2000 AD has another crack at the US market, this time with the might of DC backing it up. The prospects look as good as they could be (i.e. adequate) but it’s interesting that the interview barely mentions the one key difference between 2000 material and American comics – pacing.
It used to be the case that 2000 AD stories read differently to American mainstream comics largely because of the need to provide a cliffhanger every five or six pages – it made the stories seem much busier and more frantic. That, though, was at a time when an individual issue of a US comic might be expected to significantly advance that comic’s plot. Things have since changed for mainstream American comics. With the current influence of manga storytelling, the fad for naturalistic dialogue (never one of 2000 AD’s strengths, let’s face it) and the focus on the trade paperback market, the gap in pacing between a current US comic and an old 2000 AD story is huger than ever. My hunch is that even with DC backup these stories will again struggle to reach an audience.