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Megazine 357 - The Devil In the Red Dress

Started by Eamonn Clarke, 14 February, 2015, 12:02:21 PM

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Richard

QuoteAnd the chance to annoy the continuity bores should never be passed up on.

He may just be joking. But I think that a strip which has 38 years of history, during which the lead character ages in real time, is a strength which sets Judge Dredd apart from all other strips, as compared with (for example) Spiderman who is still a teenager. Why fuck around with your USP?

GordonR

Spider-Man's got how many regular monthly titles - three or four?  He's been in five movies in the last 13 years, with movie number 6 now confirmed.  Plus three animated series in the same period.  Plus endless toy lines.  And umpteen video games.

Decades from now, Spider-Man will still be around, in all the above forms.

How's that "but he gets older in real time (even though it doesn't really make any difference)!" USP working out for Dredd?

ZenArcade

Well Dredd's not set in a perpetual stasis year in year out. The strip has grown and matured with the readership over the years. Whilst we can place value on 5 movies and 3 monthly titles, it could be argued that there is a value in Dredd as is demonstrated by the ongoing popularity and the dedicated following of the character. It cannot all be about the bottom line.Z
Ed is dead, baby Ed is...Ed is dead

James Stacey

Quote from: GordonR on 23 February, 2015, 07:03:17 PM
How's that "but he gets older in real time (even though it doesn't really make any difference)!" USP working out for Dredd?

For the readers of the comic, who hopefully are the ones that count, splendidly.

sheridan

Quote from: ZenArcade on 23 February, 2015, 07:22:21 PM
Well Dredd's not set in a perpetual stasis year in year out. The strip has grown and matured with the readership over the years. Whilst we can place value on 5 movies and 3 monthly titles, it could be argued that there is a value in Dredd as is demonstrated by the ongoing popularity and the dedicated following of the character. It cannot all be about the bottom line.Z

There's also not much point comparing a British comic character with an USA one.  How about comparing JD to a non-aging British character (outside of 2000AD)?  I'd suggest one, but all I could think of was Dan Dare, but that fails on the outside of 2000AD front...

Magnetica

Ok so we are back to the aging Dredd debate.

Do you know what? I have changed my mind since last posting on this - basically I don't care if he is 80 or even 120, I want the original Dredd to stay. And if they just gloss over it, or say "well 80 is the new 40" in 2137 then that's fine with me.


ZenArcade

Dredd's age doesn't overly concern me, as long as there is consistent and believable plotting and dialogue around it. The fact that Dredd has turned into a grumbling, narky old man with a lot of baggage concerns me not one bit. After all he was a grumbling, narky early middle aged man when first we seen him. Z
Ed is dead, baby Ed is...Ed is dead

robert_ellis

I like Dredd as he gets older and grumpier. Anderson's age is far more problematic.

BPP

Quote from: GordonR on 23 February, 2015, 07:03:17 PM
Spider-Man's got how many regular monthly titles - three or four?  He's been in five movies in the last 13 years, with movie number 6 now confirmed.  Plus three animated series in the same period.  Plus endless toy lines.  And umpteen video games.

Decades from now, Spider-Man will still be around, in all the above forms.

How's that "but he gets older in real time (even though it doesn't really make any difference)!" USP working out for Dredd?

Curse readers for still making the comic economically viable....

The real answer is 'he's been complaining about back pain for about 20 years now'.

Besides, we've seen the future of Dredd.. It's The Order. We're moving out of out 'grumpy bastards in their 40s-50s heroes' (Defoe, Dirty Frank, Lobster Random, Savage) reader-as-central character archetype to our 60s-70s Dissillusioned OAP reader-as-central character archetype. 
If I'd known it was harmless I would have killed it myself.

http://futureshockd.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/FutureShockd

Mabs

I've sobered up from Thrill Power, and feel bloody awful. The withdrawal is excruciating! I've missed the last few Megs and desperately need to catch up!
My Blog: http://nexuswookie.wordpress.com/

My Twitter @nexuswookie

Jacqusie

Quote from: Ghost MacRoth on 14 February, 2015, 03:37:23 PM


Ostriches: Static poses of hackneyed 'actors' with murky backgrounds telling a tale that drags its arse like a dog with no back legs.  Awful as always, and 17 damn pages.

10 pages of adverts, 7 pages of interview, 17 of Reaper, and only 28 pages for the remaining three stories......I can understand why some have stopped buying the meg these days.


I've been finding it hard going for a while keeping the faith, even though the house of Tharg think it's ONLY £5.70 a month for a bargain, I can think of plenty more things that will get you these days.

It's a shame as I'm enjoying The Cop & Angelic, although the latter has me scratching my head as to when 3 weeks ago from 2 days ago was, that might just be age catching up with me though...

I suppose it's pure frustration. Frustration to know that the Meg can do better than all this filler (including the floppy INMHO) and frustration that the price continues to rise even though the new content is 4 stories. One of which fills so much unnecessary space dragging it's behind as you so eloquently pointed out Ghost...  ;)










Frank

Quote from: Jacqusie on 22 May, 2015, 08:11:06 PM
Tharg think it's ONLY £5.70 a month for a bargain, I can think of plenty more things that will get you these days

2000ad/Megazine joint subscription works out at £2.74 per issue (or 30p on top of the price of 2000ad alone):

http://shop.2000adonline.com/products/annual_2000_ad_combi_subscription



Ghost MacRoth

Quote from: Jacqusie on 22 May, 2015, 08:11:06 PM
dragging it's behind as you so eloquently pointed out Ghost...  ;)

I have the heart of a poet. :p
I don't have a drinking problem.  I drink, I get drunk, I fall over.  No problem!

sheridan

Quote from: sheridan on 21 February, 2015, 04:28:01 PM
Quote from: IronGraham on 18 February, 2015, 07:59:44 AM
I really liked the interview with Mr Landridge

I'm pleased to say I met Mr Langridge a few months ago. As I only knew him from his work on the early Meg I asked him to draw any character from Straitjacket.  He rose to the task admirably - pretty impressive since it's the first time he'd drawn any of those characters for over two decades!

I also recommend Pinkbeard the Pirate:
http://hotelfred.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Pinkbeard

...and he's making a return to the event I met him at last year - CECAF.