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Messages - WhitBloke

#391
General / Re: 2000 AD / Judge Dredd - Newb questions
23 February, 2012, 01:21:16 AM
Damn!  Damn me!  Damn! :-[

I've forgotten to put spoilers on my post above.  I genuinely apologise to DIrishB and others.  I've just failed to edit it to do so.  I'm waiting for a timer, I think, to be able to amend this.  Ignore this post if spoilers have been activated above.  Damn.  Oops.
This is, I know, a sloppy oversight and against the site rules.  At the risk of sounding overstated (and I know I do ramble and prattle so) I do apologise sincerely if it has upset anybody.  I will be far more careful in the future but hope my newbie nature on this forum will see me forgiven!

Sorry.  Tired.  Sorry.
#392
General / Re: 2000 AD / Judge Dredd - Newb questions
23 February, 2012, 01:01:14 AM
I'm loath to even suggest this to a fellow fan and no less a fellow completist, DIrishB, but you're going to be swimming against the tide on this one.  In short, there is an enormous amount of rather varied material and to reply to your post I've tried to break it down into half-witted "sections" as examples for you.  (I've just finished a duff shift and yet when I saw your post I found myself unable to resist replying.)

For the Psi-Division side of things, first and foremost there is Judge Anderson - originally appearing as a supporting character, notably in the earliest appearances of Judge Death (who himself has enjoyed some solo strip action) but for several years now also featured in her own strips.  Anderson: Psi Division, and some recent stories set during her years as a cadet as well.  These have been broadly collected as have many other strips, as you know, but for a bit more Psi-Division immersion, you might enjoy tracking down the appearances of Psi-Judges Janus and Karyn.  (A flick of the mouse on the Wikipedia page will give you some more information about these two, of course.)  For the most part, while they are centred upon matters psychic they also provide an alternative perspective on the judges and some interesting appearances by Dredd himself occur from time to time.

For the Cursed Earth side of things, there is the likes of Helltrekkers and Missionary Man.  The latter also touches upon Texas City's justice department against an interesting "Wild West" Cursed Earth backdrop.  If you like your justice uncompromising and yet also somewhat questionable, this might be a fun read for you.  Helltrekkers on the other hand is less Wild West so much as it is "Dwindling Pilgrim Caravan Heading West" and running afoul of mutant ambushes, dinosaurs, disease and even each other.  Since you're clearly familiar with the Cursed Earth Dredd mega-epic, I mention these as interesting early ports of call if you enjoyed that setting.  Certainly, more recently, you may very well enjoy Cursed Earth Koburn, which not only works as an expansion of the justice dept of Mega-City One inasmuch as it shows circuit judges working out in the Cursed Earth but brings with it the enjoyably down-at-heel eponymous character to boot. 

For the Undercover Division side of life in Mega City One, well...  hey... you're in for some treats.  The Simping Detective and Low-Life are staunch favourites with many people for good reason. 

For Brit-Cit, there are a number of things to be found.  Quite a lucky number of them, in fact.  Armitage is perhaps the biggest gun of the Brit-Cit stories and established itself not only as a Dreddiverse series in its own right but sees, like Anderson, some interesting Dredd crossover moments.  Others have appeared for Brit-Cit and, while not Brit-Cit itself there are also other settings within the British Isles to have cropped up over the years.  Cal-Hab Justice is set in Scotland.  (You might have seen the t-shirt section on the merchandise pages; beware the worringly tanked-up Cal-Habber at all costs!)  The Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon yarn Emerald Isle is also a fun Dredd read, showing us Murphyville and their judge militia and Judge Sgt Joyce.

Uranium City has been featured in Harmony, the setting essentially being Alaska.  Luna-1 has been featured in Breathing Space.  A non-canonically future version of East-Meg Two has featured in Red Razors.  (At least, I believe that's just plain got to be non-canonical but I'm certainly not speaking with any authority here.)

Chopper was a fine spin-off from Dredd and his adventures in and out of Dredd and later in his own strips showed us slices of life in the Sydney-Melbourne Conurb AKA Oz, and its Radback outback.  His skysurfing also led to Mega City Two featuring as the setting for one such outing but, to be honest, Mega City Two has not had a great number of appearances over the years.  I suppose getting obliterated during the Judgement Day epic would explain that but there is...  uhm... so far as I understand it... some canonical question about its exact status following Judgement Day.  Not that this is a jarring problem, anyway.  Just mentioned because you seemed concerned about canon.

There are others... many others... with the focus on the likes of Hondo, the Space Corps, everybody's favourite Texan buttist Mean Machine Angel, the camp vamp Devlin Waugh, etc, etc, and lots more etc.

For myself, I have always enjoyed the reader's right to reconcile canon and continuity quibbles.  For example, we see a Deputy Grand Judge Fodder right at the beginning of Dredd's Cursed Earth story.  But continuity also states that the Deputy Chief Judge was that Cal stommwad.  I'm sure I'm not alone in my private exercises in reconciling such things and my advice to a fellow completist like yourself is to perhaps find a way to enjoy that, too.
There again, I won't bog you down with my own way of reading the relationship between Dredd and Strontium Dog and Nemesis The Warlock and Flesh and etc etc etc.  If you like it one way, you're winning already, right?

Anyhow, the above waffling from me is hardly meant as trying to steer you towards stories I've enjoyed.  You'll enjoy what you enjoy regardless of such things, certainly, but I would recommend that you face the deluge of material you could find yourself diving into by breaking it down into which aspects of Dredd's world you most enjoy and working from there.  There really is a great deal of diversity and it could be overwhelming otherwise. 

Oh.  Nearly forgot.  Nice to meet you! 
#393
Books & Comics / Re: What attracts you to a comic?
21 February, 2012, 03:20:53 AM
Quote from: Roger Godpleton on 20 February, 2012, 09:27:28 PM
Walking Dead sucks ass, is what I'm getting at.

And you'd be right!
#394
Books & Comics / Re: What attracts you to a comic?
21 February, 2012, 03:09:32 AM
Yeesh.  This year's winner in the category of "Deceptively simple question prompting genuine thought on an increasingly varied topic" goes to you, Mardroid.

One thing I almost never do anymore - which might say as much for me becoming stagnant and jaded as a reader of the American market's offerings - is pick up a new series at the start.  For example, though fair play to Colin_YMNA, DC's recent relaunch resulted in a massive bump in my squanderable income.  Anywhere between five and twenty years ago, I would've been snapping the buggers up like mad but no longer.  I just can't trust the American big leaguers anymore, regardless of property, creative team or budget... but it's not stopped me needing a junkie fix here and there and my junkie fix tends towards writer over artist.  Unless its an artist I have a pronounced fondness for - an example being Steve Dillon, which saw me break the rule right from #1 with Marvel's Punisher Max.  (Frankly, it could have been written by a chimp and I would have enjoyed loping my eyes over the master of machismo's work, though I would quickly realise that I'd not be spending any more money on that chimp-writer's works without such an artist pull factor.)

That said, like Greg M, the writer tends to be the first hook into me as a punter.  Sometimes, I just can't help but KNOW that the artist chosen to deliver the writer's yarn is a poor decision (or available option) on the editor's part, and that might become a negative influence on my choice whether to buy a monthly or wait for a collection. 
So, yeah, I guess for myself there's definitely editorial/publisher factors.  Is this or that comic being put out under this flag because they couldn't get to create it as it deserved elsewhere?  If there's a sense of that, I can often find myself spending money to see what it is that I would otherwise be missing.  The flip side to this factor, for me, is the sense of a title having too weak or otherwise impeded an editorial leash on the final product.  I've often found myself reading a comic and, either for reasons of script or art or concept or their fusion, realised that the editor is entirely without teeth or an empty suit just hoping that allowing a "free rein" will maximise the merits of attracting attention to what amounts to a story that is "artistically" indulgent, crudely polemic, sloppy or just plain so far up its own creators' behinds that it's lost all sense of audience.  (I have no problem being challenged by the content of any publication; I prefer that challenge not to resound with a sense of "Well, if you don't dig this, you're just not clever/spiritual/human enough to bother worrying about anyway.")

Got to say I'm glad The Adventurer mentioned Grant Morrison as a case in point, though.  Certainly capable of producing some touching or exciting work but... St Swithin's Day and Zenith being quite dandy examples, if hardly recent... but I've actively avoided his stuff whenever there's an indication of an editor being willing to run a slack leash on his moments of excess.  And, oddly enough, allegations of plagiarism that seem to dog these moments....  (There again, I've often thought of Morrison as the Moore-That-Wasn't option for certain publishers and editors over the year, including 2000AD's.)

Ultimately, though...  The racks in the comic shop tend to be the best proving ground for any comic I might decide to throw money at.  It might look a little original, or a have a reliable writer's name emblazoned on the cover, or just catch my eye.  I'll give it a flick and if it strikes a match in the damp recesses of my own soulless life, hey, I'll throw a few quid at it.

But... Dok it...  I've just realised that I'm as much a fan of the direct role of editors as writers.  Which has sincerely surprised me, so thanks for spurring a bit of reflection, Mardroid.
#395
Well, as I understand it, it's not called Zarjaz for nuthin'... and I couldn't resist your bundle offers.  Cheers.
#396
General / Re: Forthcoming Thrills!
18 February, 2012, 07:43:36 PM
Glad to see we'll be getting more of Judge Anderson's cadet career, and with Steve Yeowell art no less.  Rather hoping it's black and white.  Always enjoy Yeowell in b/w and maybe Alan Grant's going to go "stark and harrowing" again, which would surely work. 
Got my fanboy fingers crossed for a yesteryear appearance by old-timers Feyy or Ecks just for the juxtaposition with a young Anderson but I somehow just know I won't be disappointed whatever shows up on the page.
What's that?  There are other upcoming thrills?  I missed them because they weren't similarly in bold and didn't draw my lazy, suggestible eye so well?

*Double checks the list*

Oh, Tharg, 'tis surely a year to check my thrill capacitors.  Cracking stuff to look forward to.  Durham Red with Ezquerra!  The conclusion of Red Seas!  The 2000AD cover art book!  Lovely.
#397
Thanks for the warning, Proudhuff.  Of course, speaking of cats...  I hear curiosity kills them.

*Toddles off across the forum.  Can't help but look.*

:o

Why oh why didn't I listen?!  Still, at least I now know I'm cleared for joining other threads now so I'll mark that down as a costly result.
#398
Thanks and yes, indeed.  Certainly agree about Hilary Robinson, what with the balance that Zippy Couriers (and Medivac 318) brought to the progs that they were in.  Bit like Red Seas more recently I find.  It was a fun read, it was visually well-designed and you could readily believe that the creators were enjoying themselves showing you a quirked-up vision of a corner of the future that didn't need ultra-violence to succeed...  but it did end up relying upon a talking animal in its core cast.  I guess that's why I never dug Mean Team.  Maybe it's a talking cat thing with me, brain transplanted or otherwise.  Thank Grud Dredd's never relied upon a talking cat for a stor...  oh....  uhm...  ahem. 
#399
Thanks for the welcome. 
You and me both on Tao De Moto being under-rated, Dandontdare.  As for Zippy Couriers...  uh....  yeah.  Re-read some a couple of months back and while I had the nostalgic fondness factor at play I did find myself simply knowing why it died.
#400
Welcome to the board / I think I'm in the right place...
17 February, 2012, 11:38:30 PM
I finally got to thinking, why not join that mad bunch of thrill-junkie 2000AD fans on the 2000AD forums?  In the absence of any better answer I realised, why not indeed?  So, I'm afraid you'll all have to put up with one more fellow fan of Tharg's supremacy over all things gafflebette. 
Shy a few years but too decrepit already that you'd notice, I can't say I've been reading since before Prog 360 but... well... I've been through the Progstalgia phase a few times since then just as many of you probably have.  My favourites tend towards the surviving elder statesmen strips of Dredd and Strontium Dog but I've happily found space in my plasteen pump of a heart for the likes of Dante and Tao De Moto over the years.  I've even been known to enjoy Sinister Dexter and Red Seas.  I miss Ace Garp and I don't miss Tales of Telguuth, but I guess that balances out!

Mind you...  I also liked Zippy Couriers and Helltrekkers a lot.  What can I tell you?  I was a crazy mixed-up juve.  Anyhow, I'm off to start the Do Thrillsuckers really taste like chicken? thread unless somebody's beaten me to it.

Oh.  Nearly forgot...  Hello.