The All New Comics Thread 2017+ Edition

[Magnum Valentino]

I think I jumped off Jeff Lemire's Animal Man when it got absorbed into the big crossover event with Snyder's Swamp Thing (which I hated) and stopped reading New 52 stuff shortly after that, but aye, that first trade was brilliant and probably the best of Lemire's work-for-hire stuff that I've read.

[Custard]

I've started with Immortal Hulk now too, and enjoyed the first trade immensely

Been enjoying Matt Wagner's run on Zorro, and as I'm reaching the end with Zorro Rides Again, I'd easily put it in my favourite comic reads of the last few years. It's bleak, but colourful and fun, and extremely satisfying when he knocks those in power down a peg or five, which he does nearly every issue

Gail Simone's Red Sonja continues to entertain, as I reach around the halfway point. Niiiiice

[Small Man Big Horse]

I think I jumped off Jeff Lemire's Animal Man when it got absorbed into the big crossover event with Snyder's Swamp Thing (which I hated) and stopped reading New 52 stuff shortly after that, but aye, that first trade was brilliant and probably the best of Lemire's work-for-hire stuff that I've read.

I remember that and didn't mind it, but having just read Moore's run on Swamp Thing late last year I might feel very differently, I bought the first volume cheap on Amazon and it was delivered today, so I guess I'll be finding out soon!

Just remembered, here's a photo I took of one of the Animal Man covers last night:



Which I'm sure will lead to everyone wanting to read it now!

[Magnum Valentino]

The problem with Swamp Thing is that none of it's as good as Alan. Everything pales, dries up and crumbles in his light. The best run of DC comics ever.

[H-O-W-L]

I've been blazing through Judge Dredd's Case Files. I'm on 31 now! Really do love it. A genuinely somewhat hidden gem of a series, IMO? Like, it has its fans, but I've been into comics for 15+ years now and I barely heard it discussed. The constant continuity really works in its favor, and it's so cool to see Joe as a person evolve from a hardline callous fascist into something far more grey and gruesome.

[madhair60]

My initial reaction to Dredd being described as a "hidden gem" was a bit negative given how well-known the character is, but on momentary reflection, yes, I don't really know anyone who reads/has read it extensively.

[Small Man Big Horse]

The problem with Swamp Thing is that none of it's as good as Alan. Everything pales, dries up and crumbles in his light. The best run of DC comics ever.

If you include Vertigo I'm not sure it's my favourite ever DC comic, but it'd easily be in the top 5. Either way, I've now reread the first two issues of the Snyder run and fuck me, it really is terrible! The dialogue when the 1940s Swamp Thing turns up in the second issue is appalling, and that Abigail Arcane reveal at the end had me laughing out loud as it was so ridiculously shit, and the way Snyder deals with the rot compared to Lemire really highlights how bad it is.

Still, I do plan to stay with it as I'm loving Lemire's Animal Man so much, I'm on the second volume of the trade paperback and keep on finding myself incredibly impressed by the madness on display, but when I finish the Swamp Thing trade I'll swap to reading further issues online rather than buying them in a physical form.

I've been blazing through Judge Dredd's Case Files. I'm on 31 now! Really do love it. A genuinely somewhat hidden gem of a series, IMO? Like, it has its fans, but I've been into comics for 15+ years now and I barely heard it discussed. The constant continuity really works in its favor, and it's so cool to see Joe as a person evolve from a hardline callous fascist into something far more grey and gruesome.

I'm not sure I'd call it a hidden gem, especially in the UK, but it's been going on for so long now that most of my comics reading friends seem to have think it's past its best, that or some storylines are fantastic but some are just repeating old ideas, which must be incredibly hard not to do when you've got a character who's appeared weekly in 2000AD for (almost) 45 years as well as in the Megazine for over 30 years.

I do love the character an enormous amount though, but have lost my way since about 2000 as I've only dipped in and out of 2000AD since then, and no longer know which stories are worth checking out. One day I'd love to own the Case Files, but given the cost it might not be for a fair while.

[Alberon]

I've been buying 2000AD since Prog 10 (back when it was still called Programmes). I still do, though it's mostly just for Dredd these days. I tend to let it build up for months and then catch up.

There are always hints that changes are coming. When Judge Beeny gets to the Chief Judge position a big shift might happen.

[H-O-W-L]

To be fair, I did say relatively! I was mostly just surprised that Dredd has such depth and richness (at least in contrast to a lot of other comics) in a way that has barely reached me until I sat down and poured through the Case Files.

[Artie Fufkin]

Judge Dredd is awesome.
I so wanna read all the Case Files at some point. I have the first 3. I will do this.
The whole world of Dredd is so expansive.
They could do a Marvel type franchise with it, I'm sure.
So many stories to be plundered.
Have been an on/off reader of 2000ad since Prog 1. Currently been 'on for the last 3 maybe 4 years.

[Alberon]

Well, there is that TV series that seems to have been in development hell for about five years. Last anyone heard it was delayed by the pandemic.

[13 schoolyards]

I'd agree that Dredd has a lot of recognition out there without a whole lot of people (still?) reading it. Having John Wagner write it for decades at a time definitely helped cement the series as one of the greats, and not just because he's one of the all-time top-tier English language comic writers - so having him step back in recent years has (IMHO) seen a bit of a dip in quality.

These days there's a reasonable case to be made that a lot of the current roster of Dredd writers seem more interested in writing their own characters that just happen to be in Dredd's world. Not long ago there was a sense that Dredd himself was off-limits (as Wagner was still dropping in regularly to write the big events with him), but over the last few years there's been a bunch of Dredd-focused stories by other writers. They just haven't been all that good.

My own personal theory is that while most of Tharg's current crop of Dredd writers take their cues from US comics and struggle with Dredd because he doesn't fit that mold, Wagner - especially since he returned to Dredd in the mid-90s - when he's not writing solid action stories is basically a crime writer a la Elmore Leonard or Donald Westlake.

He seems interested in writing stories about crime and people involved in crime, with Dredd as the counterbalance; even when Wagner writes a story that doesn't have Dredd in it much, he's clearly a looming presence. Whereas a lot of the current stories by other writers that downplay Dredd just don't seem all that interested in him and occasionally seem at a loss for what to do with him (see that recent story with brilliant art by Chris Weston where Dredd spent a couple of issues stuck in a hole).

The only recent writer that for mine really got Dredd was Al Ewing, and it was a real shame when he went exclusive to US comics. There's a collection of Ewing's Dredd stories coming out in a few months that should be definitely worth getting, and if you're interested in the Case Files the last few ones (I think the latest is number 38) are pretty much all Wagner goodness and a good mix of old style silliness and the strip's increasingly serious tone - I think the one coming up has the 'Total War' story, which is a real high point.

[samadriel]

Anyone know a way to read these Dredd Case Files digitally? Comixology is a no show, and the 2000AD app is the worst thing I've ever seen, it's completely opaque to the point it doesn't even have a search function!

[niat]

Anyone know a way to read these Dredd Case Files digitally? Comixology is a no show, and the 2000AD app is the worst thing I've ever seen, it's completely opaque to the point it doesn't even have a search function!

They are all there in the 2000AD app, you have to go to Graphic Novels>Dredd Case Files.

Yes, the lack of search is baffling.

[samadriel]

Ahh, okay, I'll have a dig around. Thank you 👍

Edit: lawks, too rich for my blood! I'll have to curb my completist instinct if I want to have a read of this.

[Custard]

I have Case Files 2 and 3 I think, as someone recommended I not bother with the first one as it needs time to find its feet, but yeah they're excellent, and it's a crying shame they're not on Comixology

The newer Dredd stuff on there is pretty good, but it loses a lot of the early charm and creativity

[13 schoolyards]

Over the course of 40-odd years Dredd is really two different strips. The 80s golden age is just mental a lot of the time, coming up with amazing concepts weekly and having Dredd as an unstoppable fascist death machine you can't help but cheer for as he takes out the trash. This version pretty much runs up to the epic 'Necropolis', which it's not hard to read as the end of this version of Dredd - Wagner left the series not long after, seemingly having done everything he wanted to, and the replacement writers (mostly Garth Ennis) were a bit hit and miss.

Then after Wagner comes back a few years later with 'The Pit' (Tharg got him back to do a story when the Stallone movie was coming out, and it seems Wagner found a new angle to keep him interested), increasingly the better Dredd stories are the ones where it's a more serious crime procedural, the comedy stories drop off a bit, and Dredd himself starts to have a bit more nuance as the justice system is revealed to have more flaws.

This version builds until the 'Day of Chaos' epic, in which

Spoiler alert

Dredd basically totally fails, Mega City One is left in ruins with hundreds of millions dead, and the series staggers around for a few years because Wagner didn't tell anyone he was going to trash the place and nobody had any real idea how to go forward from there, so they just wait a while then say "Mega City One has recovered" and largely pretend it didn't happen

[close]

[Custard]

Turns out the Case Files are available on Kindle, and with that merging with Comixology I guess they are now available to own and read that way?

A tenner a pop, though. So if you wanna own all 37, that'll be 370 sponds please!

[letsgobrian]

Turns out the Case Files are available on Kindle, and with that merging with Comixology I guess they are now available to own and read that way?

A tenner a pop, though. So if you wanna own all 37, that'll be 370 sponds please!

I'd double check on that. Most comic publishers have let you read Kindle comics on Comixology for years, Rebellion was a notable exception. I believe the merging is more about letting you read your Comixology purchases on Kindle (and unifying prices - you often could find titles cheaper on one or the other platforms).

[Small Man Big Horse]

Over the course of 40-odd years Dredd is really two different strips. The 80s golden age is just mental a lot of the time, coming up with amazing concepts weekly and having Dredd as an unstoppable fascist death machine you can't help but cheer for as he takes out the trash. This version pretty much runs up to the epic 'Necropolis', which it's not hard to read as the end of this version of Dredd - Wagner left the series not long after, seemingly having done everything he wanted to, and the replacement writers (mostly Garth Ennis) were a bit hit and miss.

Then after Wagner comes back a few years later with 'The Pit' (Tharg got him back to do a story when the Stallone movie was coming out, and it seems Wagner found a new angle to keep him interested), increasingly the better Dredd stories are the ones where it's a more serious crime procedural, the comedy stories drop off a bit, and Dredd himself starts to have a bit more nuance as the justice system is revealed to have more flaws.

This version builds until the 'Day of Chaos' epic, in which

Spoiler alert

Dredd basically totally fails, Mega City One is left in ruins with hundreds of millions dead, and the series staggers around for a few years because Wagner didn't tell anyone he was going to trash the place and nobody had any real idea how to go forward from there, so they just wait a while then say "Mega City One has recovered" and largely pretend it didn't happen

[close]

That's really interesting to hear, I was definitely still regularly reading it after Wagner first left and remember the Ennis period well, but I never knew about Day of Chaos, I like a big, mad Dredd epic so will have to try and track it down.

[H-O-W-L]

Maybe it's just me being a bit thick and mostly involved in the American comic miasma, then. I see people wanking off DC and Marvel to no end but very little said of Dredd elsewhere -- and I usually end up in American circles.

[13 schoolyards]

Maybe it's just me being a bit thick and mostly involved in the American comic miasma, then. I see people wanking off DC and Marvel to no end but very little said of Dredd elsewhere -- and I usually end up in American circles.

There was a burst of interest in Dredd from a bunch of US Comics Journal-adjacent critics for a while there (Dredd still usually gets a mention somewhere deep in the TCJ year-end best-of lists) - this blog (https://dreddreviews.blogspot.com/) raised Dredd's profile in the US and had a fair few other US critics in to have a chat during its run.

[Custard]

Usually these Best Comics Evarrrr lists mention Dredd's 'America' story, at least

But hardly ever any of the earlier stuff

[Artie Fufkin]

Anyone know a way to read these Dredd Case Files digitally? Comixology is a no show, and the 2000AD app is the worst thing I've ever seen, it's completely opaque to the point it doesn't even have a search function!

Yep. The app is a pile of shit. I dread (Dredd) having to use it. Always fucks about. Every time. Unbelievable they haven't improved it.

[Small Man Big Horse]

What you plausibly could do is buy them on the 2000AD site, then read them here guilt free: https://readcomiconline.li/ (though I'd advise using an ad blocker with that site).

[Artie Fufkin]

Cheers for that, SMBH. However, my main gripe is actually purchasing them. You always have to fuck about. I seem to have (kinda) buy them twice. Buy them properly the first time. It stalls. Buy them a second time, but cancel it before you press the pay button. It stalls. Come out of the app, and go back it. It's miraculously there to download.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Cheers for that, SMBH. However, my main gripe is actually purchasing them. You always have to fuck about. I seem to have (kinda) buy them twice. Buy them properly the first time. It stalls. Buy them a second time, but cancel it before you press the pay button. It stalls. Come out of the app, and go back it. It's miraculously there to download.

Blimey, that sounds ridiculous and then some and would definitely put me off using it.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

Over the course of 40-odd years Dredd is really two different strips. The 80s golden age is just mental a lot of the time, coming up with amazing concepts weekly and having Dredd as an unstoppable fascist death machine you can't help but cheer for as he takes out the trash. This version pretty much runs up to the epic 'Necropolis', which it's not hard to read as the end of this version of Dredd - Wagner left the series not long after, seemingly having done everything he wanted to, and the replacement writers (mostly Garth Ennis) were a bit hit and miss.

Then after Wagner comes back a few years later with 'The Pit' (Tharg got him back to do a story when the Stallone movie was coming out, and it seems Wagner found a new angle to keep him interested), increasingly the better Dredd stories are the ones where it's a more serious crime procedural, the comedy stories drop off a bit, and Dredd himself starts to have a bit more nuance as the justice system is revealed to have more flaws.

This version builds until the 'Day of Chaos' epic, in which

Spoiler alert

Dredd basically totally fails, Mega City One is left in ruins with hundreds of millions dead, and the series staggers around for a few years because Wagner didn't tell anyone he was going to trash the place and nobody had any real idea how to go forward from there, so they just wait a while then say "Mega City One has recovered" and largely pretend it didn't happen

[close]

That's a fair summary, but it overlooks the contribution made by Alan Grant, Wagner's writing partner for many years. These two really were a powerhouse together, churning out hundreds of stories not only for Dredd, but also Strontium Dog, Judge Anderson, Ace Trucking, etc. There was a point in the mid-eighties when they were pretty much writing 80% of the comic between them. It's not surprising they eventually burnt out as a creative duo, the precipitating factor being a disagreement over whether Dredd would shoot someone in the back (Grant was firmly of the notion that Dredd was an unredeemable fascist and should stay that way, whereas Wagner wanted to explore the idea that maybe he could be developed somewhat more as a character).

The problem Dredd has had for some years now is the lack of a consistent "showrunner" so to speak. There's kind-of an unspoken agreement that Wagner's Dredd stories are the ones that count in terms of continuity and moving the main storyline forward, but as he's been pretty much winding his career down over the last ten years or so his contributions have gotten less and less regular. This has led to a situation where you have various writers having their own self-contained thing within Dredd, but these never really integrate with one another or form a consistent ongoing narrative. Some of these have been great, like Rob Williams's "Enceladus" storyline, and the brilliant "Trifecta" which ended in a multi-writer collaboration across an entire issue of the comic. But at this point the strip feels somewhat directionless.

I think what it really needs is a consistent regular writer who can carry the burden of it week-by-week, which is unfortunately quite unlikely given the realities of modern comics writing, where writers have multiple gigs on the go at once and the weekly slog of writing something like Dredd is not something most would be able to commit to (which is why Gordon Rennie didn't want the job of replacing Wagner despite being one of the more prolific Dredd writers in the early 2000s).

One thing about the latter years of Wagner's Dredd was that he put a lot of effort in to try and humanise Dredd (as much as it's possible to do so with a violent fascist who's committed mass genocide), to the extent of giving him an extended family of sorts, and had storylines with Dredd trying to reform the judge system and so on. Post-Wagner it feels like there's been a move back to making Dredd more of a ruthless hard bastard again and less focus on him as a character, which is a bit disappointing.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

What you plausibly could do is buy them on the 2000AD site, then read them here guilt free: https://readcomiconline.li/ (though I'd advise using an ad blocker with that site).

Could you also just buy the digital downloads and then transfer them manually to your device and then read them on a PDF/CBR viewer, rather than going through the app?

[Artie Fufkin]

The 'reading an issue' part of the app isn't the problem (for me, anyhow). It's everything else.