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prog 2182: So long and geek out

Started by The Monarch, 18 May, 2020, 05:52:43 PM

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MumboJimbo

My thoughts on the prog:

Very much enjoyed the whole Chimsky's Law tale although agreed with what has already been said about the helmet debacle. Given the choice between enforcing the law and keeping on his helmet, Dredd would unhesitatingly choose the law.

I've enjoyed this Survival Geeks much more than previous, in particular the stunning art. I was unsure at the end, though how they were now able to return to their home dimension. I thought they were lost and couldn't get back? This is probably something I've missed or misunderstood though.

I'm pumped to see The Order back, although Tharg could do with a synopsis like he did with Indigo Prime a while back. I love Kek W's work but one thing he never does is try for any "this is where we are currently in the story" exposition: if you don't consult the back progs it won't make any sense. This is true of Deadworld and Indigo Prime too. Dan Abnett has similarly complex stories but still manages to give new readers an entry point, so it can be done.

The future shock was decent, referencing current phone technologies but still with an old-school Future Shock flavour to it.

Hershey - the end seemed a little rushed. However I tend to feel that way about a good 80% of 2000 AD stories, so that may just be me. I like long endings like the Return of the King movie! I loved the throw back to the Judge Child story where Dredd meets Hershey for the first time - I only read that recently so the scene was still fresh in my head.

Exciting that in two weeks' time we have 3 new stories starting and I don't think there's been any mention of what they are now that the Diamond Solicits previews have stopped.

Colin YNWA

#16
Rebellion have put of the solicitations. I'll spoiler tag them incase you want it to stay a surprise. Mind one of them I don't think we know anything about so that one will be.

[spoiler]Incredible SF action from the Eisner-nominated UK anthology! A brand-new line-up of stories start in Prog 2184, the ideal point to jump onboard – the apocalypse is approaching and Judge Dredd is offered aid from an unexpected quarter in "End of Days";

teenage bounty hunter Tee and her gran are back in the deep-space adventure "Full Tilt Boogie";

the shadow-agents are hunting down members of The Order in "Land of the Free";

the oddball cop caper "Nakka of the S.T.A.R.S";

Celtic warrior Slaine returns for the first book of the "Dragontamer" saga, "The Web of Weird"![/quote][/spoiler]

Colin YNWA

Arh sorry messed up my spoiler tag there and 'Modify' gone too soon - have reported it...

DrRocka

Forgive me, Mighty One. Last night was spent drinking heavily with a fellow ne'er do well.
I just wasn't that keen on this week's prog.
It has been a MASSIVE beacon of hope in these testing times for me. I genuinely look forward to it every Tuesday around midnight. Thanks for continuing to produce it.
I have been having a Back Prog Marathon, and spent some time yesterday reading through the Space Girls/BLAIR1 era.
I would like the jury to consider this before condemning me, m'lud.
Never ever bloody anything ever

Jim_Campbell

Blimey. Those Rigellian Hotshots are effective!
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

MumboJimbo

Quote from: DrRocka on 20 May, 2020, 11:37:39 AM
Forgive me, Mighty One. Last night was spent drinking heavily with a fellow ne'er do well.
I just wasn't that keen on this week's prog.
It has been a MASSIVE beacon of hope in these testing times for me. I genuinely look forward to it every Tuesday around midnight. Thanks for continuing to produce it.
I have been having a Back Prog Marathon, and spent some time yesterday reading through the Space Girls/BLAIR1 era.
I would like the jury to consider this before condemning me, m'lud.

Hey Rocka, it's fine to have whatever opinion you have on the prog, good or bad, I think. We all take in things differently. I'm sure Tharg and his droids are old and ugly enough to take criticism! Not that they're reading this anyway!

Colin YNWA

Quote from: MumboJimbo on 20 May, 2020, 11:57:26 AM
... I'm sure Tharg and his droids are old and ugly enough to take criticism! Not that they're reading this anyway!

Well you better hope they are. Ugly indeed Leigh - comics most beautiful man - Gallagher  will not be pleased!

MumboJimbo

Ah, but Leigh Gallagher was not involved with this prog - unless he's secretly Kenneth Niemand  ;)

MumboJimbo

Btw, thanks for the info Colin about what comes next! I've been a regular reader for nearly 2 years now and finally Slaine returns! Although he did have one-off in a special prog recently I think. I read the Ultimate Collection Book of Invasions Book 2 recently and loved it. "Will there be any wet business, sir?"  :lol:

davidbishop

Quote from: DrRocka on 20 May, 2020, 11:37:39 AM
Forgive me, Mighty One. Last night was spent drinking heavily with a fellow ne'er do well.
I just wasn't that keen on this week's prog.
It has been a MASSIVE beacon of hope in these testing times for me. I genuinely look forward to it every Tuesday around midnight. Thanks for continuing to produce it.
I have been having a Back Prog Marathon, and spent some time yesterday reading through the Space Girls/BLAIR1 era.
I would like the jury to consider this before condemning me, m'lud.

Having been responsible for co-creating Space Girls, I offer heartfelt apologies for that mis-step. FWIW, the strip only ran five episodes and 30 pages, so the error was short-lived. If nothing else, it certainly got a reaction...


MumboJimbo

By the way, has anybody noticed the little Easter egg in the prog during the lockdown - Damage Report - Journal of the Plague Years? If you haven't yet, I won't spoil the fun...

TordelBack

Awesome reference-packed cover, and a satisfying if slightly downbeat Survival Geeks finale. Seems sort of odd that Girl Rufus stayed dead (or a replacement wasn't co-opted), leaving them a Cosmic Trio after all the Quartets that we've seen.  And did I miss what happened to the ladies' robo-Howard-equivalent?

I've enjoyed SG greatly since about the third story, it's consistently given Googe magnificent things to draw magnificently and has never once been less than fun, and I'm sorry to see it go. Get Googe on something else immediately please, Tharg

As to Dredd, oh it does seem a pity that (in my opinion) Niemand made his first Dredd mischaracterisation in any kind in a good end to such a great story. As others have said, Dredd would take his helmet off in a heartbeat, any neurosis rests entirely with the readers: as a solution the sticky goop could have meant he was unable to get his hands free having done so, and we'd have the same result but with some traditional face-hiding sleight of hand from PJ and a mis-calculation from Chimpsky, evening out his 'victory' over Dredd. But look, this was an uplifting an enjoyable story with characters I look forward to seeing again, and absolutely terrific art throughout.

The Future Shock was nothing earth-shatteringly new but it was very neatly told across 4 pages and quite exquisitely drawn, and I very much liked the little kicker on the end.  Nice, high expectations now for Johnson and Henley.

The Order is always welcome in my prog, and this looks sumptuously insane, or insanely sumptuous, who knows. I consider myself a big fab, but even I've lost track of which Ritterstahl is which and where!  Re-read time!  There is one clunker of a line though, "your sister... MARIE ANTOINETTE" is up there with Pratchett's ironic "As you know, your father, the King of Lancre...". Still, any strip with Revolutionary Republic dive-bombers attacking the Holy Roman Empire gets all sorts of free passes from me.

I'd look away now, true believers: the end of this 'Book' (groan) of Hershey was the worst kind of nonsense ("For you see, oh villain we don't really know anything about, I too secretly have Magic Enceladus Powers, and my Magic Enceladus Powers are bigger and bluer than yours, zzzzaaapppp"), all drawn in the most beautiful way. Even The Twist was only good in as far as it rescued a beloved character from a pointless off-screen death, not that it did anything interesting with him.  If D. Bishop is up for it I would genuinely prefer another series of Space Girls to more of this, as long as Fraser got to draw it. Utterly gorgeous, but irredeemably awful.

4/5, I'll take it.

broodblik

First things first, thank you Tharg for another prog

I see there is some mix feelings about this week's prog especially certain stories, but I really enjoyed the current run of stories.

Dredd – I am glad that Chimpsky did not bite the bullet and we will see his return (hopefully for more fun). This story was a great combination of art and storytelling.

The Order – This story is the reason why I love 2000AD. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but then again what is wrong with coffee? I always liked the fact that AD is prepared to publish stories to is not your normal run-of-the-mill type like The Order. I cannot wait for the story to kick-off in 2 weeks' time.

TFC – I enjoyed the story. It almost was becoming predictable but then that last panel just delivered the kick. That is the thing about these stories only one panel can make the story.

Hersey – I enjoyed this series. I am glad that we will see some more. There are two things for me out of this series and the first is that it looks like Hersey will wrap-up Smileys shenanigans and when did we really get a Hersey series other than just a bystander in the Dredd stories. The real highlight for me was the return of Simon Fraser to AD and getting some more art from him is a bonus.

Survival Geeks – The story comes to a satisfactory conclusion. Throughout this series we where treated by some great art from Googe.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Funt Solo

Quote from: davidbishop on 20 May, 2020, 01:34:32 PM
Having been responsible for co-creating Space Girls, I offer heartfelt apologies for that mis-step. FWIW, the strip only ran five episodes and 30 pages, so the error was short-lived. If nothing else, it certainly got a reaction...

For context, that's 0.23% of the progs and 0.04% of the pages.
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

The Monarch

I feel like a bit of a clint now rocka i am so sorry  :o