Messages

If you're talking confusing time lines in Star Wars films the one that lways got me was in Empire. Now I might be exposing compete ignorance it the one thing that lways bugged me about Empire is that Luke seems to do this entire Jedi training (well clearly not entire as he doesn't finish but hopefully you get my point) from finding Yoda to lifting an X-Wing during the time that Han and co are being chased by the Empire and maybe the first day or so on Bespin. Now either Luke gets from nowt to Jedi in about a three days OR Han and Leia really took a long time shaking that Star Destoryer.... or I missed something and I'm about to get laughed at?

Thanks very much for taking the time to scan that. Its left me a little worried mind. With through the rose tinted specticules of my memory it was a very funny strip. That gag doiesn't hold up too well. Since you've had a look through would you sugges that he's left in the rosey glow of the past and making any effort to actually track any down might not be worth while?

That's the fella - nice one thank you very much... to the internet...

I'm trying to remember the name of a cartoon goblin (I think he was) from a role playing magazine way back when, White Dwarf possibly but I think it might have been a different one? Was one called 'Imagine'?. He was called something like Grobbledonk but wasn't actually Nemesis' familar but his name was something like that?

Can anybody help with a name and even better a link to some of the cartoons?

Hilarious stuff, lads.  "Oh noes, my comic book has been restored!  My investment is for nought!".  I can see how this relates to the Action Comics No.1 end of the market, because at this point they aren't really comics, they're immensely rare cultural artefacts, delicate antiques essentially, but for anything from the modern era... dear lord, talk about artificially inflating a(nother) market with dealer-led bollocks.

Yep with you there all the way. Lets face it if you're slabbing a comic you are doing something different than most of the people here are doing, which is buying a comic to enjoy it as it was originally intended, to be read. The point where something has to be placed in a plastic protective 'slab', its stopping being reading and collecting even and its about investiment.

I'd suggest only a tiny proportion of comic buyers are even close to the point where by this is relevent or desirable. I stand by the point that a comic in a 'slab' has lost its intrinsic value i.e. that of bringing joy through reading. Comments like it only cost $11 to re-slab it aren't exactly shoring up any arguements (I also assume this might be an understatement does this include postage?). Dismissing having to pay $11 plus to READ your comic and then re-slab it is a bit silly if you ask me.

People buy or even invest in a lot of expensive things, cars, houses all sorts. Many such purchases involve getting a third party expert involved NONE of them to my knowledge involve 'protecting' the item in such a way as to essentially destroy its intrinsic value. There are models for doing this with comics as I'd imagine most high end comics that would justify the expense of 'slabbing' would I'd guess be sold through an auction house or some such anyway where experts would carry out the work of experts?

Does this attitude really still exist, outside of a few exceptions? I think acceptance of comics has come a longgggg way. As a teenager in the 80s I remember I went through stages of being to embarrassed to get um out on the bus home from my comics shop. These days I flaunt them without a care in public. Either this is cos I have the maturity and confidence that comes as you get older and/or cos people really don't think comics are just for kids anymore. Even if they don't understand them.

Lets face it we're in the age of the nerd. Lord of the Rings made dragons and goblins acceptable, its cool to watch Doctor Who. Excessive computer game playing and the nerd genre's that brings with it, run rampant through middle England. For pities sake even something as ridiculous and nerdy as Harry Potter brings no shame on folk.  The number of comic book movies, even if its not persuading people to read comics is adding to a general feeling I have that comics might even be a little tiny bit cool to real folk these days.

Or am I deluding myself?

Maybe reading some of Pats non-2000ad stuff might give me a fresh perspective on him. If not, what else might you all recommend?

Without a shadow of a doubt the best non 2000ad Mills stuff (and maybe his best work over all) is Charley's War. Its a work of genius with glorious art and while it has much to say politically it does do so as dogmatically as some of his later work and always remains a thrilling read. Readily available today in nice hardbacked chunks which are well worth the cost, even if some of the reproduction is poor.

As I recall Marshall Law was chopped up for 'Strip' when that launched. Have to be honest its a long time since I read it there but as I recall it worked ok, though it might have been in quite long chunks?

Speaking of Strip there was an Ian Gibson story in there called Grimtoad (I think) a sort of fantasy comics with a toad as the lead character. I remember enjoying that at the time and thinking it should have been in 2000ad. Maybe I should dig out my copies and find out...

Thank you very much. A glorious Bolland Animal Man wallpaper that has adorned by work PC for months now has been replaced at last. Very kind of you, very kind indeed.

Another artist that hasn't got much of a mention I've been reminded of recently is Colin Wilson. Just read over at CBR that he's currently finishing some new Dredd work. Can't wait for that.

Hmm yeah see you're point. Have to be honest I was thinking more in terms of the attention the strip got. Might not have thought through what I said. Still feel the story is very much a 2000ad story at heart but your points about format are pretty hard to argue against.

I fail to understand 'slabbing' comics. It infuriates me as it has no value what so ever. If the comic is slab and therefore preserved at say 9.6 (huh what why ok whatever) it still has no value as essentially its just a cover. To maintain its 9.6 grade it can never be read or looked at. For all the owner of this lovely 9.6 comic knows the CGC grader might have carefully removed all the inner pages as he likes reading comics. Then stuck it in a slab and no one would be any the wiser.

 In fact I think that's a rumour that should be spread just to get people who slab their comics sweating, stiring at their prized comics and wondering whether there actually is a comic in there. Would served them right.

Question for everyone.

When sorting out some comics today I stumbled across Wagner, Grant and McMahon's 'Last American' and it got me thinking. It's such a shame that this comic was 'wasted' being printed by Epic for Marvel and I really feel it would have been served much better appearing in 2000ad where I feel it would now be regarded as a classic instead of as a forgotten gem (at least this is how I think its regarded?)

So anyway are there any other comics out there by regular 2000ad creators that have been published by other companies that you feel would have been better served appearing in 2000ad?

I used to love this style and it was so suitable to Nemesis, maybe not so much for Dredd but he had a definate place in 2000ad IF and this is a big IF he'd been able to improve his story telling. I always felt he was a little style of content. The good thing was that his storytelling was getting better and better. So for me its a real shame he dropped out by now he might have cracked it?

Darwyn Cooke's Spirit collection are superb (well the individual comics were).