Judge Dredd Classics - IDW

[COMMANDO FORCES]

I'm gonna give this 12 issues or whatever major story finishes around then!

[blackmocco]

Anyone else checked out the 7 page preview for issue #3?

I'm a little concerned, it looks like they've changed colourist and the new guy might be basing his colouring on the horrible old Eagle colours, Dredd is now wearing dark blue instead of the black from the recent Block Mania.

http://www.comicbookresources.com:8080/?page=preview&id=18263

This looks MUCH better to my eyes. Dredd's always been traditionally colored wearing dark blue. Don't see what the problem is.

[JOE SOAP]

That colouring looks pretty good but the cover reminds me of something...

[Silent_Bomber]

Anyone else checked out the 7 page preview for issue #3?

I'm a little concerned, it looks like they've changed colourist and the new guy might be basing his colouring on the horrible old Eagle colours, Dredd is now wearing dark blue instead of the black from the recent Block Mania.

http://www.comicbookresources.com:8080/?page=preview&id=18263

This looks MUCH better to my eyes. Dredd's always been traditionally colored wearing dark blue. Don't see what the problem is.

Really? weird, I think its quite hideous to be honest.

Green and red missiles? how can you highlight black with Turquoise? how does that even work?

Looks to me that they've just coloured over the gaps to be honest, otherwise Dredd's clothes would be completely dark blue with shading, as opposed to black with turquoise filling.

I hate to sound like a drama-queen, but I was going to snap up a trade of these if they'd ever been collected, I highly doubt that now, even just the sudden glaring change in art-style between Block Mania and Apocalypse War puts me off to be honest, let alone that colouring.

I'd imagine these must have been selling poorly or something for them to drop the quality this far.

[Hawkmumbler]

Any idea why Judge Dredd Classics isn't available on Comixology? I noticed Doctor Who Classics isn't either...

[James Stacey]

Looks pretty good to me.

I hate to sound like a drama-queen, but I was going to snap up a trade of these if they'd ever been collected, I highly doubt that now, even just the sudden glaring change in art-style between Block Mania and Apocalypse War puts me off to be honest, let alone that colouring.

I'd imagine these must have been selling poorly or something for them to drop the quality this far.

If you don't like the art change then Dredd probably just isn't for you. Not sure how you see it as a drop in quality either. Confused, would we.

[dweezil2]

I think the colouring looks great!

Enjoying these re-prints no end!   

[blackmocco]

Anyone else checked out the 7 page preview for issue #3?

I'm a little concerned, it looks like they've changed colourist and the new guy might be basing his colouring on the horrible old Eagle colours, Dredd is now wearing dark blue instead of the black from the recent Block Mania.

http://www.comicbookresources.com:8080/?page=preview&id=18263

This looks MUCH better to my eyes. Dredd's always been traditionally colored wearing dark blue. Don't see what the problem is.

Really? weird, I think its quite hideous to be honest.

Green and red missiles? how can you highlight black with Turquoise? how does that even work?

Looks to me that they've just coloured over the gaps to be honest, otherwise Dredd's clothes would be completely dark blue with shading, as opposed to black with turquoise filling.

I hate to sound like a drama-queen, but I was going to snap up a trade of these if they'd ever been collected, I highly doubt that now, even just the sudden glaring change in art-style between Block Mania and Apocalypse War puts me off to be honest, let alone that colouring.

I'd imagine these must have been selling poorly or something for them to drop the quality this far.

All the Sovs' gear is red and green in the original comic, including the missiles that are bothering you so much. Dredd's uniform has always been highlighted with blue. I hated the color job they had up to this point. Too muddy and dull.

How shite is that cover though? Bearing in mind that most American titles do their best to sucker you in with some amazing covers and then punch you in the balls with inferior interior art it seems IDW's trying tactics from Bizarro-world as a sales strategy.

[Recrewt]

Yep, the rockets were red and green when this first came out in the Prog.  This is from that time when although the Prog was mostly b&w it did include some colour pages.  The Apocalypse War Stories often had the first two pages in colour and b&w after that so they do have something to refer back too other than the Eagle reprints.

[M.I.K.]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the colouring either. If anything, I think it looks a bit more 'authentic' now...

...and it's not as if green and red missiles don't exist in real life, so I don't see why those'd be a huge problem, even if they hadn't originally been coloured that way.

[SuperSurfer]

I hated the color job they had up to this point. Too muddy and dull.

I also found the colouring up to this point too muddy. I think it overpowered the line work. 

Don't see a problem with the change as with Dredd there is always a radical change in art styles anyway.

I think it's fair enough for the newer colourist to make his own interpretation of what he feels works – within reason of course. When published in 2000AD the covers and spreads weren't coloured by the artist anyway.

NB Always wondered if colourists are unhappy at not being referred to as 'artists'. Indeed they are.

[CrazyFoxMachine]

That cover IS shockingly bad. What are the deal with the shadows there? Dredd looks like he has a tiny cat on his face. Also why does everyone look so happy? AND WHY ARE THEY ALL SO JAUNDICED.

In terms of interior colours I disagree about it seeming "more authentic" how does that make sense? The scheme isn't awful but I just wonder about the need for it at all. The art is still good, the story is still good - how is it being black-and-white going to put people off more than say - that shitty cover?

It's like redubbing an old film with contemporary music. It can only end up looking dated.

[JamesC]

I really like that colouring.
To be honest I nearly always favour a slightly (or even extremely) gaudy colouring job in comics. Somehow it just gives the whole thing more energy. Probably because it reminds me of old Jack Kirby comics.*
This colouring job certainly sits the story and the era that it was printed in. Doesn't seem too dissimilar to the colouring on the full colour annual stories of the time.


* Either that or it's because I'm from Great Yarmouth where knock off t-shirts of Bart Simpson or Fred Flintstones with luminous green faces are prevalent. You learn to love it.

[Spikes]

Yeah, i like the look of this, as well.
But Lord knows i dont need to own yet another reprint of the Apocalypse War, but ill be buying it because, well, its the Apocalypse War!
(Still waiting for my copy of #2 to land, but i thought #1 was pretty good).

[M.I.K.]

In terms of interior colours I disagree about it seeming "more authentic" how does that make sense? The scheme isn't awful but I just wonder about the need for it at all. The art is still good, the story is still good - how is it being black-and-white going to put people off more than say - that shitty cover?

I didn't say anything about it being more authentic than black and white. I meant it's closer to the colouring on the original covers and centre spreads than the colouring on the previous issues has been.

Or as James says...

This colouring job certainly sits the story and the era that it was printed in. Doesn't seem too dissimilar to the colouring on the full colour annual stories of the time.

But yeah, the cover's crap.