Shouldn't "Flesh" be on the timeline of Dredd's World? Along with Ro-Busters, ABC Warriors and (maybe) Strontium Dog/Dogs/Durham Red/etc and Nemesis?
Flesh seems a prime candidate, given Satanus' appearance(s) in Dredd's strip. Ditto, ABC Warriors/Ro-Busters, since Mega City 1 was at least mentioned in them & Satanus showed up again on Mars in ABC Warriors.
Strontium Dog/Nemesis might just be cross-dimensional hottenannies, I suppose. But Nemesis should be safe enough to incorporate, given the ABC Warriors' incorporation & the "distant future" aspect (little chance of continuity blunders, I'd've thought).
While I'm at it, there're also all them Megazine strips - "Al's Baby", "Armitage", "Devlin Waugh", "Brit Cit Babes", etc, etc...
Hmmmm....Now I come to think of it, it's quite a big task, and I'm glad I don't have to do it...
Roy
But no one seems to care, dammit!
Yup. Obviopusly since the Volgan war was part of ro-busters, that ties ABC warriors and Nemesis in. Johhny and Wulf travelled back more than once to Dred's time, too.
Ace Trucking had Kleggs and MacMacs in, so I guess it must be, too.
Sorry for all the hideous typos in the above, that's what happens after a coupl of pints! :)
Somebody should sort this out. It would make a great book or feature series for the Megazine. I want answers dammit!
I could put together a feature, if commissioned to do so... ;-)
Roy the Professional Writer
(though not for 2000AD, before anyone asks)
It's definitely something I'd be interested in doing, especially in light of a previous thread I left asking how much of Dredd continuity we take for granted.
But like I said, no one seems to care!
A Message board thread would be a good way of thrashing out the details. I'm kind of interested in the idea of a timeline with some reservations. I think strips should obey internal continuity but shoulde be a bit fluid in relationships with other strips. Otherwise strips impinge (they do you know) on each other.
I would have thought if someone did it, it would be a good feature for the website.
What about that story in the Megazine, I think it was called 'The Bad Man' that was going to explain the history of Dredd but I assume it got binned after the first series. Go on tell us what they had planned for that story as it will never see the light of day.
Thing is though, there's verylittle internal continuity in say, Mills' Ro-busters/Nem/ABC stuff, and the dates for Stronty Dug go up and down like a rabbit on his honeymoon...
I think 100% continuity is impossible, to tell the unhappy truth.
At least Dredd's timeline isn't as screwed up as that last bloody Friday/Rogue shit...
Hmmmm....Why do I get nervous when people say "continuity"? Is it because it reminds me of DC and all of their intimately connected and criss-crossing, but ultimately dull, storylines?
Nah, that can't be it.
I think a look at the history might be interesting, provided you (and the writers) don't take it *too* seriously.
I think it was Terry Pratchett who said something about continuity being all very well, in its place - provided that place wasn't in the way of a good story.
Having said that, if there's no good reason to contradict an "established fact" then no good writer would do so.
Thought - I remember reading something about there being a Dredd RPG. Aren't RPGers continuity freaks? (I'd beter hide behind the sofa after that remark, hadn't I?) If so, maybe a keen roleplayer devised a detailed timeline?
Anyone remember a comic novel, "Bimbos of the Death Sun"? It was a murder mystery set at a sci-fi/RPG/comics convention, and the fantasy writer who was murdered had a very casual attitude to continuity in his stories. He figured that his fans would spend hours rationalising away any inconsistencies, such as horses changing colour mid-stream or characters wandering around before their parents were born.
And, you know what? The fans did just that...
Roy
PS/ I'd still be interested in seeing such a timeline for Dredd's world, but I suspect there are others on here with more detailed knowledge than myself.
A good start might be to put dates in the online DB against all of the major Dredd/Stront/Ace Trucking/Pat Mills stories (except, perhaps, Slaine, unless there's something I haven't read yet).
Build a rough shape then knock it into shape with a big stick afterwards if it don't fit.
Okay, here goes. Someone with access to their back progs might want to check the following dates as I'm doing this from memory at gone three in the morning when I should be tucked up in bed, asleep.
Disaster 1990: 1990, obviously.
Invasion: 1999
ABC Warriors: early 21 century. I think a date might have been given in 'Ro-Busters'. Failing that, possibly as late as 2043 if 'ABC Warriors: The Time Wastes' is anything to go by.
Harlem Heroes / Inferno: (2077 - 2079. I gave my reasoning for this on an earlier thread. Also, 2000 AD and Starlord had a habit of setting their stories one hundred years from when they were written)
Ro-Busters: 2078 - 2080
Judge Dredd: 2099 - 2124
Flesh: 24 Century? I'm sure an approximate date was given.
Nemesis / ABC Warriors: buggered if I know.
If only I'd been this good at remembering dates for my History exams.
Not forgetting. . .
Strontium Dog: c. 2150
I don't think there was ever a date given for Ace Trucking. As I say, it fits in with Kleggs and MacMacs etc, so I'd reckon something like the 2200s. I'll just have to go through my Best of 2000AD monthlies and read the whole lot through. What a chore! ;) lol
I shudder to mention it, but when Rogue ended up in Dredd's back yard, was it a dimension-hop or just a timeslide? Anyone remember?
I'll also see if I can find a date for Nemesis somewhere.
I like this sort of thing, you see... :)
I was just reading a "Gronk" Strontium Dogs story, in which Ace & crew were pictured in a line-up of aliens, if that helps at all.
It wasn't "Return of the Gronk" (which finished in prog 824, it says here), but appeared shortly after that, and definitely before prog 852: The Gronk was telling its own creation story (2 parter) and amongst the species created were Ace Garp, GBH, etc
I can't see the story in the website DB, and don't have the progs to hand, though.
Roy