The Future Of the Case Files...

[radiator]

Jon O over at the other site:

"As for what will happen after book 11...
Again, this hasn't been put on my schedule yet but the feeling is that if we went full colour we would entirely loose the Case Files format that has worked so well. The books would no longer be as chunky. The paper stock would be entirely different and the price would be much higher. At a guess we're talking £17-20 here. Thus the identity of the Case Files would be lost and I think sales would probably suffer hugely as a result. What I'm more keen to do is pick and choose and print the best of the colour stuff from the early 90s onwards as I think these books would work much better.
Anyway, that's my reasoning folks."

I'm aware some of you find this a somewhat tedious topic, but I figured it was worth disussing. I agree with him, so long as there are comprehensive Dredd collections of strips like Necropolis, Mechanismo etc to come at some point.

For the people who still want a complete run, hows about a DVD Rom or something similar? Hardly a perfect solution, but better than nothing, right?

[paulvonscott]

I think from what I picked up fom Bristol that it ends about 14 and then they will cherry pick Dredd for themed collections.

A bit of a shame, but getting past two years of Millar/Morrison/Ennis and Steelgrove was always going to be difficult.

[paulvonscott]

I didn't really read your post, did I?  Sorry, I'm in a rush!

[Keef Monkey]

I'd be gutted if this was the way they went to be honest. I don't really have any interest in picking up collections made up of stories picked from here and there or have larger stories out of context, and I never buy them. Maybe I'm the only one that feels that way but I only collect graphic novels if it's a chronological and for the most part complete collection I'm getting.

[IndigoPrime]

"What I'm more keen to do is pick and choose and print the best of the colour stuff from the early 90s onwards"

This would be fine for me *IF* it was done in chronological fashion. In other words, once the Case Files cease, start running colour collections from that point on, so we still have an ongoing Dredd, but losing the crap that we don't need. Basically a Wagner canon collection, I guess.

Ultimately, while I'm sure everyone would love to have el-chunky colour collections of sequential strips, it's pretty clear that not too long after Necropolis, Dredd went downhill at speed, and such collections probably wouldn't sell well on account of being rubbish (rather than being expensive).

[Robin Low]

This fucking stinks.

The title is marketed as Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files. I started buying on that basis and that basis alone - I already have boxes full of Judge Dredd reprints and the original comics. I wanted a more convenient format.

To call the series The Complete Case Files and than fail to produce The Complete Case Files is simply deceitful.

As for cherry-picking stories, well, I liked some of the Garth Ennis stories, hated others. People disagree on what's worth having and what isn't, so cherry-picking is a lousy strategy. Put it another way, I'm buying the Complete Case Files, but I've not bought any of the selected colour Dredd reprints because they're not part of a chronological whole. The only way cherry-picking would work for me is if I was the one making the decisions, and that obviously ain't gonna happen.

I can understand the price rising for colour, but why would the paper stock have to be more costly? The colour art that would suffer the most on cheaper paper would be the fully painted stuff, but then the paper that was used in the original comics back in the 90s wasn't so good anyway.

Regards

Robin

[Leigh S]

Yeah - A Wagner canon collection would be the way I'd go to be honest - you dump pretty much all the rubbish in one shot by taking that approach (bar a few off days for John and a larger lot of ropey art that some stories got saddled with)

[Robin Low]

"Yeah - A Wagner canon collection would be the way I'd go to be honest - you dump pretty much all the rubbish in one shot by taking that approach (bar a few off days for John and a larger lot of ropey art that some stories got saddled with)"

At which point we lose Death Aid - which I liked, even if many didn't, and it resolves the Yassa Povey storyline.

Return of the King - resolves the Silver storyline, and drawn by Ezquerra.

Twilight's Last Gleaming - an ever-so-slightly important story, not by Wagner.

The Art of Geomancy - an Alan Grant, finishing a one off from years ealier and with some great Dredd moments.

Justice One - great fun, with fantastic art from Peter Doherty.

First of the Many - Dredd's first arrest.

Almighty Dredd - not a bad story as far as I remember, with Gibson on the art.

Judgement Day - an epic we can hardly ignore.

Now, those are just stories picked from the old Dredd micro-guide, which only goes up to Judgement Day. There are a lot of one-offs in that list that I simply can't remember: maybe they were good, maybe there were bad.

But the point is, in a period roughly between December 1990 and September 1992, there were a number of decent and significant stories not written by Wagner. There are undoubtedly some decent and significant stories in the years up to 1995, when Wagner comes back pretty much full time. And at that point, a Wagner-only collection won't simplify the problem, anyway.

Regards

Robin

[IndigoPrime]

"To call the series The Complete Case Files and than fail to produce The Complete Case Files is simply deceitful."

Thing is, the series would likely get canned at some point anyway, what with the dire strips that showed up during the no-Wagner run. As for the naming, I think it was clear by the second volume that it wasn't really a complete run of Dredd anyway (and, no, I'm not talking about the banned episodes, but about the lack of annual and specials stories).

[Dunk!]

As someone who gave up on 2000ad through the 90's I'd hate to see a cherry picking version of the case files continue. There's a whole host of stories I'd like to be able to judge for myself. That said i can see why the almost univeral loathing of this period in Dredd would make it financial suicide for the publisher.

[Keef Monkey]

Surely there would only be a couple of volumes that weren't seen as being up to snuff? And even then I'm sure people who were already collecting the case files wouldn't grudge picking up a couple of books they weren't as keen on to keep their collection complete? Personally I'm with Swimini Tulkas, I was looking forward to judging it all for myself.

[Tweak72]

"Judgement Day - an epic we can hardly ignore"


Well, actually...

[radiator]

Judgement Day has already got the Graphic Novel treatment.

'Return of the King', 'Death Aid' and the whole 'Democracy' sequence would ideally be included in a complete 'Necropolis' volume which now seems a distinct possibility.

[Ignatzmonster]

"Judgement Day - an epic we can hardly ignore"

Good God, man, I actually avoided 2000ad work because of this volume. I truly thought Dredd sucked as a character. If a copy of Slaine and Dante hadn't fallen into my lap I would never have discovered Tharg's stable of thrills.

My only issue with the above mentioned is Wagner's run didn't end with the b/w years did it? I want to read the "muddy" years. If they're going to cherry pick, I'm sticking to Wagner as the writer.

[Satanist]

I've moaned about the completeness of these collections before and this wont really affect me for years as I'm just up to volume 3 but...

...If its a question of people being put off purely from a quality aspect then surely most would have given up after volume 1.

Its horribly dated IMO.

I gave up in the 90's and a lot of what I've picked up since is mince but I'm sure there are a few gems in there.

I would rather they continued in some kind of form, even if it is just all the Wagner stuff than just ceased to be altogether.