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New 2000 AD creators blog

Started by AlexF, 23 March, 2015, 11:19:36 AM

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Colin YNWA

Well those writer stats are surprisingly interesting, not that number crunching like this isn't always great, rather in some of the things it reveals, well once you get beyond the obvious.

I'd have personally ranked by episodes but it doesn't really change too much, the only real significant difference being with GMozz and even then you're pretty low down the chart.

The biggest, and very pleasant surprise from my perspective, is how quickly Mike Carroll has shifted himself up the rankings. Big fan of his Dredd and so good to see (and not a little surprised) how much he's done already. 

AlexF

Bishop Bashing time http://heroesof2000ad.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/no-17-david-bishop.html
(sorry, couldn't resist)

This marks the last of the behind-the-scenes stuff for a while - it's pretty much just script and art droids from here on out. And hopefully this is where the numbers start throwing up surprises. How soon will your favourite appear?

Colin YNWA

Quote from: AlexF on 13 May, 2015, 11:05:47 AM
And hopefully this is where the numbers start throwing up surprises. How soon will your favourite appear?

To be honest I've found a few of the entries quite surprising already. None of the current flock of letters, Steve Yeowell and Henry Flint I'd have thought from the current artists would have appeared ahead of some who have...

... mind all just further evidence to support the statement - what the chuff do I know!

Greg M.

Quote from: AlexF on 13 May, 2015, 11:05:47 AM
How soon will your favourite appear?

Since I think your blog mentioned Pete Milligan was on the way, quite soon, I'm guessing.

AlexF

I must confess I've not counted up the entries for individual letterers - the Tom Frame entry at No. 2 is essentially covering all. This is basically because the data isn't available online (Barney does an excellent but not entirely complete job with lettering credits) and I'm not yet at the point when I can justify leafing through each and every thrill of each and every Prog with a tally chart by my side. (and it doesn't help that I offloaded a huge chunk of festering Megazines recently)

But Annie Parkhouse and Ellie De Ville would be come in at 4 and 5, I'm pretty certain.

As for Peter Milligan, let's just say that there are two writers of a much newer vintage who are going to get a look-in first...

Colin YNWA

Is it bad form to start trying to guess?

Colin YNWA

I read the David Bishop entry last night and once again a well thought-out balanced assessment.

I've said it before here and no doubt I'll say it again, but regardless of what people think of the fella and the mistakes it might be perceived he made (poor Peter Hogan I've always like his work, well most of it) and despite some considerable bumps on the road, there is little doubt in my mind he left the Prog in a far, far better place when he left it than it was when he arrived.

People have talked about Rebellion and Jason Kingsley saving 2000ad and we shouldn't under estimate that BUT I think it was David Bishop that got it back into a place where it was worth saving.

AlexF

Yeah, I think Bishop deserves particular credit for bringing back the rather old-fashioned idea of long-lasting characters, with his deliberate commissioning of long runs of Slaine, Sinister Dexter, Anderson Psi and Nikolai Dante alongside Dredd.

I wouldn't want to take away from Rebellion, though! They sure have boosted the comic.

Up today, and much less controversial, it's the much-beloved Ian Gibson - the third artist to feature.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: AlexF on 15 May, 2015, 10:45:09 AM

Up today, and much less controversial, it's the much-beloved Ian Gibson - the third artist to feature.

Less controversial! I've not read it yet but naked (not)Halo and abandoning Samatha Slade midstream. We can find controversy wherever we look!

Colin YNWA

Arh you've got to the Mighty Yeowell. Been waiting for this one, one of my all time favourites. I even defended what I perceived as fan criticism of this use of expansive whites (which you allude to) here

https://2000ad.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/steve-yeowell-a-fans-perspective/

The thing is what I'm learning from this list is that I'm a bit rubbish at predicting who will appear when on it. Steve Yeowell seems to have been around almost constantly since Zenith burst onto the scene. Even when playing away with them there comics from across the ocean he never seemed to be gone long. I therefore expected him to appear much earlier in the list. Certainly I was very surprised when Ian Gibson appeared ahead of him. While Ian was one of the early stalwarts he seemed to have long absences. 

You said a few posts ago that before we get to Pete Milligan we have two more recent writers to cover first. I'm dead sure I know who they are ... really looking forward to being proved wrong.


AlexF

Back from my holiday; new entry up on the blog. http://heroesof2000ad.blogspot.co.uk/

It's time for John Smith, a comics writer who deserves essays and indeed books to examine his body of work in depth - but he'll have to settle for a hasty blogpost instead.

Greg M.

More great blogging - cracking stuff. Particularly happy to see the John Smith entry, as I need little excuse to wax lyrical about his amazing body of work. For such an idiosyncratic writer, he's remarkably consistent in terms of quality - I can only think of a single story of his I wasn't that into (A Love Like Blood - I'm not counting his co-written stuff.) Revere, on the other hand, has steadily grown to become one of my very favourite stories - it benefits massively from being read in one go.

Colin YNWA

Ah at number 21 probably my favourite 2000 ad writer and 22 probably the definative 2000ad artist.

Now there are two real heroes of 2000ad. Not that the rest aren't of course, but these two, these two... wouldn't it be a thing if they did a thing together (I don't think they have to date?)... man I think I'd explode in a rapturous nerdgasm if that ever happened.

Fantastic blogging as ever sir. 


Colin YNWA

Finally Ian Edginton (how often do I misplace that 'G') - another example of how bad I am at predicting this list. While I know he's a relatively recent addition to things, he does seem to always have something on the go, so I'd assumed he'd have popped up earlier (where are you Ron Smith?).

One thing, I know Red Seas is seen as a cash in on 'Pirates of the Caribbean', but has it ever been explicitly stated? I always assumed it was, until when writing something for ECBT 2000ad, I realised that 'Red Seas: Under the Flag of King Death'  (I've said it before and I'll say it again surely the single greatest title to a comic strip ever!) started in October 2002, some 8 months or so before Pirates of the Caribbean was released and in fact either before, or just as shooting started. So given that Red Seas must of had some led in time, surely the earliest it could have been conceived is a good year before PotC came out? (I'm making an assumption here, I might be off with my guess at led in time needed?)

Now I still assume its a cash in, but was there that much fuss about PotC that Tharg would have commission a cash-in 12 month before its release? Has this ever actually been said. It may well be in Thrillpower Overload and I've just forgotten?