2000 AD & Judge Dredd: The Drokkin' Mega-Thread

[jacob g]

Imma going in on the Judge. Start with the classic complete case files?

My sugestion is:

Start at both ends, modern and classic.

Modern path - Origins, Tour Of Duty, Day Of Chaos, Trifecta - and then you can wait for upcoming jumping point in 2000AD (most recent jumping point is this week Prog 1973 if I remeber correctly).
Classic path - Case Files, start with CCF5 and if this stories works for you collect onwards (from CCF 1-4 most essential is CCF3 so I suggest it as alternative start).

[dishpan]

Modern path - Origins, Tour Of Duty, Day Of Chaos, Trifecta - and then you can wait for upcoming jumping point in 2000AD (most recent jumping point is this week Prog 1973 if I remeber correctly).

i was in your shoes a couple years ago. you want to do the modern path, trust me. once you are caught up and love dredd you can go back to the original start.

[Coin Biter]

One of the wonderful things about 2000AD is it's a comic where the original creators often still have an active involvement. If they are finally going to kill/retire/de-age Joe (and it strikes me as probably the most important story that they will publish), I have little doubt that John Wagner will be involved. (I'll confess I don't find all of Pat Mills' recent work to be solid gold, though.)

[IamGroot]

I just watched the Future Shock! doco this past weekend and it fully renewed my interest in Dredd!!!

I've skimmed over this thread for ideas on what to read and I think I'll go back and read all the IDW stuff as that should be easy to catch up on quick...

Then I see a lot of recommendations for stories that are part of Judge Dredd: The Mega Collection fortnightly hardcover release from Hachette. Can anyone say if this is a good way to go? or is it better to just cherry pick collections released in other formats? or should I just jump into the next prog/meg that starts a new story?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Dark-Flux]

No wrong way to go really. Though i personally wouldnt recommend the IDW series.

Id either just start with the latest Prog (assuming your interested in other series besides Dredd) or just cherry pick trades as you say.

[IamGroot]

Cool thanks for that, any reason as to why avoid the IDW stuff? also do you know if that Mega Collection is good quality compared to the regular collected edition releases?

[Dark-Flux]

The IDW stuff isnt terrible or anything, its just not that great either. And it wasnt really the best representation of what Dredd is or can be. But if you can find the material for cheap then go for it.

The Mega Collection HCs are of a decent quality. And the only way of getting some stories in HC. Its certainly a good way of hitting some of the greatest hits. Its down to you really wether youd prefer to stick to one format or another. Or mix and match.
I guess the only draw back would be theyre not released in chronological order so you might be waiting X amount of months for Pt2 of a story or something.

[Judge Dredd]

The IDW stuff has no been great, except for the color reprints they do of classic Dredd stories. I think it is due to Americanize something that is very British.

[Ken Ashcroft]

The IDW stuff has no been great, except for the color reprints they do of classic Dredd stories. I think it is due to Americanize something that is very British.

Which is kinda weird in a way because the Dredd series is set in Mega City One which is built from the remnants of what was the USA so Dredd and the other series characters are, nationality-wise all descended from Americans rather the the British.

[Judge Dredd]

Which is kinda weird in a way because the Dredd series is set in Mega City One which is built from the remnants of what was the USA so Dredd and the other series characters are, nationality-wise all descended from Americans rather the the British.

Yeah it is a bit weird, it is America through the eyes of an American born British man, Wagner was like 10ish when they made the jump so old enough to have grown up here. I think that gives him the interesting perspective of America that we see in Dredd and why he is the best at it. On the note of the IDW stuff I am looking forward to the Aliens/Dredd/Predator by John Layman.

[Ken Ashcroft]

I saw in last months preview that they were going to bring out the uncensored version of the Cursed Earth, one of the early Dredd epics. I was just wondering what's were the chapters that were censored in the original version?

[Dark-Flux]

/\ previous collected editions left out a few progs that featured characters that served as parodies of varous McDonalds/Burger King/Jolly Green Giant characters. Copyright complications meant they never reprinted them until this new edition.

[Ken Ashcroft]

/\ previous collected editions left out a few progs that featured characters that served as parodies of varous McDonalds/Burger King/Jolly Green Giant characters. Copyright complications meant they never reprinted them until this new edition.

Jolly Green Giant? Was that a Hulk parody?

[Dark-Flux]

Nah. He sells corn.

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[Coin Biter]

This week's Dredd was a little on the soap-boxy side; from a speech about British colonial exploitation, to a portrayal of bigoted Texas City judges. It might as well have been written by Pat Mills