Thanks so much for your kind thoughts, William. That's a great analysis of the Judges and an explanation of their appeal. The black comedy, evolved by John Wagner into something really special. I know fans say Robocop copied Dredd humour, but nowhere near as well as John. AFAIK that black comedy is somewhat missing or diluted today, but John's legacy is magnificent. Thanks also for your thoughts on WW1. I didn't know about the origins of the Thomson machine gun. Gosh! There's so many aspects to WW1 I'm still discovering, notably the use of cocaine and how it was prolonged in order to utterly destroy Germany. It's becoming increasingly well known and I'm pleased Charley's War has played a role in that
Thanks so much, Ian. I think most of us British comic writers explored real-life issues that have affected us using the guise of science fiction. And that's why they ring so true with readers. I wish we could have all developed our themes further - rather than 'treading water' today. But we've all left a potent legacy behind us
Rest assured - the brilliant Gaudi-esque mega-block (so vast a citizen could potentially remain within for their lifetime, an exaggeration of high rise living), and desert-traffic island mega city was cemented in our imaginations, after you lot laid the foundations. 'Madness' was a given as a Dredd theme, we understood instantly. Black comedy is where it's at. The black comedy of life has become so unavoidable - the black elephant in the room - that the appetite for it seems diminished, with po-faced superhero bullshit being foisted on us. Something I've long pondered over concerning Dredd - he is a nutter, but this is put into context by the greater insanity of the Mega Citizens. Is Dredd therefore justifiable, if the masses have become so crazy? Or is their craziness as a result of the Judge's oppressiveness? If so, how do we square the runaway excesses of Mega City society with the Judge's fascist tactics? I actually think this seeming contradiction is part of the appeal. It's superego versus id with no ego to ameliorate tween the two. I don't picture the Judges as following a political philosophy like communism or fascism, I see them as like an ascetic version of Roman civilisation, with 'The Law' almost as their religion. Obviously, some form of capitalism thrives in mega city, but its a post-nuclear environment, built on expediency, in a sense it's raison d'etre is preservation of remnants of a diminshed society. Maybe stuff was simply carried over to sustain a sense of continuity, and just became established. Maybe this is a contributor to the madness: the society can't change and grow, literally fenced inside the city walls, and turns in on itself. But it's a wonderful world, too. I love it. And In love you, too. I think you are the best! WW1 was a time-travel war too, with mounted cavalry riding into battle to face tanks, poison gas, machine guns - as has been pointed out many times but hekl I'm talking now. This is as close as we can get to a pub at this exacvt moment, right? Seven pound pints!! I arsk yew. I can imagine Tommy's seeing visions of the entire twentieth century in no-mans land. Bosch and Brueghel must've been seers. I cannot begin to tell you, Mr Mills, how much sunshine you've brought into this life, my gratitude is unbound. Here's a little story you probably already know: a certain Major Charles Thompson devised what he termed a 'trench-broom', a hand-held machinegun that would afford soldiers the opportunity to overwhelm enemy positions with rapid fire when they went 'over the top', to replace the single-action carbines that were the standard. Well! By the time the weapon was in production, the war was in it's waning days. Lumbered with a load of unsold stock, he offered the gun for sale to the public, at bargain prices. It sold in great numbers to customers in cities like Chicago - customers who were in the employ of fellows with names like 'Capone' ... yes, Maj. Thompson gave the world the 'iconic' Tommy gun! Believe it or not!
That Kevin O'Neill Nemesis panel of the Termite looking out of the window and saying "here comes my nineteenth nervous breakdown" remains indelibly burned into my memory as perhaps *the* quintessential 2000AD page. I didn't find out that it was a Rolling Stones reference until much later.
I find these posts truly wonderful. I love reading about the creative process, especially so when it involves stories and characters that I grew up with. They’ve always been a constant in my life; stories, worlds, and characters I can always return to, especially when the vicissitudes of modern life throws its brickbats my way. Unlike the bland corporate enthusiasm vampire-like quality of the American superhero factories, your work never loses its integrity. Keep up the good work Pat!
Thanks so much for your kind thoughts, William. That's a great analysis of the Judges and an explanation of their appeal. The black comedy, evolved by John Wagner into something really special. I know fans say Robocop copied Dredd humour, but nowhere near as well as John. AFAIK that black comedy is somewhat missing or diluted today, but John's legacy is magnificent. Thanks also for your thoughts on WW1. I didn't know about the origins of the Thomson machine gun. Gosh! There's so many aspects to WW1 I'm still discovering, notably the use of cocaine and how it was prolonged in order to utterly destroy Germany. It's becoming increasingly well known and I'm pleased Charley's War has played a role in that
Thanks so much, Ian. I think most of us British comic writers explored real-life issues that have affected us using the guise of science fiction. And that's why they ring so true with readers. I wish we could have all developed our themes further - rather than 'treading water' today. But we've all left a potent legacy behind us
Rest assured - the brilliant Gaudi-esque mega-block (so vast a citizen could potentially remain within for their lifetime, an exaggeration of high rise living), and desert-traffic island mega city was cemented in our imaginations, after you lot laid the foundations. 'Madness' was a given as a Dredd theme, we understood instantly. Black comedy is where it's at. The black comedy of life has become so unavoidable - the black elephant in the room - that the appetite for it seems diminished, with po-faced superhero bullshit being foisted on us. Something I've long pondered over concerning Dredd - he is a nutter, but this is put into context by the greater insanity of the Mega Citizens. Is Dredd therefore justifiable, if the masses have become so crazy? Or is their craziness as a result of the Judge's oppressiveness? If so, how do we square the runaway excesses of Mega City society with the Judge's fascist tactics? I actually think this seeming contradiction is part of the appeal. It's superego versus id with no ego to ameliorate tween the two. I don't picture the Judges as following a political philosophy like communism or fascism, I see them as like an ascetic version of Roman civilisation, with 'The Law' almost as their religion. Obviously, some form of capitalism thrives in mega city, but its a post-nuclear environment, built on expediency, in a sense it's raison d'etre is preservation of remnants of a diminshed society. Maybe stuff was simply carried over to sustain a sense of continuity, and just became established. Maybe this is a contributor to the madness: the society can't change and grow, literally fenced inside the city walls, and turns in on itself. But it's a wonderful world, too. I love it. And In love you, too. I think you are the best! WW1 was a time-travel war too, with mounted cavalry riding into battle to face tanks, poison gas, machine guns - as has been pointed out many times but hekl I'm talking now. This is as close as we can get to a pub at this exacvt moment, right? Seven pound pints!! I arsk yew. I can imagine Tommy's seeing visions of the entire twentieth century in no-mans land. Bosch and Brueghel must've been seers. I cannot begin to tell you, Mr Mills, how much sunshine you've brought into this life, my gratitude is unbound. Here's a little story you probably already know: a certain Major Charles Thompson devised what he termed a 'trench-broom', a hand-held machinegun that would afford soldiers the opportunity to overwhelm enemy positions with rapid fire when they went 'over the top', to replace the single-action carbines that were the standard. Well! By the time the weapon was in production, the war was in it's waning days. Lumbered with a load of unsold stock, he offered the gun for sale to the public, at bargain prices. It sold in great numbers to customers in cities like Chicago - customers who were in the employ of fellows with names like 'Capone' ... yes, Maj. Thompson gave the world the 'iconic' Tommy gun! Believe it or not!
That Kevin O'Neill Nemesis panel of the Termite looking out of the window and saying "here comes my nineteenth nervous breakdown" remains indelibly burned into my memory as perhaps *the* quintessential 2000AD page. I didn't find out that it was a Rolling Stones reference until much later.
I find these posts truly wonderful. I love reading about the creative process, especially so when it involves stories and characters that I grew up with. They’ve always been a constant in my life; stories, worlds, and characters I can always return to, especially when the vicissitudes of modern life throws its brickbats my way. Unlike the bland corporate enthusiasm vampire-like quality of the American superhero factories, your work never loses its integrity. Keep up the good work Pat!