2000 AD Online Forum

I have literally nothing to add to this thread, I'm just going for the double. Off to Georges Meet and Eat to read the prog and meg over breakfast.

Belting prog. Not so keen on the cover and don't know how appealing it would be to a new audience.

Dredd - Makes a lot of sense, and I like the way it's developed. The art is by Cam Kennedy. That's practically a synonym for quality in my book.

The A.B.C.'s plods on nicely with stunning art from Flint and clunky dialogue.

Ten Seconders explains the title and has settled down well. Aparantly the art is nice in next weeks episode.

Bec and Kawl - The best episode yet, finally living up to it's potential and kicking into a higher gear than previous runs. Brilliant.

Rogue - S'okay. No more no less.

Good if not spectacular prog.

SPOILERS>>>

Felt the Dredd was a bit of a let down. We all had sister/wife/love child/clone/time traveller theories and ended up with something else. Something duller. The top sky surf ability has yet to be explained, so I hope there is more to come rather than a simple wannabe nutter. Merci looks 3 foot tall in some panels so maybe she is a shapeshifter from another dimention.

The ABC warriors are mirroring the crappy events in Shimura over in the Meg with all guns no grip.

10 Seconders OK with the thinking behind the name revealed. See Blackadder 4!

Rogue setting up for 'The Hit' part 2 - don't go there.

Decent prog most of the round.

I presume the Juanita aside in ABCs is a throwback to a plot I heard about in an ABC novel.  It stands out like a sore thumb - and I'm wary of mixing up the media in this way.  I wouldn't expect to go and see a movie which had scenes that only make sense to people who have chosen to consume related media.

Yep, Juanita and Joe got it on it the first Black Flane novel, co-written by The Man Called Pat Mills, and it's actually a decent read. Made me laugh a lot, particularly The Crying Game sequence.

Poor Gordon can't win, can he?

If the new prog had revealed that "Mercey" really was Chopper's daughter/sister/whatever, he'd be getting it in the neck from people about making the strip too "soap opera" or "unbelievable". Instead we get a nice little bait & switch that intrigues readers then offers a satisfying, interesting explanation that plays on 2K history for maximum effect. Good stuff.

Yeah, I liked the Red Herring of last weeks "shocking conclusion".

Still enjoying the Ten Seconders, not too sure where Harris got the train/truck(?) from.

It did have the best line "Have you met my mate Harris?  He's Welsh."

I quite enjoyed the Dredd, although I thought Kennedy's art was rushed in many places. He draws better than I can, though.

The ABC Warriors is still leaving me cold.

Bec and Kawl is the best it's ever been. Good fun. I laughed.

Rogue Trooper is better than last week, but still not exactly thrilling me.

Finally, the Ten Seconders is the best thing in the prog, despite its lack of a hyphen in the title.

It should have a hyphen!

Nice cover, too.

- Trout

Dredd - Stupendous. You really want to stick up for Merci and give Dredd the what for. Best in prog this week. - 5

ABC - Agree with Fish Lips, it's lacking something but I can't put my finger on it, maybe it's the fact that all the ABC Warriors are dropping like flies and the characterisation is poor. There's no warmth... - still Flint gives it a 3

Rogue - Not bad, unsure about the artwork, slow story at the moment, and does anyone else think Rogue looks too pumped up?... - 2

Ten-Seconders - Genius!!! I love this strip, it's creepy, twisty, different and has all the best lines... - 5

Fec and All - Can I have my 35p back please (?1.75 / 5 = 35p). This is shite, boring, unfunny and pointless. I mean just look at the strip for starters all the panels are the same size and the artwork's never really floated my boat, it's mundane and tries to be funny on so many levels, but fails like that clown in this weeks episode - although he does get a laugh st the end and I think that I did smile once but that may have just been a large warm fart I let off and scared the dog. Is it trying to be some kind of Buffy parody this story? - because it's just lame... - 0

Sorry chaps but it doesn't work for me.

I don't think it's specifically parodying Buffy, it's just being itself now. I think this is the best the strip has ever been, you think it's shite. Horses for course I think.

Bec & Kawl's really surprised me.  After the traffic cones (which I had an intense and probably irrational hatred for) I just assumed that this new series would be crapola gorgonzola, and had taken to referring to it as Boke & Krawl.

BUT - this series is great, and has completely upset my expectation apple-cart (big up to the KLF!).  Put it this way - I want to know what happens next week and I'm upset because I'm scared that the nice woman with the pink gloop floating over her head is going to be some kind of demon and her and Kawl won't live happily ever after.

ABCs?  I don't care.  They might live, they might die, they might get resurrected.  It's all happened before and just can't help but be a bit stale for that.

Rogue Trooper?  Will he do as the mad scientist suggests?  Who cares?  It might be an entertaining gung ho gun-fest, but it's hardly a mystery plot.

Press play, Tonto:

They?re justified and they?re ancient
And they like to roam the land
They?re justified and they?re ancient
I hope you understand
They don?t want to upset the apple cart
And they don?t want to cause any harm
But if you don?t like what they?re going to do
You better not stop them cause they?re coming through

Tammy Wynette IS the first lady of country music.

I'm with Hamstor on the Dredd issue - A refreshing change from the tired, old 'clone/sister/relation' angle. Just because she's not related, doesn't mean her bad sky-boarding skills are any less plausible.

Every thing Larf says twice

Huff

Just noticed that there's a New York skyline panorama on the cover and you can barely see it. That loses points that does.

Covers ok I suppose. Nowt special.

Dredds a great read and I really enjoyed the red herring. Big thumbs up to Mr Rennie as no one saw that coming. Art does look rushed but come on, its Cam Kennedy.

ABC Warriors is moving along nicely. The art this week seriously reminds me of Kev O'neil, especially Juanita. Still nice though.

10 Seconders is rushing towards a conclusion next week. Super teenager anyone, TBC.

B & K looks quite nice. I actually laughed out loud this week, nothing to do with what I was reading but because Villarreal had just equalised. Chortle.

Rogue Troopers art is great in places, odd in others.  The tales ok but as a character he really is well passed it.

All in all not the greatest of progs for me.

Wasn't going to comment, but I'm really enjoying Rogue. It has an old-school vibe to it that I like and the art is top notch.

There are aspects of the plot that have a remerkable similarity to the Black Flame novel 'blood relative', but they don't detract that much.

It is a shame that rogue is finding it so hard to have new tales crafted for him, as the canvas is still large enough for a good few pictures to be painted.

Bolt-01

++ ..as the canvas is still large enough for a good few pictures to be painted. ++


How about this for a pitch?

I've theorized about the Quartz Zone Massacre and Milli-Com's 'hidden agenda' in threads before (still here it is again, more or less).

Backstory;

Milli-Com's military intel had been aware of a high-ranking officer passing information to the Norts for some time.

They had their suspicions about the Traitor General but they still couldn't be sure- not until he attempted to pervert the Souther war effort once more.

It just so happened that this time it was the Quartz Zone drop.

The leak confirmed the General's status as traitor but they allowed the drop to take place because a) by allowing the Traitor General to continue to operate (unbeknownst to him) they could eventually isolate him as a threat and use him to feed the Norts false intelligence.

And b) while an entire regiment of GIs could quite possibly take the planet in a matter of months certain members of Milli-Com's top brass had a vested interest in prolonging the battle for Nu Earth because they also owned shares in off-world arms manufacturers suppling the Souther (and Nortland?) forces. Think United States politicians and US foreign policy during Korea, Vietnam, central America etc.

A swift conclusion to the war in that system would mean a down turn in profits- a prospect not in everybody's interest.

So business booms while the conflict continues..


Rogue's story (lunch-hour daydream);

During Rogue's search for the TG he discovers a secret Souther weapons research / development facility buried deep in the ruins of one of Nu Earth's many war-torn conurbations.

An EMP device of some type is triggered (one of the facility's first lines of defense) as Rogue tries to gain entry, which temporarily knocks out his bio-chipped equipment for the duration.

Cue various scraps and tussles with the facility's guards until he comes face to face with the (typically, unhinged megalomaniac) commander who proceeds to explain the *real* reason for the Quartz Zone Massacre.

Cue climatic fight-to-the-death.

Finally Rogue manages to undo the damage (a re-boot?) caused to Helm, Gunner and Bagman and strolls off into Nu Earth's black hole (sun)set. Again.


The loop hole;

So how (or?) does Rogue loose all recollection of Milli-Com's 'hidden agenda' by the end?


That's it I've got work to do ;)

You've got it backwards - Rogue is knocked out of action somehow, and Helm, Bagman and Gunnar have to investigate the souther base on their own (via a robotic shopping trolley and some hacking). They discover the truth, along with a way to restore Rogue, but get zapped by an EMP blast and lose all memory of it.

And instead of a shopping trolley (the world isn't ready for that yet!) you make it some third party:  Helm, Bagman and Gunnar think Rogue is dead so they've teamed up with another GI - possibly Major Magnam.

Much better. (That's why you're the scriptwriter Art.)

LF's suggestion is more plauseable though-

++ And instead of a shopping trolley (the world isn't ready for that yet!) you make it some third party ... possibly Major Magnam. ++

Or a luckless green recruit who buys it at the end.. again.

I think we're onto something ;)

Actually, if you set this towards the end of Fort Neuro, you could use one of the the robo's from that story.

Top idea. Just the sort of thing that DXB's idea of a rogue site would have been good for. Though the '86'ers is coming now...

Bolt-01

To use a robo runner would tie in nicely with the EMP event.

This just keeps on getting better ;)

Rogue is suspended comatose, in some kind of stasis field that can only be knocked out by an EMP, perhaps the bio-chips (plus robo runner) actually trigger it intentionally even though they know it's to their detriment?

The place they infiltrate could be the cut-off central command bunker of Fort Neuro - with souther generals that have gone their own variety of nutso.

Readers voice: hang on a sec, if the stupid chips know the EMP will wipe important information from their memory why don't they, I don't know, write themselves a note or something?

Actually that kind of shit happens all the time in GFD stories...

Exactly. That's why it'll work.

Pitch it to Tharg.

Robo-Runner: "No, Buttplug, I really don't think we should all abandon Rogue - you stay here!"

No, no.  I like the sound of this shopping trolley idea.  It trundles the strip in a whole new direction.

Hey - you can imagine the tension - Rogue's under fire and pinned down. The only way across to cover is to push the trolley through heavy fire. Only then does he realise he hasn't got a pound coin!!!!!

...and it's got a dodgy wheel...

Can said wobbly-wheeled computerised supermarket trolley also be Possessed by the Raging Soul Of The Entire Dying Planet?  Or is that just silly?

Oh, and it should definitely have one of those crap kiddy's "car" trolleys on the front.

Goes without saying that Rogue found it deserted in a Nu-Earth canal, full of empty cans of Special Brew and used johnnies.

"Can said wobbly-wheeled computerised supermarket trolley also be Possessed by the Raging Soul Of The Entire Dying Planet? Or is that just silly?"

You're straying too far from the canon there, Simon.  And ripping the piss out of a different story entirely.

Of course, the biochip in the shopping trolley needs a convenient GFD-type name.

I'm suggesting 'Tesco'.

Too subtle. Meshy? Wheely?

Using the GFD classic method, I reckon "Trolley".

Rogue: "Old ladies, causing a jam in the tinned fruit isle - there's no way through!

Bagman: "Dispensing micro-mines!"

"Trollee", shurely? Or perhaps, for that proper sci-fi, robotic feel, "Trol-E"?

or even Trol-3? There could be a more lightweight manual and less armoured version called a Basq-8 which enables you to get there quicker but can only carry so much... 10 frags or less?

Well, obviously in the future shopping trolly technology has advanced, and instead of having wobbly wheels they glide smoothly about a foot off the ground.

Obviously it's something that works better in the gleaming high-tech corridors of the Souther stronghold rather than on the rugged terrain of a nu-earth battlefield...

Plus it would have biometrics, so pound coins wouldn't be needed.

Thats where the chip goes in instead, eh, Krust? I shee.

extremely funny stuff. I am glad I wasn't around to spoil it.

Are we seeing the first Renni/Spurior coolaberation here? Well Si comes up with an idea and Gren shoots it dowwen in flames, type of collaberation, anyway.

:)

I don't know who that is on the front cover with Hero. I suspect its the scientist or  er not. See. I am confused.

Baggette, Helmans and Gunthers, to me!