Yup and Andre the giant featured as big foot, aka Sasquatch (probably spelt incorrectly). Always remember the programme having a profound effect on me as a 6 year old and had me checking the dense woodland when I used to visit an auntie and uncle down Padworth Common way.
Steve Austin maybe the first and last man to do double denim so regularly in the days “when a man didn’t have to try too hard”.
In a same vein, I recently bought the blue ray of the entire Space 1999 series, very slowly making our way through it.
Truth be told both myself and my wife are looking forward to when Myra turns up in series 2 and we get a bit of shape shifting, although when watching as a kid it passed me by that she actually appears in series 1 as a different character.
I’m insistent that we watch each episode in turn, which is a bit of a chore but I’m too committed to admit I’m misguided and skip to series 2.
Also as a kid missed that Moon Base Alphas lead scientist seemed to know buggar all about anything, each time he was asked to have a view on any new phenomena his stock response was “You know, i have absolutely no idea” brilliant stuff.
Often were rumours it would get the Hollywood treatment and put it on the big screen.
Always remember the front cover when there was the war between Mega City one and East Meg, Dredd sat on a TAD missile (total annihilation device) with some suitable pithy punchline.
Now that whole storyline should have been the film, started with increase in blockwars as east Meg agent had poisoned the water supply leading to increase in violent behaviour to weaken Mega City before engaging in a war proper, it ran for months and was utterly captivating. It’s covered in the period of the Dredd books I’ve got.
Spider-Man was always the first but the most bought ones would also include the Fantastic Four, Hulk (used to live the tear ups that would occur with him and The Thing, even though the latter with the strength of a thousand men would come off second best as Hulks strength was undefined and almost unlimited if he got angry enough).
With the whole marvel universe I sort of split them into two divisions like football teams, prem included the likes of x-men, avengers, silver surfer, Spider-Man , fantastic four, hulk but one that i really liked was also Daredevil.
The last one is actually a good film if you get the directors cut edition.
Wife and I just spent too much time watching Iron fist, luke cage and then the defenders on Netflix, all petered out disappointingly although my wife is watching Jessica Jones and that appears to be the pick of the bunch, Iron Fist is an absolute melt.
Thought I preferred Deadline I still Loved 2kAD as a kid and such a rich untapped vein for future screen adaptions… the last Dredd movie with Karl Urban and Lena Hadley wasn’t a bad effort… it’s complex enough though to need TV treatment… ‘I am the law and order’
I’d most like to see nemesis or the ABC Warriors on screen though…
Really hanging out for a decent 40k adaption though
My younger brother subscribed to 2000AD from the first issue, and I used to “sneak read” it. Fantastic artwork and stories. One of the high points of my early teen years was getting an illustration published on their letters page.
Interested to read your comments about Iron Fist. I also started the Netflix series, with great enthusiasm. Gave up after about episode 5 or 6. I just lost interest. Really wanted that to work, but it doesn’t work at all. (Sorry Netflix). It’s a miss.
Agree that Daredevil is a decent effort. Elektra too, which you may know kinda follows on from Daredevil. Those two would be awesome together. ( And of course, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were together, for real ).
Yup, them and Thunderbird 2, although for some strange reason the TB2 that was out when I was a kid was blue, it’s predecessor had been more correctly green. Back then probably meant Dinky had run out of correct paint and decided to blag it as “the kids won’t notice”.
Had a mate who also had one but had lost Thunderbird 4 from the capsule, instead substituted it with a toy haybale, weird the things that come back to you, didn’t seem to bother him.
Luke Cage maintains watchability for longer than Iron Fist, it’s helped by a great soundtrack and has quite a few headline acts playing cameos (Beyoncé being a club singer and pretty sure Chuck D was in there too).
Ultimately it just started to feel like they didn’t know where they were taking it, or indeed you as the viewer and gave up not caring what happened to Luke.
Really strange continuity error in the series is that the character, Misty (cop in both Luke Cage and Defenders) is unlucky enough to lose the same arm twice, once in Luke Cage to a gun shot wound and then again in Defenders to a sword wielding assassin of the Hand.
Having watched Luke Cage first we knew she loses the arm so thought we knew where we were in the combined shows timeline and then wallop it’s gone in a scene in the Defenders, really jarring and odd error.
The things that I suspect sustained such an endearing interest in Judge Dredd, was both the “multi-verse” of the story back drop - the rich landscape of the mega cities - created by Carlos Ezquerra and the others.
Also, the stories themselves, which always seem to genuinely attempt to explore some aspect of future society… Cursed Earth. Block mania. The Apocalypse wars. Luna 1. The Robo wars. The Angel gang and the whole mutant thing.
Even little things like “Umpty Candy”, which was so good, you couldnt stop eating it. And how it affected a city population. (Maybe social commentary on how the food and beverage industry works).
I think 2000AD - by itself - probably inspired me to go on to read a lot of Science Fiction. Later, as teenager, I went through dozens of books - Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Philip kDick, etc, etc. My point being that having read well written novels, it has to be said the 2000AD team were doing a pretty good job, 4-5 pages of picture and words at a time.
Forgive my “nerd ness” when I openly admit to being captivated by the artwork. Just to sit and stare at those amazing picture pages of mega city one…
But I think that interest in science fiction all started with 2000AD
That’s how science fiction can also be an insight into real life…
Contrast that idea - East Meg, softening things up, prior to a real hostility’s - with current events and the “grey activities” and “cyber activities” deployed by certain state and their armed forces. Hmmmm.
Another great example of how the lines get blurred between fiction and reality.
Do you remember the trouble with the burger giants, in Mega-City one. Dredd and the Justice department getting involved. Think global corporations today?
I’m guessing that there will be a significant crossover between people contributing to this thread and those who love the books of the late, great Iain M Banks
I bought this just before Christmas. Brought back a few memories.
I read 2000AD from Prog 3 in 1977 until the mid 80’s. Favourites from back then
were Judge Dredd, Harlem Heroes, Dan Dare and MACH 1.
There was also Flesh, Strontium Dog, ABC Warriors, Ro Busters, Shako, Rogue Trooper, Ace Trucking Co, Torquemada and Bill Savage in Invasion and Disaster 1990. I’ve probably forgotten a few others but then it was a while ago
I also really enjoyed the later stories of Slaine, the idea of Viking style boats flying once they’ve had a blood sacrifice by the druids and Slaines almost hulk like fighting spasms, brilliant stuff, the style of the artwork could vary dramatically with the different artists interpretation of what he should look like.
God this conversation is going to cost me a fortune.
