Picking up the pieces
Picking up the pieces |
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Page 16 of 38  'The Angriest Bog in the World', XPresso (1991). an oddity with art/script by American filmmaker, David Lynch. It is revealing that the only real success from the crop - and for all that, a modest one - was Judge Dredd: The Megazine. This has survived to the present, boosted to some extent by the release of the Hollywood blockbuster Judge Dredd (with Sylvester Stallone) in 1995, and the huge merchandising campaign that surrounded the film. The movie succeeded in capturing some of the ironic humour of the original strip, and Stallone was perfect as the square-jawed hero, but it tended to eschew plot in favour of special effects, and thus appealed to a more limited (teenage) audience than was expected. It was panned by critics ('Dredd-ful' being the typical verdict), and fared disastrously at the box office.'6 The decision by Fleetway to launch yet another Dredd title to coincide with the film - Judge Dredd: Lawman of the Future, this time aimed at younger (pre-teen) readers - was a cash-in too far and was soon cancelled.' For its part, 2000AD continues on its way. It still relies on fan-favourite strips first created nearly twenty years ago, but has a smattering of new material each issue. Some of the original creators are still there (Pat Mills is as productive on the comic as ever, and his latest story, 'Finn', a bloody tale about a futuristic eco-warrior, looks like being one of the most popular additions for a long time); meanwhile up-and-coming creators continue to be keen to strut their stuff within its pages. The truth is, however, that the title now sells in the order of an unimpressive 70,000 per issue, and even this is dipping quite drastically. The failure of the Dredd movie has not helped, and it's hard not to be pessimistic about the future for this once-great comic.  Covers, Toxic! (Apocalypse, 1991), art: Kevin O'Neill |