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Very, very good prog. Dredd, Brink, Dexter, Jaegir all hugely entertaining. Do I have to put them in order? Oh, okay then, for me: Dexter> Brink> Dredd> Jaegir, then Skip Tracer quite a way behind... but even with Skip, now it's close to the end, I'm sort-of looking forward to rereading the whole lot in one go. No doubt in a couple of Meg floppies some time in 2023.

Can't complain when the quality is this high.

SBT

The thing is, 20 years ago the prog looked much the same as it does now, so I never fully understand that one. I think what they really mean is 40 years- and yes, that one winds me up.

The complaints about Sinister Dexter similarly annoy me- it's plainly the best ongoing thing Tharg has ever published.

The one whinge that's currently pushing my buttons is about Regened though. So that gets my vote here.

SBT

Nemesis, fo' sho'.

SBT

[Halo]

Wolfie Smith!

No, obviously I mean Halo

SBT

[Brosnan]

I can't stand Bond. Never have liked it, not since we were forced to watch some dreadful Roger Moore one in Assembly at school near the start of the Summer Holidays.

Not a fan of Connery in general- the bloke was a horrible arse. If forced, I quite liked a couple of the Brosnan ones- the one with the Madonna theme tune was so magnificently stupid that I couldn't help but buy it on DVD to bask in its ridiculousness later. The Daniel Craig ones have been competent films- but he is so awkwardly humourless and dry, I can see why he's become a gay icon. That said, Skyfall was a great time in the cinema and I liked it a lot. More than the one with the invisible car? No. So, Brosnan.

SBT

It's funting hot. 23° at 3am last night, and this morning I felt close to collapse on my walk to walk. I have never felt such heat.

And yet, people I know still think it's hilarious to post memes about 2022 people being 'snowflakes' because apparently 1976 was hotter. No it snecking wasn't. I was there, and it was  'nice'. This- THIS- is horrific.

And my son is 19 today, which is frankly terrifying.

And my current workplace smells of weed, thanks to the people in the flat below.

I am a grumpy funtwipe today.

SBT

[Harlem Heroes]

Harlem Heroes. Has anyone ever done a deep dive into just how ahead of its time this was?

SBT

[Chopper]

Chopper

SBT

[Kingdom]

Both series are magnificent, and among the best prog things this century. But it has to be Kingdom seeing that the competition is, as I type, only one book in.

SBT

[Brass Sun]

Brass Sun

SBT

I finally managed to watch the whole series- and yes, it is very good indeed. Those last two episodes brought the average up considerably for me. With only ten shows in the series, it did at times feel a little like they were trying to show the broad spectrum of types of story Star Trek can tell in too short a time, and as a result the series was (for me) a bit all over the place.

That said, the characters are great, the cast is warm and likeable, the scripts were mostly on point, and the visuals were top-end.

I couldn't help but see some aspects as a reaction against the criticism DISCO has suffered, with diversity being pared back being my main irritant. Did we have any gay main characters this year?

But on the whole- not bad. I'm looking forward to series two, and for many to come. It's not my favourite 'Nu Trek', as DISCO is where my heart lies, but it will do perfectly.

SBT

If you wondered what is going to happen with Sin/Dex after Bulletopia here is a quote from an interview (for the Sci-Special) with Dan Abnett:

Bulletopia ends soon (as you say, one more story after Malice in Plunderland), at which point we have big plans for the next big era. There will be reunions of all sorts... and few of them will be pleasant.

With a strip as long-running as SinDex, no matter how solid the default setting is (i.e. the short, one-off stories), I think you need to keep it fresh by re-inventing it on a regular basis, and shake things up – at least temporarily. I've done that before with 'eras' like Downlode Tales and Malone. There's always a way to re-set again.

What we have coming is a major re-invention which will be the biggest departure from the 'norm' so far, with a very different tone... yet will also capture the original spirit of the series in a distilled form. It's an exciting prospect.

https://2000ad.com/news/interview-bang-bang-shoot-shoot-dan-abnett-talks-sinister-dexter-killer-serial-for-the-2000-ad-sci-fi-special/

That sounds you hear is me ejaculating with joy and doing a very sweaty dance. I had feared that the constant whining about SiniDex (largely on the more shall we say militant thicko places on social media) had reached Tharg's ears and the strip may be closing in on an ending. Glad to hear that the staunchly European adventures of my favourite gunsharks are set to continue.

SBT

Yep, the SiniDex was the standout and it was a sliding scale all the way down to Anderson, but most were in the upper half.

Definitely the best Sci-Fi Spesh for long, long while.

SBT

[The Baddies]

The Baddies (did we ever call them that?)

SBT

[Sinister Dexter]

Sinister Dexter, which may well be my favourite prog thing ever- or at least, level-pegging with Slaine and Shako.

SBT