Just read the two stories in issue one and what can I say........
First up is RIPE by Duane Swierczynski and Nelson Daniel. It's 16 pages long and introduces Dredd and a couple of other Judges, as they are called to a robbery at a Pleasure Mall. The artwork is okay but I don't like all those (no idea what the technical term is) dots on people. The script is very clunky and that's putting it politely. Some of Dredd's actions and dialogue are so way off it stopped me in my tracks as I mussed over it!
Next up is Protection Racket by Duane Swierczynski and Paul Gulacy. This is 6 pages long and is spot on with being the Dredd world strip that we have come to enjoy. Joe only makes his entrance at the end of the story, with it's typical 2000 AD punch line. As for the art, we have been warned, so I won't say bugger all about this!!!
In the end I would give this a 5/10, with it's saving grace being the second backup story but not the art!
There's a nice adverts from Planet Replicas and 2000 AD inside.
We all know the variant covers available.
4 basic variant covers.
1 Carlos RI cover.
1 Subscription cover
1 Stahl sketch thingy cover
At the rear of the comic it has a checklist of all the Retailer Exclusive covers and there are :o 19 :o I've managed to bag 4, so not many to go :'(
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 21 November, 2012, 03:29:11 PM
The artwork is okay but I don't like all those (no idea what the technical term is) dots on people.
Halftone?
Cheers CF. I suppose it was too much to expect for a new writer to 'get' Dredd. Let's hope the series picks up as it goes on.
The interesting thing is that he gets it in the backup strip. Very little Dredd but the city and it's people are spot on in that one!
(http://gallery.mailchimp.com/a6e40236aa24d482cfff600d2/images/COVER.jpg)
an thar she blows!!
Letratone? Rufus uses it a bit, Kev O'Neill also used to use it.
Don't think I'd mind it that much, but unless you're going for a particular feel, I could see how it might jar.
Hopefully it sounds like a progression on the script on the backup strip, see how it goes.
In the US the effect is also called benday dots, or halftone dots-a trick to allow low resolution printing processes print in shades of grey (or, in the old four colour world, you'd use 25% benday pure red to get a pink colour).
Now it's used as an artistic choice. I've used it in the past on some b&w art where I could easily have used proper pure grey where the dots are invisible to the naked eye. But I like the effect.
Letratone is the UK manufacturer who made rub down/sticky dots - only sold to people drawing manga these days.
Thanks for the info, that explains a lot looking back at the pages!
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 21 November, 2012, 03:29:11 PM
At the rear of the comic it has a checklist of all the Retailer Exclusive covers and there are :o 19 :o I've managed to bag 4, so not many to go :'([/color]
Do you want me to pick you up a 'Big Bang Comics' Retailer Exclusive CF?
Yes please. I've just emailed them but it will be easier for me doing it your way ;) If they reply I'll let them know that someone is picking one up for me.
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 21 November, 2012, 04:53:04 PM
Yes please. I've just emailed them but it will be easier for me doing it your way ;) If they reply I'll let them know that someone is picking one up for me.
No bother, am heading over there after work.
I'll PM you later.
Thanks very much :thumbsup:
I think it has its uses - it can either be a stylistic choice for the whole story, or a shorthand for something within the story.
My only issue with bendy dots is when they're used in a strip that's going to be coloured, as is the case here, as it doesn't look right once it's coloured over. A good colourist knows how to work with shadow - actually, I imagine even a bad colourist knows what shadows are and wouldn't need their hands held with bendy dots that end up getting in the way of the final colours, though the colourist here seems to have abandoned any notion of shadows and stuck with flat colours and some "old paper" textures slapped on everything regardless of being appropriate or not for the surface depicted.
I see what CF means about Dredd sounding way off, especially when he says "yeah, well--" to a perp, clearly hesitating and cogitating in front of the people from whom he is supposed to command respect and fear. He all but negotiates with perps and it comes off as being very sub-Lawman of the Future-y.
From comments from writers elsewhere I gather that this forum in particular isn't allowed to pass comment on the US Dredd series because we don't know our place or understand big boy writing for US comics, but speaking as a paying customer who is offering an opinion on the product in his hands as is my right, this reads like they had the licence for a property whose cinematic outing underperformed so now the actual book is zero priority but they need something out there because they've paid for it, and looking at it like that it actually seems okay, I guess, like those free comics that came with He-Man toys that were pretty awful but you read them anyway because you liked He-Man and needed a distraction while you ate your fizz bombs. So yeah, as shovelware this book is probably fine, but I don't see anything in it that would attract US readers.
More on the ben-day dot ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Day_dots
For all those collectors out there, here are the shop variant covers!
ACE Comics
Big Bang Comic Shop
Cards. Comics and Collectibles
Discount Comic Book Service
Disposable Heroes
Forbidden Planet
Gifts For The Geek
Heroes For Sale
Jetpack Comics x 3 versions
Larry's Comics x 3 versions
Planet Comics
Pulp Nouveau Comix
Serieborsen
Tate's Comics
Third Eye Comics
I also notice only now that the Dredd in the second strip is the Sylvester Stallone version.
Quote from: Professah Byah on 21 November, 2012, 06:41:22 PM
I also notice only now that the Dredd in the second strip is the Sylvester Stallone version.
That's... odd. Any reason for that in the strip itself?
He's only in 4 panels in that strip and you've already seen those panels in the infamous leaked pages (even though they weren't leaked) ;)
Having now read the comic, the fact the second story has Dredd in Stallone shoulder wear and gloves is the least of the artists problems.
I'm still trying to figure out the anatomy on that penultimate panel. It's pretty bonkers.
Quote from: Professah Byah on 21 November, 2012, 08:19:55 PM
I'm still trying to figure out the anatomy on that penultimate panel. It's pretty bonkers.
Indeed. Gulacy's anatomy is all over the place.
But it's a pretty good comic. The art on the main strip is gorgeous. I'll keep downloading ti for now and see how it goes.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 21 November, 2012, 07:50:57 PM
Quote from: Professah Byah on 21 November, 2012, 06:41:22 PM
I also notice only now that the Dredd in the second strip is the Sylvester Stallone version.
That's... odd. Any reason for that in the strip itself?
My personal theory is that this was sitting in a drawer since 1995. This explanation would explain a great deal of things in terms of quality, but not why Dredd manages to fire hi-ex when a couple panels earlier we're shown his lawgiver is all gunked up - I think something like that is just poor storytelling, though fair play the writer has got Robocop 3's personality down perfectly:
(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/bfh7r)
Let's try that again with a different image hosting site...
(http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd74/redhotchillis/Untitled-2-1.jpg)
Just finished it....overall a 6/10 for me.
Really makes you appreciate how much more bang for your buck you get with the Prog.
Anyway,
Highlight: Creators using the 'Droid' description in the credits box was a very nice touch.
Lowlight: Stallone Dredd uniform in the back-up strip was unforgivable.
Overall: I'll stick with it, could be promising. Woud love to see them employ 2000AD alumni (off the top of my head- Mike Carroll, Al Ewing, Si Spurrier, Henry Flint, PJ Holden, Paul Marshall et al would be a nice fit, even for the 'back-up' strip).
Plenty of comments on this forum regarding hopes it gets the Yanks interested in Dredd.
I hope it equally gets more folks on this side of the pond interested in IDW's premier (and heavily advertised) 'Locke & Key' series too. It's fab.
Just ordered myself a copy of this with Cover C. Looking forward to giving it a go.
Looking forward to getting (one version of) this.
BTW: Zip-A-Tone.
I thought it was a weak effort for a first issue. Pretty run-of-the-mill story mixing various elements of past Dredd stories. Dredd has a similar entrance to the one he made in prog 2. I felt the first story should have been expanded to fill the issue - that way, we could have gotten a bit more in-depth with each of the set-pieces ([spoiler]longer fight with the tree, the crooks and even the robots; all three confrontations were over so quickly[/spoiler]). As it was, it was lacking in any suspense (I never felt Dredd was in any danger). I did enjoy the art very much, though I thought the Robocop robots looked kind of dumb.
The second story was well below standard; I don't think Bolt and Rich would commission it for Zarjaz, let alone Tharg print it in the prog. The story's twist was obvious, and...well, the whole thing was dull. And the art was not my thing at all.
That said...
We have to keep in mind this comic wasn't created for us - it was created for the mass market American comic readers, most of whom have little to no exposure to Dredd. We're viewing it with eyes that have been cast over thousands of pages of the "true" Dredd series already.
The few reviews I've googled are positive. What does that mean? Is this a good start to a comic series? Are we just unable to see that because we can't take our fan goggles off to read it objectively?
I'd still say no, it's not a good comic. Not yet. But when I took off my goggles to read it a second time, I felt there was enough there to come back net month and see where it goes.
It's unfair to use Zarjaz as any kind of barometer for IDW Dredd's quality, as one is clearly fanfiction that doesn't suffer any kind of editorial oversight, while the other is Zarjaz.
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 21 November, 2012, 06:37:48 PM
For all those collectors out there, here are the shop variant covers!
God damn it, IDW.
Were the 2 stories supposed to be linked somehow, I can't see any reference to it but both having looters and wayward robots seemed odd to me if they aren't.
I think the second one is from a parallel universe. It's nearly like Dredd but not quite and I reckon its from the 95th universe!
Quote from: Professah Byah on 22 November, 2012, 02:14:18 AM
It's unfair to use Zarjaz as any kind of barometer for IDW Dredd's quality, as one is clearly fanfiction that doesn't suffer any kind of editorial oversight, while the other is Zarjaz.
:-)
I am very glad that joke has not been misread as a pop at Zarjaz.
Quote from: The Adventurer on 22 November, 2012, 04:03:39 AM
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 21 November, 2012, 06:37:48 PM
For all those collectors out there, here are the shop variant covers!
God damn it, IDW.
While I understand the concern that the current rise of the variant cover marks a return to the bad old speculator days of the 1990s, it's actually worse than it seems: variant covers encourage high retailer pre-orders because pre-orders and not
actual sales of a comic are used as the basis of sales charts for North American comic books - you want to help your book rise in the charts, give it a variant cover. Of course, this effectively means that publishers are padding the sales charts with unpopular comic books that no-one is actually buying in the numbers they suggest, much as no-one actually bought eight million copies of Rick Astley's
Never Gonna Give You Up, but on the plus side it explains the "popularity" of Brian Bendis' borderline-unreadable Avengers comics.
My real problem with IDW is they seem to skimp on the interior content in favor of paying for a dozen variant covers from name artists in order to shift units (you know, rather then letting the content do it). Its really noticeable on some licensed titles. Judge Dredd seems to be going down the same road. And that's not good.
I think it's more likely they just can't compete with the big two in terms of finance, visibility and/or the chance to write/draw Spider-Man/Batman and just and have to go with whatever less tested or refined creators they can lay their hands on and sales-boosting gimmicks to make their books chart seem a better option than talent searches. All the same, I still find it hard to believe they couldn't find a better writer or artist for Dredd.
Quote from: Professah Byah on 22 November, 2012, 02:14:18 AM
It's unfair to use Zarjaz as any kind of barometer for IDW Dredd's quality, as one is clearly fanfiction that doesn't suffer any kind of editorial oversight, while the other is Zarjaz.
:lol:
We need a like button!!
Is anyone other than burdis and myself collecting the retail logo variants?
Just seeing if there is any interest in buying 6-10 and saving on postage.
A sensible idea would be to bung a bingo sheet with all the different versions of the cover up on the forum here and those of us who bought it can see if we've got one you might be after.
Any help on variants outside the UK except Jetpack would be great.
third eye said i would have to buy off ebay. They said the postage would be the same for 1 or 10 copies.
Thats what got me thinking about grouping up.
BAH! Ordered back in September and now two days past publication and still dont have it. Grump grump!
SBT
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 22 November, 2012, 05:52:47 PM
BAH! Ordered back in September and now two days past publication and still dont have it. Grump grump!
SBT
Same here.
And for me, as well.
Ordered mine from Disposable Heroe's, so should hopefully be landing soon.
Tomorrow, or Saturday would be nice.
Yeah I ordered it from Disposable Herroes too and ain't got it (or should I say "them?") yet.
However, I crumbled and bought it digitally this morning. To be honest, I was very pleasantly suprised. The main story was really rather good and thankfully Dredd's dialogue didn't bother me at all. I liked the way it introduced the city through it's differing levels and Dredd through different bullet types. I really liked the art too, with the lettratone atyle not bothering me one bit.
The second story was wonderfully sinister and I really like the over arching 'dodgy robot' theme of the whole comic. I'd agree the art wasn't the best and, my god, that panel is horrific but in all, I'm happy to pay a couple of quid for some decent extra Dredd.
I think I ordered it from Disposable Heroes on Pete's suggestion ;) If there's a better service someone tell me !
Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 23 November, 2012, 10:55:03 AM
I think I ordered it from Disposable Heroes on Pete's suggestion ;) If there's a better service someone tell me !
Download it!
This is the future!
Are we not allowed to comment on this here? Am I not allowed to express my utter amazement that Rebellion let through the depiction of Dredd in the backup strip, and sanctioned such poor quality scripts?
And what's with all these daft variant covers - and have they blended in the logos with the background, or just plonked them on?
It's a beautifully presented product (ie. the paper and reproduction are gorgeous), and the main strip looks fantastic - but the narration on the "Ripe" is way off and it all seems a little desperate. The main antagonist is a tree...!!! And two instances of petulant shop security droids in one issue...?
It beggars belief that strips like these are the way to grow the Dredd brand in America, especially in light of how high the Prog is soaring at the moment. I don't doubt IDW's expertise and know-how, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
2000 AD is better than this, and Dredd deserves better than this.
There's a thread on this in "other reviews".
Quote from: Supermarine Troutfire on 23 November, 2012, 11:19:27 AM
There's a thread on this in "other reviews".
Err, this
is the thread on this in "other reviews", isn't it?
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: Banners on 23 November, 2012, 11:11:13 AM
And two instances of petulant shop security droids in one issue...?
I'm assuming that in a few issues time we may have some kind of Robot War situation or at least a techosavvy bad guy.
Quote from: Banners on 23 November, 2012, 11:11:13 AM
It beggars belief that strips like these are the way to grow the Dredd brand in America, especially in light of how high the Prog is soaring at the moment. I don't doubt IDW's expertise and know-how, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
2000 AD is better than this, and Dredd deserves better than this.
Si Spurrier (I think apologise if I'm attributing that to the wrong person) made a very good point about this in a recent interview (I assume the CBR one) when he pointed out trying to get American's into the Prog Dredd has been tried for years and its never taken. Therefore if this is going to work it probably has to be a bit different to what we expect and are used to.
We might not like it but it might be necessary and of course doesn't mean this version will work either, but its valid to try something different.
Oh, Banners, it's not that it's unoriginal, poorly structured, uninteresting to anyone but Dredd fans as an oddity, full of awful dialogue and Dredd as a superhero - it's that
you and all other critics are reading it wrong. It is actually a great comic book that stands alongside Vertigo's best and will sell by the bucketful and make Dredd a success in America, but if by some quirk it doesn't sell, that will turn out to be your fault.
I'm not even joking,
when if Dredd fails to sell, it will be because of some nebulous group of people on the internet whose opinions are irrelevant but who nonetheless are still to blame.
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 23 November, 2012, 11:25:58 AMSi Spurrier (I think apologise if I'm attributing that to the wrong person) made a very good point about this in a recent interview (I assume the CBR one) when he pointed out trying to get American's into the Prog Dredd has been tried for years and its never taken. Therefore if this is going to work it probably has to be a bit different to what we expect and are used to.
That reasoning is contradictory for two reasons: 1) they licenced Dredd so why would they want to make him into something else? Why bother licencing him at all, why not just licence Robocop?
And 2) they also tried to get Americans into Dredd before with a glossy monthly that was not very well written or objectively interesting to anyone outside a minute number of existing Dredd fans and that
also failed even with house ads in millions of DC Comics, a major Hollywood film in theaters, and a contemporary catalogue of material by shit-hot writers like Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Garth Ennis to back it up, and all this happened when the market was a lot bigger than it is right now.
IDWs Dredd is - by contrast - made by nobodies*, sold via Diamond during a global recession and a contracted comic book market and I - an existing Dredd fan who will buy books sight unseen - only know it exists because I read this forum. The maths on this aren't exactly rocket science.
* I speak only of their market presence and not their abilities as creators.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 23 November, 2012, 11:21:28 AM
Quote from: Supermarine Troutfire on 23 November, 2012, 11:19:27 AM
There's a thread on this in "other reviews".
Err, this is the thread on this in "other reviews", isn't it?
Cheers
Jim
Ah, so it is. Apologies. It had wandered off so much that I thought I was reading the thread announcing the comic. Whatever. I'm not buying it. I like the prog.
Quote from: Professah Byah on 23 November, 2012, 12:00:44 PM
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 23 November, 2012, 11:25:58 AMSi Spurrier (I think apologise if I'm attributing that to the wrong person) made a very good point about this in a recent interview (I assume the CBR one) when he pointed out trying to get American's into the Prog Dredd has been tried for years and its never taken. Therefore if this is going to work it probably has to be a bit different to what we expect and are used to.
That reasoning is contradictory for two reasons: 1) they licenced Dredd so why would they want to make him into something else? Why bother licencing him at all, why not just licence Robocop?
Just because they are making alterations to suit a different market doesn't mean it can't still be Dredd in essence, a bit like... oh I don't know... a recent movie? (I should point out as this juncture I've not read the book yet as I've not made it to my LCS yet so I'm talking in general terms and not specific).
Quote from: Professah Byah on 23 November, 2012, 12:00:44 PM
2) they also tried to get Americans into Dredd before with a glossy monthly that was not very well written or objectively interesting...
And because something has been tried before it is therefore destined to fail again? As you say yourself its a different marketplace now and this is off the back (intentionally or otherwise) of a movie that while it hasn't reached a mass audience is perceived to have a very good reputation amongst the comics potential niche audience. While at the same time Dredd is getting more and more visible to the American market via a host of different avenues and strategies.
That's not of course saying it will succeed, I've no idea, many people thought the movie would. Just that a bunch of people with more knowledge about these things than us (we hope) have looked at these factors, or very possibly utterly different ones and decided its worth a punt.
Leaving aside that I see no flaw in the plan to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results, no-one's saying to not try a Dredd title, they're saying it should be better and it should be different from what DC already did because that was a palpable and provable failure both critically and commercially. If you're doing a US Dredd comic, learn from those mistakes, don't just repeat them on a lower budget.
I would personally argue that if US audiences won't buy the prog Dredds, the logical assumption is that any US format Dredd must be at the very least as good as the prog Dredds, not "not as good, but longer."
Did I mention it's a sentient tree? It speaks at one point (in a rather unfortunate panel).
If the colonials won't warm to Dredd when you've got the likes of Wagner, Ewing, Flint, MacNeil, etc, etc kicking arse like they have been for the past year and more and delivering Dreddworld material as good as we've ever seen, then they definately won't warm to him because they've read a weak imitation with unconvincing scripts and dodgy art. Those brave, knowlegable few who know good comics from bad - Goggans and Adventurer, for instance - will seek out the prog, and find a happy home here. The rest will simply never care, and fuck 'em anyway.
Or perhaps they'll gel with a more US-oriented approach, which is what IDW appears to be going for. In six months I guess we'll know for sure, but at least they're not starting from scratch with their own origins (unlike the dire DC series).
I certainly want it to do well, don't get me wrong, but I'm not optimistic.
This arrived on Thursdays morning from Disposable Heroes so I guess if you ordered from them then its the postie at fault as they were mailed out on Wednesday.
The paper stock is LOVELY and they don't plaster the thing with Ads mid-story (That shocked me last time a bought a big 2 comic (McCarthy's Spiderman thing)). So double points on that. As for the content...
1) The covers - both covers I got (the Jim Starlin rooftops and the DHC variant) are pretty ropey. The Starlin anatomy is just rubbish and the Variant cover has no attempt to merge the retailer logo with the perspective of the door it is supposed to be on. Still nice cover stock. I did like the background towerblocks in the Starlin piece.
2) The story - 'The Story as DREDD' - didn't really get much of a feel who Dredd is, he's depicted as merely one of the judges in the story. The moustached judge deals with Dredd in an off-hand manner that depicts no seniority or respect. Fair enough, its Dredd of a different era obviously. Not too sure why anyone will take to this Dredd tho. He stands around, shoots a tree, jumps down an improbable distance and then does nothing. Nothing special or even individual about his character so far.
'The Story as Story' - well, who knows, its seems to make little sense (the robbers at the same time as the tree and that's a consequence of the robot going wonky? EH?) and lacked any tension. The stand-off in the sewer / lower section is incredibly unclear - did the head explode or was he shot? Why's Dredd just stand there? Why's he not off down the way the terrified guy has just run from? Its bobbins. So was the lawgiver not-working/working, the radio not working (really, the mutant fruit jammed the signal but your gun just fired Hi-Ex and the robots are working fine? EH?).
3) The art. Not my bag is the best I can say. The best bit would be the uniform and the size of the boots. The best panel was the Law-Master arrival. The City looks okay, if lacking detail and love. The rest? Well its not great and definitely didn't add any tension to the story. Or any believability. Nothing wrong with a cartoony style but not for tense hardcore action and suspense. Dredd leaping 3 stories and landing like Thor was likewise just, well, meh. I can see younger readers thinking that panel is cool but I can't see them digging the art style, not unless they are very very young.
4) The backup - The story - better. Still not dazzling and functionally told rather than imbuing the dialogue between boss and robot with any real wit or interplay but it does the job. Certainly more appealing than the main story. Earphones with cord attachments do strike me as not really going to be with us much longer tech. The art - hard to know what to say. The second panel actually looks really nice, but thereafter just about everything is 'wtf' - proportions, head-shapes, perspectives, look-theres-a-phone-last-sold-in-1998. The panel where Dredd appears made me laugh. Not for the right reasons.
Still, lovely paper stock.
I'll keep buying this but then I'm a sucker for 2000AD and this is, just about, Dredd. McCarthy is doing Anderson in issue 2! Have no idea about IDW page-rates but surely they can get some decent artists who suit the tone of the thing in. I'm not saying Nelson Daniel isn't decent, I'm saying I don't think his style helped this story.
Still, people buying this and not the Megazine need their heads examined.
Im off to chaham tonight to see naked ladies wobble their ample breasts and pert bottoms, but my wife tells me two parcels arrived for me before she left. One had better be dredd #1 or SBT SMASH!
SBT
Quote from: BPP on 23 November, 2012, 05:18:55 PM
This arrived on Thursdays morning from Disposable Heroes so I guess if you ordered from them then its the postie at fault as they were mailed out on Wednesday.
Well, hopefully Tomorrow....
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 23 November, 2012, 05:31:56 PM
One had better be dredd #1 or SBT SMASH!
And its J.J SMASH! as well, if it dont turn up tomorrow ;)
Though ive no reason to doubt that its on its way, as DHC's havent let me down yet, and ive ordered shed loads from them over the last couple of years.
And talking about DHC, just had an email reply to a query i sent them. In future, cover artists names will be put next to the title, so those wanting to track down a particular variant etc, will now be able to see whats what. Good stuff, DHC!
I presume all that ordered with Disposable Heroes must have theirs now, as my shop variants turned up today!
Read it, not really keen - didn't really recognise Dredd as the same character I've seen before (when the hell has he ever warned perps to prepare for sentencing other than that bloody Stallone movie???!!).
I take it the rogue droid we see on the first page and assembling itself a face in the last panel will be Call Me Kenneth?
Received mine today. it was ok but read like much of the worst from 2000ad/annual/specials. I mean how minor was Dredd? should have been titled 'mega city robots' but Dredd? where was he?
Quote from: DrRocka on 23 November, 2012, 10:20:27 PM
I take it the rogue droid we see on the first page and assembling itself a face in the last panel will be Call Me Kenneth?
If this is true, then the end result could go either way. :-\
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 23 November, 2012, 09:35:49 PM
I presume all that ordered with Disposable Heroes must have theirs now
And five minutes ago, my lovely looking, but horribly expensive, Carlos variant (over two months in the waiting!) finally arrived :thumbsup:
(http://i.imgur.com/IPvxv.jpg)
I read mine at 2:30am when the lady and i returned from chatham. I may comment further later on, but in case i dont, here are brief thoughts:
The back up strip is a waste of space. It's horrible, gulacy's art is amateurish and a joke, and it's an indication of the shitty editing on the title. Worse, by giving over a number of pages to a short, the comic completely throws away it's one selling point- that it was an opportunity to tell longer, u.s comic-style stories. Now the comic is just a mash-up of short dredd strips, and that's available elsewhere, and better.
The main strip is actually pretty good- and i will continue with the comic based solely upon it. It's not great by any means, but if it had turned up in a summer special or wotnot, i wouldnt complain.
Oddly, my biggest complaint is the paperstock- it's just ridiculous. The weight of the comic in comparison to everything else ive bought this month is ludicrous- it's slippy and horrible to hold. It's not proper comics, to my mind. (cont)
(cont) it's something vastly inferior to much of the market, masquerading as something of quality, and actually made me want to chuck the bloody thing away just to make a point. I have no idea where this quest for better and better stock will end- presumable with comics printed on some kind of frictionless dwarfstar allow- but i only wish publishers would be half as excited about finding new creators with talent. I bought a couple of thirty-five year old comics this week, the paper-stock of which was absolutely fine, still white and still showing the art just as intended. I dare say in another 35 years they'll be the same. I doubt anyone will be opening IDW's JD#1 in five, let alone 35 years.
SBT
Dwarf star alloy, no
'allow'.
SBT
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 24 November, 2012, 10:55:10 AMThe main strip is actually pretty good- and i will continue with the comic based solely upon it. It's not great by any means, but if it had turned up in a summer special or wotnot, i wouldnt complain.
Yeah, that's about where I'm at with it. Personally I really like the art style on the main story, and while the writing's not setting my world on fire, it's pretty much of a quality with Meg Dredds I've read by script droids new to the writing for the character, so I'll stick with it for the next couple of months and see how it progresses.
And, finally ive had chance to read it.
Pretty much enjoyed this overall, though its certainly not the Dredd were used to, it gets enough sorta right to be a pass.
The main story is a fun, if a little bit too cartoony a read, and the art is fine. The back up story is ok, and reading it, the art (not the greatest) didnt turn me off like i thought it would.
After reading it i wouldnt class this comic as an essential purchase (well, it was for the Carlos cover..), but not a bad first attempt. And im happy to stick with it for the time being.
So overall, a different take on Dredd that doesnt offend. A cautious thumbs up from me.
I felt the main story did a decent job of introducing the world that we all know and love to a new audience - slightly different to what we know about (being old hands at the Mega City), but still, not bad. I even liked the cartoony style and letratoned art.
But oh that artwork on the second tale... I'm not a fan of Gulacy's inks anyway so to let him loose on Dredd (and to give him Stallon's uniform) is just ... wrong.
It'd not even for me the uniform- i can live with that as ive always (shhhhhh!) "not minded it"- ahem!- but it's the inconsistency. Gulacy only had to draw dredd in three panels- and he couldnt even be consistent throughout them. Look at the respirator, fer fuckssakes! Four stripes and a crossbar, then four stripes no crossbar, then six stripes! It'd just terrible. Is this a 'thing' that Gulacy does, a quirk of his that's supposed to indicate his talent? I remember his name being bandied about in the eighties, around Eclipse comics, i think. I had a mate who thought he could do no wrong, but it always looked awful to me. This cements it in my mind.
SBT
Quote from: Judge Jack on 24 November, 2012, 10:44:49 AM
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 23 November, 2012, 09:35:49 PM
I presume all that ordered with Disposable Heroes must have theirs now
And five minutes ago, my lovely looking, but horribly expensive, Carlos variant (over two months in the waiting!) finally arrived :thumbsup:
(http://i.imgur.com/IPvxv.jpg)
Such a fantastic cover.
Gave in and downloaded this this afternoon (Comixology- so easy it is scary and I can use my phone) so I could see for myself what was the big deal.
For me it was okay- think it's a bit rough that the lead and the back up are so similar in theme, but overall they feel like Meg strips that are used to pad out an issue (not that Tharg pads anything out...) when he is light on content.
Hopefully it will last long enough to develop into something interesting.
Whoa. I'm sorry to be negative, but... is this the general quality of American comics? It is almost unreadable and a horrible introduction to the concept and character. The art is OK in parts, the stories are not.
I've always been surprised at some of the art in American comics - I'm no expert in them, and have little interest in them for the most part, but I've seen some stuff that I wouldn't have thought would have passed muster over in the UK in the small press, let alone a "real" comic! But I imagine a diet of 80s 2000AD can give you a false perspective on the standard.
Still surprised to see that Gulacy wasnt a first time artist - a quick google search shows he'ss been round for yewars and theres certainly better looking art from him, if nothing that would make me think he was a good fit for Dredd. Main problem here is though is editorial not actually stepping in to veto the Stallone costume! You'd think they'd have some kind of style guide, or have thought ahead that this might be a problem for unfamiliar artists.
Quote from: Leigh S on 25 November, 2012, 01:01:23 PM
Still surprised to see that Gulacy wasnt a first time artist
He's done plenty over the years, as you say.
Back when i was a
Dark Horse Comics nut, he regularly popped up - Terminator, The Thing from Another World etc, and usually he continued the story after the original, and better, artist had moved on, which always irked me.
Which wasnt really his fault - i guess, but ive viewed his work unfavourably because of that. His earlier art is quite a lot different from the art he produced for Dredd, but still, not the best.
Looks like these 2nd stories are going to have a different artist with each installment?
My review is now posted on Brit Cit Reviews, and I seem to have been a lot kinder than a lot of other people on here. :lol:
http://britcitreviews.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/judge-dredd-idw-1/
Quote from: Toni Scandella on 25 November, 2012, 11:23:27 AM
Whoa. I'm sorry to be negative, but... is this the general quality of American comics?
Very NO! Just the general quality of IDW. With very few exceptions (Transformers: Regeneration-One, Lock & Key, and I hear Ghostbusters is actually pretty good) IDW is very shoddy in the contents department (but if you want variant covers, boy-howdy they've got you covered!). B-list writers, C-list artists. All they really have are their licenses, and some really good quality newspaper comic strip reprint hardcovers.
Otherwise US comics are rocking it right now (see pretty much anything from Image Comics at the moment)
Brought a standard copy at the weekend.
Will wait for stellar reviews on a few places online, and maybe some recommendations on here, before I buy another copy.
Dunk!
Quote from: The Adventurer on 26 November, 2012, 08:17:07 AMAll they really have are their licenses, and some really good quality newspaper comic strip reprint hardcovers.
And they also publish pretty much whatever John Byrne wants to do. You may take that statement as you wish. :-)
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: The Adventurer on 26 November, 2012, 08:17:07 AMB-list writers, C-list artists
Curious design decisions, too, as the Transformers reprints show. The US ones appear to have had some kind of filter across every page or art, resulting in the US dot colouring being flattened, but the detail in the line work being obliterated. The UK reprints don't have that issue, but are bizarrely printed with a massive gutter around the existing UK page gutter. Bleurgh. It's a far cry from what the Rebellion chaps do, that's for sure. (In fact, even the
worst 2000 AD trade repro I can think of—the first Devlin Waugh volume and the second Kingdom one—is better than those Transformers tomes.)
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 26 November, 2012, 09:28:49 AM
Quote from: The Adventurer on 26 November, 2012, 08:17:07 AMAll they really have are their licenses, and some really good quality newspaper comic strip reprint hardcovers.
And they also publish pretty much whatever John Byrne wants to do. You may take that statement as you wish.
Say what you like about ol' JB - and I notice that you have - but his old-school Star Trek books for IDW are great fun, especially compared to the current series based on the movie reboot that just recycles plots from various Trek over the years but does so in such a dour, joyless and witless fashion it makes you wonder if those making it even watched the film/Trek in general - or if they're just copying and pasting story ideas from a Trek episode guide on Wikipedia or something. The last issue I read was doing a plot from Enterprise - and yes, you read that right.
Having checked out on Johnathan Hickman's banal and emotionless Fantastic Four, too, I begrudgingly admit I find Byrne's daft, willfully-dated and shameless F4 rip-off
Trio to be a hoot - what old-school Marvel fan
doesn't want to see Godzilla fight Galactus?
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 26 November, 2012, 09:28:49 AM
And they also publish pretty much whatever John Byrne wants to do.
Maybe thats because John Byrne is, perhaps, the best, and biggest name that they have.
If he hadnt burnt
so many bridges, and pissed
so many people off, over the years, people would rightly be praising him - for his art, at any rate.
I reckon we'll see some input on the Dredd series, from him, at some point.
Script by Wagner Art by Byrne, anyone?
Quote from: Judge Jack on 26 November, 2012, 06:28:56 PM
I reckon we'll see some input on the Dredd series, from him, at some point.
Script by Wagner Art by Byrne, anyone?
Considering his last effort on Dredd, I hope not.
Quote from: JOE SOAP on 26 November, 2012, 06:29:53 PM
Considering his last effort on Dredd, I hope not.
Thankfully, I missed his scripting efforts for DC, but his art on the Summer Special all those years ago was a pretty creditable attempt at a character who seems to defeat many US artists...
Cheers
Jim
Yeah, i wasnt aware he done owt for the DC line, until recently.
Though ive not really seen these, his scripting certainly isnt the best aspect of his talent.
But artwise, i cant see why anyone should object, if indeed they are.
I bought two variants and felt it OK at best. Given this was the first issue something a bit more sunstantial than a fruit flinging tree should have been used. They may be tailoring to their market but if this was in the Meg I'd have it down as a weak issue. Indeed, and not to damn with faint praise, I've enjoyed fanzine strips more. I will possibly keep buying out of interest but I don't see this as cannon and therefore subject to droppage - be careful now!
I seem to be waving the flag for him a bit so let me offer up front that I think John Byrne is either a total cock of a man, or has done a flawless impression of one on the internet for the last decade. Having said that, I read the final part of one of his DC Dredds and admit the way Byrne paid off the idea that Dredd would turn on the law* was - IMO - a decent one that would have worked well in the 1970-1980s era of the strip (or a latter-day Dreddworld spinoff). The rest of it could have been terrible, all the same, but what I did see was promising, if skewed towards the atmosphere and approach of earlier 2000ad (and Byrne has said as much that he hasn't seen much of the book or Dredd since that period).
The art was a bit hit and miss, but I wouldn't mind seeing more of his writing if he decided to take a crack at the character again.
*[spoiler] The judge was an Apocalypse War vet who had terminal cancer who agreed to be publicly "murdered" in the line of duty by Dredd - rather than quietly euthanized - in order to sell that Dredd had turned on Justice Department.[/spoiler] An extreme and heartless plan, but it rings true of some of JD's earlier excesses, and is kinda sorta how[spoiler] McGruder[/spoiler] went out, too.
Quote from: Buttonman on 26 November, 2012, 06:59:06 PM
I will possibly keep buying out of interest but I don't see this as cannon and therefore subject to droppage - be careful now!
No letters page then?
I asked IDW a while back if they would do one and they said it's something they will think about! We have to beat Buttonman into it :lol:
Looking at offers at the moment and let's just say it highly lkely that I may indeed write in, although whether the letters will be Beast worthy is up for debate. (they won't be)
My millions of issues turned up today. I like the shiny badge cover and have somehow managed to order two of the limited Disposable Heroes cover, cock that I am.
I'll put Carlos' linework up on my blog later in the week, once Frank has had a bit of time to settle in...
Quote from: Pete Wells on 26 November, 2012, 10:26:41 PM
I'll put Carlos' linework up on my blog later in the week
Ah, nice one. Peepers peeled for that.
The badge cover is nice but the Carlos cover shows the barrel being a wee bit too big for the magazine that the Lawgiver holds, otherwise it's the best cover!
IDW have Ashley Wood on speed-dial and, thus one suspects via their ThreeA hook-up, Rufus. Either of those being involved would up the standard immeasurably. Not that IDW need bring in brits... there is a wealth of talent over there, I just don't see it on the page in this product. It would have been nice if IDW's Dredd was of the DHP, BRPD standard but its nowhere near, not even batting in the same ballpark. US comics have had some great Sci-fi of late, some premier league stuff, some interesting failures. The art team behind the recently finished Debris could have brought a nice take on MC1 for instance. I have to hold my hands up and say I just don't 'get' why they have gone the route they have. The more I look at it the more I am bewildered.
As for people saying 'its like a dodgy Meg effort'... good god, the Meg's Dredd often has beaten the Prog the last few years, I can't think the last 'dodgy' Meg Dredd there was - the off-coloured Kev Walker 'worm' thing or the JHD 'western' Dredd. Long time ago. IDW's Dredd has nowhere near the professional scripting and art skills the Meg has been delivering.
I keep on coming across further variants of the Dredd cover online. Find it rather confusing. IDW don't seem to have much on their website about Dredd – unless I am looking in the wrong place.
Have any US reviews started to appear yet? A Google search offers up a few positive posts from some Stateside bloggers, but I haven't seen anything from the important outlets yet. Ultimately we're irrelevant - their opinion matters far more in ensuring IDW's comic will be a success.
Quote from: Robert Frazer on 27 November, 2012, 02:03:20 AMUltimately we're irrelevant - their opinion matters far more in ensuring IDW's comic will be a success.
I think our opinion still matters. STILL haven't received mine from Disposable Heroes.
Yeah, our opinion matters big time. If hellblazer sells only 9000 copies a month, i'd say the uk fans' opinions matter just as much as the americans about all comics. We seem to buy more of their comics than they do!
SBT
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 27 November, 2012, 11:52:28 AM
We seem to buy more of their comics than they do!
I strongly doubt that. I would imagine direct sales through UK comic shops barely amounts to a rounding error on most books.
Cheers
Jim
The UK Spider-Man reprint title sells more verifiable copies each month than the US' Amazing Spider-Man. I have a personal theory that a lot of those go to overseas customers, though.
Quote from: Professor Bear on 27 November, 2012, 03:07:13 PM
The UK Spider-Man reprint title sells more verifiable copies each month than the US' Amazing Spider-Man.
That's available on the high street, isn't it? (At least, I'm sure I've seen it in newsagents.)
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: Robert Frazer on 27 November, 2012, 02:03:20 AM
Have any US reviews started to appear yet? A Google search offers up a few positive posts from some Stateside bloggers, but I haven't seen anything from the important outlets yet. Ultimately we're irrelevant - their opinion matters far more in ensuring IDW's comic will be a success.
Yep, and from what I've seen it's been very well received.
And yes, your opinions matter. But please bear in mind that less than a couple of hundred people use this forum regularly - representing a tiny percentage of the Prog's readership and if sales reports of IDW's Dredd are anything to go by the same holds true for this new title. Also bear in mind that this is a US title aimed at making Dredd palatable for US sensibilities.
I reckon most of those sales are of me and Rod buying the variants ;)
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 27 November, 2012, 06:44:52 PM
I reckon most of those sales are of me and Rod buying the variants ;)
Thought you might say that - the sales figures do take into account people buying multiple variants. They're still good ;)
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 27 November, 2012, 06:44:52 PM
I reckon most of those sales are of me and Rod buying the variants ;)
How many have you snagged? You aiming for the lot for the first issue?
I was gonna but too many of them are taking the piss. It reminds me of the second series of the phonecards, which I binned mid collection but eventually bought on ebay for less, a dozen years later!
I have all the main variants at the moment and 9 of the 19 shop variants paid for (with 7 in da house) and I'll just keep an eye out in the future as even I can't justify this insanity for one issue. If only Jim was right when he said that the shop variants wouldn't happen :'(
Have finally read this now, and I'm feeling more positive than i thought i would about it!
The art on story one is great, IMO. Citizens and MC-1 look right, and it feels right too. Judges are a little off in their depiction, but i'm sure that given time Nelson Daniel will produce some quality stuff. Reminded me of PJ's art in places, which is high praise indeed!
Not that impressed with the script (talking trees? whut?), but it still pisses over the old DC effort.
The second story is much much better than i expected it to be, after seeing the preview of the art.
Maybe a page too long, but very old school Dredd, which again feels right for this first issue.
The art itself is lacking slightly IMO, but the storytelling is sound. I dont like the layout of American comics, but as this is an American comic i can hardly blame the artist for that!
All in all, i'd give this a tentative 7/10.
Could have been much better, but also could have been so much worse.
PS. The 'Dredd's Comportment' addition by Douglas Wolk was brilliant!
Jump-on progs should feature this :thumbsup:
I got mine in Daves Comics, Brighton...
I thought it was pretty cool, agreed the art in the second story was a 'surprise' considering, but I hope it picks up the US audience it deserves.
Saw this (but did not buy, alas, as I had just wazzed my wallet's worth on the Batman / Dredd hardcover) at the LCS yesterday.
Artwork in the lead story looked FAB. Really liking it. Of course, I had no opportunity to actually read it.
I have faith in Duane to tell a story that at the very least holds interest. I'll see if I can't check out the trade collection, provided that word of mouth is positive throughout the run.
Win lose or draw, i'm pleased to see this effort being made to get Dredd over to US audiences.
Quote from: Unicorn Bukakke on 27 November, 2012, 03:07:13 PM
The UK Spider-Man reprint title sells more verifiable copies each month than the US' Amazing Spider-Man. I have a personal theory that a lot of those go to overseas customers, though.
Whoa is that true? I thought it was only the UK comics that went to the dogs.
Quote from: sheldipez on 29 November, 2012, 11:54:56 AM
Whoa is that true? I thought it was only the UK comics that went to the dogs.
I've been banging on for
ages about the fact that UK kids' comics are one of the few areas of dead tree publishing that have been showing growth on the high street. Many of the UK newsstand comics have sales that US titles would
kill for, which makes Marvel's revoking of Panini's license to originate material all the more galling.
The bar to entry is the ridiculously hostile attitude of the UK distribution network on the high street (read: WH Smith) and the astonishingly poor cash flow of launching a new title. Basically, you're looking at being £500,000 - £1,000,000 in a hole before you have
any idea whether you're going to make any money. Hence the profusion of licensed/reprint titles...
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 29 November, 2012, 12:18:52 PM
Quote from: sheldipez on 29 November, 2012, 11:54:56 AM
Whoa is that true? I thought it was only the UK comics that went to the dogs.
I've been banging on for ages about the fact that UK kids' comics are one of the few areas of dead tree publishing that have been showing growth on the high street. Many of the UK newsstand comics have sales that US titles would kill for, which makes Marvel's revoking of Panini's license to originate material all the more galling.
The bar to entry is the ridiculously hostile attitude of the UK distribution network on the high street (read: WH Smith) and the astonishingly poor cash flow of launching a new title. Basically, you're looking at being £500,000 - £1,000,000 in a hole before you have any idea whether you're going to make any money. Hence the profusion of licensed/reprint titles...
Cheers
Jim
It's quite shocking just how little comics are available in the UK (without being US imports) when I was nipper in the 90's there was all kinds of comics, not a lot where great quality but there was a ton of comics out, mostly based on existing franchises (The Mask, Earthworth Jim, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Ace Ventura, Sonic the comic, I even remember a Rugrats comic from Marvel) but at least there was something for me to buy. Every newsagents I go in these days have 2000ad (if you're lucky) and the Panini Marvel reprint series and that's it.
2000ad is pretty much the british comic scene. I feel bad for not supporting it until prog 1800. :-\
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 29 November, 2012, 12:18:52 PMwhich makes Marvel's revoking of Panini's license to originate material all the more galling.
I was in two minds about that when it happened. On one hand, Marvel shrank the talent pool of approved creators to small number of Caucasian American males and arguably that is the biggest problem their "regular" comic books have had for years, so I'm stumped why they would want to replicate that problem with material meant to attract new readers in different territories with different storytelling formats and audiences with different expectations from their comics.
On the other hand, the UK-produced Marvel strips were
not very good. Occasionally you'd get an Al Ewing
Hulk outing or Simon Furman writing
Death's Head mark 1, but the vast majority of stuff was unadventurous, unexciting and homogenised. There was one where Luke Cage dealt with the problems of "the 'hood" that confounds me to this day, as someone with superpowers who can hold his own against the majority of supervillains in the Marvel universe was for some reason fighting drug dealers on a street corner while espousing his territorial dominance... It begs the question "why would Luke Cage do this and not Captain America?" I was not terribly sad to see the back of such fare.
Quote from: sheldipez on 29 November, 2012, 02:26:49 PMSonic the comic,
Still running. And actually really really good. Don't know about news agent availability though. All I know is its on issue 242 and still going strong.
Quote from: The Adventurer on 29 November, 2012, 11:09:41 PM
Quote from: sheldipez on 29 November, 2012, 02:26:49 PMSonic the comic,
Still running. And actually really really good.
Not sure I agree with you - it's still going - but is it just a glorified fanmag - ?
(http://www.stconline.co.uk/259/comics/two/05.jpg)
I don't know where that's from, but I'm pretty sure it's not from the Archie comic (cause the art on Sonic the Hedgehig is excellent). Sonic the Hedgehog from Archie is easily one of the coolest All-Ages action/adventure comics I had my hands on recently. Between it, and The new Mega Man series Archie is really killing it.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Apparently 'Sonic the Comic' is different then 'Sonic the Hedgehog'. I did not know that. For all i know Sonic the Comic is rubbish.
So strange.
It was great to see something Dredd related in my neck of the woods here in Texas. They had the issue with several covers in their new releases section, next to a copy of the Judge Dredd/Batman collection. I've mentioned in my intro thread the issues with finding anything Dredd related in stores around here so I won't go anymore in to that.
As for the comic itself, it was average to me. I came in with low expectations and I was surprised that for a launch comic it wasn't as bad as I thought. It was alright for me, but of course reading Judge Dredd in 2000 AD with the current arc as well as Day of Chaos overshadows it for me. Hopefully we'll get some example of the ability of their writers to do a long story arc- I felt like they were hinting at some equivalent of a robot war in the opening panels of the first story and the attitude of the robot in the second one.
I'm hoping the comic will improve- at least for the sake of having more Dredd related stuff stocked in comic stores here.
Quote from: The Adventurer on 30 November, 2012, 04:16:30 AM
Apparently 'Sonic the Comic' is different then 'Sonic the Hedgehog'. I did not know that. For all i know Sonic the Comic is rubbish.
Wash your mouth out, sir! STC was a British take on Sonic that ran from 1993 to 2002, completely distinct from the US comic, with regular input from Tooth luminaries such as Richard Elson, Mick McMahon, Nigel Dobbyn, John Burns and more (even Mark Millar, if you like that sort of thing). It was ACE, and this excellent little article perfectly articulates why:
http://nemo-incognito.livejournal.com/36255.html
QuoteStC has nothing to do with the games that inspired it now, aside from a few shared characters and concepts. The comic, and it's fans, exist in a little self-contained bubble cut off from the modern Sonic. Even when the reputation of the Sonic games was at it's worst I was never bothered by the idea of the series 'going bad'. In my mind this is the real Sonic, not the games. This is my personal Sonic and he doesn't let me down.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a113/Darkjimbo2/sonic-1.jpg)
Finally got round to picking this up, its really really bad. Seriously that first story is a mess, was the job planned? the tree speaks, but there is no exlianation of the tunnel conversation/head exploding thing, or the whole 'we have no masters', fruit jam/not jamming, the other Judge shouts at Dredd, but what irked the most: check out the nightstick that morfs into a lawgiver then back again, Dredd goes down the sewer with no weapon or holster, he has a nightstick while chatting, the perps head explodes the nightstick turns into a Lawgiver ( no sign of the nightstick) he goes topside no nightstick no lawgiver no holster. lazy lazy lazy.
As mentioned above Zarjaz does this so much better
The second story is even worse... Is it linked to the first? a simple box could have said, but what is the Stallone uniform doing here? lazy online pic ref maybe?
WTF is the robot talking about 'dressing me up like this' a tiny person strangles a big guy with a ipod headphones...really? There's mass looting going on and Dredd stands like the robot chatting... give me strength!!
I got the B cover where Dredd has two Lawgiver... er palm prints anyone?
Yeah, but what did you really think of it?
Quote from: Proudhuff on 01 December, 2012, 11:49:58 AM
I got the B cover where Dredd has two Lawgiver... er palm prints anyone?
If Dredd can't have 2 Lawgivers, who can!
Palm prints don't work through gloves anyway so 2 lawgivers can't be that hard :)
Quote from: James Stacey on 01 December, 2012, 02:58:40 PM
Palm prints don't work through gloves anyway
Yes they do. We've seen Dredd remove the locks on a lawgiver before, so he can use it.
Quote from: Proudhuff on 01 December, 2012, 11:49:58 AM
...check out the nightstick...
...he has a nightstick while chatting...
...the nightstick turns into a Lawgiver...
...(no sign of the nightstick)...
...no nightstick...
A pedant would point out that Judges use a
daystick. Not me, though. Nossir.
QuoteI got the B cover where Dredd has two Lawgiver... er palm prints anyone?
To be fair, Ron Smith regularly drew Dredd with two guns.
Well read it and... it was okay. Really quite enjoyed the first story in and of itself. It set up the world well enough, it had a stab at Dredd as a character, though of course without even approaching the complexities we've got used to. It looked pretty good, I did like the art. I'd have thought it was an okay comic IF I'd never read Dredd before. As I have it read like a pretty poor stab at the character. Possibly it went a little to far down the comedy line at times, especially when compared (wrongly, but its impossible not to) with what we've had of late in the Prog. It covered a lot of standards in a Dredd introduction strip, we've had a load of times in the Galaxies greatest.
That said it feels as if given time it might get there and its earnt itself another buy (well I was going to get it for three months to see how it went anyway). I'm quite looking forward (well if things step up) to seeing how a typical American long form storytelling style sits with our fella.
The back up was poor. It felt utterly disposable, it covered well trodden ground in an uninspiring way. and lacked any of the charm of the old strips that did this type of the law is hard story. The art wasn't as bad as I'd feared from the little I'd seen UNTIL it did that unforgivable thing, what was he thinking thing, the wrong Dredd thing, that having not had a chance to look through this thread yet I assume has been mentioned too many time to be worth re-treading BUT I mean really.
Still next months back up could make me forget all that. You can't come soon enough Mr McCarthy.
The inclusion of '95 movie Dredd seems so bizarre, thinking about it, that i have to ask whether there's more to it than we think. From an editorial point of view, do we think they'd allow this kind of 'error' to just slip into their first issue of such a high-profile comic? Wouldnt someone, somewhere- even at Rebellion- say "hang on...", for fear of appearing like an incompetent laughing stock- which is how we are viewing IDW right now. Do they even OWN the rights to the likeness of '95 dredd? Wouldnt that be cinergi or disney or whoever?
Could this not- what with the odd decision to run back-up strips and have that back-up strip basically a retread of the themes from the main strip *in the same issue*- could it not be part of a ruse? Might we not be looking at a cross-dimensional Robot War? Call-Me-Kenneth's IDW avatar (presumably that robot from the main strip last seen making faces) making trouble for all Dredds, from Sly to Karl to 'our' Joe and 'their' Joseph. Maybe not copyright-infringeing (cont)
(cont) exact duplicates, but close enough to make the point. After all, Gulacy got the helmet 'wrong' didnt he?
Maybe next month's McCarthy backup will have the riot cop version beloved by many. Maybe we'll find out any day now when it's (not) leaked.
And if not, and it was just another drokk-up in a comic seemingly littered with them, how can they seriously expect people to fork out hard earned cash each month for something so casually thrown-together?
SBT
To be perfectly honest, I didn't even notice the Stallone-style uniform in the B-strip - and Dredd's role is small enough in that story anyway for it not to be so great a drama. Maybe his uniform was at the dry-cleaners after "Ripe" and the local Sector House that he reported to to change didn't have anything in his size other than a set of 2095s.
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 01 December, 2012, 10:06:03 PM
The inclusion of '95 movie Dredd seems so bizarre, thinking about it, that i have to ask whether there's more to it than we think.
I like your
Crisis in Infinite Megacities idea, but I think it might be as simple as that version of the character being most familiar to the artist - and probably most Americans reading that comic. The last six months of film forum watching have taught me that there are some people who seem to genuinely like that chimeric monstrosity of a film and its production design.
or he's simply fucking with us, ;)
Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 01 December, 2012, 02:59:51 PM
Quote from: Proudhuff on 01 December, 2012, 11:49:58 AM
...check out the nightstick...
...he has a nightstick while chatting...
...the nightstick turns into a Lawgiver...
...(no sign of the nightstick)...
...no nightstick...
A pedant would point out that Judges use a daystick. Not me, though. Nossir.
A nightstick is the evil twin of a day stick
I picked this up and didn't hate it. It didn't really feel like authentic Dredd to me, something was a little off with him as a character, although the city itself seemed pretty close to the prog.
Really liked the art in the first story, but thought it could have given people a bit more to be going on, there's a lot going on that isn't explained but it's too early to tell if it's setting up things to be explained later, or if it's just ignoring the details in favour of pace.
The 2nd story didn't work for me at all I'm afraid, the art really didn't click with me (and THAT design choice actually seemed a bit disrespectful to be honest) and I didn't really understand if the story was supposed to be taking place within/alongside the main story.
I'll buy it again, mainly because I'd like to see it do well and partly because I just want as much Dredd in my life as possible and the main story and prospect of some better backup stories pleases me.
I do think they've missed a trick though with the tone, it's cool that it's going for the wackier side of things that was downplayed in the movie, but given the whole point of the comic's existence seems to be to hook in people drawn in by the movie I can't help but think they should have stuck as close to the film's tone as possible, at least initially.
The Shop Variant from Jetpack Comics, which has the black and white DREDDABILIA cover also has a different back to it!
Quote from: Keef Monkey on 03 December, 2012, 04:53:50 PM
but given the whole point of the comic's existence seems to be to hook in people drawn in by the movie
I think I've said this before, but it's really not. A happy coincidence, but not the point of IDW's series at all.
Look at this Greg Staples cover, just look at it, f**king awesome...
(http://comicbookcritic.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/JudgeDredd-YearOne-1.jpg)
Matt Smith to pen Year One Dredds, now this is something I'd read, not the tosh being fired out of IDW's canon at the mo...
http://comicbookcritic.net/2012/12/03/judge-dredd-year-one-miniseries-arrives-in-march-2013-from-idw-publishing/ (http://comicbookcritic.net/2012/12/03/judge-dredd-year-one-miniseries-arrives-in-march-2013-from-idw-publishing/)
Matt Smith writing
Simon Coleby on interior art
Greg Staples on covers
An intriguing spin on the Dredd concept
Now that sounds more bloody like it! Definitely buying this.
(http://comicbookcritic.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/JudgeDredd-YearOne-1_thumb.jpg)
I think you'll find there is a thread for the Year One mini series by Tharg
Quote from: Molch-R on 03 December, 2012, 05:00:13 PM
Quote from: Keef Monkey on 03 December, 2012, 04:53:50 PM
but given the whole point of the comic's existence seems to be to hook in people drawn in by the movie
I think I've said this before, but it's really not. A happy coincidence, but not the point of IDW's series at all.
Fair enough, it never really crossed my mind that the two might have coincidentally come along at the same time!
Like I say, I enjoyed it and will buy more, I just thought having a story that was closer to the film might hold onto anyone who's been tempted to try Dredd after the film.
I understand the need for something like this, my first instinct would be to just start collecting prog Dredd and releasing it, but then where do you start without confusing people? A fresh publication with stories geared towards new readers is a great idea, will be interesting to see how it develops and what other elements it introduces as it goes on. Cheers.
I think FP are missing a trick hiding these amonst the comic herd, They would do better on the Meg and the Prog shelf, but hey what do i know...
Ah. It never occurred to me to just go up to FP... I ordered mine online at Disposable Heroes which I won't be doing again. Never got it and never received a reply as to why!
Asked FB if they had any of the variants but they went straight away, which I kinda guessed would happen anyway.
V
Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 04 December, 2012, 11:44:26 AM
Ah. It never occurred to me to just go up to FP... I ordered mine online at Disposable Heroes which I won't be doing again. Never got it and never received a reply as to why!
If you're going the online route, I'd really, really recommend Midtown Comics.
Works out cheaper than buying from a store in most cases, even taking into account postage from the US. I've been a loyal customer for years- they've never let me down, and their customer service is second to none.
They were on the 2000AD shelf when I popped in to the Glasgow FP.
FB London had quite few variant covers: Ezquerra, Milgrom, the kicking door down one.
I went for the standard cover (A?) as I really like it. While Carlos is a man-god, I couldn't justify £5.99 (if I recall correctly) on a standard comic just for the cover.
Overall I think the IDW Dredd is a good neat little package. Very well produced. I liked the art of lead story and am not too fussed about the look of Dredd in the back up strip. I do wonder if that was a conscious choice to use the 95 film version of uniform to appeal to readers who only know Dredd from that film. Which I think has already been mentioned here. Gulacy has in the past produced some of the most amazing comic art ever – check out his Master of Kung Fu.
I read the comic conscious of the fact that I am not the target audience. Let's hope it does well and draws new readers in.
Quote from: Keef Monkey on 04 December, 2012, 12:48:36 PM
They were on the 2000AD shelf when I popped in to the Glasgow FP.
must just be the Edinbra stackers have missed that street-team operchancity
If I recall correctly the Manchester branch had them stacked next to the prog and meg. Though I may be mistaken.
I guess the other cool thing about this is that people who do enjoy it will then move onto picking up collections, so they'll be turned onto the prog in one way or another!
Quote from: SuperSurfer on 04 December, 2012, 02:17:06 PM
I couldn't justify £5.99 (if I recall correctly) on a standard comic just for the cover.
£5.99? If only.. :(
QuoteThe Shop Variant from Jetpack Comics, which has the black and white DREDDABILIA cover also has a different back to it!
the larrys comic variant also has a differant back cover.
its got the judge dredd logo and has a blank/white back cover.
also, the card stock used is not the usual thick shiny card. just thick card.
QuoteI couldn't justify £5.99 (if I recall correctly) on a standard comic just for the cover.
£5.99 ???
looks like i'm gonna half to pay quadruple that at my local comic book shop. :'( :'(
Aye, and a quick check to see whats what shows it hovering around the £20 mark on E-bay. :-\
That Larrys one is definately up for a sketch being drawn on it, as you say the cover ain't shiny. Pity about the two heads getting in the way and from looking at the numbers, that one is a run of 250.
The question is, do I need to get another one, or two to keep one pristine and get sketches on the others!
Just seen the news. I helped make this issue smash its way into the top 100. Thank you everyone ;)
Well not just get into the top 100 but smacked it home. Its in at 69 (Units) and 56 ($). The only indie comics that beat it are Saga, Walking Dead, Masks and the implausibly popular My Little Pony (last two also first issues). In a month when Marvel started their fight back against DC that's pretty impressive to say the least.
Also worth bearing in mind that the North American market (US and Canada I think) so you'd think it'd do proportionally better than most titles in the UK too (said to be about 10% typically).
The trick is now how it keeps its numbers but that's as good a start as could have been hoped for I'd say.
Issue 2 is landing soon, isnt it? This week?
Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 04 December, 2012, 11:44:26 AM
Ah. It never occurred to me to just go up to FP... I ordered mine online at Disposable Heroes which I won't be doing again. Never got it and never received a reply as to why!
You might want to check your order with DH. I was wondering why mine didn't arrive and it turns out I ordered #2. It seems a link was mislabeled. I've just ordered #1 again. I was pretty happy with the other stuff I got from them. Came fairly fast and was bagged and boarded and sent in solid cardboard.
Well according to a VERY POORLY CONSTRUCTED e-mail last week:
" hi
this went out a while back. ill get another incase its been lost in the post
apols "
Still no sign. I'll just walk to Forbidden Planet for #2, it's only up the road! Balls to Disposable Heroes.
What does the $ number mean?
There's two ways the chart is ranked. One is the straight number of copies sold. The second is the cost of those copies sold (not 100% if that's the cover price, or the price from Diamond) so cos Dredd cost $3.99 and some comics are say $2.99 it pulled in more money than some comics that actually sold more copies.
At least that's my understanding.
I see, very interesting.
Quote from: Andy Smart on 10 December, 2012, 06:24:25 PM
Quote from: CrazyFoxMachine on 04 December, 2012, 11:44:26 AM
Ah. It never occurred to me to just go up to FP... I ordered mine online at Disposable Heroes which I won't be doing again. Never got it and never received a reply as to why!
You might want to check your order with DH. I was wondering why mine didn't arrive and it turns out I ordered #2. It seems a link was mislabeled. I've just ordered #1 again. I was pretty happy with the other stuff I got from them. Came fairly fast and was bagged and boarded and sent in solid cardboard.
Disposable Heroes have become my go-to online retailer since the recommendation for Dredd #1. Ordered a bunch of stuff since and come through no probs. Really cheap considering they're all bagged & boarded at that cost.
Yeah, ive used Disposable Heroes for yonks. First caught them when they was only (i think) an E-bay shop.
Only had one hiccup from them when a comic listed as being in stock, wasnt, and got an immediate refund - plus a little something extra.
Shame some boarders are having a bit of bother in regards to orders, though.
...still haven't got it. Have decided to support me local comic shop and set up a standing order from #2 onwards.
I had no problem with Disposable Heroes but then again I did only order their variant!
I've finally got it - they re-sent it out and it was the variant cover (their one) which I didn't order bless 'em. All is forgiven, but I'm still going to go get a standing order at me local comic shop I think.
Haven't read it yet - my lass though the sheer quantity of variant covers available was hilarious. I said "That's how IDW make money" and she laughed and laughed and laughed.
Got this today and enjoyed it, thought the artwork was good and actually enjoyed the second story more
The review from Comic Heroes is in
For now, though, it's just funny citizens and goofy future tech, uninterestingly rendered by the two artists here.
There's room for things to get better, for sure, but the results so far are a bit 'meh', and the deliberate refusal to do the one thing 2000 AD can't - tell a single sweeping 22-page tale - seems almost wilfully dumb.
There was some other words but I'm in a hurry, so you'll have to buy your own copy ;)
By the way, it gets 2.5 out if 5
Picked up another two covers today. The ones from LARRYS COMICS finally turned up. That's me done with these covers as far as I'm concerned. Some shops didn't even want to get back to a potential buyer, which is rather funny in this financial climate ::)
How many are you missing?
Due to being at work I can't verify the number but I'm missing around 5 I think. I didn't check my list after I collected them as I was a bit peeved with being hit with VAT on the drokker. The twat had only gone and put down how much I paid and not the cover price!
Anyway due to my love of Dredd and always trying to promote the comic, I am buying all the unsold issues of No1 in my comic shop and I shall be giving them away to potential future fans this Saturday. Yes folks, even though I think it has a long way to go, I shall do my bit.
If you let us know whats missing from that list I'm sure many of your fellow forumites will keep an eye out for you.
I gave several copies of issue 1 to my younger cousins & in-laws for Christmas too, but then again, my LCS was selling them for only €2!
I think I only need 3 or 4 now as one of the pictures in #1 doesn't seem to actually exist
Maybe of interest to some (and CF of course) Dynamic Forces have just slashed the price of the 'Silver series signature variant' signed by Duane Swierczynski to $10 (previously $69.99!!!!!).
Sorry, can't hyperlink on this bloody thing...
Didn't Dynamic Forces do a show on one of the shopping channels a long while back. That price drop tells a story now ;)
Quote from: COMMANDO FORCES on 03 January, 2013, 09:10:45 PM
Didn't Dynamic Forces do a show on one of the shopping channels a long while back. That price drop tells a story now ;)
I've purchased a few CGC comics off them in the past...no problem with them, apart from pretty steep shipping fees!
The bloke who did the selling was hilarious when I watched it. I think it was on about 23:00 ish and for about two hours. What I liked most about him was his absolute love for the genre, which came through in spades :D
Ha, wouldn't like to come in and switch that on after a few pints in The West Wicklow House, I'd wake up the next day hungover and destitute!
Quote from: Link Prime on 03 January, 2013, 09:07:52 PM
Maybe of interest to some (and CF of course) Dynamic Forces have just slashed the price of the 'Silver series signature variant' signed by Duane Swierczynski to $10 (previously $69.99!!!!!).
Sorry, can't hyperlink on this bloody thing...
Very cool (http://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/p-C120049.html), very tempted
Can understand getting a cover by an artist you particularly dig at an above standard price but that?
Oops. Well - Disposable Heroes have for some reason hugely overcompensated and sent me ANOTHER copy of issue one. Staples cover with variant DH stamp on it. Anyone fancy it?
If you man the Staples cover has a stamp on it, I'll be up for it :P
Hooray. Finally got all the variants for #1. That was harder than i thought it was going to be. Now for #2.
Disposable Heroes are having a bit of a sale (http://www.disposableheroes.co.uk/index.php?searchStr=dredd&act=viewCat&Submit=Go) at the moment - a bunch of the old IDW Dredds are reduced starting from £1.53 bagged, boarded and delivered if anyone wants to try it out on the cheap, or acquire some variants.
Nice to see the Ezquerra variant has still kept its high price.