Thrill-Power Countdown interlude: Here come the Yearbooks

The 2000ad and Judge Dredd Yearbooks don't get a rating this month - they would all be down in the basement of the rankings if they were - but it's worth mentioning there were a few odd gems in the four years they were produced.

So you get some Cam Kennedy Dredd and some Glen Fabry Slaine. Some Rogue Trooper goodness by the Indigo Prime team of Smith and Weston; and some black-and-white Durham Red by Grant and Ezquerra; a Judge Joyce story by Ennis and Dillon just as they were starting to really kick arse on Hellblazer.  

There is also far, far too muany Mark Millar stories, when the writer reallywas at his most obnoxiously provocative, and great artists like Steve Yeowell are wasted on nothing stories.

The soft covers mean the actual package feels flimsier and lighter, and that sense fills much of these efforts, although there are some excellent reprint choices that look spectacular on the glossy, large-size paper.

But it's no surprise the Yearbooks never caught on - they only lasted four years, and were later replaced by the end-of-year giant prog, a formula that has remained successful for more than 20 years now. The Yearbooks were nothing special, even with those odd gems, and certainly not as special as the annuals.