726) 24 pages
Return of the King 3 episodes (Progs 733 to 735) 18 pages
Watchdogs 1 episode (Prog 739) 6 pages
The Devil You Know 4 episodes (Progs 750 to 753) 24 pages
Twilight's Last Gleaming 3 episodes (Progs 754 to 756) 18 pages
Young Death 79 pages
Then do an Ennis book or two
Maybe one themed around Judgement Day including Emerald isle and adding in some of the better shorter stories to bring it near 240
Then you could do one with Jonni Kiss/Marshals and the Muzak Killer stuff, plus extras, again plumped up to about 240 pages.
Then a Mechanismo book - 164 pages of Mechanismo, plus some other Meg Dredds from the period
(although looking on the database, the art on these ruined some pretty good stories, sadly)
"A don't see why that's a tragedy, unless you're hankering to see Troubled Souls on the shelves again."
Yes, that's pretty much my reasoning. I'm happy to say I already have the collection, but I think TS is Ennis's most worthwhile effort, all the more impressive for being his first published series.
I understand him wanting control of characters he created, but if I remember rightly he specifically wanted the pathetic characters from A Few Troubles More (right title?), which was drivel.
Regards
Robin
"save yourself the bother and get the Hellblazer spin-off Heartland instead. It's similar, but written after Ennis had spent quite a few years becoming a better writer."
Yes, that was a good one. I kept Heartland when I sold off my Ennis Hellblazers. It's not the only one of Ennis's spin-offs I've found more interesting than the series it came from - I think The Story of You Know Who is so much better than Preacher. One of these days I'll pick up the Saint of Killers spin-off - the only major character aside from Arseface I found remotely likeable.
Regards
Robin
**(*cough*NecropolisGNpleasekaythanx*)**
Jezus Adventurer, cover your mouth, you're contagious as hell.
COUGH#seriouslywhere'sthatfuggin'necropolistbp#COUGHCOUGH
Great now I've got it.