1478 - King of New York

[Satanist]

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.

[Bolt-01]

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

[Bart Oliver]

++ ..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 ;)

[Art]

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.

[Funt Solo]

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.

[Bart Oliver]

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 ;)

[Bolt-01]

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

[Bart Oliver]

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

This just keeps on getting better ;)

[Bart Oliver]

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?

[Funt Solo]

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.

[Art]

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...

[Bart Oliver]

Exactly. That's why it'll work.

Pitch it to Tharg.

[Funt Solo]

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

[GordonR]

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

[LARF]

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!!!!!