2000 AD Regened Returns and Cadet Dredd is back in action – Talking With Rory McConville & Ilias Kyriazis

2000 AD Regened, the all-ages 2000 AD is back with four Progs in 2020, all kicking off with Prog 2170 – which is out now!

A 48-page spectacular featuring old and new favourites, 2000 AD Regened kicks off with Cadet Dredd. So far, he’s come up against Velociraptors and Grudzilla and laid down the law both times. Now, it’s the turn of Rory McConville and artist Ilias Kyriazis to bring the younger Earthlets their Cadet Dredd Thrill-Power!

We talked to the creators behind the boyhood adventures of the legend…

(Prog 2170 – cover by Mark Sexton)

You’re the latest team to take on the adventures of Joe Dredd when he was just a wee cadet. This time, it’s Cadet Dredd: School Trip

Rory McConville: Yes, it’s Dredd and several other cadets on a trip to a Tek Div facility to learn more about the other branches of Justice Department. As often happens in Mega-City One, things start going awry fairly quickly.

In the past couple of tales in Regened 2018 and 2019, we’ve seen a character that’s lighter than before but still has recognizable elements of what makes the boy turn into the legend, that same determination and zealous rule-following and love of the law. Is that the way you see the character?

RM: Yeah, I think that’s a good summation. There’s still that unwavering belief in the law, arguably it’s even stronger at this age, but his authority is somewhat tempered by the fact that he’s still a cadet.

Part of the fun of writing Cadet Dredd comes from exploring the subtle differences between the two versions of the man.

Rory, you’ve already had experience writing Dredd as the old guy, how does the writing change with the idea of Cadet Dredd and the all-ages target audience?

RM: I don’t think it changes a whole lot. The goal of telling a compelling story remains the same. There’s certain practical changes around what you can cover but the Dreddverse is incredibly elastic so you can always find a corner that will fit the confines of an all-ages story.

I think Cadet Dredd being a young person who’s so fanatically obsessed with the law makes him a much funnier character in some ways.

What is it about Dredd that works to attract the younger readers?

RM: I think the chaos and the craziness of the world are a big part of it.

In terms of the artistic design, how did you go about creating this new look for an iconic character?

Ilias Kyriazis: I’m not the one responsible for it but let me say how much I love in the cadet helmets the line around the edge. Judges have red and black on their headgear, cadets white and white – but instead of being a solid tone, the two whites are separated by a thin line. That looks “wrong” and “incomplete”. It instantly communicates that cadets are an early stage, they have to grow up, become Judges and “fill the areas of the helmet with the red and black”.

We’ve previously seen versions of Cadet Dredd through the Regened artwork of Neil Googe and Chris Weston, but also from some of the great artists of Dredd history, primarily the late, great Carlos Ezquera with the classic Origins tale.

(Carlos Ezquerra art from the classic Judge Dredd Origins)
(Neil Googe’s Cadet Dredd in the 2000 AD Regened 2018 Free Comic Book Day Comic)
(Chris Weston’s take on Cadet Dredd in 2000 AD Regened, Prog 2130, 2019)

All of those different Cadet Dredds have subtly different looks, how’s yours looking? And what, if any, adjustments to your style was it necessary to put in place to fit the all-ages style of Regened?

IK: I consider my style pretty friendly to younger audiences so I didn’t feel the need to radically alter it. Unless we’re talking about pre-schoolers I think kids can enjoy a variety of art styles so there’s no reason to bend over backwards trying to cater to them. Dynamic, readable cartooning is perfect for them. You just have to stay away from exploding heads and you’re golden.

We’ve had velociraptors and we’ve had Grudzilla (and poop gags), what delightfully vile villainy do we have to look forward to here?

RM: No dinosaurs this time, but we do have Dredd and a group of cadets coming into contact with an alien race called the Stronquets.

IK: Well, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say sphincter-mouth monsters so I won’t.

So far, we’ve seen Cadet Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, DR & Quinch and more in Regened so far. What classic bit of 2000 AD would you like to see given the all-ages Regened treatment?

RM: Teenage Nikolai Dante maybe? ABC Warriors could be fun as well. I think most of 2000 AD, with the right approach, could fit the all-ages treatment.

IK: I’d like me some Rogue Trooper, thank you very much!

Finally, with Regened being all about getting younger readers into comics, how about your own experiences of discovering both comics and 2000 AD?

RM: First time discovering comics would’ve been getting a few Marvel Panini UK reprints on the train to Dublin when I was about 7 or 8.

IK: My father was a big comic fan so I grew in a house full of them. At first, I was reading the franco-belgian classics, Asterix and the like, then American superheroes… but the greek translations of 2000 AD stories were the only comics that were frowned upon in our household. They were considered too “mean and violent” and that only made want to get my hands on them more. That’s what I like about the Cadet Dredd stories, they’re appropriate for kids but not sanitized.

2000 AD came a bit later, but Dredd was the undisputed entry point.

And what are your thoughts on bringing new readers into comics in general and 2000 AD in particular?

RM: I think it’s great and really important for the industry and especially for 2000AD to be reaching out to new readers and expanding. Comics needs new readers to keep it going.

All-Ages doesn’t mean for kids You’re still obliged to a compelling story — you’re just working with different parameters, which can push you in fun, interesting new directions.

IK: Obviously bringing new readers is of tremendous importance for the survival of any artform. Fortunately, it’s comics… when you’re doing it right getting a kid excited about a comic should be the easiest thing in the world.

2000 AD Prog 2170, the first Regened Prog of 2020, is on sale now from newsagents, comic book stores, and online. Future Regened Progs will be Prog 2183, Prog 2196, and Prog 2206.

And for the first episodes of Finder & Keeper and Rogue Trooper, as well as fabulous fun with Cadet Dredd, Judge Anderson, Full Tilt Boogie and more, head to the 2000 AD shop to pick up 2000 AD Prog 2130, the Regened Prog from 2019.