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I remember that at 2004s Bristol Convention, Dez Skinn was playing Prophet of Doom regarding changes to Distribution that could possibly impact on 2000AD and other mags that don't sell 100,000s...

All went quiet about it, but BBC news has an article about it today...

Time for another subcscription push from Tharg?

 

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4693351.stm" target="_blank">Read all about it!

Yeah, that is partly responsible for the figures, but if you look at the example of one part Dredd strips - they used to get 30-50 votes a year or so back, now they get 20-30 or even less.

Generally, the number of votes seems lower, even once the stories have ended

Looking at the recent progs thrill ratings, there seems to be a case of voter apathy on the site.  In the past, an longish story would get between 50 to 100 votes

As an example, compare some of Viennas previous outings:

The Satanist 7 episodes (Progs 1350 to 1356)  got 76 votes

Total War 12 episodes (Progs 1408 to 1419) got 84 votes

The 2 part  Blood & Duty from prog 1300/1301 got 70 votes.

So far, after 9 episodes, there are only 30 votes for the current Dredd.

It?s not only Dredd where theres been a fall off.

So is this voter apathy because:

1:  People are happy with the stories and don?t feel the need to register their vote?

2:  People are apathetic ? the stories aren?t moving them either way to register a score?

3: People are so thrill drained they can?t be bothered?

I know that the vote isn?t necessarily the most representative form of feedback, but the more people that use it, the better indicator of opinion it is.
 
Maybe Tharg could pimp it in a prog.  If you?re a voter who has stopped voting, can you tell me why, or even better, get voting again!

There?s also the bit where Guthrie and Giant have a second chance to bring Pasha in for questioning, but they decide to smack him in the mouth instead.  Now which is likely to be best in terms of judicial process (20 years on Titan for Guthrie, methinks), safer for Vienna, and effective, especially since the guy at this stage could be innocent?

I think you may well right about the leak, Fate, which in some ways is more odd.  Sorry Tharg (this time?)!
I can see how the whole clouded judgement thing is an explanation and potentially interesting character stuff but it hasn't really worked for me ? and haven?t we been here before to some degree?

The last time we had a similar situation, Dredd handed in his badge for giving Vienna preferential treatment.  Hershey told Dredd there was no blame in this.  Now Dredd could have gone one of two ways from here.  He could have vowed never to let his judgement be impaired or influenced again, or he could have decided that Hershey was right.  Now, from Dredds behaviour here, it?s more the latter, drafting in his best buds to help out, which isn?t really a problem, given that?s the road he?s chosen.  However, it?s his incompetence that seems a stretch too far for me.  He?s willing to give Vienna preferential treatment in investigating the murder, but also willing to put her at deeper risk by allowing her to push him out of the Apartment, leaving her in a room with a guy who claims to come from the same place as the potential murder victim (and not just any murder, but a professional hit?). He may be feeling guilty, but guilty enough to cloud years of experience and instinct?  

Personally, I would have found it more interesting to have seen Dredd go the other way, and not pull any favours ? maybe Rico then taking up the protective mantle and then both being put in danger through Dredd standing back.  Maybe Rico bites a bullet when he decides to bring in Pasha for questioning (as opposed to Dredd being pushed out) ? then he takes Vienna hostage, and Dredd is in the same position as he is now, but less (directly) responsible.

As is, it?s a bit of an odd mix of Dredd being over-protective on one hand, yet incompetent and ineffectual on the other ? Pasha must have a pretty low opinion of the Justice Dept given how easily he?s ran rings around them ? he?s hardly been a criminal mastermind.

I?m really not enjoying this Dredd tale that much.  I liked Andrew Curries art on Doomsday, and the detective nature of that strip suits the nature of this ? IIRC he was hooked up with Stephen Tappin, who did some dreadful Rogue Trooper art, but worked really well with Curries pencils.  The art here is OK, but it has deteriorated, and the Judges do look silly.  Vienna as bimbo isn?t helping (though the script is painting her as more of an airhead than we?ve previously seen her, so maybe that?s appropriate)

For me, the problems are much more with the story than the art.  I dislike the tendency for other writers to do Team-Up tales, overusing characters like
Giant and Guthrie. Well, maybe not overused, but I really like Wagners underuse of characters ? it makes things all the more believable in a City the size of the Meg.

The whole ?who?s going to die? thing is also a real negative on this tale ? hell on any tale.  I?d much rather be surprised than be forewarned ? stop telling us, Tharg!  I can?t see the point of it.  You?d have to kill off Dredd to actually get any kind of boost in sales and it ruins the story.

Dredd and his top quality Judges haven?t really displayed much quality.  Dredd is responsible for Viennas plight ? knowing that she could be going out with a killer, would he really not have hauled him in for questioning, or at least kept a track on her?  They have stumbled into pretty obvious deathtraps, and tbh, I?m almost inclined to think ?serves you right? for being so monumentally careless when they know who they are dealing with.

Vienna is pretty dim as well.  Her reaction to her friends death was to jump into bed with this fellah, then after finding out he had an unspecified criminal record, running off with him (via a suspicious third party lift). Personally, from previous tales, I would have thought the death would have seen her agoraphobia and depression kick in, but I suppose it?s not as unlikely as Dredds reactions.

This is probably overly picky ? Once one thing doesn?t ring right, I tend to start unpicking other bits (classic example being that ?Dalek? episode, which I?d kind of enjoyed until I started mulling over the whole human DNA angle).

I suppose all of these little niggles could have been overlooked if the rest of the tale had offered something thrilling or new or really clever, but its all felt a bit by the numbers for me.

exclude even

"as it is a failing of our country to allow new cultural influences to come into the country but not be a bit proactive and find out how we can ensure that the best of the cultural influence comes into the mainstream, rather than the worst."

I can see what your saying here, and in some ways I agree with the sentiment.  But these guys appear not to have been excluded from society in terms of opportunities and education for example.  They were just seemingly normal people,doing normal things.  What can the Country (or whoever actually takes responsiblity for that role!) do you ensure that people who seem to have integrated actually have?  Didn't these people individually choose to reject 'us', rather than 'the Country' choose to include them?  But yeah, the principle of examining why they chose to do what they did is a sensible one, though I suspect there's not one easily identifiable explanation.    

But I dont necessarily need a religion to lead a 'better' life surely?  I lead a very moral life by  my own standards, and I have a sense of right and wrong that basically says it's wrong if its harmful to others, and if you're not screwing anyone over, carry on regardless.

I don't think Ade is advocating that religions should start telling us that there are no boundaries to how we live in Society, just that Society has moved on and perhaps we shouldnt be seeing (for example) homosexuality as an 'evil', or telling us that there is only one true path and anyone who doesnt follow it is inferior and unworthy.  

Glad to hear everyones OK.

While its been pretty awful following the news reports, that has been offset a bit by how bloody well everyone has handled it, from the Emergency Services to Joe Public, Ken Livingstone and even Blair.

There is Galloway, I suppose... well, theres always one.

The best satire in Dredd rarely took a news item and changed the names - something like Who Killed Pug Ugly, with its "search for a star" competition was much better than a "Mega Idol" straight rip.  Too often, the straight rip rules, over the extrapolation of the basic scenario into a unique MegaCity setting - eg, the recent Radstock, with its Biker gangs straight out of Altamont, and its Brown Acid announcements - compare to Pug Ugly, which predicted trends, as opposed to Radstocks replaying the past

AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Best. retro. Droid. return. Evah!

In the Birmingham Virgin Megastore.

I've read that. The writer comes across as revelling in his "controversial" opinions in more reviews than just the Dredd one.

... On the topic of DSDs....

There were about 280ish of the Saturday Strips - mostly by the Mighty Ron Smith, but with a few later ones by Gibson, at least one Ewins one (these have surfaced in the MEg)and the first was a cut n paste of the very first Dredd by McMahon.

Ron Smith and Gibson then did the first daily tales, with Barry Kitson doing one before Mike Collins appeared as a semi-regular.  His first ones are brilliant tales like "The Real Judge Dredd" and "Sheriff of Festering Hole" (a personal fave).  However, after a period of goodness, Wagner & Grant retire and we get Mark Millar and Alan McKenzie written Daily Star Dredds - then Carlos Pino appears, Ron Smith returns at least, and somewhere in all that, I lost interest!  The strip gets a bit of a new lease of life when Robbie Morrison, Gordon Rennie and Andy Diggle start doing strips, with Smith alternating with some new blood - Teague, Adlard, Bircham, Currie... shame they pulled it as it was a huge improvement on the McKenzie/Millar years