Stories from the past should stay there.

[JTurner]

Please, no more revivals of antiquated stories like Bad Company that are only of interest to the nostalgic. I don't care much for this 'old boys club' that 2000AD looks to be becoming. No offence, but 2000AD is broke, and you can't fix it without doing something new.

[paulvonscott]

2000AD has been broken for ten years IMO and you are really only on one side of a schism in 2000AD.  

There is no longer a united opinion from fans

The other side wants the stories they used to enjoy (not b*ggered about with and using orignal creators).

A compromise is to use a mix of both until new stories come along.  You don't have to compromise, you could take one route or the other and jettison the readers you didn't want (bear in mind this could be you.)

As for being an old boys club, well if you don't count Dredd which has really been the reason that 2000AD is still here, the this week you've had 1 out of 4 old stories.  Sometimes it gets up to 2 out of 4.  That doesn't seem too unreasonable.

Having said that, I do know what you mean, the future lies in new characters, it's just how we get there that seems to be the issue.

[JTurner]

A good argument, I'm not damning stories like Dredd (who is the best thing in the comic at present), what I am against is what looks to be a total collapse into the old. An example of this is the reprints in the Megazine which I believe look utterly out of place. But then again, I'm not too fussed about Wardog, either!
I believe that the only way foward is to update the old into the new, without regretting what has been left behind - Dredd has evolved, as did Strontium Dog in the only way it could, ditto Durham Red, although I believe that the droids went a bit gonzo with the apocalyptic finale.
The worst new stories are those that have tried to be deliberately 'retro', and the best being those that kept the original 2000AD spirit, but without being weighed down by excess baggage.

[paulvonscott]

Hi jacob, yeah I'm coming around to your wavelength.  

I do think it is better to stop writing something if it doesn't work anymore rather than reinventing.  Durham Red was really an entirely different series, why not just create a new independant series.  And we all saw the reinventions of Robo-hunter and Rogue trooper.  Very sad.

I think even the old boys club 'really' wants new strips.  I know I do.  I crave for a new series that inspire me as much as the old ones did.

Cheers

Paul

[Matt]

H'mmm, like the argument about black & white vs color strips, I feel that this could run and run. For what it's worth i don't think the future lies in new characters, I think it lies in good stories. it's as simple as that.

[paulvonscott]

Hi Matt, quite right.

Well I think a mix of B/W and colour and old and new is quite an interesting combo.  Especially as choosing one over the other would alienate people in both cases.  You don't have to beome all 'extreme' to get pleasant results.

[Thread Zero]

Ok here is my approach for 2k.

1.A new batman type character for 2k part vigilante part hero.

2.A strong female character. New Halo jones for the new century. Drama rather than all out action.

3.Some story about a group or tribe of people living in a future world. Their struggle to co exist, their prejudices etc.

4. A new nemesis type character set on an alien world. Not shakara!

5. A story about the afterlife, horror, ghosts etc. Paranormal dtective maybe.

5. And of course sperman!

Strong characters are the key I feel.

scojo

[Thread Zero]

You notice how there were two number 5's on my list.

I did fail maths at school you know.

[JTurner]

You just requested
1. Lenny Zero
2. Demarco PI
3. Rain Dogs
4. Shakara (sorry, but true)
5. Necronauts
6. ?

[paulvonscott]

I think you should change your request Scojo!

You can take ideas and do anything with them, make great heroes or two dimensional stereotypes.  

I think it's even hard to say what sort of story we want.  Unles it's something never been done before in 2000AD (fantasy-Slaine, Superheroes-Senith  etc) or there is a new take on an old subject that hans't been in AD for a while.

In the end, you just have to hope that the editorial/creative team do a good job.

[McNulty]

Interesting points of view all round. But if I can make an observation. 2000ad does walk a tightrope with the readers; some want new stories some want old characters returned etc. The thing is that every character in 2000ad had to start somewhere. There is nothing wrong with introducing new strips with different stories. Like most entertainment, some will like it while others will call for the head of Tharg! Johnny Alpha had to start somewhere, as did more modern heroes such as Dante and Sinister/Dexter. It's only logical to keep them on if there is a favourable response from the readership.

[McNulty]

And another thing. Bringing back older strips has mixed results as well. 90s Robohunter was BAD. But I realy liked the return of the ABC Warriors recently. I thought that it caught the spirit of the original series. I also liked the recent Strontium Dog story (Ezquerra can't be beat). Bad Company had some bad reviews in this board but I honestly didn't think it was THAT bad. I suppose I'm a sucker for closure. I'd much prefer a story that gives me a sense of closure than one which only raises more questions. Anyway, take from this what you will.

[2000AD Online]

The word is 'compromise'. Dredd is 2000 AD's cash cow and, due to the nature of the strip, can quite easily continue in one form or another. However, I'm not too sure about bringing back classic characters just because they were / are popular. It smacks of desperation unless, of course, something new and interesting can be achieved by their return.

I'm all for fans having their voices heard but I'm wary as to how big an influence they should have with regard to 2000 AD itself. Insularity risks alienating potential new readers, regardless of the quality of the stories. A similar fate awaited 'Doctor Who'.