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So Steve Jackson Games has been planning a new edition of OGRE for a while, but a few days ago they started a Kickstarter campaign to build up preorders and better gage demand.

Since it went live they met their $20k goal in less then an hour and are now sitting at $125k a little more then a day latter.

I've no prior experiance with the game, but I'm inclined to throw my $100 in the rite based on the shear enthusiasm. I'm curious if there are any fans of the game here, as the game premise has a very 2000 AD feel to it (future giant tank warfare in a post-apoc future). Currently there is no overseas shipping options via Kickstarter (they are working on that problem).

What? What is it?! Is it 2000 AD related? Something else entirely? WHAT?!



[Emp edit: Fixing the link for the easily confused, like me ]

So, as I was probing about in the other thread, every week at a couple of different forums I hang out on I post the new comic shipping list that Diamond has handed down for arriving that week, and then I post my pulls. This is pretty much just a way for me to gush about all the great comics I'm reading these days. And perhaps pick up on what everyone else is reading on a week to week bases, perhaps spurring a bit of discussion.

So since I now know that the other side of the pond gets the same funny books as I do on a regular basis, it seems worth sharing my pull passion her too.

So yeah. Stand by for Comics!

On a couple other sites I post a weekly thread about what new comics are coming out, and what's got me excited (my signature is derived from these threads). I've thought about doing the same thing here. But, because this is a predominately UK based fanbase I was worried that the UK sees a different US comics shipping schedual.

Does Diamond Distributors handle UK delivery of US material? If it ships in North America, does it come out the same week in the UK? Do US comics even have a presence in the UK? I'm really not sure how it works these days.

I picked up the Zombo TP last year, enjoyed it. But I was sorting through my Rebellion and Simon & Schuster trades compiling a list of which was which, when I hit upon something odd.

Zombo, for as best I can tell, is a S&S trade. Its got the same cover stock they use, US and CAN pricing on the back, and it says its printed in the US on the inside copyright information. But what it doesn't say is Simon & Schuster anywhere in the copyright/credit info (like all the rest of the S&S TPs do).

So my question is, is there a UK Rebellion Edition and a US S&S Edition? Or was there just the S&S edition shipped over to the UK?

I'm having a some what difficult time promoting 2000 AD because Rebellion doesn't seem to provide regular web-based previews for me to share with the uninitiated.

In my personal opinion Rebellion should release a 6-page preview every week that contains the Prog cover, and the first page of every serial inside. This would be an exceptionally useful promotional tool. Instead of just the cover.

EDIT: The Meg could use a preview as well.

Since Prog 2004 2000 AD has been shaped in such a way that they fit perfectly in standard Magazine sized bags and boards. But I have a handful of earlier progs from around the 500s (news print era, wide and short), mid 900s (similar to current, but bigger), not to mention pre-2004 tall and narrow America Comic style that started in prog 1200.

Are there any particular bags and boards that people use that are optimally shaped for these books?

Recently I've been getting interested in comic book related podcasts (going so far as to creating my own for a comic series I adore) and was wondering if there are any regular 2000 AD or Judge Dredd podcasts I should add to my RSS Reader.

[Resident Alien: Welcome to Earth]

Picked up the latest copy of Dark Horse Presents (issue #4) and was surprised to find Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse teamed up on a new serial Resident Alien: Welcome to Earth (small Previews Here. Pages 7 and 8). Since I've started reading DHP I've been impressed with its line-up of one-offs and serials, and have been treating it as a sort of 2000 AD counterpart in my regular comic reading diet. So far DHP has been chock full of interesting science fiction yarns and other genres, and 80 full color pages for 8 bucks is a fantastic bang for the buck.
Also it really shows off that the serial anthology is not quite dead yet. And since two creators I associate with 2000 AD have now turned up it's pages, I thought it would be news worth sharing.

I'm looking to replace my fuggly DC copy of Nikolia Dante: The Romanov Dynasty with the S&S Too Cool to Kill. Part of this... compulsion is a desired for book spines that are more similar to Nikolia Dante Vol. 3 - 10.

I know.

Anyway. Can any one confirm how much like the Rebellion spines the S&S Dante spine is?  I know some S&S books look just like Rebellions, and others... don't. Comparison images would be appreciated.

I'm still probably going to get it regardless, since the DC release had such shitty paper stock.

Yeah, okay not really. But FLESH was my first impression when I glimpsed the TV Ad of the upcoming Fox sci-fi series TERRA NOVA.

About the show.

From executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga, René Echevarria and Aaron Kaplan comes an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making.

TERRA NOVA follows an ordinary family on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race. In the year 2149, the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped and overcrowded, with the majority of plant and animal life extinct. The future of mankind is in doubt, and its only hope for survival is in the distant past.

When scientists at the FERMI Particle Accelerator unexpectedly discovered a fracture in time that made it possible to construct a portal into primeval history, the bold notion was born to resettle humanity in the past – a second chance to rebuild civilization and get it right this time.

The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the Tenth Pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony established in this beautiful yet forbidding land. JIM SHANNON (Jason O'Mara), a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new world of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim's wife, ELISABETH SHANNON (Shelley Conn), is a trauma surgeon and the newest addition to TERRA NOVA's medical team. JOSH SHANNON (Landon Liboiron) is their 17-year-old son who is angry to leave life as he knows it behind; upon arriving at the settlement, he finds himself instantly drawn to the beautiful and rule-breaking SKYE (Allison Miller). MADDY SHANNON (Naomi Scott), Josh's endearingly awkward 15-year-old sister, hopes TERRA NOVA will give her a new chance to reinvent herself. Although Elisabeth's medical training secured the family a spot on the pilgrimage, a secret involving their five-year-old daughter, ZOE (Alana Mansour), soon endangers their place in this utopia.

Upon the Shannon's arrival, they are introduced to COMMANDER NATHANIEL TAYLOR (Stephen Lang), the charismatic and heroic first pioneer and leader of the settlement. Taylor, along with his right-hand man, GUZMAN (Mido Hamada), warn the travelers that while Terra Nova is a place of new opportunities and fresh beginnings, all is not as idyllic as it initially appears. Along with blue skies, towering waterfalls and lush vegetation, the surrounding terrain is teeming with danger – and not just of the man-eating dinosaur variety. There is also a splinter colony of renegades led by the battle-hardened MIRA (Christine Adams), who is vehemently opposed to Taylor and his leadership.

Even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls of the colony is the chilling possibility that something sinister is happening inside Terra Nova. The Shannons will come to suspect that not everyone on this mission has the same idea of how to best save mankind; in fact, there may be forces intent on destroying this new world before it even begins.

First Look Trailer

My only concern is that I can't imagine network television allowing a degree of graphic violence to do 'Humans vs Dinosaurs' justice.

Also, SKY1 looks to have the broadcast rights for the UK.

An internet acquaintance brought to my attention a new Prose Magazine hitting the internet today. Weaponizer Quarterly. Here's how it sells itself...

The first issue of Weaponizer Quarterly features SF and horror stories by Mark Harding, Justin Childress, Mo Ali, Andre Navarro, Andrew C. Ferguson, Paul Grimsley, and C. Brian Hickey, with art by Mo and Andre, plus Emmanuel Hernaez aka MojoKingBee and others, plus a four-page photography spread by cover artist Robin LeBlanc.

There's non-fiction from Pornokitsch alt.history specialist Jared Shurin, plus Elle Matheuse and Grimly Whetfox, talking about comets, prejudice and lucid dreaming, plus interviews with screenwriter / director Eric Heiserrer (A Nightmare on Elm Street / The Thing), recent Planet Mu signing and DJ legend Chrissy Murderbot, and San Francisco Witch House label-head Ben Verslius of Tundra Dubs.

We've also got an EXCLUSIVE prequel to K. Patrick Glover and Keith Perkins' new webcomic serial, 'A Wicked Little Town', plus more comics from Richard Fannon and artist Lee Smart, and an illustrated vampire story by Harlequinade and Inkmoth.

The Magazine is an off shoot of the Weaponizer homesite, where prose, serials, and comics are posted regularly. It looks like a pretty cool bunch of writers getting together to write sci-fi and fantasy fiction. And I know we all like that around here. It looks like its UK based, so getting a print copy over in that part of the world shouldn't be hard. Me, I'll be checking out the PDF copy.

[Nikolia Dante: Amerika]

So apparently I feel asleep at the switch, and missed the solicitation and eventual release of Nikolia Dante: Amerika TP. This is a gapping hole in my collect that needs to be filled post-haste.

I have had no luck finding a copy through my usual online comic dealers (which lead me to the mistaken conclusion that it never solicited and was never released in North America).

Do you live in North America? Do you have a spare copy? Or perhaps have seen a spare copy laying around at your local comic shop? I will pay top cover price (plus shipping/handling) to get my mitts on a copy.  Or even if you've seen copies for sale online (from a North American retailer) and could direct me the right direction.

I appreciate any UK based residents who want to help me out, but I want to spare myself the trouble of importing if I don't have to (I almost bought a copy with a large order through Amazon UK, but the whole thing got canceled on me for reasons I can not explain. Something with customs, or something)

I'm also looking for books that came out in the UK, but never were solicited in the US (Tales of the Deadman being the big one). But these are less pressing to me.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

I was (re)reading my copy of the Judge Dredd Henry Flint Collection when I got to the story, J. D. Megson (Meg 3.63).  I read it once 2 or 3 years ago when the trade was new, and thought it was good but just another Dredd story.  But on this read through I realized that it seems to actually be an allegorical story about the Judge Dredd Megazine itself.  

Was the title on the verge of cancellation at the time or something and get saved by its readers? Which inspired the story of J.D. Megson Block?

Just wondering.

[DREDD]

With DREDD the movie about to drop like a hammer from the sky, getting new readers interested in Judge Dredd the comic has never been better.  But of course with the last four years there is a proverbial abundance* of Judge Dredd material out there in print, and new readers can easily drown in that sea.  So, I pose the question, if an interested new reader came up to you and asked for three (and only three) Dredd TP recommendations, which three would you pick? In what order? And why? Remember, you're trying to create a new fan who might stick around a while.

I've put some thought into it, and settled on the following myself...

Judge Dredd: MANDROID - A superb stand alone story that in my opinion exemplifies everything that is good and interesting about Judge Dredd.  Its an action story, a police procedural, and a tragedy; all the elements that make up a memorable Judge Dredd tale IMO.  I feel of all the JD TPs out, its the most accessible, no heavy continuity or Dredd's extended family. Just Judge Dredd doing what he does best.

Next...

Judge Dredd: BROTHERS OF THE BLOOD - After giving my new reader a hit of what makes Dredd an icon, I figure time to give them a taste of what makes Dredd interesting as a character.  I find exploring Dredd's 'extended family' and how he deals with them to be a great way to do that.  That and BotB contains three of my favorite Dredd stories; Blood Cadets, Sector House, and Brothers of the Blood.

And finally...

Judge Dredd: TOTAL WAR - With BotB giving him the background necessary about Dredd's clones and Vienna his niece, understanding every aspect of Total War is a snap for a new reader. Kicking off, Terror is a generally all around great story (I'd even go so far to say its the true sequel to America, at least thematically, over Fading the Light) but Total War itself is just wall to wall excitement that really showcases why modern Judge Dredd is a series worth paying attention too.


*well.... I say this, but I've been doing some checking and Rebellion TP availability in the US is really lacking. You can't find JD trades avalible from just a few years ago on Amazon, or any of the big comic sites like Midtown or InStockTrades.  Its a little annoying...

Hey all, been a while (haven't posted much lately, lack of time and 'tooth* will do that). I'm about to drop some cash on importing a few Rebellion TPs that for one reason or another never made it to US shores (in particular; Storming Heaven, Cabs Inc. Creepshow, Nikolai Dante: Amerika, and Durham Red: Vermin Stars)

The thing is, when Vermin Stars was released in Paperback a few years ago, the hardcover version was still readily avalible.  And, I believe, if you ordered it from Amazon or the 2000ADshop one of them was still shipping out the HC version over the SC version.

Is this still the case? Or can I order without fear of getting the wrong copy from Amazon? I really want the paperback over the HC (Let me tell you about graphic novel SPINES...)

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

*thats changing soon. Getting 2000 AD again starting in January!

For those who aren't aware, DocShaner is an astonishing artist from deviantART who generally draws some amazing silverage superhero inspired art as well as his own stuff. He was brought to my attention from his half of this amazing TinTin meets Jonny Quest image and since he has become one of my favorite artists. On and off deviantART.

Recently he started doing "Mugshot" commissions for just $10 a pop and I jumped at it, and what character of the untold comic masses did I pick? But of course Ol' Stoney Face himself.
It finally came in the mail, and I figured I'd share it with you lot, because I rather loved how it came out.



I thought it was exceptionally good considering DocShaner says he didn't really know the character that well before my request.

So, just figured I share. Both the image and the artist.

I've been away for a while, life happened and I got side tracked on reading Tooth. Now I'm ready to catch up, but ClickWheels been down for a week or so. What's up? When will be be back up?

Because its been at least two months and two issues since the last issue was added, and I was wondering...

It really is. Appears to be missing a few things (like... the database) but I like the layout.


Also, offical covers for Button Man Volume 2 and Nikolai Dante: Sword of the Tzar