Si Spurrier or Michael Carroll - Writers Solhiem Cup - Tie 15

[Colin YNWA]

Team Classic vs. Team Current
Only work for Tharg to be Considered

Last tie of the last full week and it's a duzzy. Si Spurrier is one of many writers who have learnt their craft at Tharg’s feet and then gone on to make names for themselves in other Universes. Due to that this work for Tharg can be a bit hit and miss, but is never anything less than interesting. Michael Carroll crafted his place in Tharg’s army via Dredd and quickly became a very, very strong writer of the comics lead. More recently however he’s started to spread his wings a little with Dreadnoughts and Proteus Vex showing he is so much more than just a wonderful Dredd writer.

Time for you to decide your favourite as the droids square up to the tee…

Si Spurrier (always Spurrioso)  - more info

OR

Michael (sometimes Mike) Carroll - more info

Remember for this tourney you have 5 votes to distribute as you please between these two artists, whole numbers only. So you can vote 5 - 0; 4 - 1; or 3 - 2; either way depending on how much more you like one artist's work over the other.

If you can’t be doing with that just name your favourite - remember bold tags, or other ways of highlighting always appreciated - and I’ll give them 3 votes and nowt to the other droid.

Three day votes, so this one ends morning of Monday 12th July

Remember we only consider work for Tharg in these Tourneys

What the heck is all this about - well we have a thread for that

How does this voting work? Look here

I don’t understand how this works, what are the rules of the Solhiem Cup - yep got ya covered there too

Anything else just ask and I’ll make something up. Most importantly, have fun

[broodblik]

Mike 4: Si 1

For me Mike is one of the most underrated writers in the prog. He has now crated two awesome series in Proteus Vex and Dreadnoughts. The only thing that Si did that I can same was great was Lobster Random.

[abelardsnazz]

I'm going to have to call a tie on these two and give them 2 points each.

[Magnetica]

The Simping Detective is just one of the best stories ever in the Meg, probably tied for first place with a couple of Dabnett’s.

Not so keen on the rest (apart from Trifecta).

Michael Carroll is one of the best modern Dredd writers, albeit not at Wagner level.
Do love Dreadnoughts and Proteus Vex.

So a difficult one.

Hmmmm

Mike 3:2 Si

[IndigoPrime]

Spurrier has a very particular ‘knowing’ style of writing that can grate with some people. But I enjoyed Lobster Random on a recent re-read. Simping Detective had its moments, even if I hate how he marginalised DeMarco (not least given 2000 AD’s huge imbalance in terms of prominent characters who aren’t men). Numbercruncher was good, although do creator-owned slots count?

Carroll, for me, tipped the scales in a big way with the superb and chilling Dreadnoughts. Before that, I thought he was a good (and, as already noted, under-rated) Dredd scribe. His DeMarco was pretty good, moving her tale on. When you add to that the inventive Proteus Vex, I’m going to go with:

Spurrier 1 / Carroll 4

[rogue69]

Si Spurrier 3-2 Michael Carroll

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

Mike 3
Si 2

SBT

[BPP]

Si 5, Carroll 0

[The Mind of Wolfie Smith]

michael wins 3 - 2

[Funt Solo]

Carroll: Proteus Vex is really good - like a sort-of Shakara with brains (or Starblazer+). Very inventive, pulls you in, makes ya laugh. Mayflies is one of the best uses of the Rogueverse I've seen in yonks - sits up nicely next to Jaegir, doesn't rely too heavily on the now poisoned chalice of Rogue himself. I appreciate the efforts on Dredd - Every Empire Falls was hugely ambitious. However, there's a tendency to write it as a superhero strip and so we have super-villains (the hairy Russian monster-man), superheroes (the magic woman who rides giant cute dogs) and a super-Dredd that surfs dead direwolves down lava chutes. It's a bit like he accidentally inferred that Purgatory/Inferno was a good thing.

Spurrier: that tendency to wink at the reader was very popular in that era of the comic. Rob Williams used to do it more, as well. But the creations were never lacking invention or energy. Tricky - I always loved the verve, but didn't always gel with the results. Quite Marmite - I thought Bec& Kawl and Lobster Random weren't very good. London Falling and From Grace were amazing. Simping Detective was really strong, but hyper-stylized. Chiaroscuro was top notch.

Really difficult to shift this from 2:2, but I reckon that Spurrier's energy gains a point over the dog-riding superhero in the Quite Nice Actually Earth:



Spurrier 3 : 2 Carroll

[paddykafka]

Si Spurrier (4) Michael Carroll (1)

[Colin YNWA]

So the cup is won (see James Peaty : Michael Fliesher thread) and so is this a dead rubber - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DEAD RUBBER in 2000ad Forum tourneys - no the remaining ties tell us important things - like the extent to which Team Current will take this tourney. So get your votes in today and it will help craft the hyperbolic language I use next week when the tourney is over.

As for me... well this omne surprised me. When I made the draw I was certain Si Spurrier would win. After all he's one of my favourite comic writers, when on form. I love Lobster Random and Simping Detective. I felt really sorry for Mick 'Michael' Carroll whose work I really enjoy. His Dredd is pretty damned excellent, both Proteus Vex and Dreadnoughts superb. He's barely put a foot wrong in the Prog... and there's the rub. Those highs - for Mike, particularly the excellent, wonder Proteus Vex are as good as Si Spurrier's and Si Spurrier has had some duds for me. And its on that basis and with no lack of surprise that I go:

Si Spurrioso 2 : Michael 'Mike' Carroll 3

[AlexF]

As ever, I'm swayed by examples where a creator has delievered work that really soared, even if they have a greater share of duds. And that means giving big points for Chiaroscuro and that clown series of Bec and Kawl, compared to the astounding consistency of Carroll's Dredd work. I did really like Dreadnoughts, mind. But lately some of Carroll's Dredd's and def Protues Vex have a bit too much plotting going on that gets in the way of enjoying the wild ideas and fun characters. An unfair complaint, sure, but I'm making it anyway.

Spurrier 3, Carroll 2.

[broodblik]

That is exactly what I liked about Proteus Vex the plotting and the world-building. For me this and naturally The Out is some of the strongest new series to by released recently.

[maryanddavid]

Mike 3 Si 2