And that's right here - because it's time for me to look at what the galaxy's greatest comic was up to in December of 1979.
But what an eventful month it was elsewhere.
For a start, we got the world premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. How we gasped as all our old favourites reappeared to battle an equally old plot line. How ancient the cast all seemed at the time. And, yet, how young they all seem now.
Granted, I have heard it described as, "Star Trek: The Slow-Motion Picture," and it does have to be said that it progresses at a somewhat leisurely tempo but, still, its release felt like an exciting thing at the time.
Elsewhere, Eddie Kidd successfully jumped eighty feet on a motorbike, and the Clash released the album London Calling.
As for 2000 AD, there's shocking news. I actually have some knowledge of the contents of this month's issues.
Admittedly, that's not because I remember them. It's because the internet has furnished me with a level of knowledge rarely seen before on this feature.
I do know that Prog 141 features a piece from Patrick Moore on whether time travel is possible. What his conclusions were on the subject, I cannot confirm.
It also seems that, in Prog 144, Judge Dredd's strip features a thing called the Des O'Connor Feedway. If that doesn't encapsulate everything the Judge Dredd strip was about, I don't know what does.
All these issues seem to feature a character called Captain Klep who I thought I recalled as being some sort of Zapp Brannigan type space adventurer but it turns out he was basically a send-up of Superman.
It's interesting to see that Prog 142 features a piece about Disney's The Black Hole, a film that I must confess I've never made it all the way through. And that's saying something, as I'll normally sit through anything that has robots and spaceships in it.
I have no idea what's happening on the cover of Prog 144.
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21 comments:
Prog 144? That's a wraparound with Tharg bringing his characters to earth ( even though most of them have been here for 143 issues already. )
Dredd, Blackhawk, The Stainless Steel Rat and the rest of the ABC Warriors are on the back, while Brian Bolland ( cough cough ) 'homages' Close Encounters on the front. When 2000AD was still great, eh? Captain Klep was a bit rubbish tho'.
Actually Pete, I looked it up and the cover is credited to Bolland and John M Burns.
Yeah, that was news to me too - you can't really see anyone other than Bolland in the main image, and it has his name on it - so I assume Burns did the Close Encounters stuff. Presumably theres some story behind it, like using up incomplete artwork or something, but that's just a guess.
The full image can be seen at
www.ottosump.tumblr.com/post/91770475043/the-first-ten-2000ad-poster-covers-144-383
Prog 145 features my favourite one-off Dredd story, Uncle Ump's Candy, a real classic by the world beating team of Mike McMahon and John Wagner.
Previously Dredd had been either heroic or, in the more satirical episodes, a bit humourless and overly stern, but I think this was the first time the fascist element in the character really came to the fore.
-sean
Wow, totally never saw Burns in that, and he's one of my all-time faves.
Easily done - I like Burns too, but you really can't see him in it.
The 2000AD characters are obviously all by Bolland but I wonder if he didn't also at least touch up or even ink the rest too...
Btw, miss the Bronze Age of Blogs!
-sean
Thanks for the Prog 144 explanation, Pete, and thanks too, Sean, for that link. It's nice to see the backs of all those comics as well as the fronts. Needless to say, I don't remember the wraparound covers at all but, then again, "I don't remember," is my official catchphrase.
Hello Steve, et al!
It appears one of our local news broadcasters in Chicago named Ben Bradley is getting hammered / spammed by folks in the UK who mistakenly think he is one of your MPs.
As I read the article in today's Sunday paper he says he has been called a "Blanker" hundreds of times. Something to do about your MP saying unemployed folks should get a vasectomy?
The good thing is now Chicago Ben has learned what a Blanker is and he plans to add it to his lexicon. Awesome stuff, huh?
Steve, 'Uncle Ump's Candy', is that the story about the guy who makes sweets so good they are addictive? Dredd ends up exiling him to another planet or something? I remember being surprised at the story as a kid.
Charlie, it only goes to show that we should never underestimate the educational power of social media.
Timothy, I must confess that I don't recall the story but it does sound likely that that's what it'd be about.
Oh I forgot! I've never read any of these and know nothing about them. Do you recommend reading them in a Trade?
Thats the one Timothy - "Sorry citizen. Sometimes it is the innocent who must suffer."
Charlie - You don't have blankers in the US?
Those kind of views are pretty much what most of us expect from that lot, the funny part really is that Bradley is MP for Mansfield. Although I suppose you need to have been to Mansfield to appreciate the irony.
-sean
Well we have blwankers but not that word, lol. It's not in our day to day vocabulary, that is for sure. It does have a nice ring to it! Kind of reminds me of calling someone a mouth-breather.
Charlie, it's so long since I read any of these tales that I don't have a clue if it's worth reading them in a trade or not. I suspect that Judge Dredd is your best bet when it comes to reading 2000 AD characters in collected form. Also, I had a TPB featuring two 2000 AD characters called DR and Quinch, about 25 years ago, and I remember that as being a fun read.
Charlie, the Judge Dredd Case Files are good value - vol 4 is the best place to start, featuring the best of the early epics the Judge Child storyline (to be covered by Steve in this very blog in a few months, no doubt) and classic done in ones like Unamerican Grafitti and Otto Sump's Ugly Clinic.
-sean
Thanks Sean!
Well I just looked at what our local library has. (Charlie's wife has decided that Charlie has TMS laying around. So, I can't be buying more stuff, lol).
Anyhow the library has a ton of Dredd available but not #4. They have Complete Case Files 1 and 5. The also have titles like "Origins" " America" "Garth Ennis Collection" "Dark Justice" "Brian Bolland Collection" It just goes on and on, but no Complete Case Files #2.
Must be a conspiracy!
Any other TPB recommendations? I trust you guys to keep me straight! O/wise I am going to have to compare what's available against Amazon reviews. Boy oh boy I know a good time!
Charlie, Case Files 5 might be an ok way in - you still get classics like Judge Death Lives, but personally I think the Apocalypse War drags on too long (a lot of people seem to like it though)
A good rule of thumb with Dredd is to avoid anything not written by John Wagner, alone or in collaboration with Alan Grant.
-sean
PS You probably can't lose with the Bolland Collection, Charlie - even if you find you don't go for Dredd, theres still Brian's artwork to look at.
Thanks buddy!
Charlie, I'd go for any early Dredd, so probably Trades 1 to 4 or 5. Basically the stories where the character wasn't completely set in stone, they're much more fun than the later 'Old Stoney Face' stuff.
I'd agree The Apocalypse War goes on way too long, a better epic is The Cursed Earth ( Dredd does Damnation Alley ) but really, nearly all the early stuff is great. And a Dredd Bolland collection is a must!
For other 2000AD stuff, Shako is fun ( killer polar bear hunted by the CIA ), Strontium Dog of course, Robo Hunter, Nemesis The Warlock, and anything with Ro-Jaws in it ( Ro-Busters or ABC Warriors ).
Classic 2000AD and I think all still in trades!
Thanks Pete! There is actually a bunch of Dredd in the library system which is cool. I'll cherry pick the Wagner and Bolland works! No 2000AD available though.
I had a story printed in the letters page during this month and year (I'm not sure which prog). I won £5 and used it to go and watch Star Trek the Motion Picture with a mate.I also remember being proclaimed a "Squaxx Dek Thargo" if I remember correctly, which made my friend really jealous!....well we were only eleven. Again, if I remember correctly,the story was about a teacher on the moon or another planet, asking little Johnny to count his fingers. "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10" said Johnny. "Yes"said the teacher,"but what about the other hand?".....Apparently,Spielberg's been trying to secure the film rights to the story,but has been unable to contact me.Could someone pass my email address on to him? Cheers.
All I can say is I'm amazed it's not been used as the basis for the Marvel Comics movies as well, Andrew.
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