Prog 2130 - 2000ad Regened

[broodblik]

Maybe make the prog fortnightly, and have Regened on the alternate weeks? Just a thought...

No thank you. If they cannot do it separate publication then change the progs run to accommodate this

[broodblik]

Should be: If they cannot do it as a separate publication then do not change the progs run to accommodate this

[Magnetica]

I thought some of the stories had fairly weak endings, and that had nothing to do with being all ages. They just seemed to wrap up too quickly in a very matter of fact way. I include Full Tilt Boogie, Anderson, Finder and Keeper, and Rogue Trooper in that. All ages does not have to mean a drop in quality. Indeed maybe the regular Prog could be more accessible: I really dislike it when there is real swearing (the made up swear words work so much better anyway), and when there is nudity. It is all just so unnecessary. And the all ages seem to retain a level of violence. Ok not Horned God level but it was still there.

As to whether this will bring in new readers, I am not sure. I get the concept that Rebellion need to test the waters first, but if any young readers picked it up and liked, there is nothing for them to buy next week. Or even next month. Which means the opportunity will be lost. We all need to be concerned about where the next generation of readers is coming from, else it will just stop when the likes of most on here stop reading. Based on the story on the 2000AD Ultimate Collection royalties, it sounds like sales of that are very low, which doesn’t bode well for the future.

[Richard]

What Broodblik said (2nd time round). The last thing I'd want is to wait two weeks between progs.

[Frank]

No problem with areolae or evisceration, but I didn't notice their absence. When the Megazine launched, it was (wrongly) assumed that all the sexy violence and pagan communism would decamp there, leaving Tharg free to lure kids in with all the Inspector Ramm and Chronos Carnival they could handle.

That strategy has a certain appeal today, except - as the creator interviews around 2000jr have pointed out - 21st-century kids want to read stories about characters just a little older than themselves. And there's a sizeable section of the geriatric readership who feel the same.

Unless Tharg's confident Mach-1 Direction will bring on thousands of new readers instantly, I'm not sure he can afford to lose the DOES ANYONE REMEMBER MEAN ARENA? crowd.

[Richard]

That's a good point -- kids don't actually want to read stories about kids. Cadet Dredd isn't going to impress young readers as much as Judge Dredd will if the story is right.

[broodblik]

So true Frank, that is why we the "Kids" all love Dredd, he is just a little bit older than us 

[Fungus]

Disappointed, as a subscriber I wouldn’t have picked this ‘special’ up. It felt quite throwaway, scorchingly coloured (deliberately) as these things tend to be...

Except for the engaging Full Tilt Boogie, a nice Saga/Descender mash-up (simply based on look and feel). Stories had questioning ‘Ends’ and so the landing was missed here, with that jarring final panel. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Meh.

[Judge Olde]

I picked this up in my local Smiths, flicked through it, tried reading it & left it. Though I liked the art on Dredd, someone else already mentioned the Rico/Dredd badge thing earlier in this thread. I think I've seen enough better Anderson & Rogue that I don't need to see it done like this. First time they've shoehorned a 'special' into a regular prog, I hope it's also the last.  I'm not sure what age group this prog was aimed at? Seems very young? I was 12 when I first started buying 2000ad ..

[Leigh S]

Woudl the progs that were all Dredd/Sin Dex/Slane count as specials 'foisted' on us? At least this had enough variation to find something to like if you werent a fan of one of the above.

For me, only Finder and Keeper feels like it justifies some of the criticism of being aimed at a younger audience than you ight previously have found in the prog - Imagine that Rogue with Colin Wilson art or the Anderson with Ranson and no one would have batted an eyelid I suspect. 

Full Tilt Boogie was very much in the style of an early 90s attempt to be a bit different, and mostly succeeded, other than the none ending - if there is one criticism I would support of this, it's having both of the new stories feel more set up than satisfactory as complete stories in themselves.

I picked this up in my local Smiths, flicked through it, tried reading it & left it. Though I liked the art on Dredd, someone else already mentioned the Rico/Dredd badge thing earlier in this thread. I think I've seen enough better Anderson & Rogue that I don't need to see it done like this. First time they've shoehorned a 'special' into a regular prog, I hope it's also the last.  I'm not sure what age group this prog was aimed at? Seems very young? I was 12 when I first started buying 2000ad ..

[Richard]

Imagine that Rogue with Colin Wilson art or the Anderson with Ranson and no one would have batted an eyelid I suspect.

Well, yes. I've never agreed with the philosophy that children's comics have got to have simpler art. When I was a kid in the 80s, I was always more impressed by the very detailed art than the cartoony style.

[Frank]

... Mach-1 Direction

Taylor Swifty's Return

Halo Jonas Brothers

     and

Mean Ariana Grande

[TordelBack]

Woudl the progs that were all Dredd/Sin Dex/Slane count as specials 'foisted' on us? At least this had enough variation to find something to like if you werent a fan of one of the above

Was thinking that very thing meself. Also: all the Christmas progs, and the dreaded Sex prog, it's not like Tharg hasn't played about with the format within the regular weekly slot before this. I understand people's objections, but I don't share them.it was a fun high quality experiment, for one week. 

[sheridan]

Woudl the progs that were all Dredd/Sin Dex/Slane count as specials 'foisted' on us? At least this had enough variation to find something to like if you werent a fan of one of the above

Was thinking that very thing meself. Also: all the Christmas progs, and the dreaded Sex prog, it's not like Tharg hasn't played about with the format within the regular weekly slot before this. I understand people's objections, but I don't share them.it was a fun high quality experiment, for one week. 

Yep - I can't understanding the complaint about this being a 'special' in the regular prog when we've had about twenty-something similar departures from the norm in the last twenty five years.

[sheridan]

For me, only Finder and Keeper feels like it justifies some of the criticism of being aimed at a younger audience

I must be the only person who preferred Finder & Keeper to Full Tilt Boogie - shame, looks like I won't get to see any more :-(