The other day I bought my first new copy of 2000AD. I've grabbed myself one or two old issues in the past, but this was the first time I'd bought a new copy. It is #1831, and went on sale in the UK way back in May, but is only just being replaced by #1832 today here in New Zealand.
Firstly: the positives. There are five strips spread out over 32 pages, and each one of them proved to be an engaging read and the comic is thoroughly enjoyable. Plus, with Ben Willsher's excellent wrap-around cover the comic really did stand out on the shelves.
But this is where the negative kicks in. For a new and/or one off reader such as myself, there isn't one complete story in the comic. Now I understand that having continued strips helps keep readers coming back, but for somebody who just wants one issue there isn't a complete comic strip to enjoy. In this issue the closest we've got to the start of a comic strip is part two of Judge Dredd and part two of Gunheadz, and when reading these and other strips I really had no idea what was going on. For example, in Dandrige - The Copper Conspiracy the strip starts with a man fighting a copper cop on the roof of a bus, which is being driven by a headless driver!
Whereas all the strips are a good read and the comic is well made it would be nice to have one or two complete strips every issue. Still, it's a good read and at £2.35 an issue the price isn't too bad either. And it's not like 2000AD sells poorly, so they can't be doing too much wrong!