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The completely self absorbed 2000ad re-read thread

Started by Colin YNWA, 22 May, 2016, 02:30:29 PM

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Colin YNWA

Fair point - I seem to recall you've called me on that before Jim, when I've commented on it here abouts. I'll try to keep it in mind. Though why I should have to allow reasoned balanced evidence influence my fixed blinkered, long held view I'll never know.

Let's see how I get on over the next 'year' - but please bare with me and do call me out if needed.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 23 June, 2019, 09:15:40 PM
I seem to recall you've called me on that before Jim

To be fair, I didn't really 'call you' on it — I absolutely had this wrong, too. I remember John Smith complaining bitterly on the old 2000AD Usenet group that Andy's 'rocket fuel edict' had robbed A Love Like Blood of a couple of extra episodes that it needed (which it really did) and I can see why he thought that, and, from there, why a lot of the rest us thought that, too. It's only relatively recently from talking to Andy that the rocket fuel thing and the reprint thing (both of which I was aware of separately) dropped into place chronologically.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

GordonR

Yeah, that stupid foreign rights packaging deal did for Storming Heaven. I was told I could do it as one book of about 45 pages (not enough pages) or two books of 90 pages total.  (Which was too many pages.)

So it was somewhat irritating when that deal ended up coming to nothing, despite its format being imposed on already commissioned work.

TBH, Storming Heaven was a creative failure anyway - not a work I ever revisit - and taught me that superheroes really aren't my thing.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: GordonR on 23 June, 2019, 11:37:11 PM
(Which was too many pages.)

You know you get paid by the page, right?! There's a reason why Pat Mills' catchphrase is "He didn't think it too many"...
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

GordonR

What can I say?  That some of us still have the sad vestiges of creative integrity?

As I said, I haven't looked at I n years, but Storming Heaven probably needed another 15-20 pages. Most of it devoted to some desperately needed character development.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: GordonR on 24 June, 2019, 07:37:50 AM
What can I say?  That some of us still have the sad vestiges of creative integrity?

CRAZY TALK.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Funt Solo

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 04 September, 2017, 09:50:30 PM
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 03 September, 2017, 10:43:02 PM

Which is why, in the early period where Dredd was the only (?) full colour strip, it would move around the comic, or sometimes be broken up with an entire strip in between, or break up a B&W strip, seemingly for no reason.

Once again fantastic insight Jim.The weird thing about this though is this is prior to the 6 pages of colour Dredd scattered around the Prog (starts Prog 620?). This is still the era of colour centre pages only. Don't think I've ever seen a strip have one page before Dredd like this. When you look at how packed the Prog is you kinda see why it happened, we get a back inside cover story page. Just really strange. .

I might be wrong, but I think the first time a strip got split mid-prog was Ace Trucking Co. (Last Lug to Abbo Dabbo) in prog 261, and I think the cause was a color ad.  This occurs with relative frequency after that point.

Prog 535 just seems to be a really unlucky combination of story-lengths that (with the color center pages) forced Tharg's (mighty) hand.  The only way to fix it would be to put one of the story pages on the back cover.  Whilst that isn't unheard of, I can only think of once that it was done without coloring it (maybe in prog 358).  The 535 problem recurs a few times.

Progs 547 & 548 are also oddballs, with their color pages and staples off-center.  (Off-center color pages had happened before when they had a special color center pull out: like Mask in prog 494, Diceman in prog 473 and so on.)

By the time we reach prog 589 (with an extra four color pages), splitting stories becomes normal, with Dredd (later Slaine) nearly always split by another thrill.  This gets resolved in prog 650 when more color pages get added.  Finally, the prog goes full color in prog 723, making perhaps some editorial pagination headaches disappear.
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

sheridan

Quote from: Funt Solo on 27 June, 2019, 05:34:12 PM
Prog 535 just seems to be a really unlucky combination of story-lengths that (with the color center pages) forced Tharg's (mighty) hand.  The only way to fix it would be to put one of the story pages on the back cover.  Whilst that isn't unheard of, I can only think of once that it was done without coloring it (maybe in prog 358).  The 535 problem recurs a few times.

One episode (I think the first) of Eye of the Traitor had a black and white back page - earlier in the 300s.

Colin YNWA

Wow Funt Solo that's some cool work!

And Sheridan nice top up.

I actually really liked Storming Heaven when I read it a bit back. It seemd to work with its drug fuelled theme. Be interesting to see how I get on with it when it rolls up again soon (ish I think)

Funt Solo

Quote from: sheridan on 28 June, 2019, 04:47:18 PM
Quote from: Funt Solo on 27 June, 2019, 05:34:12 PM
Prog 535 just seems to be a really unlucky combination of story-lengths that (with the color center pages) forced Tharg's (mighty) hand.  The only way to fix it would be to put one of the story pages on the back cover.  Whilst that isn't unheard of, I can only think of once that it was done without coloring it (maybe in prog 358).  The 535 problem recurs a few times.

One episode (I think the first) of Eye of the Traitor had a black and white back page - earlier in the 300s.

Oh yeah: prog 330.  Thanks.
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

sheridan

Quote from: Funt Solo on 28 June, 2019, 08:33:23 PM
Quote from: sheridan on 28 June, 2019, 04:47:18 PM
Quote from: Funt Solo on 27 June, 2019, 05:34:12 PM
Prog 535 just seems to be a really unlucky combination of story-lengths that (with the color center pages) forced Tharg's (mighty) hand.  The only way to fix it would be to put one of the story pages on the back cover.  Whilst that isn't unheard of, I can only think of once that it was done without coloring it (maybe in prog 358).  The 535 problem recurs a few times.

One episode (I think the first) of Eye of the Traitor had a black and white back page - earlier in the 300s.

Oh yeah: prog 330.  Thanks.

No wonder I remembered it - the first prog I bought!

Colin YNWA

So Prog 1200 comes and, well we'll get tot he content in a bit but man I'm no fan of the format.

And as the logo thread is a hot property right now I'm also no fan of the mast head either.

Also Chris Blythe whose colour I often love and admire seems to be doing a little too much shiney shiny at this time too. Don't remember this lasting.

Right old group me tonight aren't I!

Dandontdare

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 17 June, 2019, 09:21:52 PM
bubstandard

Isn't that the term for describing the glut of Wolverine comics in the late 90s?

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Dandontdare on 16 July, 2019, 04:59:24 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 17 June, 2019, 09:21:52 PM
bubstandard

Isn't that the term for describing the glut of Wolverine comics in the late 90s?

Exactly a John Smith comic that's as good as any of a bunch of contemporary Wolverine comics. I mean I could have used a word as bland as substandard but heck I am talking about purple prose Smith here*

[normalsizefont] Reckon I got away with that one and no one will notice [\normalsizefont]

MumboJimbo

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 15 July, 2019, 09:35:56 PM
So Prog 1200 comes and, well we'll get tot he content in a bit but man I'm no fan of the format.

And as the logo thread is a hot property right now I'm also no fan of the mast head either.

Also Chris Blythe whose colour I often love and admire seems to be doing a little too much shiney shiny at this time too. Don't remember this lasting.

Right old group me tonight aren't I!

I seem to be in a minority of one here! As I wasn't a reader during this period and have only recently seen this design, I get to enjoy it as a fascinating little curio from nearly 20 years ago. However if you were a reader back then you'd have thought that this is what the prog was going to look like from now, possibly for years to come, with all past designs permanently consigned to the dustbin. Those are two very different perspectives! It's like when a band goes in an atypical direction only to revert to form an album later - Queen's Hot Space springs to mind. People hated it at the time, but those who only came to it as one album in their back catalogue might appreciate it for being a little different. Another example would be Legend of Zelda Wind Waker with its cartoony, cell shaded look.