Meg 284 - Think You're Above The Law, Creeps?

Rex Banner · 27 April, 2009, 06:20:42 AM

Surprised to find this in my local thrill merchants over the weekend.

Cliff Robinson cover, always great to see a classic Lawmaster image and this doesn't disappoint. Psycho Block starts in Dredd with a strong opening episode with great art by Colin Wilson which is backed up with a nice interview with the man himself. Tales of The Black Museum by Tony Lee & Vince Locke which I thought was good. Didn't spot the end coming.

Text bits. Will read later in the week. Review of the new LOEG. More movie reviews which seems to be concentrating on less mainstream movies which is a good thing. You should be reading Dashiell Hammett.

Insurrection and Tank Girl both end this meg so I've left them 'til last. Insurrection has been great and ends well but not going to say more than that as I don't want to give anything away.

Tank Girl. I know this hasn't been to everybody's taste but I think it's been great with fatnastic art by Rufus, and any appearance by a penguin is always welcome. Sheer. Bloody. Genius. Thank you, Team Tank.

Pete Wells · 27 April, 2009, 07:07:15 AM

Yeah, a really good Meg this month.

Cover - An absolute cracker by Cliff, what's not to like about a turbo boosting Lawmaster with Dredd firing at the reader?

Dredd - Excellent. Wagners' writing on the first page is as chilling as anything I've read before! The story itself is quite reminiscent of the old Ridgeway story Alzhiemer's Block from prog 605 (thanks Barney!) though this time the Eldsters have been replaced by psychopaths. Lovely art by Wilson, I love how he's kept McBride's face in shadow throughout, reminds me of Cam Kennedy's work for some reason... I wondered if the Lippincott character was a reference to the producer of the Dredd film, or am I reading too much into it? Very enjoyable!

Black Museum - A gruesome MC-1take on the Saw films. Nice scratchy art by Vince Locke and a good script - how did you not see that ending coming a mile off though Mathew Vic?

Tanky - Ended with it's wonderful trademark (skidmark?) silliness. A fun romp from start to finish with superb, inventive visuals from our very own Rufus. I'm very much looking forward to the one offs where it can be as crackers as it likes without having to carry an ongoing story.

As a side note, I might just be being paranoid (stick me in Pschoblock 12!) but I fear that we may have lost Rufus from the board because of a few people's (honest) comments about this strip. Tell us it ain't so Rufus, this place would be a sorry place without 'cha!!! Waaaaaaaagh!

Insurrection - A treat from start to [spoiler:3g6lsjho]heartbreaking[/spoiler:3g6lsjho] finish! This certainly didn't end the way I thought it would and I'd definitely welcome more, as long as it was the same creative team... though thinking about it, could you imagine Clint Langly on this series, wow!

This has been an all time Megazine highlight, you can't say fairer than that!

Texy bits - There's a Colin Wilson interview, the film reviews, Four Colour Classics looks at fantasy comics, You Should Be Reading looks at Dashiell Hammett and of course, there's the fillums.

Finally, there's a very brave review of the new LEOG book which took a refreshingly honest look at the series. I kinda enjoyed Black Dossier but at times, found it like wading through mud. The (very positive) review suggests that, at times, the references are so obscure that some of the fun has gone out of reading the books. I'd certainly agree with that.

'Graphic Novel' - On top of all that loveliness, you also get Deadlock by Pat Mills and (ah ah ahhhhhhh (that's the sound of angels singing)) Henry Flint.

So, four really good strips, a superb 'GN' and some genuinely interesting and readable features, well worth a fiver of anyone's money. I hope I'm saying the same next month when Armitage returns...

Proudhuff · 27 April, 2009, 08:40:01 AM

Got to second all the above comments, If your swithering about the Meg this issue should keep you on board, letters page with a boarder in sight, no Buttonman letter tho'

You've got to wonder if old Logan's going to like Tales of the Black Museum?

Buttonman · 27 April, 2009, 08:56:04 AM

Sent my first letter of the year to the Meg yesterday - fingers crossed!

I enjoyed all three Dredd world strips, Tank Girl less so. Colin Wislon made an interesting interrogation subject and the rest was so-so. How did 'Outlander' get 4/5? a 2/5 for me and that's being generous!

TheEdge · 27 April, 2009, 08:57:08 AM

I was a little disappointed with the end of tank girl, it felt very rushed, up untill that ep i was enjoying it.

Loved Insurection and i'm glad it will be ongoing.

I really liked the Tales of the Black Museum, the caretaker has that cool Cryptkeeper vibe ( tales from the crypt)

James Stacey · 27 April, 2009, 09:22:23 AM

Deadlock, like oh my god! No way! eeee! Made me feel like a giddy school girl. Well what a mid thirties man thinks a giddy school girl is like. I obviously missed this as it was published just after I first gave up on tooth. Pure Old Skool thrill. Good story, beautiful art, and post Torque Temite. Why the hell hasn't there been more. I demand it now!

The Monarch · 27 April, 2009, 09:42:28 AM

deadlock should have been in the complete nemesis book III

that is all

Dark Jimbo · 27 April, 2009, 10:56:08 AM

Quote from: "The monarch"deadlock should have been in the complete nemesis book III

that is all

Agreed. I've heard several folk berate Mills for Nemesis having a 'rushed ending' - but while Nemesis and Torque's final chase was admittedly a bit abrupt, the whole of 'Deadlock' was a neat epilogue to the series and an examination of how Termight adjusted to life after Torque, to Purity's adjustment to the Presidency, to the legacy of the Terminators, etc.

Criminal that it wasn't in Nemesis book III, I think it's an important part of the saga (even if it has a rather odd ending).

IndigoPrime · 27 April, 2009, 11:34:53 AM

I suspect it wasn't in book 3 due to costs. The page count would have made that title absurdly expensive.

Funt Solo · 28 April, 2009, 04:59:50 AM

Best thing to grace the pages of the Meg in years:

(So far, it's two-nil to She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.)

Trout · 28 April, 2009, 03:08:29 PM

I loved the board game, too. It's just like Deadline, when it was fun.

Overall, I enjoyed the Meg. I haven't bothered with the text stuff yet, but all the comic content entertained.

It's interesting to see a psycho block, and the writing's as strong as ever, but I'm getting deja vu a bit. I'm thinking of the old folks' home with Miss Marple in it, and the mutant camp in the Cursed Earth, each with their inmates vulnerable to criminal management. It's early days, but I hope JW's got something exciting lined up.

Insurrection's one of the best strips ever to appear in the Meg. More Colin McNeil now, please!

- Trout

Funt Solo · 28 April, 2009, 07:19:17 PM

Man, the Meg's been great recently - it's a real treat to get all of a sudden, whereas for a while there it had seemed a chore.

Insurrection was the first strip in a long time (in either the prog or the Meg) where I've skipped straight to it, because I needed to know what happened next. I was expecting for them either to fail and die tragically, or somehow pull out an ace at the last minute and succeed: [spoiler:3ajvouzg]I wasn't expecting both[/spoiler:3ajvouzg]. Fantastic story, and I beg for a sequel, with the same creative team.

Even though I've played the Tank Girl board game, I haven't actually read the story yet, because it's become my "must be savoured" thrill, which I force myself not to read for a few days, in order for my Meg to last longer. It's fantastic, nostalgiac, trippy, mental and funny - and very much a throwback to it's own time, that somehow still works. I mean - re-runs of the A-Team feel very much of their time and of my childhood and it's incumbent mental state. In other words: I don't want to watch the A-Team now. But Tank Girl's nostalgia works. If you haven't already, I heartily recommend a read of Visions of Booga (//http://www.amazon.com/Tank-Girl-Alan-C-Martin/dp/1600102808) - it's got a halftrack in it! (There are too few of those in comics today.) Huge kudos to the creative team for this one - and please, please, please - can we have some more?

The psycho block story had me creeped out and compelled by the end of it, after a cautious start.

I hope that the new line up can keep up with what's been the strongest one in years. *crossed fingers*

Richmond Clements · 05 May, 2009, 08:54:17 AM

Quote. I was expecting for them either to fail and die tragically, or somehow pull out an ace at the last minute and succeed:[spoiler:3mj460mv]I wasn't expecting both.[/spoiler:3mj460mv]

Yup! Brilliant ending- and I love the way the final page dovetails nicely with the very first one in episode one.
This strip was an utter triumph- and I suspect Colin will be being asked for giant armoured gorilla sketches for some time in the future.

mygrimmbrother · 22 May, 2009, 11:50:50 PM

Why would anyone be wavering about their commitment to the meg? Insurrection was peerless, and we're spoilt rotten with a longer-than-6-pages-Dredd. Tank Girl, whilst looking lovely, was a bit throwaway, but as long as we get the first two (or equivalent), I'm a happy camper.