Case files or not?

[U.S.S.R]

Hey people, just in need of some advice really. I recently got Judge Dredd the complete case 1, and even though it's dated Im really enjoying it. Now, I was wondering whether i should continue buying the Case files, or just buy the prints of the classics (e.g Origins, America etc.). At the moment it's getting annoying when people refer to these classics, and i haven't got a clue what they mean. Thoughts? Thanks in advance

[radiator]

I would alternate buying one Case Files, then one modern collection and so on.

America isn't in the Case Files and things like Origins are many, many years off appearing in the Case Files, if they ever do.

[U.S.S.R]

Cool seems like a good idea cheers

[Dandontdare]

casefiles are now up to vol20 and are just reaching the dodgy period in the 90s when quality suffered, and it'll be a long time sbefore the great post-2000 stuff appears in that format. So yeah, alternating them seems like a good idea!

[HdE]

I recently purchased the complete run of case files in one fell swoop.

I was hard pressed to justify it, but seeing as I came into a bit of money unexpectedly, I figured, why not? REALLY glad I did. My income looks like it's about to disappear, and I now have a spell of job-hunting ahead. Meantime, I have 19 volumes of awesome Dredd material on my shelf to get me through it.

I was initially deterred from grabbing these by the age of the material. 'How good can it be? ' I wondered. I was such a fool.

I'm about halfway through volume 1, and it is BRILLIANT! Loads of fantastic Ian Gibson Dredd in there - and it's incredible to see how fully-formed his artistic take on Dredd and MC-1 was from so early on. The stories are also a tonne of fun once they hit their stride.

Some of the stories in later volumes, I'm already familiar with. But I'm looking forward to reading them again.  I'm fortunate in that I have a fair number fo the graphic novels on my shelf, too, so my 'contemporary Dredd' needs are nicely catered to.

DEFINITELY grab these books where you can, U.S.S.R. - you won't regret it.

[WhizzBang]

I have only read the case files, but I can tell you that you should definitely stick with them as they just get better and better for the next 4 volumes in a row and then stick at quite a high standard for quite a long time.

[U.S.S.R]

Thanks for all your thoughts! my main worry is that i buy a Dredd reprint, then get a case file and it's in there as well. I'll just double check before i get anything

[Richard]

To be honest, the best way to read the "classics" (except America) is in the Case Files, because sometimes the "classic" story is followed up by other stories which explore the consequences and ramifications of what happened in the main story.

For example, "The Judge Child" is considered to be one of the all-time-classic Judge Dredd stories, and you could just buy it on its own... but if you get Case Files 4 instead, you also get the sequel, "Fink Angel," in which ... well I won't spoil it for you.  By the way, you also get another story about East-Meg One judges (from future Russia) attacking Mega-City One, setting up the Apocalypse War in volume 5, so that by the time you read that story you know the background. Then if you stick with the case files, in volume 6 you get to see a whole series of stories showing the aftermath of the war and the lasting effect on the city. You miss out on all this stuff if you just read The Judge Child and The Apocalypse War on their own.

Also you get to see the character and tone of the Judge Dredd stories gradually change over time, and get darker and more serious, but also more weird.

[SmallBlueThing]

The age of the material doesnt matter one jot, and it does make me laugh when i hear of people worrying that the old strips can't be any good- as if comics only got good in the last ten years. In which case i draw your attention to haunted vaginas and modern marvel, in comparison to the cursed earth saga and the apocalypse war! As for worrying whether you already have a particular story when buying the case files- it's fine when that happens accidentally, or just to have aa particular storyline in a nicer format... It's when you find you have the same story in the progs, in the uk reprint monthly, in the uk reprint dredd monthly, in the u.s eagle comic, in the u.s quality comic, in the u.s trade, in the titan uk edition, in the rdback titan edition, the case file and the 'b' format edition- and are considering buying again in idw hardback- that's when you have to admit mentalism.

SBT

[HdE]

The age of the material doesnt matter one jot, and it does make me laugh when i hear of people worrying that the old strips can't be any good- as if comics only got good in the last ten years.

Yeah. THIS.

While, truthfully, I think some comics do not age well at all, Judge Dredd has lost very little. There are a few lines of dialogue and story devices in the older material that are very much of the time, sure - but it's amazing how well those stories hold up. In fact, they don't JUST hold up - they're still genuinely fun and entertaining!

It was my long-standing aversion to 'retro' comics that held me back from buying these books, I'll admit. But a while ago, I just figured 'Eh. What the hell. I want it all!' - I've been rewarded with some of the most incredible stuff... some of the B&W artwork looks absolutely gorgeous in these collections.

[IndigoPrime]

Thanks for all your thoughts! my main worry is that i buy a Dredd reprint, then get a case file and it's in there as well. I'll just double check before i get anything

There's not a great deal of crossover so far. Of the non-Case Files stuff, you'll probably want to avoid (from a duplication standpoint) Mechanismo, Dredd vs Death and Judgment Day, all of which have been covered in the Case Files run. Also avoid the pocket books if you're buying the Case Files, given that they offer nothing new or different from them.

[radiator]

The age of the material doesnt matter one jot, and it does make me laugh when i hear of people worrying that the old strips can't be any good

It's not that it's 'not any good', it's that it's important to make people aware that these early stories were written a long time ago, for kids.

It's very easy to gloss over these things if you've been reading British comics all your life, but to a newcomer they do seem pretty dated now, just in terms of how they're put together and the various writing quirks etc.

I wonder how many people, having seen Dredd, bought Case Files 01, read a few pages and never picked it up again?

[sheldipez]

It's very easy to gloss over these things if you've been reading British comics all your life, but to a newcomer they do seem pretty dated now, just in terms of how they're put together and the various writing quirks etc.

I've just finished Case Files #1 and IMO a lot of the ageing comes from technique, little boxes telling the reader what Dredd is doing for e.g. artists know to let the art (which still looks great! Gibsons and Bollards in particular) speak for itself. But the stories themselves are entertaining and often funny (where's Walter the Wobot these days?).

They've aged very well.

[Richard]

It's not a question of how well they've aged.

The issue is that the stories in Case File 1 are for kids, and the new film is for adults, being rated R or 18 for extreme violence and references to rape. You just can not reasonably expect someone who has just seen that film -- who has never read the comics before and is interested in starting -- to pick up Case Files 1 and read some stories which are completely different to what the film had led them to expect, and be converted into a life-long fan of the comic. They simply will never look at the comic again.

Our responsibility is to refer them to stories which actually resemble what they think they are going to get. Then, having hooked them, you can try to broaded their horizons.

[SmallBlueThing]

It's not a question of how well they've aged.

The issue is that the stories in Case File 1 are for kids, and the new film is for adults, being rated R or 18 for extreme violence and references to rape. You just can not reasonably expect someone who has just seen that film -- who has never read the comics before and is interested in starting -- to pick up Case Files 1 and read some stories which are completely different to what the film had led them to expect, and be converted into a life-long fan of the comic. They simply will never look at the comic again.

Our responsibility is to refer them to stories which actually resemble what they think they are going to get. Then, having hooked them, you can try to broaded their horizons.

Thankfully, 2000AD hasn't often featured "adult" strips with "references to rape" and "extreme violence" of the kind that would warrant a "not for kids" rating. So maybe if that's the only reason they liked the movie, they'd be better off going elsewhere for their comics. On the other hand, if they liked the character and the set-up, then they'd like pretty much any of the strips mentioned above.

SBT