Curious About Old Stories

[credo]

Nemesis, books 7 and 9 for the astounding and (to my 10 year old self) utterly terrifying John Hinklenton artwork. Torquemada The God is also great.

[pictsy]

Odd that you prefer Friday to Rogue, since they seem like the same essentially blank character to me. The only difference between those eras of the strip is how well or how badly it's written, and the absolute best Rogue Trooper tale of all time - John Smith's Cinnabar (624-635) - is good because of everything else in the story apart from the either confused or sad titular hero. When you get to that era you're in for a treat.

When it comes to Friday and his later run I do felt he was given more personality than the original Rogue had.  Certainly after Midge's death (hope I got the character name right) and then there was his relationship with Venus.  All alongside some excellent military based stories (I loved him in the little rocket launcher buggy).  Those few stories had tons of atmosphere and emotion.  Plus it has some of my favourite Henry Flint artwork!

I have read Cinnabar.  I got it in an issue of 2000AD Monthly and I agree it is an astounding story and definitely the best of the original Rogue.

13 replies and not one of you has mentioned Button Man! 

Read it in the reprint the Megazine did, but yes, why did no one else mention it?

Nemesis, books 7 and 9 for the astounding and (to my 10 year old self) utterly terrifying John Hinklenton artwork. Torquemada The God is also great.

Once again, read them.  I first read book 7 in 2000AD Monthly (just see what a god send that publication was!) and adored Hinklenton's crazy artwork.  I read book 9 in the Nemesis trade.

But, there are also the lesser know ones, such as Tribal Memories that Colin mentioned, that you will stumble across and love.  I think you are doing it the best way - get a bunch and then work your way through.

The lesser known ones are certainly going to be a treat.  A good number of the really well known ones I've managed to already read elsewhere (as is becoming almost embarrassingly apparent - I'm starting to worry people are thinking "why bloody start this thread if you've read all the damn stories?!?" ).  Even then I still have a long list of stuff I can't wait to read.

[AlexF]

They're not the most popular thrills, but during the 600s-700s Tharg seemed to be keen on experimenting a bit more with what kinds of stories he'd be willing to tell. Sure, Freaks/Tribal Memories are probably better examples of non-action strips, but you might enjoy stumbling across Zippy Couriers and Tao de Moto for variety, and then Hewligan's Haircut for pretentious fun.

My big brother started reading the Prog around the start of this batch, so I was aware of it but didn't properly start reading until around 650ish. At the time, these sort of slice-of life storeis seemed interestingly grown-up and unlike anything I'd seen in a comic before. Spare a thought also for childish but actually rather wonderful stories like Timehouse, and Bradley the sprog who showes up sporadically for some fantastic one-offs during the 500s. (his later outings aren't so good but Simon Harrison's art is always gorgeous)

I remember loving the first parts of Bad Company which I looked at for the art as an 8 year-old, then having my mind blown by the awesomeness of the story when I went back to it a few years later. And then I got the treat of the two really rather good sequels which I had no idea were coming up!

I second the love for the Clown Book 1 + prologue.

[Greg M.]

13 replies and not one of you has mentioned Button Man! 

You think that's bad? I don't think any of us have mentioned Song of the Surfer either!

[Spikes]

I already know the twist to Dead Man so I'll never really know what it was like to read it the first time round.  I imagine it's a great story nonetheless.

That's what so great about it - whilst it's impossible to deny just how mind-blowing that twist was at the time, the story holds up perfectly well even with foreknowledge. Ridgway's art is hugely atmospheric, and Wagner's control of tension is masterly - it's a bloody scary story at times.

Yeah this is so true. I re-read it not that long ago (couple of years maybe) and while at the time the twist seemed to dominate readers thoughts, quite understandably, once that's gone it still really holds up as just a plain great story. I'm really looking forward to getting around to re-reading Trifecta as I think this will have similar longevity.

The Dead Man - simply glorious stuff. I envy people who've yet to discover it. The art is exceptional - as is the story, tbh.
Keeping meaning to snag the trade from the shop. Think its only a tenner? A tenner well spent, then.

[pictsy]

Well wouldn't you know it.  The Dead Man's entire run is missing from my collection.  I'm going to feel much better once I have tracked down those missing 54 progs.

[Fragminion]

I recently just got into reading the Judge Dredd stories (pretty much thanks to Dredd 3D) And I know that him and 2000AD have been around since the late 70's. And one question pops into mind. Has the Dredd-Verse ever done a DC Comics style reboot or is it more like Marvel. It only has the one continuity and yes all that cheesy/wacky old stuff DID happen but it doesn't get referenced much?


Have been collecting old Quality Comics of dredd and just can't get enough.

[Colin YNWA]

I recently just got into reading the Judge Dredd stories (pretty much thanks to Dredd 3D) And I know that him and 2000AD have been around since the late 70's. And one question pops into mind. Has the Dredd-Verse ever done a DC Comics style reboot or is it more like Marvel. It only has the one continuity and yes all that cheesy/wacky old stuff DID happen but it doesn't get referenced much?

It's all one 'story' with no reboots and one which ages in real time too. So one year here is one year in Dredd's 'world' so a reboot of any kind is unlikely.

[Frank]

is it more like Marvel. It only has the one continuity and yes all that cheesy/wacky old stuff DID happen but it doesn't get referenced much?

Walter the Wobot and Dredd's Italian stereotype landlady, Maria - the two most tonally awkward anomalies from the strip's first hundred episodes - both cropped up again over the years.

Events in quite silly stories like The Judge Child and The Day The Law Died are regularly referenced and important parts of the ongoing story of Dredd and MC1. While the older Dredd's regret over his treatment of Lopez is one of the things which gives the strip its rich texture, he and Chief Judge Hershey seldom reminisce about the time they were shrunk to teeny-tiny and lived in a man's handbag.

[moldovangerbil]

Well wouldn't you know it.  The Dead Man's entire run is missing from my collection.  I'm going to feel much better once I have tracked down those missing 54 progs.

Good luck with that, sir!  I've just gone through a similar backprog filling exercise - the last batch came yesterday allowing me to re-start my reading at prog 529.  Looking forward to catching up with all those missed thrills!

[Proteus4]

I totally agree with the post above about Simon Harrison's work on SD - Colin McNeil, despite how awesome he is, did not generate the same atmosphere and i wish Harrison had finished it off. At the time a lot of people complained about Ezquerra not drawing SD - and i totally get why that would be upsetting - but i loved harrison's work and to this day i have a soft spot for Bradley just because he drew it - i seem to recall that in one of the panels of a bradley story he drew in an apology for the artwork not turning out right, just written in the margins "sorry, this one went a bit skwiffy" or something like that.

Plus, and i think I'm right on this, no one's mentioned nemesis!  The first nemesis story i read was The Two Torquemadas (which is around the mid 530-540's somewhere).  John Hicklinton's artwork is outstanding - creepy and surreal.  And the story is, for me, the highlight of all of the nemesis arc.

Dave

[Call-Me-Kenneth]

How did I forget Shamballa. Amazing.



And I loved Bradley too, especially the fairy tales...


Also, thanks or eminding me about cinnabar and hewligan's haircut. Great stories. Tremendous artwork.

[Mabs]

I already know the twist to Dead Man so I'll never really know what it was like to read it the first time round.  I imagine it's a great story nonetheless.

That's what so great about it - whilst it's impossible to deny just how mind-blowing that twist was at the time, the story holds up perfectly well even with foreknowledge. Ridgway's art is hugely atmospheric, and Wagner's control of tension is masterly - it's a bloody scary story at times.

The Dead Man had become my favourite story in the comic long before Wagner whipped away the table cloth, for exactly the reasons Greg states above.  It's got the feel of an old Western about it, crossed with childrens' stories where a kid gets a powerful or magical monster as a pet - like Shane meets Pete's Dragon. Maybe Whistle Down The Wind would have been a better comparison than a Disney cartoon for the way kids are drawn to figures like the Dead Man as a source of fun and fascination and because they're grotesque and dangerous.

I freaking love The Dead Man. I did a review of it on here a while back, and my feelings were just as sauchie describes; it was like a western (or even an acid western if you count the monsters!), with our mysterious Dead Man very much like Clint Eastwood. But its the boy Yassa Povey and his dog makes it so special. Couple that with the excellent script and Ridgway's magnificent artwork. His linework is some of the best I'd seen, up there with Campbell's work on From Hell. The sense of place, and atmosphere that he evokes with the stroke of his pen/pencil/ink is a work of genius. You almost feel transported to the places that he conjures up on paper. It's quite possibly the perfect short story I've read. And that twist at the end....one of the best.

[Mabs]

is it more like Marvel. It only has the one continuity and yes all that cheesy/wacky old stuff DID happen but it doesn't get referenced much?

Walter the Wobot and Dredd's Italian stereotype landlady, Maria - the two most tonally awkward anomalies from the strip's first hundred episodes - both cropped up again over the years.

Events in quite silly stories like The Judge Child and The Day The Law Died are regularly referenced and important parts of the ongoing story of Dredd and MC1. While the older Dredd's regret over his treatment of Lopez is one of the things which gives the strip its rich texture, he and Chief Judge Hershey seldom reminisce about the time they were shrunk to teeny-tiny and lived in a man's handbag.

Dredd's incessant pestering of Lopez's 'tache was one of the funniest things about the Judge Child storyline. The fact that Dredd regrets his treatment of Lopez does indeed give the strip depth and texture. In fact this is the first I heard about it, I sure would love to track down that particular prog!

[JayzusB.Christ]

...and the absolute best Rogue Trooper tale of all time - John Smith's Cinnabar (624-635) - is good because of everything else in the story apart from the either confused or sad titular hero.

The first part I agree with (it surpasses literally every other Rogue story by miles), but the second part I don't.  I liked Cinnabar largely because of Rogue's vulnerability - It was very refreshing to see him being thrown into situations he really couldn't handle for once.  Even the toughest soldier in the universe is helpless in the face of full-blown AIDS.

My favourite Rogue line throughout the story:  Faced with the option of either [spoiler]shagging one of the Cinnabar council and being shot, he replies[/spoiler] 'I don't want to die'.  Which I think would be the realistic response, rather than the usual macho action hero response (Something like 'I'd sooner kill myself, goddammit!').  Also, she was pretty hot, so why not.

I also liked the fact that although Rogue [spoiler]got his health back and fought like a champ inside Charybdis, it was Bagman who won the day.  Also, it was great of John Smith to remind us that Bagman is a character in his own right, and has a few mental issues which were referenced in earlier Rogue stories but absolutely came to a head here.[/spoiler]

All in all, we're left with stark message that war truly is horrible:  Even the best and bravest soldiers can be made to suffer appallingly; and more to the point, war pretty much lets you do anything you want to anyone you want with impunity.

Also, we find out where razor wire comes from, weed is introduced to the prog, and we get the filthiest line in 2000ad's history: 'No, I'm your kid sister.  Don't you recognise the bite marks you left on the front of my...?' Synth out, Gunnar, indeed.