Prog 2196 - Regened: High Speed Thrills

[I, Cosh]

I expect I've got confused, yes. I remember Carl Critchlow because of Thrud - didn't know that Mark Harrison worked on WD, though.

I wonder if it's another Langridge I'm thinking of ... or another magazine ... or ... Toby? Toby Wong? ...

Harrison did the Travellers strip.

[broodblik]

I do not mind the regen prog like it exists currently, would still prefer a separate publication but that is a different can of worms. What I would prefer if the regen can be used as a natural break between series. So far two regen progs more broke the natural flow of events where one has been used as a point where the next prog is a jump-on-prog.  Getting the schedule right is gonna be the trick here.

makes me wonder if Cadet Dredd really belongs in the Regened slot.

Would anyone miss Dredd if he wasn't in the Regened progs?

No, I do not think is should be a requirement to have a Dredd story. The regen can be use the explore new worlds and possibilities.  The two new strips as I read it from the comments are by far the most popular.

[Funt Solo]

I expect I've got confused, yes. I remember Carl Critchlow because of Thrud - didn't know that Mark Harrison worked on WD, though.

I wonder if it's another Langridge I'm thinking of ... or another magazine ... or ... Toby? Toby Wong? ...

Harrison did the Travellers strip.

Dave Langford! 

Man, that's taken me all day to remember. I can see where I went wrong now. (Lang may yer lum reek!)

[Funt Solo]

What I would prefer if the regen can be used as a natural break between series. So far two regen progs more broke the natural flow of events where one has been used as a point where the next prog is a jump-on-prog.  Getting the schedule right is gonna be the trick here.

I'm going to go full stats nerd on you - so, sorry in advance. The average number of 100% jump-ons per year, in the last ten years (2010-2019) is 2.4, which isn't enough to get four Regened progs out in a year.

(Average over the entire span of the comic is two per year. The most in one year was nine in 1998, so it is possible, but you end up throwing together lots of three and four story progs to make it work.)

[broodblik]

Yes the scheduling off this my not make it a practical thing to do. I am sure at one point you will sit with a break of 3 to 4 progs between jump-on points.

[Colin YNWA]

So if I've been guilty of any of the faecal-flinging I'm going to apologise.

That was entirely a reference to other locations on the Internet.

There is one page on Facebook were the vitriol over how someone has tried something different in drawing the eagle shoulder pad is quite something to behold.

[Tjm86]

So if I've been guilty of any of the faecal-flinging I'm going to apologise.

That was entirely a reference to other locations on the Internet.

Ah, thank you for clarifying.  Thought it was a bit odd for a comment about this place.  Didn't the Mills thread have a comment about the level of discussion?  Mind you, folks have commented a couple of times about how weird this place can be at times.

On the other side of the coin, some of the comments have prompted me to go back and give the Regened prog another go.  It does read better on a second run although I'm still not sold on the Future Shock.  Partly since its a riff on the idea we've seen before but also the deus-ex ending that is sprung out of the blue.  Not the worst example but there we go.

TBH I always find things like Facebook and Twitter a big disappointment.  Apparently its full of psycho conspiracy nuts and lunatics but I only ever hear about their rantings in the MSM.  Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

[IndigoPrime]

There is one page on Facebook were the vitriol over how someone has tried something different in drawing the eagle shoulder pad is quite something to behold.

That's clearly the first time anyone's ever drawn the eagle pad differently. It's always been so consistent before, right back to 1977.

[TordelBack]

I love different artists trying new versions of the eagle, it's part of the charm of the whole design that such a monstrously awkward thing can be such a focus of individual creativity. There have been some great ones lately. I'm less keen on the 'practical holster' movement.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I really enjoyed this prog. And I gave it to my 10 year old, who really enjoyed it.

In fact, it made me realise how much I am not enjoying the main prog.

[Richard]

I'm less keen on the 'practical holster' movement.

I suspect that the original impractical holster may be the reason why Americans have never warmed to 2000AD Dredd.

[MacabreMagpie]

As others have noted, Pandora Perfect was on fleek, well-structured story, naughty gags, memorable characters and a solid payoff. Bravo to Roger Landridge in particular,  quite the comeback after 25 years out of Tharg's clutches.

What was his last work for the prog ? I am not familiar with his work

PS - Forgot to add how much I enjoyed PJ's work on Department K

Not the prog, but the work of his I'll always remember was in the Red Dwarf Smegazine. I was lucky enough to buy a page of art from it when I saw him at Thought Bubble in 2017.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

I'm less keen on the 'practical holster' movement.

I suspect that the original impractical holster may be the reason why Americans have never warmed to 2000AD Dredd.

I reckon it's because Americans view the Judges as not violent and authoritarian enough to be believable law enforcement officers

[Aaron A Aardvark]

Enjoyed this Regened a lot.

I'll just echo what everyone (?) Has said about Pandora. It's bright, full of energy and likeable. Worked as a pilot and a self contained one off so a practically perfect in every way Regened strip.

[AlexF]

Definitely the best Regened yet. I found some aspects of the Dredd story frustrating, but in some ways I liked it the most because it dared to explore the idea that the Justuce system might not be a good thing, and made a point of putting children into the 'bad guy - but not really' role, which seems to me is a great way to engage younger readers. Finder and Keeper does that a bit too - and feels most like a strip from, say, Whizzer and Chips, but with more gorey moments. Not entirely my thing, but for sure would have been when I was 8.

Mostly I like the funny robots. More funny robots please, Joko.