1990: JUDGE DREDD DATABASE: FLEETWAY MERCHANDISE STYLE GUIDE

From 1990: The thrill of the hunt is always that you don't know what you might find next... and this is a good case in point: THE JUDGE DREDD DATABASE, a styleguide for merchandisers published in 1990.

This was never meant to be seen by or circulated to the general public or readership but one escaped into the wild and - decades later - I found it lurking in a back issue box for a few pennies.

I've not scanned the whole thing but I have included a few pages so that you get the idea.

The purpose of such a 'bible' is to ensure consistant standards or applied across the brand to prevent licensees, deliberately or accidentally, going off-message.

I'm sure such guides, or their modern (and no doubt more detailed) versions, are also familiar to any editor of publisher working on a licensed comic or magazine that has to carefully adhere to the 'masterbrand' at all times and at all costs.  Long gone are the days when Marvel UK could run a backcover advert for a piece of bootleg STAR WARS merchandise without anyone being too bothered.

Clearly the makers of the (under appreciated) 1995 movie didn't read it too closely...

1997: COMICS INTERNATIONAL ISSUE 83: JUDGE DREDD AND PREDATOR

From July 1997: A very eyecatching franchise mash-up cover for COMICS INTERNATIONAL issue 83, promoting (from memory) a JUDGE DREDD/ PREDATOR crossover event.

1991: JUDGE DREDD 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (TITAN BOOKS)

From 1991: Titan Books celebrated a decade of publishing JUDGE DREDD and 2000AD reprint albums with this special anniversary edition of the first JD book.

The Titan albums were regularly advertised in the pages of 2000AD but, unless you happened to live near Forbidden Planet or another comic book stockest, hard to find in the real world. That gave them something of a holy grail quality... a perception enhanced by their substantial cover price (for kids) for soft cover black & white reprints (with no royalties paid to the creative teams... although they were commissioning new cover art).

It took a few more years for IPC themselves to realise that their inventory could have value in the UK. In the mid-Eighties they launched a range of BEST OF monthlies built around the back catalogue (traditionally used to take the pressure off origination budgets in the weeklies and to pad out the specials and annuals) with varying degrees of success. The 2000AD edition, later joined by a separate Dredd spin-off, ran for a decade (and a bit longer if you count the post-movie relaunches).

Titan milked the Tharg franchise as long as possible and used it as the launch pad to expand further into book publishing (including UK editions of some DC trade paperbacks as well as the original STAR TREK novels) followed by magazines, UK comics and - now - the extensive range of US format comic books.

1995: JUDGE DREDD MOVIE ADAPTATION - DC COMICS EDITION

From 1995: the US bookshelf edition of the JUDGE DREDD MOVIE ADAPTATION, published by DC Comics.

I've posted the UK edition on STARLOGGED in the past. This is the classier package but the downside is that the page dimensions are standard American size which gives the art less room to breath compared with the more generously proportioned British edition.

Why both DC and Fleetway editions? Different markets obviously (although Fleetway had been publishing the Quality Comics line in the States) but also part of the licensing deal between the two companies that allowed DC to publish two ongoing DREDD books with all new material.

I rewatched the film at the weekend, and although it is a flawed beast in many ways, I don't think it deserves its reputation as a Dredd disaster. The combination of the plot and the casting dictated several changes to the lore (it would have been dumb to keep Stallone's face obscured throughout when the plot demands that he's stripped of his uniform and helmet. Plus, of course, he was a considerable international star which it would be nuts not to exploit) but - all told - it felt a lot more faithful to the franchise than the more recent, stripped back, version. I don't agree with the armchair critics who advocated bring in the Dark Judges as the first villains... I think its too much to ask a mainstream audience to accept the future of Mega City One AND supernatural villains from another dimension.

Stallone probably wasn't the best casting for the role (and some of his delivery is suspect for an actor who clearly can deliver the goods when he puts his mind to it) but its hard to imagine which of his contemporaries would have been a better choice in terms of star power and suitability. And, to his credit, he did apparently immerse himself into Dredd's world when he took the part.

The whole comedy sidekick routine, our way into Dredd's impenetrable world, was much beloved of Hollywood and clearly some computer somewhere decreed Fergie (not that one... or that one) was essential to opening up the film for a mainstream audience.

Sadly it was all for naught as it failed to catch fire at the US box office and actually raked in less cash (partly because of its kids and teens unfriendly rating) than minor Disney effort THE GOOFY MOVIE. Oh dear. But it did fare better overseas where the Stallone brand of action was still capable of pulling in the punters. But this was still a time when US BO and merchandising (which also took a hit because of the film's older viewers
rating) were the only true measure of success as far as Hollywood was concerned... overseas grosses helped the bottom line but weren't valued as much as domestic success.

1995: The JUDGE DREDD MOVIE ADAPTATION UK EDITION

From 1995: The British edition (DC published the American printing as part of its ill-fated licensing deal to publish new JD comics stateside) of the JUDGE DREDD MOVIE ADAPTATION.

This was a one-shot spin-off from the 2000AD group and appeared alongside movie-themed editions of the regular runs and opportunist reboots of the two ongoing archive compilation mags.

I don't think its a bad little movie, despite its obvious flaws, and was a reasonable attempt at bringing the JD universe to the big screen. The adaptation, in turn, does a good job of bringing the movie back to comics.

The movie version of JD also appeared in the new LAWMAN OF THE FUTURE fortnightly and a one-shot.

1990: JUDGE DREDD THE MEGAZINE Issue1

From October 1990: one of the great survivors of British comics (and the only one of the wave of Mature Reader chasing title to launch in the early 1990s to get any traction): the first issue of JUDGE DREDD THE MEGAZINE.

This was seen as far from a safe bet back at the launch and IPC, and then Maxwell, had toyed with launching a ROY OF THE ROVERS type spin-off for the best part of the previous decade but always backed off for fear of cannibalising the success of 2000AD.  The collapsing market for traditional weeklies was the final shove Fleetway's management needed to take a chance.

The success of DREDD stateside in he licensed Eagle and Quality reprints also convinced the publisher that they could double their income streams by issuing a bookshelf/ prestige format US edition. That part of the project ultimately proved short-lived.

Its been a rocky 25 years as the megazine has endured a sucsession of relaunches, bloated confidence that the 1995 movie misfire would catapult Joe D into the mainstream and a succession of budget cuts that forced the editors to reprint some good, but not always appropriate strips, just to stretch finite budgets further and keep the book alive. 

Volume 1 ran for 20 issues through to May 1992.

Deemed a success, the second volume saw the frequency upped to fortnightly for an 83 issue run, ending in 1995 to coincide with the overhaul of the 2000AD family of titles on the eve of the movie release.

The 79 issue third volume startedfortnightly but, once it became clear that the movie was not the success that everyone had hoped for, management lost faith and the schedule was dropped back to monthly. This was accompanied by a new fortnightly, LAWMAN OF THE FUTURE, chasing a younger crowd attracted to the franchise by the Stallone outing.

Volume four ran a mere 18 issues, ending with the overall 200th issu of the Meg's run.

Volume 5 is the one currently on sale. It launched, with issue 201 in January 2001 and is still going strong. 

Happy Birthday Joe! 

1977: 2000AD ANNUAL 1 (Fleetway/ IPC)

From September 1977: the very first 2000AD ANNUAL, from IPC's Fleetway imprint.

Yup... that REALLY is Dan Dare on the cover!

The galaxy's greatest comic always played fast-and-loose with the Pilot of the Future but this interpretation really demonstrates how far Tharg was willing to deviate from the established formula.

The Fleetway annuals that accompanied most of IPC's weeklies (even the long-defunct ones) were assembled by a different team which allowed, by (bad) luck or (bad) judgement, the spin-offs to sometimes only enjoy a passing resemblance to the 'mothership'.  A situation compounded by finite budgets (which meant that much dipping into the combined IPC vaults was required), key creators already committed to the remorseless weekly schedule of the core title and, in 2000AD's case, an annual that (because of extended lead times) had to be put together alongside the earliest regular issues.  

This was one of the two earliest spin-offs from the weekly: IPC also issued a DAN DARE POSTER MAGAZINE one-shot circa August '77.  See here for more.  

It total, 14 2000AD annuals appeared cover-dated between 1978 (published 1977) and 1991 (published 1990).  Another four appeared as softcover "yearbooks" dated 1992 - 1995 (published 1991 - 1994 respectively).  The sudden decline in the sector sealed the fate of what had been a sure thing throughout the Star Age.

The following year (cover-dated 1979) Tharg added a DAN DARE ANNUAL to his hardback offering.  Although still hindered by Fleetway's set-up, the spin-off was actually better than the core title.  A second outing followed a year later before it became obvious that Dare, by now the subject of a possible TV adaptation and a mooted move to a revived EAGLE, was not going to become 2000AD's breakout character.  

The first JUDGE DREDD ANNUAL appeared in late 1980 with a 1981 cover date.  A total of eleven were published with the late appearing in 1990.  Four Yearbooks appeared between 1991 (cover-dated for the following year) and 1994 (for 1995).

1990 saw a concerted effort to elevate Rogue Trooper from the strip ensemble to make him the comic's next big star.  Unfortunately, he failed to break out and the ROGUE TROOPER ANNUAL 1991 was the only one to appear. 

1983: 2000AD with free JUDGE DREDD POSTER House Ad (IPC)

From September 1983: an IPC House Ad, from EAGLE, promoting a free Judge Dredd poster in stablemate 2000AD.

The poster was slipped into prog 335 (cover-dated 24 September) and accompanied the launch of two new series for Strontium Dog and Nemesis the Warlock. 

1991: JUDGE DREDD VOLUME 1 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Titan Books)

From 1991: Titan's 10th anniversary re-release of the first (of many) album-format compilations of JUDGE DREDD strips from 2000AD.  

Small adverts for these albums were a mainstay of 2000AD in the early 1980s and, for someone without access to Forbidden Planet or a local comic store, they always seemed impossibly expensive and impossibly out-of-reach.  

Even now, looking back, these still seem relatively expensive (although the reproduction was good) compared with today's far more bumper versions.  I doubt very much that IPC's work-for-hire contracts meant they had to pay the original creative teams anything although I don't know whether Titan themselves made non-contractual additional payments as a show of faith.  Commissioning new cover art for each volume may have been their way of ensuring at least some additional income was generated by the reprints.  

I think it's safe to safe to say that this early tie-up with IPC (at a time where IPC themselves seemed blissfully ignorant as to the potential of their back catalog as anything other than cheap filler for annuals and specials) was the making of Titan Books (an offshoot of Titan Distributors and the Forbidden Planet stores), giving them a solid foundation to build the books, comics and magazines publishing empire that exists today.  

Titan, at some point, lost the 2000AD license (possibly after the purchase by Robert Maxwell... allowing for vertical integration with his various - and myriad - book publishing interests) but had already acquired other licenses such as the rights to reprint DC trade paperbacks and graphic novels in the UK and the rights to publish the Pocket Books STAR TREK novels here.  

They also dabbled with other licenses such as reissuing several of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA novels to coincide with the BBC TWO repeats... although that floundered after only three reissues. 

1985: JUDGE DREDD US MONTHLY UK House Ad (IPC)

From January 1985: An IPC House Ad for the fifteenth issue of the imported JUDGE DREDD US monthly which, by this point, was distributed through newsagents and branches of WH Smith.  

The publisher, Eagle Comics, was a joint-venture between IPC and Titan Books. 

1986: MIDNIGHT SURFER One-shot (Quality Comics)

Another Quality Comics one-shot: MIDNIGHT SURFER, collecting the early Judge Dredd/ Chopper strips from the pages of 2000AD and published (with what, I believe, is a new cover... correct me if I'm wrong) in 1986.  

The almost complete absence of JUDGE DREDD branding and images on the cover seems a little daft... the badge is lost in the artwork and runs the risk of being entirely obscured depending on how the issue was racked. 

1983: JUDGE DREDD Issue 1 (Eagle Comics)

I've posted the ads to promote this, the official North American debut of the Lawman of the Future, before but I don't think I ever got around to publishing the full Bolland cover in all its' glory.  

There had been some previous experiments with getting 2000AD into US stores but the format and frequency had made retailers, distributors and buyers reluctant to take the plunge.  The early Titan Books collections must also have, presumably, been shipped across in small quantities. The fanzine BEM (by this point published in the States)had also devoted pretty much an entire issue to the various characters and strips from the weekly but the first issue (November 1983) of Eagle Comics' (a joint venture between Titan Books and IPC) JUDGE DREDD monthly was his biggest splash stateside to date. 

1986: JUDGE DREDD Issue 1 (Quality Comics)

Credit to Dez Skinn for selecting a stonking JD tale to kick off the Quality Comics run of JUDGE DREDD reprints.  QC had already spent a couple of months packaging-up the last of the 35-issue EAGLE COMICS incarnation before rebooting with this new first issue (cover-dated October 1986).

It's a shame that Dez dispensed with the iconic services of Brian Bolland (who, presumably, found no shortage of alternative job offers) but, overall, the early Quality issues were - indeed - pretty good quality.  

It didn't last long however... the printing and production standards started to deteriorate and the end results looked murky and slapdash.  At which point, Dez parted company with the business and - sure enough - the quality fell through into the Undercity. 

1989: JUDGE DREDD'S CRIME FILES 1-4 (Fleetway)

This set of four JUDGE DREDD trade paperbacks were published in August 1989 (except, oddly, volume three which lists its month of publication as September instead).

What makes these full-colour Fleetway-published tomes stand out amongst the deluge of other 2000AD trade paperbacks, graphic novels and assorted strip collections (lets be honest, Tharg's seldom held back at unleashing blasts from his Thrill Powered past) is that they collected colour strips first published in the various annuals, yearbooks and Sci-Fi Specials throughout the eighties.  Some other characters, including Rogue Trooper and Sam Slade, also snuck in.  

1984: JUDGE DREDD: THE JUDGE CHILD QUEST Issue 1 (Eagle Comics)

From August 1984, Brian Bolland's memorable cover for the first (of five) issue of Eagle Comics JUDGE DREDD: THE JUDGE CHILD QUEST rerun.

This split the storyline out of the regular monthly book and packaged it up in a deluxe Baxter format (posh, weighty, paper!) monthly.  

The recoloured pages were latterly collected into a trade paperback by Fleetway.  

1985: 2000AD MONTHLY (US) Issue 1 (Eagle Comics)

This stunning Brian Bolland cover launched the US edition of 2000AD MONTHLY (not to be confused with the, also reprint-diven, UK BEST OF 2000AD MONTHLY which allowed IPC to plunder its own vaults), a 'spin-off' from Eagle Comics' successful Judge Dredd title.

Unsurprisingly, a serialised reprint of JD's Cursed Earth encounter with The Black Plague topped the bill to attract readers to what was otherwise something of an unknown quantity.  Previous attempts to ship copies of the original weekly across the Atlantic hadn't met with much success although they do seem to have piqued the interest of US publishers who promptly snapped-up the services of the Art and Script Droids.  

The remaining two strips, all published in colour and reformatted to remove the tell-tale UK chapter breaks, were DR and Quinch Go Straight and Strontium Dog in Death's Head (no relation).

This was the first of a six issue run, cover-dated April 1985.  The title returned as an ongoing series, once again under Eagle Comics' auspices, the following year and survived, albeit retooled, the transfer to Quality Comics.

1986: JUDGE DREDD: THE EARLY CASES Issue 1 (Eagle Comics)

The first issue (of a six issue "mega series" spin-off from EAGLE COMICS' main JUDGE DREDD US-format colour monthly) of JUDGE DREDD: THE EARLY CASES from February 1986.

This was a vehicle for some of the earlier still-finding-its-feet JD strips that Eagle (a joint-venture between IPC and Titan Books) had skipped, in favour of more confident and commercial fare, when they launched the regular book.

Behind the stunning new Bolland cover (how did he get away with that?) is a colorised/ reformatted reprint of The Heavy Metal Wars from, of course, 2000AD.

1996: BEYOND 2000AD: JUDGE DREDD ACTION SPECIAL (Fleetway)

The JUDGE DREDD ACTION SPECIAL was a post-movie one-shot, published in 1996, spun-off from the initially popular (but, ultimately, short-lived) LAWMAN OF THE FUTURE fortnightly.

Like the main comic, this was pitched at a younger readership than 2000AD and the MEGAZINE but borrowed aspects of established JD lore and tarted them up for an audience more familiar with the character from the Stallone movie.  

As far as I know, none of this material has ever been reprinted (although there were international editions aplenty of the LMOTF title so there may be other editions of this doing the rounds around the world).

1988: BEYOND 2000AD: THE LAW OF DREDD Issue 1 (Quality Comics)

This is one of the many US reprints of 2000AD fare churned-out in the 1980s and early 1990s (before DC Comics licensed JD and nixed the existing titles as part of the deal) from the oh-so-inappropriately named Quality Comics (several years after Dez Skinn had parted ways with the company).

THE LAW OF DREDD, like the other Quality books of the time, depended on reprints from 2000AD and slapped-on new covers which, other than featuring the character, often had naff-all to do with the contents inside.  

From the 8th issue, this started to appear under the Fleetway Quality masthead after the British publisher started to take a more hands-on interest in the reprints.  It eventually clocked-up 33 issues.  

1995: JUDGE DREDD MOVIE SOUNDTRACK AD

This is a half-page advert, from September 1995, hyping the JUDGE DREDD movie soundtrack which - presumably - faired about as well as the film.