The plugging foir the Alan Moore book on this message board at first made me think that there was a Tharg book comic out. 'Before .... there was Tharg!
I think along with a TPO book (if such a thing is happening etc.) a TMO book is also essential. All the Tharg stories (including the great photostrip one with burt in) and a new story from Tharg's current mental viewpoint, all in one super collection, along with poosters and pictures of Tharg and his family from over the years.
A perfect book to celebrate 30 years of 2000AD with, and some really funny stories.
Seconded. It would make a great 30th anniversary EE.
But the Tharg stories weren't very good. Total 100% filler from start to finish.
I always hated those stories. The only one I liked was the prog 500 one(???) where Halo Jones kicks off about earning money off the ladies hard work.
They dinna have tae be good, we jist have tae COLLECT them!
Hope we get a poster series as well- remember "The New Masters' series of posters. It would be cool to have that again, on the weekly of course.
"But the Tharg stories weren't very good. Total 100% filler from start to finish."
The stories may have been filler, as were Alan Moore's future shocks, but they were also daft, entertaining, and showed a really cocky Tharg was was very funny. I love 'em, warts and all.
You surprise me, because for me they were like turds dropped into the otherwise crystal clear waters of my prog.
I call for a poll:
Tharg stories:
A. Worthwhile reprinting.
B. Not worthwhile reprinting
If you like the Tharg one-offs, hunt down a copy of Best of 2000 AD #63, which has ten such stories (compiling those from issues 129 through 244).
I've got an annual with a Tharg story in it, which is worth reading purely for the line "Tharg, with an exemplary display of photon surfing". Classic.
"BEHOLD THE MIGHTY BOOKS OF THARG!"
That was it!
I read that Best of recently, and some of the stories are just daft, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I don't think The Bumper Book of Tharg should be high on Rebellion's must-reprint list, but I would like to see it slotted into the schedule at some point. There's some gorgeous art in there - Eric Bradbury in particular - a handful of really good stories, and some prime cheese filler. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I think there's still a place for this kind of material in the comic - even if only in year-end progs - and I'd love to see these old stories polished up & collected in one volume.
My personal favourite was The Great Human Rip-off, featuring the Dictators of Zrag and AALN-1, by Alan Grant and Carlos Ezquerra in Progs 176 and 177. It made the cover of both Progs, and I remember not thinking of it as a lesser thrill to the other stories running concurrently with it, and actually looking forward to reading part 2 to see how things got resolved.
A magazine format reprint of Tharg would be justified, but there couldn't possibly be any profit in a book format 'complete' volume, could there? Maybe a small grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund should be supporting this kind of thing!
Wouldn't a big collection of Tharg fit the Extreme! nicely?
- pj
(Desperate for more Tharg...)
Let's see...
The Bumper Book of Tharg
Tharg and the Intruder - 3pp
A Day in the Life of the Mighty Tharg - 5pp?
Tharg's Xmas Tale - 5pp?
What Tharg Did On Sunday - 5pp?
This Is Your Life - 5pp?
Tharg and the Cheat - 5pp
The Great Human Rip-off - 10pp?
Tharg and the Thrill-Suckers - 5pp?
Tharg Strikes Back! - 5pp
Tharg Saves the Day! - 5pp
Revenge of the Thrill-Suckers - 10pp?
Tharg at the Party - 5pp?
Tharg and the Creep Who Stole Croydon - 5pp?
The Day They Banned 2000AD! - 10pp?
The Nightmare - 10pp?
Tharg's Christmas Tale - 10pp?
Tharg's Birthday Party - 5pp?
The Shedding - 15pp?
Tharg and the Mice - 5pp?
Invasion of the Thrill-Snatchers - 25pp?
Mr Macabre - 6pp
The Challenge - 5pp?
Zrag Law - 5pp?
Judge Grexnix - 5pp?
Exit the Wally - 5pp?
Enter the Beast - 5pp?
Psmith's Farewell - 5pp?
Supersub! - 5pp?
2000BC - 5pp?
Tharg's Head Revisited - 10pp?
A Night 2 Remember - 10pp
The Great Thrill-Power Overload - 5pp
Whatever Happened to Alec Trench? - 6pp
I'm leaving out the colour Tharg strips by Eric Bradbury to keep reprinting as simple as possible, plus a bundle of the Tharg strips from special issues, as I'm not familiar with them (were they all colour?). Even leaving those out, a complete reprint of these Tharg strips comes to around 230 pages of comic.
Book, please! ;-)
No, add the rest in and have Tharg the Case Files :p
The photostory has to be in and I don't mind any colour stuff being in B/W.
Gotta be 30th Anniversary material!
For those among you who disagree, please take a ticket, Mek-Quake will be with you shortly.
Invasion of the Thrill-Snatchers.
Okay, okay - so I was being a grouchy bastich.
bah wheeesht mr fate, its called fun.
and of course infallible omnipotent Tharg should be glorified at every opportunity.
Tharg and the Creep Who Stole Croydon - 5pp?
I thought that one was a two parter?
Tharg and the Creep Who Stole Croydon
Prog 7, 6pp