Regened is returning – to the Judge Dredd Megazine

[IndigoPrime]

I figure this one needs a thread of its own. 2000 AD has just announced that Regened wasn't dead after all – it was just sleeping:

https://2000ad.com/news/thrills-for-the-future-all-ages-comics-return-to-2000-ad-this-summer/

Judging by this, relevant series will continue to exist in 2000 AD, but initially will be in the Meg. We'll be getting new Pandora Perfect and Dept. K, and later in the year more Cadet Dredd.

Now, I'm all for two of those. Langridge/Welsh on Pandora and Harltey/Walters on Dept. K seem like good pairings. And while I don't care for Cadet Dredd, it's notable that these strips will replace a chunk of reprint. So, for now at least, we'll be getting more original strip, for the same cover price.

This all seems good. The one snag will be the massive tonal whiplash in the Meg from these strips, and the rather obvious point that no-one in their right mind will let their kids leaf through quite a few Megs for those strips. So this must just be a case of using page count in the Meg to build content for subsequent collections.

Either way, it's certainly an interesting approach. And, again, I'm happy to see the return of two fab strips. But how this will actually work out, I've no idea.

[Le Fink]

The Meg seems a very odd home for all-ages. I'd be happy to see those strips you mentioned continue in tooth.

There are arguably 3 all-ages strips running in tooth at the moment. Dredd, with its Stephen King like young protagonists (hey, I said arguably, c'mon), the 3riller, and Intestinauts. All top tales as far as I'm concerned. All-ages is fine if it's done well.

[Funt Solo]

I'm looking forward to Scrappy-Jargo taking over editorial duties in the Meg.

++Harsh punishments bring results in Dreadnoughts Daycare!++
++Laugh as Devlin Waugh and his naughty demon sidekick, Cucumber Sid, get up to their usual shenanigans!++
++Armitage promotes welfare reform for youth offenders in Nappies for an Old Man.++

[Jim_Campbell]

So this must just be a case of using page count in the Meg to build content for subsequent collections.

Pure speculation on my part, but this suggests that the TPBs have sold well enough for it not to really matter where the serialised pages run, as long as there's a book's worth at the end. (Which would kind of bear out what we've both been saying about Da Kidz preferred format for comic consumption.)

So, for now at least, we'll be getting more original strip, for the same cover price.

Given that a lot of people say they don't read much of the reprint anyway, you'd think this was a win-win — they can just not read this new material as well, but at least it is new material. Well, you'd think it was win-win, but I've seen people bitching about the announcement on FB already.

Ahhh... fans.

[broodblik]

Interesting move. Basically it is just replacing the reprints (which in most cases I have not read at all)

[broodblik]

adding to this it will have a more regular run as well

[IndigoPrime]

Matt mentioned this in last month's Meg: "from next issue we'll be replacing one of the reprint slots with a pair of brand-new stories". So that suggests something in the region of two 10- or 11-page strips (which would match the Regened lengths). I've no idea how long these will run for, but you'd need, what, at least 60 pages for even a skinny trade? Unless they're going to be mashed together rather than standalone.

And, yeah, I've seen people bellyaching about this already. Thing is, the IDW well has run dry. Almost all the good stuff has been reprinted. I'd sooner have new strip in that slot than increasingly iffy reprint. And I certainly don't care for rebuying yet more strips I already own unless that keeps the comic alive should it hit a very rough patch (as has happened in the past).

So despite the weird tonal mismatch, I'm cautiously optimistic about this, although admittedly my thinking might change if we hear Lowborn High will be rocking up in the Meg next year.

[Magnetica]

Why not just go straight to the TPB with out putting it in a comic first?

Not sure I'm too keen on it being in the Meg; I've actually been way more inclined to read the re-prints when part of the main Meg than the floppies.

And as others had said, regened content doesn't sit well alongside some of the Meg content. Especially Devlin Waugh and his... you know what...I'm not going to type it.

[Jim_Campbell]

Why not just go straight to the TPB with out putting it in a comic first?

I suspect, at least in part, because it's monstrously expensive and ties up great wedges of your cashflow for many, many months. Meanwhile, as IP notes, options for reprint are running low and pages still need filling. I'd certainly rather see a chunk of Pandora Perfect than some bottom-of-the-barrel reprint with a tenuous Dredd/2000AD connection.

[IndigoPrime]

Indeed. Or endless fucking months of Mega-City Zero or Judge Beardy in The Blessed Earth. I really really hope Matt doesn't have to foist those on us. I'd sooner read the risible DC Dredds again. Not that I'd like to do that either.

[Magnetica]

Why not just go straight to the TPB with out putting it in a comic first?

I suspect, at least in part, because it's monstrously expensive and ties up great wedges of your cashflow for many, many months. Meanwhile, as IP notes, options for reprint are running low and pages still need filling. I'd certainly rather see a chunk of Pandora Perfect than some bottom-of-the-barrel reprint with a tenuous Dredd/2000AD connection.

Serious question, and I know you probably know better than me, but why would it be more expensive to go straight for a TPB, than to print it in the Prog or Meg and then put it in a TPB?

[Funt Solo]

Especially Devlin Waugh and his... you know what...I'm not going to type it.

Moustache? Exquisite flower-arrangements? Impressive biceps?

[Funt Solo]

I did want to play a game of which Regened thrills I'd like to see more of.

This is the listing to choose from:




Definitely:
 - Pandora Perfect
 - Mayflies
 - 'Splorers

Maybe:
 - Cadet Dredd, but only the version where they're climbing out of Grudzilla's arse at the end. They need Dredd and other cadets fighting alien or monstrous menaces. When he goes undercover and arrests teenage squatters he just comes off as a git. Judge Rimmer.
 - Department K - I thought the initial premise was promising but the follow-ups a bit less punchy.
 - Strontium Dug - first one was very good.

[Jim_Campbell]

Serious question, and I know you probably know better than me, but why would it be more expensive to go straight for a TPB, than to print it in the Prog or Meg and then put it in a TPB?

Technically, if it's issued only in book format it's an original graphic novel (OGN) rather than a trade paperback (which is a collection of material previously published in a different format).

The big difference is right there: with an OGN, you've only used the material once. You have to cover the entire commissioning costs upfront and swallow those costs for the length of time it takes for the creators to produce the entire book. I ran through the basic maths of the whole thing in this post.

[Colin YNWA]

This is great news. Really looking forward to it, especially with some of the titles annouced - more Pandora Perfect can only be a good thing. The new artist on the strip looks good too.

I'm not sure the tonal shift in the Meg will be such an issue. After all we've had a ton of 50 and 60s kids comics reprints in the Meg, so if anything this will be less of a shift than that?