I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Discuss or comment on Britain's sole surviving boy's comic from the 1970's. The home of Judge Dredd, Slaine, Nikolai Dante, ABC Warriors and Sinister Dexter. Has been running since 1977.

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BeanoKev70
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I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by BeanoKev70 »

I got into 2000ad last year, I'd must say I've been hooked ever since. Not every story is my cup of tea, but loving Dredd, Savage is just brilliant. Everyone here should try it out, we all moan about lack of comics & we all look back fondly at past titles but 2000ad should really be praised for still being here & telling some terrific stories every week.... :D

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

2000 AD was a force to be reckoned with in my late teens, Kev, ----it was a totally new comic-reading experience with an agressive, vital outlook that portrayed, for example, robots of the future as they should have looked, ie: not men-in-suits that was so often the case in the late 70s.

JUDGE DREDD in particular evolved and accelerated in a way I never experienced in UK comics up til that time: the early epics of the DREDD saga that ran for six months or more were a high-point in the comic for me, as were the early future-shocks, which were a sort of TWILIGHT ZONE with more imaginitive prduction visuals.

I haven't even picked up a prog of the title for a couple of years [it became a bit po-faced in the 90s,] but good to hear it still appears to be in healthy shape.......

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Digifiend
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Digifiend »

There's only two traditional comics left - 2000AD and The Beano. The Dandy doesn't count since the Xtreme relaunch, and the rest are all defunct. :(

Anyone who doesn't at least buy one of the two cannot call themselves a comic fan.

Lew Stringer
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Lew Stringer »

Digifiend wrote:There's only two traditional comics left - 2000AD and The Beano. The Dandy doesn't count since the Xtreme relaunch, and the rest are all defunct. :(
OK I'll bite the bait. :wink:

That depends on your perception of "traditional comic". When 2000AD was launched there were quite a few older collectors and editors within IPC itself who thought 2000AD was anything but "traditional" and hated it. They thought its approach was too American, or too violent, or too anti-authoritarian, that it broke the formula of comics such as Tiger and Valiant. In short, what they saw as weaknesses were actually 2000AD's strengths.

What makes a traditional comic seems to depend on the age of the collector; the perception being that "traditional" is the format which one grew up with. However, British comics have evolved many times over the past 100plus years. Even Dandy and Beano were not considered traditional compared to the Amalgamated Press giants of the 1930s (Chips, Comic Cuts, etc). No doubt even Comic Cuts was dismissed by readers who preferred the penny dreadfuls. Without wishing to sound patronizing or dismissive you have to step back and look at the bigger picture - the history of comics itself.

To the kids of today, modern comics are their traditional comics. It's contemporary. I have no doubt that in 30 years time those same kids (as adults) will be complaining that the comics of 2039 aren't traditional compared to the ones they read in 2009. (By then comics will probably be uploaded directly into the brain as a three dimensional head trip.)

Dandy Xtreme is still a comic, even if it's not 100% strip. Remember the very first issue of The Dandy only had 15 pages out of 28 that were comic strip.

As for other British comics out there: Judge Dredd Megazine, Commando, Viz, Marvel Heroes, Spectacular Spider-Man. Not many I'll admit. Then there are the magazines which feature some regular strip material: Doctor Who Adventures, Doctor Who Magazine, Toxic, Hot Wheels, Transformers... all of which modern kids will consider to be "traditional comics".

The market has changed and today we also have graphic novels, such as the Classical Comics books - all new material, including some by John Burns and John Stokes (artists who worked on "traditional" comics. :wink: )
Digifiend wrote:Anyone who doesn't at least buy one of the two cannot call themselves a comic fan.
Surely anyone who collects comics of any description, from any era, is a comics fan?

Lew
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Digifiend
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Digifiend »

Of course, I meant present day comics fan, not retro or antique comic collectors. My definition of traditional is the 1950s-1990s format of back to back picture strips (comic or adventure), with features (such as a letters or contents page) being the minority of the content. Toxic, Dandy Xtreme, and other modern comics tend to be less than 50% comic strip - not my idea of a traditional comic. Good point about the part prose text style used in the 30s and 40s though, I guess it does depend on the generation you belong to.

:soapbox: I started collecting in the mid-90s (so I suppose you could call that my era), probably at the worst time, since Beezer, Topper, Victor and Whizzer & Chips had all only recently folded, and it would be years before any noteworthy non-licenced replacements launched. :( In fact, apart from annuals (mostly from car boot sales, and almost all Beano, Dandy, Beezer or Topper), all I bought in those early years were every Beano, a few Dandys, and whatever Comic Libraries/Fun-Sizes I could obtain, although shops were unreliable for those, more so than now. It was a copy of An Alphabet of Fun which enlightened me to the greater history of the comics (although I later found out that the index at the back wasn't 100% accurate), but it was the 21st century before I finally got my first Sparky Book.

I'm only 25 by the way, so I've actually been collecting them most of my life! :lol:

:sorry: Sorry, guess I'm rambling on... this isn't intended as a argumentive rant. :oops:
Lew Stringer wrote:I have no doubt that in 30 years time those same kids (as adults) will be complaining that the comics of 2039 aren't traditional compared to the ones they read in 2009. (By then comics will probably be uploaded directly into the brain as a three dimensional head trip.)
:lol: If that happens all the artists would be out of a job, as what you're describing sounds like VR animation!

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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Lew Stringer »

Digifiend wrote: I'm only 25 by the way, so I've actually been collecting them most of my life! :lol:
Crikey, I've been drawing comics all your life! I feel old. :lol:

Digifiend wrote:
Lew Stringer wrote:I have no doubt that in 30 years time those same kids (as adults) will be complaining that the comics of 2039 aren't traditional compared to the ones they read in 2009. (By then comics will probably be uploaded directly into the brain as a three dimensional head trip.)
:lol: If that happens all the artists would be out of a job, as what you're describing sounds like VR animation!
Don't worry. The process will simply turn our thoughts into cartoons so we'll still be in work. 8)

Lew

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

If humanity is still around in 2139, they'll probably be able to drag you into the comic-world!

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nottinghamian
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by nottinghamian »

I started buying 2000AD recently, and am really enjoying it.

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Muffy
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Muffy »

The nice thing about being a newer reader is having a chance to look at some of the classic stories from the past. It's worth having a look at Judge Dredd's 'Cursed Earth' story and the 'Judge Child' 'Unamerican Graffitti' (and sooo many other's too numerous to mention). Originally I would read my brother's issues, but when he stopped I carried on buying.
Early Kevin O'Neil Nemesis Books 1 and 3 are very good.
Meltdown Man is one of the forgotten classics too.
Strontium Dog is first rate. Early Rogue Trooper should entertain.
Think most graphic novels can be bought at Forbidden Planet, or really cheaply on ebay.

Happy reading :)

Almost forgot Alan Moore's classics: Halo Jones and DR and Quinch.

What other older stories would everyone recommend to newer readers :?:
Last edited by Muffy on 24 Jun 2009, 12:28, edited 1 time in total.

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colcool007
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by colcool007 »

Muffy wrote: ...What other older stories would everyone recommend to newer readers :?:
ABC Warriors is a must. The original series was absolutely amazing. Also, Fiends of the Eastern Front is outstanding. There's a beautiful little twist at the end.
Meltdown Man is also a must, so we agree there Muffy. The first couple of Zenith series aren't too shabby either. M.A.C.H. One and Invasion 1999 are also firm favourites of mine, but whether most people would like them is another story.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!

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Valeera
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Valeera »

What other older stories would everyone recommend to newer readers
The America stories if you don't mind me going back to the Megazine. I always loved America, in fact I have 2 pics of her, one drawn in front of me by Colin MacNeill showing her as a young girl, and one big framed print of her dying in front of the Statue of Liberty. I would also like to see more Cadet America stories come out!
AKA Mrs colcool

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tony ingram
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by tony ingram »

Digifiend wrote:There's only two traditional comics left - 2000AD and The Beano. The Dandy doesn't count since the Xtreme relaunch, and the rest are all defunct. :(

Anyone who doesn't at least buy one of the two cannot call themselves a comic fan.
What about Commando? It's been running since about the late Jurassic and is still totally unchanged. Isn't that 'traditional'? :)

As for 2000AD, have to admit my golden era was probably the late 70's/early 80's. Favourite strips include Skizz, Robo-Hunter, The Mind of Wolfie Smith, Fiends of the Eastern Front, Meltdown Man, Black Hawk, Return to Armageddon, MACH Zero and The VC's. And who could forget Dash Decent?

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Digifiend
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Digifiend »

tony ingram wrote:
Digifiend wrote:There's only two traditional comics left - 2000AD and The Beano. The Dandy doesn't count since the Xtreme relaunch, and the rest are all defunct. :(

Anyone who doesn't at least buy one of the two cannot call themselves a comic fan.
What about Commando? It's been running since about the late Jurassic and is still totally unchanged. Isn't that 'traditional'? :)
Technically, it's the first of the Comic Libraries. The later ones being Football, Starblazer, Beano, Dandy and Bunty(?) However, considering it's never had so much as a logo change, you've brought up a very good point. It is traditional, but in a different way. I'll admit defeat on this one. :coat:

Lew Stringer
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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by Lew Stringer »

Digifiend wrote:
tony ingram wrote: What about Commando? It's been running since about the late Jurassic and is still totally unchanged. Isn't that 'traditional'? :)
Technically, it's the first of the Comic Libraries.
It's not I'm afraid. Fleetway beat them to it with War Picture Library in 1958.

Lew

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Re: I'm Loving 2000AD at the Moment

Post by STARBOY »

I think Slaine and DR & Quinch are also excellent strips worth reading again from 2000D (along with anything by Alan Moore like Halo Jones) - I also enjoyed Banzi Battalion (fun) and Flesh.

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