Regened Again – More Cadet Dredd for Prog 2196 with Mike Carroll & Luke Horsman

2000 AD Regened, the all-ages 2000 AD, is back for a third time this strange, strange year with 2000 AD Prog 2196. Out on 26 August, this is another classic collection of tales with a younger spin featuring a mix of favourites from 2000 AD and new strips – all designed to get those young Earthlets their own blast of Thrill Power! So, young Squaxx dek Thargo – this one’s for you!

Inside the bumper 48 pages of Prog 2196, you’ll find Zarjaz thrills in the shape of a new Cadet Dredd from Mike Carroll and Luke Hosman, more chills in Finder & Keeper from John Reppion and Davide Tinto, a new Future Shock, Boss Level, by Karl Stock and Tom Newell, plus two completely new thrills in the shape of Pandora Perfect by Roger Langridge and Brett Parson, and Department K by Rory McConville and PJ Holden.

2000 AD Regened Prog 2196 is out now – grab it from the 2000 AD store.

Regened cover by Neil Roberts

We caught up with Regened thrill generators Mike Carroll and Luke Horsman recently to chat about their contribution to the early days of Judge Dredd in Cadet Dredd: Bad Seeds.

Hello Mike, hello Luke, you’re in the next Regened Prog of 2000 AD, Prog 2196 with the very latest Cadet Dredd adventure – Bad Seeds. Now, assuming we’re not getting a guest spot from Nick Cave, what can we expect in the latest outing for our lil’ Cadet?

Michael Carroll: Because the Regened issues are designed as jumping-on points for younger readers – who might not have encountered Dredd before – it’s important that we establish the characters and background in a way that won’t leave these new readers feeling out of the loop and, at the same time, do so without losing the attention of established readers… So that means we need to lace the early parts of the story with sufficient background info without that being too obvious.

Ideally, new readers will reach the end of the tale with a fair idea of what’s going on, a good handle on the characters – and the differences between Joe and Rico Dredd – and an eagerness to find out more.

It’s the fifth time we’re seeing a Regened Cadet Dredd and a first time for both of you. What approach did both of you take with the young version of Joe?

MC: I’ve written Cadet versions of Joe and Rico in flashback scenes in my Dredd Year One and Year Two books (The Cold Light of Day and The Righteous Man, respectively) and the Rico Dredd trilogy. I had a blast writing those scenes – particularly the interaction between the brothers – so it was great to get the chance to return to Joe and Rico’s formative years.

Because Bad Seeds is a 12-page strip and thus considerably shorter than the books there’s less room for subtle nuances, those tiny clues that hint to the nature of their characters: we have to be a bit more blatant. I’ve presented Joe as clearly the quieter of the two, more of an observer than a leader. Rico’s a little more brash and outwardly confident, and Joe’s almost always in his shadow – but I hope it comes across that Joe’s in Rico’s shadow by choice, not because he thinks Rico’s better than him!

Luke Horsman: I wanted to try keep to that same stern Joe Dredd we all know – and I guess adolescent Dredd isn’t much different – though more a sulky, cocky rookie, with slightly less chin. 

One fascinating thing to me is that the majority of Dredd tales could very easily be considered PG or a little higher, with quite a bit of it already all-ages suitable.

I mean, there’s very little obvious swearing, very little obvious sex or nudity – it’s really only the violence and the whole themes of fascism and mass devastation & war that pushes the age limits higher.

MC: True: On the surface, only a tiny number of Dredd stories are very clearly ‘Adult’ tales, and certainly for the first decade or so Dredd was still aimed at pre-teen readers. I wasn’t quite 11 years old when 2000AD was launched and all the death and mayhem in those early strips – and there was a lot! – never did me any harm… as far as I can tell.

But this isn’t the 1970s any more. It’s no longer acceptable to show Bill Savage blasting Volgs with his double-barrelled shotgun or Old One Eye eating cowboys alive or Artie Gruber murdering Aeroball players. That was the past: a different country with different standards.

Now, we dial back the blatant violence not because we’re kowtowing to the public concept of political correctness, nor because we’ve gone soft, but because it’s the way we do things here in 2020.

It’s important that we creators bear in mind that the 2000AD Regened issues present all-ages stories, not just sanitised and saccharine ‘kids’ tales. We’re not writing Ladybird books here… it’s just that action and adventure doesn’t have to mean gore and murder!

When it comes to your Cadet Dredd, is it a story created for Regened or one pitched to Tharg for old man Dredd instead – such as Chris Weston’s Grudzilla in Prog 2130?

MC: Tharg specifically asked me to write a Cadet Dredd story. My first pitch was a little too close to a strip that had already been published, but there were background elements of that idea that I was able to extract for Bad Seeds.

Mike, interestingly, you’re really getting deep in the early bits of Dredd’s life and world at the moment, aren’t you? There’s the Judges novels and the upcoming Dreadnoughts series in the Judge Dredd Megazine with John Higgins. And now there’s a little venturing into the Cadet Dredd world.

MC: It was important for me that I create a story that could only have worked for Cadet Dredd: older Dredd would have dealt with the situation very differently. We’re seeing Joe and Rico as they’re learning and growing, their personalities slowing shifting towards the adults we know they become. Hopefully the older readers will pick up on that, with Joe being more taciturn and Rico more impulsive… the story’s title is a bit of a giveaway from that respect!

Are there any guidelines regarding Cadet Dredd and the overall continuity of Dredd?

MC: You know, I don’t think I’ve ever received a mandate from Tharg regarding the continuity of the books or strips set in the early days: I’ve always just assumed that continuity is paramount! Sure, with the Cadet Dredd stories we’re telling tales of Joe’s early years, but they’re still valid. The conceit is that these things still happened to Dredd and to the city: it’s just that no one’s ever mentioned them before. Naturally, this means that we need to avoid anything so big that they really would have brought it up. For example, it would be wrong to introduce a couple more clone siblings and pretend that Sybok Dredd and Michael Burnham Dredd grew up with Joe and Rico but then something happened and they forgot all about them.

So, yeah, I think you can take it that unless a story is specifically presented as an ‘imaginary tale’ (like we used to get in those old Superman comics) then it is part of the continuity.

As for making the Cadet Dredd stories ‘recognisably Dredd’… well, Cadet Dredd IS Judge Dredd, only obviously younger and more naïve. If we age him and wise him up, then he’s no longer Cadet Dredd!

Luke, this is your first Dredd tale after having a Future Shock with Karl Stock in the Regened Prog 2170. What’s it feel like to be drawing the old boy as a young boy?

LH: It was a blast – Dredd, young or old is great character to work with. I love that he only has one stoney facial expression to any given situation.

So far we’ve seen Regened artwork from Neil Googe, Chris Weston, Ilias Kyriazis, and Nicolo Assirelli, all bringing something different to the party. What sort of visual cues have you taken for this version of the Cadet?

LH: Hard to say really – I take a lot of influence from classic iterations of Dredd from the likes of Bolland and Gibbons and I’m also a great admirer of Googe and Westons work. I try to just let it  develop naturally. 

Luke Horsman art – Cadet Dredd: Bad Seeds rough

When it comes to this Cadet Dredd story, how did you approach it? What was your process for your pages here?

LH: My process is much like any other book artist. First I produce a nice rough comp for Tharg’s Approval – Thinking about dialogue placement as I go, letting that dictate the flow and structure. Then I tighten it all up with the ink and screen-tone work. Job done! 

Luke Horsman art – Cadet Dredd: Bad Seeds final inks all done!

As far as Regened is concerned – it’s certainly developed pretty quickly – from that first FCBD issue, then the once a year Prog, to the current situation of quarterly Regened Progs. What do you think about Regened as a whole?

MC: I think it’s a fantastic idea, and I only wish it had been done a couple of decades earlier because there’s a whole generation of kids between the late 80s and the first Regened special in 2018 who never had a 2000AD that was accessible to them.

LH: I really like it. Because of my job, I read and enjoy a great many different styles of comics and graphic novels. I’ve never been one for sticking myself in a box and say ‘I only read adult comics’ – all comic and cartoon work has always been important for me as it’s how the artist interprets and tells that story.  I believe there’s always room for other artists versions and interpretations of well-known work, it keeps things fresh and I think the Regened Progs are the perfect format to showcase that. 

Luke Horsman art – Cadet Dredd: Bad Seeds rough

Now, where would you like to see Regened going in the future – let’s go nuts here – in an ideal world what would things look like for Regened?

LH: Oh, tough question. I think it’s going to flourish – who knows, you could have a plethora of spin-off, full books from the new characters in the Reneged issues. I’d like to see that.

MC: I’d love to see a regular monthly 2000AD Regened comic (and I’d be willing to edit it, too!). Thirty-two pages, great stories with cracking art… see, I’ve always believed good comics don’t need severed heads or exposed naughty-parts or brutal violence. They need imagination and enthusiasm more than anything else.

I cut my teeth as a writer with Young Adult fiction so this is a playground with which I’m very familiar. With my YA books I always tried to instil in the readers the same sense of adventure, peril and fun that I received from 2000AD. Ideally, the new comic would be so good that the readers would be using a flashlight under the bedclothes to illicitly read the stories after lights-out. They’d be running to the shops the day before the comic is out just in case it was delivered early. They’d draw their own versions of the characters and send them in to the Readers’ Art page… Stories about the droids in the Nerve Centre, which were always a joy back in the day. Bring back the silliness and fun!

Luke Horsman art – Cadet Dredd: Bad Seeds inks again!

Okay then, what classic 2000 AD characters who you’d love to see in a Regened Prog?

LH: I’d certainly like to see some more intellectual property worked into the future issues. Maybe some Johnny Alpha/Strontium Dog tales – heh, Dog Tales. Yes, Dog Tales, for definite. It’s not silly in the slightest. 

MC: While it’s tempting to present younger versions of established characters – Sinister and Dexter as playground bullies, for example, or Gene the Hackman when he was a puppy – I’d like to see more original characters. And definitely more female characters.

That said, I still want to bring back Dan Dare. Yes, I keep trotting that one out in every interview, but I loved the 2000AD version of Dare and it’s still annoying me that he disappeared mid-story… next week it’ll be forty-one years!

How did you first come to read comics? What was the thing that really made you think, ‘Wow, I love this…’?

MC: The Mighty World of Marvel issue #5, cover-dated November 4, 1972. That was my first exposure to Marvel characters – it absolutely blew my six-and-a-half-year-old mind! I became an instant fan, with Spider-Man as a firm favourite. He got his own comic a few months later, and I adore that, too. And then in December 1973 I happened upon The Avengers issue #13, and that blew my mind all over again.

LH: When I was very young I inherited a big long box of silver age marvel comics – Thor, Fantastic 4, Defenders, those sort of  titles. And I used to be in awe of the artwork from Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson, John Romita. I Loved every lively detail and nuance in the lines.. and ever since I’ve been in love with comics.

And if that wasn’t 2000 AD, when did you first experience the Prog?

LH: Oh, my first experience with Dredd was the 1984 annual. Great artwork from Ian Gibson and the selected Ron Smith strips from the Daily Star. Just love that Dave Gibbons Cover.

MC: I was a reader from prog 1, so my first experience was watching the newsagent cut open the bundle of comics and hand me the first one, complete with Space Spinner. It was the most thrilling thing to ever happen to me – even the arrival of Star Wars later that year wasn’t as exciting as 2000AD!

Things have obviously changed in the world of children’s comics What are your particular thoughts about how children’s comics are going?

LH: Well it’s been a few decades time since I last read a Beano or a Dandy, but I presume they’re much the same fun hi-jinx – which is fine. But I remember reading copies of Commando and The Eagle as a kid and they had that level of adult excitement with beautiful artwork from a variety of artists, but toned down tales for younger readers. I think that’s where kids books are coming back into, more experimental, exciting stories and a good variety of artwork to entice those younger readers in. 

Oh, Just keep things fresh and interesting – follow the trends of the day – what else can you do? It’s difficult – you either have readers that want a story semi grounded in reality or completely off the wall and crazy. So, do both! 

MC: I know this sounds glib, but the best way to bring new readers into comics is to bring the comics to the readers. They can’t buy something if they don’t know it exists. That’s why the Free Comic Book Day was established: not so that greedy adults can get their hands on some collectibles, but to introduce kids to comics that they might not otherwise encounter.

Most of the kids’ comics I’ve seen in recent years are just flimsy magazines with ‘activity pages’ and other filler material, but are good kids’ comics out there: The Beano and The Phoenix are still going strong, but they’re not easy to find on the shelves – and they’re competing with bagged comics that come free with lots of shiny plastic tat.

To get kids back to reading 2000AD… Right now the Regened approach is probably the only one that has a chance of working, but it’s important that if the readers are hooked by it then there’s somewhere for them to go next… the three months between Regened issues is a very long time if you’re nine years old. I reckon Rebellion could produce something like The Best of 2000AD Monthly: relatively cheap to produce, with a mixture of old and new material – they could even go beyond 2000AD and plunder their IPC archives for some old, forgotten stuff.