Thrill Power Overload - The Book

[Matt]

Just a suggestion, but as we all seem to be really enjoying thrill power overload over in the Meg at the minute, and have already asked that it be published in one volume once its finished, hows about adding a complete prog guide as an appendix? I know that'll beef up the page count a bit, but it would make it the ultimate reference for 2000AD. I'd buy it  just for that. I've got so many progs now that I need a catalogue just to find the strips I want to re-read. C'mon David how about it?

[Wake]

As far as I understand it, there is no intention to publish a story guide, since "everything" is available online here.

Wake

[Matt]

H'mmm, alright for those who have computers at home. I do all my surfing at work...

[Oddboy]

since "everything" is available online

How was this data gathered?  Was it by one person reading each prog & making notes, or was it a team working on different stuff, was it prog by prog or series by series?

I ask because there are/have been a few ommissions (especially on the "lettering droid" data but I guess nobody really cares who did the letters) & I wondered if it would be worth my time doublechecking everything.  Obviously it isn't but I get the feeling that I might anyway, so if I do - would you want the results to fill in any blanks on the site?  (I'll probably never get round to it anyway)

:-)

[Wake]

I started with an incomplete spreadsheet which went up to Prog 1200 and have manually added/corrected since then.

Corrections and additions are gratefully received.

The database contains codes for series and creators. Most creator codes use the first name and the first letter of the surname, which means most of the typos are when there are two people with similar names. Only last night I changed Jim Murray (JIMM) to Jim McCarthy (JIMMC) for the Bad Company (BADCOMP) stories in Prog 2001 and Prog 2002.

Wake

[davidbishop]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm still hard at work putting together the articles for the Megazine. Only when those are complete will I seriously start looking at a book version. That will depend upon Rebellion's atittude, finding a publisher who is interested and will do the best by the material and various contractural niceities (or is that spelled nicities?)...

If the book happens, it will be revised to eliminate significant bloopers like getting the year the new Eagle launched wrong and claiming hand lettering was a rarity before 2000 AD was launched.

Then I have a massive amount of material that either didn't make it into the articles for reasons of space or strict relevance, or only came to light after the relevant period of history had already been committed to print.

That needs sorting through and incorporating into the main text. This could expand the text significantly, maybe up to 50%. For example, I've just written a 1000-word sidebar on the history of Toxic. The first draft of that ran to 1500 words, before getting cut just for length.

Adding a complete prog guide as an appendix would add many pages to the final volume. It would be great to have as an easy reference guide, but the theoretical publisher might blanch at the extra pages and work required.

As Wake has noted elsewhere on this thread, nearly all the information is available on the web. However, it would save readers spending hours on line to see all of it.

So, in short, your idea has merits and drawbacks. Watch this space...

davidbishop

[pauljholden]

I like they way you said "let's not get ahead of ourselves" and then outlined a considerable amount of thought that has obviously been applied in that direction.

-p j

[davidbishop]

A guy can dream, can't he?

davidbishop

[Oddboy]

No.  Get back to work!  ;)

[Oddboy]

On the Prog Guide front; the Prog800 guides were split between Dredd stories & other 2K series stories.

Things have become a lot more complex since then.

Would / should a 'paper' version of the guide (as opposed to looking up a series on the web) be similarly split?  Should the Megazine have a seperate index? - I reckon not as many stories leap between the two comics (Dredd/Anderson/Devlin/Missionary Man & next up Lenny Zero)  Should other "Dredd World" stories be included in the 'Dredd' index?
The prog800 indecies never included Future Shocks or Time Twisters etc.  Should these be included?

My vote would be fore One Big Index covering the whole lot, inc. Starlord/Tornado if possible.  I reckon I'll attempt this but given that I'm missing 27 progs & have no Starlords/Tornados and given that the earlier progs didn't have Credit Cards anyway, there'll be a certain amount of vagueness for the first year or two.  Anyone want to suggest any formats etc please do - otherwise I'll do it as I see fit.  This will probably take me several years to complete.

[Oddboy]

O MY GIDDY AUNT!!

What have I just agreed to do??????

[Wake]

I've now got credit details for progs 1-35 (from David Bishop via Rebellion) so when I get the chance I'll be correcting those progs. Nothing on letterers though.

The first step is to compare my indexes on Termight with the 2000AD Online database and identify where they conflict.

Wake

Link: http://www.2000ad.nu/termight/writers.html" target="_blank">Creators index

[Marbles]

Any further word on the mooted 'TPO' sequel ?

Presumably it would tie in with the purchase of the IPC back catalogue hinted at in this months Meg's letters page ?

[paulvonscott]

WHY NOT... Produce occasional guides to 2000AD and Megazine, in megazine format, which could then be sold online.  They could cover say 500 issues of AD or 100 issues of the meg at a time and include all the lists data and wonderful things.  The material thus compiled could also end up on the site.

Just an idea.

Outraged of Wigan

[Jonas.Vesterlund]

A book would be freaking great...ESPECIALLY for those poor sods that does not live in the UK.

May I suggest contacting TwoMorrows Publishing in North Carolina, the chaps that put together the Kimota book about the histoy and misfortunes of Marvelman.