The 2000AD Newsstand app
Dredd cover art by Greg Staples
Zarjaz news, everyone! The “Galaxy’s Greatest Comic” has finally made the leap into the 21st century proper with the release of an iOS Newsstand app for the iPhone and iPad. British comic 2000AD – home to the likes of Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, ABC Warriors and Strontium Dog amongst others – has had digital versions of many of its regular Progs (the weekly issues) and the Judge Dredd Megazine available via its online store for a while now, but with the imminent release of the new Dredd movie, they’ve stepped it up a gear.
The newsstand app offers every Prog for download on the day they’re released in the shops for just 3 bucks (or 2 quid), which will be a massive result for US fans who often have to wait a while for them to be imported from the UK. The subscription deal, however, is a much more tempting offer. Sign up for one, three or 12 months – for $10.99, $29.99, and $109.99 respectively – and you can save between 9% and 24% over the per-issue prices. To sweeten the deal even more, you can get up to three months worth of back issues free with the subscriptions. In case you’re worried about what you’d be letting yourself in for, there’s also a free ‘bumper’ issue sampler available. Next week’s Prog (number 1800) is the perfect jumping-in point for newcomers and old-timers re-discovering the comic, as it starts many new stories and also has Simon Bisley‘s first cover art on the comic for over 20 years.
Page from “Top Of The World, Ma-Ma”
As part of the PR roller coaster for the upcoming movie, 2000AD has also created a special prologue to the film which, in addition to appearing in the print version, is also being given away for free in the app. The short story, titled “Top of the World, Ma-Ma“, shows how the film’s main baddie, Ma-Ma (played with gusto by Lena Headey) came to be where she is in the movie. Although, having had the extremely good fortune to have seen a preview of the film already, I think it seems to clash somewhat with how that tale is told in the film. The script is by 2000AD‘s longest serving editor Matt Smith, and the art by the ever-reliable Henry Flint stays true to the look of the film (no massive shoulder-pad Eagle for Dredd, and a very near-future style) and also the levels of violence, blood and language – so be warned, this is definitely not a comic for your kids. There is also an edited, motion comic version, which is much more toned down with none of the swearing, which is embedded below for you.
The 2000AD app is available from iTunes now, and Dredd is out in the UK on the 7th and on the 21st of September in the US. Watch out for our “10 Things…” review and interviews with the star, Karl Urban, and writer Alex Garland, nearer the time.
