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I agree: Sean Pertwee (pre-balding) would have been an excellent choice. If they had to choose an American, that blonde bloke out of Buffy (James Masters?) would have been all right.

I guess it's "horses for courses", but I thought the Dredd/Rogue crossover art was dire, rather like pretty much anything Higgins done post Prog 750. The writing wasn't too bad, but it didn't excite me at all.

::  apparently his crossover with Rogue trooper was
:: excellent too.

Apparently, you haven't read it, then, because it's pap. The first Alpha/Dredd crossover ("Top Dogs") was, however, excellent.

As noisybast said: /bbsorder 3

I saw the new-look board all of one whole time. That really didn't make me want to leave the site...

Some people really do have more money than sense. Perhaps the buyer thinks the stickers really will make them into an actual bionic man.

Fair enough, and I appreciate the clarification regarding quoting. I suppose the "lean" period is down to personal taste, but having come from 2000 AD's "classic" 300 era, I got gradually more annoyed with the strips from 700ish onwards, including Mills' output. I never liked Finn in Third World War, so was hardly thrilled to see him in 2000 AD. The stories weren't appalling, in my opinion, but it always read like a second-rate Slaine to me. His Nemesis stuff around that time was pretty poor (with the exception of the Weston one in that winter special), and after Horned God, Slaine became a running joke. Dinosty was shockingly bad, even if taken as a straight parody ("Religion is bad," says Pat), and I never thought much of "Legend of Shamana".

Of late, I've found Mills' output variable, to say the least. I thought Savage was all right, but hardly the near classic some are suggesting, and ABC Warriors is good old-fashioned fun. His Dredd in the Meg was, frankly, embarrassing, and I just find Slaine is really, really boring these days, which never used to be the case. Then again, it's never as much fun to read something the third time round.

It's not all bad?it never was. I guess I just expect too much from such a comics icon. For what it's worth, Grant's 2000 AD output is just as disappointing to me these days.

Heh! Pat Mills?the Prince Philip of the comics world!

While I agree that "hasn't written anything good in 10 years" is an opinion, it's hardly just my own (and, for the record, I don't like being misquoted, and what you wrote is not the same in terms of meaning as what I wrote)?plenty of people agree that Pat went through an extremely lean period, beginning with the third Horned God book, and largely continuing for another decade. I don't really care whether people agree with me or not, but it's hardly difficult to see why he gets such a hard time from readers, and although he has finally started writing fairly decent stuff now and again, he's still a long way from being consistent.

As for my "spoiled brat" comment, I *am* a writer, and plenty of my work gets repurposed on a very regular basis. Does it annoy me? To some extent, I suppose, but largely because I don't get paid for reprints. The thing is, Pat knew and knows how 2000 AD works. If he wants to own his creations, he should only do creator-owned stuff. As for his previous creations, he should let go?at least in some cases. It's hardly like Rennie "abused" Satanus in that story, is it? And, for the record, I've had ideas and columns appropriated, too, so I know what it's like. However, that is the reality of the writing industry, and if you don't like it, do something else!

Wagner's case is different. *If* Wagner threw a hissy fit any time another writer worked on Dredd, then you might have a point. But he doesn't. Sure, he doesn't consider many non-Wagner Dredds to be "canon", but that's a long way from slagging off an editor because he dared to take a character you created and commissioned another writer to build a story around it (and one that happened to be rather good, too).

Mills ranting about character ownership is nothing like Disney doing the same with the mouse. The nearest equivalent would be Rebellion itself protecting its IP, not Mills. Remember, Mills doesn't actually "own" any of the characters he's created for 2000 AD, and the only reason editors let him get away with such claims is because otherwise he acts like a spoiled brat (see: Rennie's Satanus story).

However, I still think the fact he wrote crap for years is what counts against him, not anything else. As for his current work, it's certainly an improvement, but still feels rather old-hat at times.

Frankly, if Wagner went nearly a decade without writing anything half-decent, I'm pretty sure people would be laying into him on a regular basis.

I think it's because Mills went a long time writing only "khaos" crap, and also because he's managed to totally wreck previously exciting characters. Slaine is at best a shadow of his former self and at worst a total embarrassment. Although Dredd can at times be mediocre when written by Wagner, it's never truly dire, but that's not the case for Mills. Also, Wagner gets across his own personal politics at times without resorting to being overtly preachy.

Excellent Sin/Dex cover, and I agree that the Anderson logo is pretty neat. I've never been convinced by that ABC Warriors pic, but it's good to see the covers generally improving, and actually being relevant to the contents.

Uh, *February* thrill power? I've had Verdus for ages...

Realistic version: slow, gradual rises in readership followed by slow, gradual falls in readership. A few great new stories and creators, and a number of "meh" stories and "defections". Same old, same old, with the occasional "wow" moment.

Fantasy version: several 2000 AD characters get optioned and all end up in production in Hollywood. Despite the relocation of Strontium Dog to New York, it is a massive success. Slaine gets unfairly compared to Conan, but surprises its critics by taking a massive box office, recouping its costs several times over. The ABC Warriors CGI TV series manages to gain a cult following, but the DVD release sells extremely well, and although many 2000 AD fans grumbled when Johnny Depp was cast as Nikolai Dante (too similar to "Pirates", too old, too skinny), he proved masterful in the role, and the film was one of the year's biggest hits. The resulting massive spike in 2000 AD's readership and Rebellion's subsequent deal to release an American monthly compilation version with DC led to many of top names returning to the comic, mingling with up-and-coming talent. The Dredd film is now in pre-production with an unknown in the lead, Wagner as Executive Producer, and Ridley Scott directing.

Nightmare version: 2000 AD's sales gradually slide over the next decade, and the magazine's price continues to increase accordingly. The Meg and 2000 AD merge into a monthly anthology, causing many writers to depart for pastures new, due to the lack of potential work per month. The magazine clings on for another year before finally giving up the ghost four issues after becoming a reprint-only mag, with the exception of one new six-page Dredd strip and one all-new ten-page "guest" strip each month. Scojo gloats on alt.comics.2000ad, but there's no-one there to hear him.

"Any last words before I fire you out of the window using my trusty man-sized catapult?"