ABC warriors-what do I need?

[The Prodigal]

Thick newbie needs steering.

Guys ABC Warriors starts in next weeks prog. It is the one strip that I have not invested in trades wise to catch up on back story etc since starting on the prog at Christmas. Are there trades I should buy or is it likely to be something I can pick up with a quick read of wiki or summat?

Thanks folks.

[Dandontdare]

Well they're all part of the convoluted Millsiverse, so it's not that simple, but I guess there's three broad groups, all available in trades -

The early days, and the golden age IMO - a gang of war robots at the end of Volgan War are recruited and sent to 'clean up' Mars (think Magnificent Seven with robots). Some of Mike McMahon's finest work./

Then things got a bit batshit crazy as the all crossed over into the Nemesis stories, with lots of timey-wimey stuff going on. Nemesis and Deadlock may or may not be the same entity. These can mainly be found in the Complete Nemesis trades.

And then there's the more recent stuff drawn by Clint Langley - back on Mars and building up to a showdown with loads of ex-Volgan war droids and local fascist cop types. I've found these stories rather disappointing and confusing, but they serve as something to hang some lush artwork on.

[Richard]

I think that they are starting a new story arc, so you may be alright just diving in at prog 1800. But the most recent stories were all reprinted in four volumes called "The Volgan War."

(The best story on the other hand is "The Khronicles of Khaos," which I think is out of print but will be on eBay.)

[Third Estate Ned]

You can buy it right here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/074931463X/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

[Link Prime]

What you actually need is a copy of 'The Black Hole'- a terse self contained mini-epic with stunning b&w artwork and a concise character study of each key ABC Warrior.
It will tell you everything you need to know.

Still unmatched since IMO, but 'The Khronicles of Khaos' is also a great read as mentioned by Richard.

[Dark Jimbo]

Link Prime is correct, Black Hole is the best of the lot and reasonably self-contained, though it comes straight off the back of the Nemesis stuff. Hellbringer is likewise a great intro to the characters, though hard to get at the moment (Khronicles I don't recommend as a first read as it relies too much on a knowledge of the previous adventure).

Here's how the Invasion/Savage/Nemesis/Ro-Busters/ABC Warriors books fit together, in terms of chronology - http://www.amazon.co.uk/ABC-Warriors-amp-Nemesis-the-Warlock/lm/RO2KZS82FA1VL/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

[The Prodigal]

Guys thats top advice-many thanks.

[SmallBlueThing]

As early ABC Warriors are quite hard to get hold of, and because prog 1800 should be a jumping-on point, and because pat mills is an old pro who knows how to do these things properly, i'd say you'll be able to pick up next week's and enjoy it without previously having read a word of it. If your curiosity is overpowering, read up online hereabouts to fill yourself in, but really i wouldnt worry at all.

SBT

[Cthulouis]

Over the past decade, there have been three stories that all run into each other.

To summarise the back story: in the Volgan war, robots were built to fight in place of humans. After the war, seven of these robots were sent to fix the problems faced when terra-forming Mars. Then these seven went on adventures in time and space. Now, they are coming back to Mars...

Following that paragraph, get yourself The Third Element, The Shadow Warriors, and The Volgan War books, and you will be all caught up with the recent run. People claim the Black hole is the best story, and when I was a teenager I agreed. With the benefit of hind-sight, it has its problems. Nothing major, and it is brilliant, but today it loses out to The Shadow Warriors. If you read no other ABC stories, get yourself the Shadow Warriors, a fantastic introduction to what Pat Mills is capable of when he just constantly throws new material into his work, prog after prog after prog.

[vark]

Link Prime is correct, Black Hole is the best of the lot and reasonably self-contained, though it comes straight off the back of the Nemesis stuff. Hellbringer is likewise a great intro to the characters, though hard to get at the moment (Khronicles I don't recommend as a first read as it relies too much on a knowledge of the previous adventure).

Here's how the Invasion/Savage/Nemesis/Ro-Busters/ABC Warriors books fit together, in terms of chronology - http://www.amazon.co.uk/ABC-Warriors-amp-Nemesis-the-Warlock/lm/RO2KZS82FA1VL/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

Excellent link, nice work Dark Jimbo!

[The Prodigal]

Seriously guys thanks. The support given to newbies on this forum is phenomenal and I have had a fantastic time since Christmas with 2000Ad material as suggested by this board.

There is a very significant hole in my bank account but it has been a worth every penny.

[Alski]

I've always loved the Khronicles Of Chaos books. Great story and art, and Mills doesn't confuse as much as he sometimes does.

[Third Estate Ned]

Seriously guys thanks. The support given to newbies on this forum is phenomenal and I have had a fantastic time since Christmas with 2000Ad material as suggested by this board.

There is a very significant hole in my bank account but it has been a worth every penny.

Seconded. Dark Jimbo's lists and, as I've mentioned elsewhere on the board, the Hipster Dad's Bookshelf were the two places I went to before I knew about this place for thrill-seeking advice. Since joining up, I've found there are loads of people like that dispensing wisdom on any comic-based topic.

http://hipsterdadsbookshelf.blogspot.it/

Back on topic, for purely aesthetic value I would have recommened both the Black Hole and Khronicles for some of the best comic artwork I've seen.

[GordyM]

What you actually need is a copy of 'The Black Hole'- a terse self contained mini-epic with stunning b&w artwork and a concise character study of each key ABC Warrior.
It will tell you everything you need to know.

Still unmatched since IMO, but 'The Khronicles of Khaos' is also a great read as mentioned by Richard.

Black Hole's the one I entered this thread to recommend too. So that's a "+1" for that bad boy.

[The Prodigal]

Black hole arrives tomorrow courteousy of Amazon prime.