Comic Cuts

Well, I'm back, briefly. I hope you all enjoyed the Princess Marigold. If you haven't listened to it, give it a try when you've got youngsters around over Christmas. It runs half an hour in total and my original idea was to use flash animation, using panels from the original comic strip, to stop the little darlings from getting bored sitting still with nothing to watch but the pictures in their heads. Sadly, doing that kind of thing is beyond my abilities. If you, or anyone you know, wants to have a bash, let me know.

I'm glad I've had the opportunity to broadcast it—I would have hated to see all that hard work go to waste and while it might not be to everybody's tastes we had a hoot making it. I just wish we'd had the chance to keep up the impetus and make something a little more substantial. But now I've figured out how to make audio available on Bear Alley, I might have to sniff around and see what else I can make available.

Talking of comics appearing in other media... the day Princess Marigold started, Rebellion and 2000AD CEO and Creative Director Jason Kingsley confirmed that they have partnered up with DNA Films (28 Weeks Later, Sunshine) to put a new Judge Dredd movie into production in 2009. "We can't give away too many details at this point," says Kingsley, "but we're looking forward to working with DNA Films to bring Judge Dredd back to the big screen."

If they can get Danny Boyle aboard it should be a winner. And, for all our sakes, don't throw away the best line Dredd has like they did in the Stallone movie. To waste such a line was a tragedy and you just knew, from that moment a few minutes in, that they were making a movie that just happened to share some similarities with Judge Dredd rather than putting the real Judge Dredd up on the screen. If The Dark Knight has taught us anything its that you can have a dark, blackly humorous film with no sidekick and no love interest. Go DNA. And try not to spoil it.

I'm writing this on the eve of Christmas Eve so there's a good chance that nobody will be reading this until after Christmas when they get back to work—I know what you lot are like!—but to the few who are left, I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm away for a few days now so I'll leave you with this little gem from way back in 1945, drawn by Hugh McNeill. Happy Christmas, everyone.

(* Illustrations: top of column © Look and Learn Magazine Ltd.; Judge Dredd © Rebellion; Deed-a-Day Danny © IPC Media.)