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Now look what you did, you gave locked down nerds statistics to play with!

The worst part of it is - I'm a key worker so don't even have lockdown as an excuse!

As others hve said, approach drawing any conclusions with caution - One  thing I think perhaps it does show is how week on week anthology format taking week on week based more purely on "the feels" shows that every strip has it's place and also how strong the prog was durng this time, with some brilliant classics failing to dent the positive ratings because there was just so much good to choose from!

That looks incredible, though " "woke" trap"?... sigh.... great Anti-Virtue Signalling there.

Mean Arena really suffers from this I feel - odd man out in a run of stone cold classics

It's  an imprecise measure as it can never take into account the competition! Robo-Hunter was almost always running against very strong strips. 

Anyway, Sorry, Conrad for bowdlerising your Data! Happy to keep this up to date for you

It's  an imprecise measure as it can never take into account the competition! Robo-Hunter was almost always running against very strong strips.   And if you look at some Negative Thrills like Rogue and Ace Trucking,  if they had bowed out with their original runs, they would probably be safely positive.

Fox's list looks grear although it is sad to see Robo Hunter in the list of -ve thrills.

Conrad's list look of positive thirlls looks like this:

1: Halo Jones              70%
2: ABC Warriors            58%
3: Judge Dredd             33%
4: Anderson                 25%
5: Strontium Dog          24%
6: Nemesis                  20%
7: Invasion                 18%
8: Zenith                    9%
9: Slaine                     7%


Stainless Steel Rat  gets kicked from the lists by scoring 0%!

Conrad's Negative Thrills by this measure:


1: Mean Arena                       -52%
2: Ace Trucking                     -29%
3: Dan Dare                          -27%
4: Rogue Trooper                   -26%
5: Meltdown Man                 -25%
6: Robo-Hunter                      -18%
7: Tharg                              -14%
8: MACH 1                           -13%
9: Future Shocks                   -12%
10: Bad Company                    -8%

Fox's list look of positive thirlls looks like this:

1: Halo Jones              70%
2: ABC Warriors            58%
3: Stainless Steel Rat    36%
4: Strontium Dog          28%
5: Anderson                 19%
6: Nemesis                  18%
7: Zenith                    18%
8: Judge Dredd             14%
9: Slaine                   13%
10: Invasion                 9%
11: Meltdown Man         8%

Fox's Negative Thrills by this measure:


1: Mean Arena                       -35%
2: Rogue Trooper                   -28%
3: Future Shocks                   -23%
4: MACH 1                           -20%
5: Ace Trucking                     -17%
6: Robo-Hunter                      -15%
7: Dan Dare                          -15%
8: Tharg                              -14%
9: Bad Company                    -8%

[If you arbitarily move the number of episodes to a minimum of 10, the lists look like this:

1: Halo Jones              70%
2: ABC Warriors            58%
3: Strontium Dog          26%
4: Judge Dredd             23%
5: Anderson                 22%
6: Nemesis                  19%
7: Stainless Steel Rat    18%
8: Invasion                 14%
8: Zenith                    14%
10: Slaine                   10%

Bottom Thrills by this measure:


1: Mean Arena                       -43%
2: Rogue Trooper                   -27%
3: Ace Trucking                     -23%
4: Dan Dare                          -21%
5: Future Shocks                   -17%
6: MACH 1                           -17%
7: Robo-Hunter                     -16%
8: Tharg                              -14%
9: Meltdown Man                   -8%
9: Bad Company                    -8%

There are coincidentally only 21 stories to appear in 10 more episodes, with Sooner or Later the only one not appearing on either list (due to not being picked either way - including Swifty's Return in the episode count)

I remember at the time poor Wolfie getting a kicking week on week from Space Spinner.. to be fair I suspect if I read it again now, all Fox and Conrad's criiticisms  of Wolfie using his powers to be a dick would ring very true!

Harry 20 is also an unusual one to see so high, but I get that too - Schlock of the finest order!

Wow thats fantastic Leigh S - but poor old Wolfie Smith it wasn't that bad and I actively liked chunks of it - but he's such an outlier!

Numbers Crunched!

If we look at appearances vs how many times a strip gets the top spot from Conrad and Fox, then deduct any bottom placings calculated using the same measure, a Thrill Percentage can be achieved.  The following strips rise to the top (excluding any that only appeared in 5 or less shows, arbitrarily!)

1: Halo Jones              70%
2: Skizz                      64%
3: ABC Warriors            58%
4: Harry 20                  42%
5: Strontium Dog          26%
6: Judge Dredd             23%
7: Anderson                 22%
8: Nemesis                  19%
9: Stainless Steel Rat    18%
10: Invasion                 14%
10: Zenith                    14%


Bottom Thrills by this measure:


1: The Mind of Wolfie Smith      -78%
2: Mean Arena                       -43%
3: Blackhawk                         -28%
3: Mean Team                       -28%
5: Rogue Trooper                   -27%
6: Ace Trucking                     -23%
7: Dan Dare                          -21%
8: Inferno                             -19%
9: Future Shocks                   -17%
10: MACH 1                           -17%

The lure of stats is too strong... I am working my way through the episodes to weight your dislikes by appearance!  Just realised that DR and Quinch never got a top slot - heresy!!

Doh... I keep forgetting that the Meg launched after Necropolis, so that makes for a 7th.... EPIC FAIL!

Mine turned up today, but given the double bank holiday and current circumstances, that is nothing to complain about!

By Case Files 4, I do mean skip the Judge Child, though only for timings sake!  The "Black War" epilogue tells you all you need to know (well, a bit of it!)

Excellent!  "Mega City Primer"?

If I was going to do it, I'd do a very select run of important first/second/third year strips -

Podcast 1:  "Return of Rico", "The Academy of Law", "Mutie the Pig" - because Continuity!  Rico and Giant

"Oxygen Board" "Return to Mega-City"  "Punks Rules" - Classic Bolland and McMahon

"City Block" "Sob Story" - Ron SMith joins the party - both important strips too!

"Christmas Comes to Des O'Connor Block" "Umpty Candy" "Judge Minty"- Prime McMahon

"Judge Death" - Prime Bolland!


2: then do the colour strips from the 81 -83 annuals (If you want blow Eli's mind early withthat McMahon goodness and introduce him to Carlos on the strip!) 

3: Then case files 4  (run up to the Apocalypse War)  There are too many great stories in 4 to skip, plus Chopper!

4:  Case Files 5 - nuff said!

5: Then a sprinkling of post Apocalyspe Classics - to show how the strip is maturing: "Requiem for a Heavyweight", "Graveyard Shift", "Hunter's Club", "Sunday Night Fever", "Midnight Surfer",  ..

6: the Democracy stories including "Question of Judgement/Error/Case"

That would be my dream 6 podcasts!