Comic Book Review - 2000 AD Regened: Vol 1.

Rob Lake reviews 2000 AD Regened: Vol 1...

Whether you like them or not, the special 2000 AD Regened - All Ages Progs seem to be here to stay. And now for the first time all of the past Regened stories have been collected into a single graphic novel. 

The 2000 AD Regened: Vol 1. collects a selection of the Regened stories from the last couple of years. Featuring the likes of Cadet Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper and many more. These characters from the normal - more adult Progs have been "adapted" into stories that are suitable for all-ages. 

It's a nice idea to create these special all-ages strips as they're primarily aimed at the younger audience who are potentially stepping up from the Beano or Dandy. Of course back in my day - I'm 35 so still technically young - we had 2000 AD as our comic. If anything it goes to show how attitudes have changed over the years. Whilst I grew up with the likes of Necropolis, Judgement on Gotham and the (in)famous America. My 11-year old has...well nothing. At least with these Regened Progs young readers can dip their toes into the world of 2000 AD to then step into the Progs when deemed appropriate. 

Normally with my reviews I'll give a couple of paragraphs per strip and talk about the story and my thoughts on the writing and art work. With Regened Vol 1. comprising of 17 self-contained stories, I'll be here all day. Instead I will be giving a summary of each 

Character and then an over all summary at the end. 

So without further ado let's bring on what Joko-Jargo has on offer...

Cadet Dredd 

Naturally it wouldn't be a 2000 AD comic if the poster boy himself wasn't some how involved. To "all-age-afy" Judge Dredd we get the adventures of Cadet Dredd. These stories show a young Dredd (and Rico) in training. The included strips - Coming to America, Crowd Control, Grudzilla, School Trip are a nice introduction to the Lawman and in my case it inadvertently opened up a discussion on cloning and Rico being a bit of a turd! 

In typical Dredd fashion we get four tales of Cadet Dredd in action. Theres plenty of shoot-outs and action as Cadet Dredd takes no prisoners even in his earlier years. There's also a sense of foreshadowing throughout as we start to see Rico's more militant side compared to Joe's law-abiding logic. I was also suprised to see that there's a touch of a more darker underlining tone as on occasion the more seasoned Judges look down on both cadets due to being Fargo clones.  

Bringing Cadet Dredd to Regened is Matt Smith, Chris Weston, Rory McConville, Neil Googe and Ilias Kyriazis. Each writer and artist brings their own style to Cadet Dredd, and if anything it also gives the reader a sense of whats to come within the more adult Progs. As its obviously normal for each writer and artist to have their own interpretation of the Lawman having four very different strips by three different teams is great introduction.

Strontium Dog

To the horror of some of us, there's only one strip about S/D agent - Johnny Alpha. 

To some Strontium Dog is one of the greatest characters to grace the pages of 2000 AD - I use "some" sparingly as I don't think I've met anyone who doesn't like Strontium Dog. Whilst the character has taken a back seat in more recent years. It's nice to see Johnny Alpha included in these Regened volumes. 

In Trial Run we see Johnny Alpha on the trail of escapee - Carrion Jones. The twist here is that Alpha isn't quite a S/D agent and capturing Jones is his final exam. I'd say that Trial Run is a nice introduction to the wider world of Strontium Dog, and to an extent it is. 

Alec Worley and Ben Wilsher give us a brightly coloured and pretty action packed story that explores an aspect of Johnny Alpha's career. But that's it, there isn't really much in terms of anything else - yes I know there's plenty of other SD stories out there. But in the here and now we have Johnny Alpha passing a random field test for some unknown reason. 

Finder and Keeper

Finder and Keeper is a new strip thats been created especially for the Regened Progs. What we have is a..., well it's basically Ghostbusters. Finder and Keeper is the tale of Meera Hundal and Elliot Hunter, two children who after getting in trouble at school end up having to clear a dusty old mansion. Upon clearing the attic Meera uncovers some special goggles that allow the duo to see ghosts, and that's where the fun starts. 

Finder and Keeper is a nice simple supernatural tale. Whilst older readers may get a tad bored with the themes on show, for younger readers it's pretty good. My 11-year old has recently gotten into Ghostbusters so she really lapped Finder and Keeper up. Both strips here, build both characters up extremely well and the art is bright, but retains the darker elements of the supernatural setting. 

Whilst I dont think Leah Moore and John Reppion's tale will hold up in the normal Progs, it's perfectly at home here in Regened.

Anderson PSI- Divison 

Of course another staple to the regular 2000 AD Progs is Judge Anderson. Much like Dredd, Anderson has been around forever. Whether in her own strip - like here. Or popping up in Judge Dredd. 

This time around Anderson is on her own as she enters the mind of a Juve who's a prisoner of her imagination. 

Does Spellcraft work? Well yeah, but much like Strontium Dog, it glosses over quite a lot. Alec Worley gives us a quite relatable story  and touches upon the hellscape that is MegaCity-1 but it left me wanting more. PJ Holden does ok with art duties, but Anderson has had so many looks over the years...

Rogue Trooper 

Cavan Scott and Nick Roche bring us two tales of the Genetic Infantry - Rogue Trooper. 

I actually enjoyed both Secret of the Keep and Savage Swamp. Again, both are dumbed down to suit the all-ages nature of Regened but both strips worked well. 

Scott's writing flows from scene to scene, and gives a nice introduction to Nu-Earth. Whilst Scott doesn't touch upon past storylines, he does produce two good self contained stories. Nick Roche also brings a a slightly darker hue Rogue Trooper. The action scenes are pretty packed with detail and the War-Dozers are especially detailed. 

The Gronk

We dive into the weird with The Gronk. This tale follows Mega star T-Rex-alike Atlantis Valentine as he attempts to bring Holo-Screens to The Gronk's home world

This one goes on a little too long in my opinion. The story is basically The Gronk stopping Valentine from taking over their primitive planet. Whilst there are a few laughs, it doesn't really go anywhere and if anything it moves as a slight snails pace. 

This isn't me dissing David Baillie but his talents feel wasted here. Alas it's also worth noting that this isn't a collection aimed primarily at the "older" reader. In contrast to my views on The Gronk my 11-year old quite enjoyed it. 

Future Shocks

Another staple of the weekly Progs to appear within the Regened pages is the Future Shocks. These done-in-one stories aim to be thought provoking in their often bizarre way, and this time they aren't any different. The young readers get a taste of the Future Shocks with three tales: Human Craft, That Weird Kid and Living Your Best Life.

Whilst all three tales are good, the best has to be Humancraft. Humancraft tells the story of three Minecraft inspired characters who happen to be playing a Sims style game. There's a great twist in the tale that involves a certain golf loving President and a reset button! 

D.R. & Quinch - Hijack Free Comic Book Day 

This is one that appeared within - yeah you've guessed it - a Free Comic Book Day comic. We get a nice madcap adventure throughout comic history as D.R, & Quinch attempt to re-write history and make themselves famous in the process. 

Owen Johnson and Colin Bell write a clever story that features some of comic books more cliched tropes. Indio!'s illustrations are also nice to look at and each cell is full of characters and colors. 

Seeing this volume out is a Chet Jetstream board game that's been created by Henry Flint, a couple of quizzes and a profile on Joko-Jargo and Cadet Dredd. 

All in all the 2000 AD Regened Collection Vol 1. is perfect for younger readers who are getting into the comic medium, or moving on from The Beano and Dandy. Whilst there are some highlights for us older readers too such as Cadet Dredd, Rogue Trooper and Strontium Dog, the rest can be a little hit and miss. 

Of course, the Regened series isn't aimed towards the older reader, and if anything it goes to show how attitudes and tastes have changed throughout the years. 

Rating 8/10

Rob Lake (& Grace) 

You can follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter for more comic book chat @GeekCultureRev