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Spoilers => Prog => Topic started by: Batman's Superior Cousin on 09 March, 2018, 07:44:28 PM

Title: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Batman's Superior Cousin on 09 March, 2018, 07:44:28 PM
A rare treat for me today!!!

Cover - A picture of Joe Pineapples looking suitably badass

Judge Dredd - Ends rather well actually, but left me wondering what [spoiler]Judge Lola meant by "mystery to solve"[/spoiler]?

Bad Company - A WTF? ending for me, what with Kano [spoiler]killing the General and retrieving evidence of the conspiracy, but choosing not to reveal it to anyone else just yet[/spoiler]. It just doesn't make sense. Also, did [spoiler]the corpse actually speak to Kano or was it all in his head[/spoiler]?

ABC Warriors - Terrible ending, what with [spoiler]Blackblood still being alive despite the Marsokhods defeat,  and with Volkhan running away like a little sissy[/spoiler]. I also liked the dialogue between Blackblood and Deadlock.

Future Shocks - Nice enjoyable little tale by Laura Bailey, last year's Thought Bubble pitchfest competition winner, with art by art-comp winner Paul Williams

Brass Sun - Stand-out winner for me this week, with Wren [spoiler]now off to join up with the Resistance on Hind-Leg, as well s the identity of this new Big Bad[/spoiler].
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Eamonn Clarke on 10 March, 2018, 09:18:23 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/ap0Gzy4.jpg)
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Bolt-01 on 10 March, 2018, 02:12:57 PM
Huge congrats to Laura & Mark.

I'd love to have heard the pitch for that!
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: A.Cow on 10 March, 2018, 02:39:12 PM
Is it me, or do the ABC Warriors and Slaine seem to get a disproportionate number of covers?  Then again, since the only thing they ever seem to do is posture, I suppose that makes sense.

Nice conclusion to the current Dredd story.

ABC Warriors finished with "The End" rather than "End of Book XXVII -- Returning soon for Book XXVIII".  Could Mr Mills be finally tiring of their repetitive exploits?

The Future Shocks worked nicely, especially the [spoiler]toy car[/spoiler] -- VERY much in the tradition of 2000 AD's macabre humour.  Ellie de Ville treats us to a rare misalignment and typo.

I must admit I haven't paid much attention to Brass Sun for a while, so I have absolutely no idea who the person at the end is. 

Really looking forward to next week's prog!
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Daveycandlish on 10 March, 2018, 03:18:38 PM
Thank Grud that batch of stories is over.
In 17 years I have never been closer to cancelling my subscription. Bad Company, ABC and Savage have been skipped over for weeks, leaving just Dredd and Brass Sun to read with any enjoyment.

Nice Future Shock this week to keep me ticking over until the new stories start next prog. HURRAH!
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Colin YNWA on 10 March, 2018, 03:32:26 PM
Well that sir is how to end a run of stories... we even get an example of how not to do it to provide contrast!

Dredd was fantastic. I wish we had more Dredd stories just like this that feel important and have impact but don't rely on battering either Dredd, Mega City One or worse both to within an inch of their lives to achieve it. This was an absolute masterclass and can't wait for the return of Lamia and Lola, though I suspect we'll have to.

You know what I'm very happy with the Bad Company ending really well done. So we don't know why they are all alive and up and running but we've seen enough and the end of this story in and of itself was very satisfying. I enjoyed this more and more the longer it went on and suspect when the nuBadCompany is read back to back it will read really well. The ending feels very open but I kinda hope we get one more round this all off. Not convinced we will and if we don't 'Maybe Kano knows that if Bad Company stopped having a purpose so would he..." and the fine page will do well enough.

In all these endings we have a very decent Future Shock with encouraging art and a gloriously dark ending... I mean you can read that ending two ways, I'm going with the VERY dark ending! Great stuff.

So Couz Millzie, veteran that he is does the noble thing and makes the sacrifice of throwing in the example of how not to do stuff to provide balance. I really enjoyed the first half of this ABC Warriors story, the second half slipped further into pitiful. I mean just smacking the problem after all that build up was plain poor and they way it was done page at a time was woeful sucking all anticipation out of the piece. Don't like to say this sort of thing but bloody rubbish and in that context the threat by Blackblood at the end felt more like a threat to the reader! If they come back I want it to be to wrap up and make all this count for something.

So the best is saved for last and by heck what a way to go Brass Sun is just glorious. It was a fantastic ending on Tall Green, though it will be a shame to leave that world so soon. But by heck that final page reveal - bugger me that was fantastic and having donme that to us they better not make us wait as long for the next part. Masterpiece.

This Great Auntie Patsy is how to make a long running story feel like its evolving and changing and matters. I know you can do this so more Savage stuff less ABC Warriors from you next time huh... anyway sorry back to the positive. Pretty much a great Prog topped by a stella classic.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Magnetica on 10 March, 2018, 08:49:20 PM
Best 2 stories:

Dredd ends intriguingly with a good set up for future stories.

Brass Sun also provides a nice set up for things to come. It feels like a quite different strip now compared the previous books.

Quote from: A.Cow on 10 March, 2018, 02:39:12 PM
I must admit I haven't paid much attention to Brass Sun for a while, so I have absolutely no idea who the person at the end is. 

Wow you really haven't been paying attention. It's [spoiler] Septimus - you know the person Wren has been hanging out with for the last few series.[/spoiler]

Future Shock..hmmm really didn't like the implication of that ending.

Now choose your review time.

ABC Warriors ends in a completely satisfying way, wrapping everything up and setting up a great new direction.

Bad Company ends in a completely satisfying way, wrapping everything up and explaining everything that is going on.

Or

ABC Warriors hits a new low. The individual battles are won far too easily, but the real confrontation with Quartz, Blackblood and Volkhan fails to materialise, nothing gets moved on and it seems the next series will just be more of the same.

Bad Company whilst actually being an enjoyable individual episode, fails to explain how come everyone is alive. I kinda think we will never know / there isn't a good explanation.


Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Steve Green on 10 March, 2018, 10:21:39 PM
Quote from: Magnetica on 10 March, 2018, 08:49:20 PM
Bad Company whilst actually being an enjoyable individual episode, fails to explain how come everyone is alive. I kinda think we will never know / there isn't a good explanation.

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pO20qU-VwgA/maxresdefault.jpg)
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Richard on 11 March, 2018, 08:00:43 PM
I assumed it was along the lines of what happened with Golgotha Joe a few weeks ago. I'm happy for Peter Milligan to hint at this rather than spoon-feeding it to us, and I think this has redeemed the series. I was quite happy with how it ended -- and there was a clear explanation for why Kano did what he did, which makes me wonder if some of the criticism aimed at the prog lately is the result of the onset of senile dementia.

An excellent Future Shock this week, just ho they should be done.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: James Stacey on 12 March, 2018, 10:06:22 AM
I was actually really happy with the payoff of Bad Company, still don't know the 'why' but there is a clear reason for it now out there somewhere. The more purpose they have the more like Bad Company they become (and look) It took a while but its finally won me over.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: IndigoPrime on 12 March, 2018, 10:35:20 AM
Cover: nice, as ever, from Langley. This version of his art is well suited to such things.

Dredd: Short, snappy, to the point, and a decent story in and of itself. Good to see another character take the lead, but without entirely sidelining Dredd. Again, Dredd's also smart enough to let a specialist get on with it when he's not in his comfort zone. My hope here is it's not years until the plot thread is followed up on.

Bad Company: The art's fab, but I'm not fussed either way if the strip returns. I prefer it to the earlier reboot stuff, but it's in danger of going seriously meta. As for Kano's reasoning regarding what he did, that was at least outlined in the episode itself. Basically, he's a selfish arsehole who needs a reason to fight, even if he just became a massive hypocrite. (Or: war fucks everyone up, repeatedly.)

ABC Warriors: Good grief. This was as by-the-numbers as it gets. And, yet, again, Mills introduces a big cast, only to have them wiped out. It reminds me of the sort of trope Mark Millar used to use in 2000 AD's dark days, and that's not a good thing. There's no tension. It feels stretched out, and like we still won't get a resolution for another dozen books. Prediction: Blackblood will survive everything. Volkhan, however, is far more disposable.

Future Shocks: Well, that was properly dark. Nice script and art. It'd be interesting to see more shorts from Bailey. A pity about the typos in the lettering, but there you go.

Brass Sun: A sense of hope, countered by a twist I honestly didn't see coming. Brass Sun's main problem remains that it feels like a graphic novel hacked up into six-page parts. But I'm happy to let that go, on the basis that we get to read it, because it's one of 2000 AD's best.

Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Dandontdare on 13 March, 2018, 07:04:55 PM
Been meaning to write a prog review for weeks, and as the current crop has come to an end, thought this would be good time - it covers recent weeks, not just this prog.

Cover =- love it - A1!

Dredd - always reliable, even when not at top form. I enjoyed the mini-series of sov stories but this Lamia sequel fell a little flat , but I'm not sure why, there was nothing especially wrong with it. I'd like to see a few more character-based stories where Dredd just tracks down and busts some honest to goodness criminals - no shadowy cabal of bent judges, no international politics, no weird psychic powers, ghosts, magic or aliens, just Dredd vs perps

ABC Warriors (and Savage, as they get ever closer to being one story). Every week I find something to enjoy in each strip, but overall they're a bit of a mess. Endless speechifying with random acts of violence interspersed, but from week to week and book to book I'm not getting much sense of a coherent narrative. I thought making Bill a post-peace serial killer was an interesting twist, but we never really delved into his characterisation or motivation, but that's okay, as he just became a simplistic volg-killer again (and those song lyrics were bloody annoying). I totally lost track of how many times Helga from 'Allo 'Allo changed sides and Bill's final sacrifice to save her seemed odd. The warriors seems to have been written by the Millsotronic2000 Random Story generator - more speechifying, multi-member teams (with catchphrases), and odds that seem insurmountable one week and then the next we find that the ABC warriors are apparently bulletproof whilst their enemies go down with one shot. My residual love for Robusters and the ABCs is sustaining me, but only just. The art on both strips is an absolute joy.

Brass Sun - this has been the highlight of the prog for some time - a lovely, long-form story. It may work better as a novel as some of the time-jumps don't always come across immediately (I thought I'd missed something with the dead child until I realised it was all 'off camera' between books). I'm pretty neutral on the art - it has a simplistic charm, and works really well for claustrophobic police thriller like Brink, but a vast space opera may have been better suited to someone else.

Future Shock - recognised this instantly from the TB pitchfest, and the small changes that have been made really help - I think in the original, she was chasing some billion dollar prize offered by the fuel companies, but this sacking & paranoia motivation works much better. This was the only pitch that got an audible gasp of shock and horror at the end, so it was a clear winner on the day.

Bad Company. In 41 years I have hardly ever skipped a story - I've suffered through Valkyries, Junker and Chronos Carnival, but this story almost broke me. I did try, but I just felt my eyes slipping across the pages as quickly as possible to get it over with. Horrible, truly horrible and I think this was pretty clear after the first ill-fated reboot run. About halfway through, I no longer cared whether all the contradictions and paradoxes were explained, I just wanted it to end. I know some people like the art, but this also left me cold - horribly lurid purples and greens - I guess he calls himself Dayglo because he's given up any pretence of subtlety, subdued hues or shading. Overall, I reckon this is the poorest strip that's been in the prog in many years, if not ever. Please don't ever bring it back Tharg.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Jim_Campbell on 13 March, 2018, 07:08:28 PM
Quote from: Dandontdare on 13 March, 2018, 07:04:55 PM
I guess he calls himself Dayglo because he's given up any pretence of subtlety, subdued hues or shading.

You know Rufus doesn't do the colouring, right?
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: IndigoPrime on 13 March, 2018, 07:18:41 PM
I like the colouring – reminds me of the Prog of old a bit. There was a real vibrancy about some strips back then. Hell, my favourite Ezquerra era is when he was doing the sort of bold stuff seen in the likes of Young Giant. And the sort of thing you got in She Devils (1988 annual, Brendan McCarthy/Tony Wright/Brett Ewins) I'd love to see more often in the Prog.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Dandontdare on 13 March, 2018, 07:55:20 PM
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 13 March, 2018, 07:08:28 PM
Quote from: Dandontdare on 13 March, 2018, 07:04:55 PM
I guess he calls himself Dayglo because he's given up any pretence of subtlety, subdued hues or shading.

You know Rufus doesn't do the colouring, right?
No, I did not. Apologies to Rufus for maligning his colour choices. The linework is fine, if not my favourite style, but the colours make my head hurt!
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: TordelBack on 13 March, 2018, 10:46:20 PM
For me,  the art (colour'n'all) on Bad Company has been the saving grace of an otherwise frustrating, repetitive story - lively,  expressive, owning every inch of the page. Rufus has more than done his duty by this strip.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: broodblik on 14 March, 2018, 06:49:44 PM
Bad Company has become one of those strips which I will not miss it if it never returns. I will read it but I am 50/50 on a return. The art for me was the saving grace.

ABC Warriors was a good read cool art but the story never felt original and was almost a rehash of previous stories. Maybe a longer brake might help here to freshen up the story-line.

I loved the Future Shock, more of this please

Brass Sun my favorite story of the current run and I will love to read it in one go from start to end when the series final rides of in the sunset
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Taryn Tailz on 14 March, 2018, 07:10:52 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 14 March, 2018, 06:49:44 PM
ABC Warriors was a good read cool art but the story never felt original...

There was a story?!?  :lol:
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: DrJomster on 14 March, 2018, 10:23:23 PM
My recent faves of Dredd and Brass Sun are joined by the Future Shock! Blimey O'Reily that Future Shock ending!

A definite Prog of two halves for me of late, but hopefully something for everyone.

Roll on next week with a great looking line up!
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Tiplodocus on 15 March, 2018, 12:27:07 PM
Actually enjoyed all of that but won't mind if ABC Warriors and Bad Company didn't return despite the superb art on BCo. I'm just not grabbed by the stories. (Oo-er)

Dredd was great, Brass Sun's time skip a few progs back got me re-engaged with the strip and the Future Shock was great and very dark despite me having to parse the final panel several times ("Oh, it's someone stood in front of a mirror").
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: JamesC on 15 March, 2018, 12:40:30 PM
Bad Company is a strange one. I think if it had been an original story about a bunch of old rogues busting out of an institution and getting into combat I may have quite enjoyed it - and it probably would have felt like it had somewhere to go.
As a Bad Company story it didn't work too well as I couldn't help thinking 'How come they're alive? What's going on? When's the twist coming?'

I really enjoyed ABCs though. I just love seeing Clint Langley drawing big robots fighting each other. Joe Pineapple's 'D-minus' was my favourite bit in the prog. I know it's all quite shallow but I really don't mind that - especially in an anthology.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Greg M. on 15 March, 2018, 06:02:05 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 15 March, 2018, 12:40:30 PM
Bad Company is a strange one. I think if it had been an original story about a bunch of old rogues busting out of an institution and getting into combat I may have quite enjoyed it - and it probably would have felt like it had somewhere to go.

I largely agree with this - if it wasn't supposed to be Bad Company, I'd have no problem with it. Even as Bad Company, it feels so detached from the real thing that I can't get as annoyed as I ought to about events involving, say, Mac. To me, none of these characters are really the same ones from the original series (and besides, I have my own headcanon for Mac post-BCII.)
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: robert_ellis on 17 March, 2018, 10:23:44 AM
...a head cannon would be quite appropriate in Bad Company. I really hope there's no more. I thought the last few issues improved. It seemed to become a Rogue Trooper parady - off to find a traitor with farty plant man. I'm sure someone will tell me it's a satire of war comics - but I'd rather 2 such great talents found a new strip.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: TordelBack on 17 March, 2018, 10:57:31 AM
Quote from: Greg M. on 15 March, 2018, 06:02:05 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 15 March, 2018, 12:40:30 PM
Bad Company is a strange one. I think if it had been an original story about a bunch of old rogues busting out of an institution and getting into combat I may have quite enjoyed it - and it probably would have felt like it had somewhere to go.

I largely agree with this - if it wasn't supposed to be Bad Company, I'd have no problem with it. Even as Bad Company, it feels so detached from the real thing that I can't get as annoyed as I ought to about events involving, say, Mac. To me, none of these characters are really the same ones from the original series (and besides, I have my own headcanon for Mac post-BCII.)

Mmmm, lots to agree with there,  gents.  What bothers me here is that none of the unexplained (and inexplicable?) inconsistencies appeared necessary or helped the story in any way. At the very end we saw why Kano maybe seemed like a different characterless  character, and it immediately felt better,  but what about half his head being blown off at the start?  What about the dead characters that did basically nothing, or served as walking fart jokes?  What about Earth itself?  It's a shame,  there was a good story in there,  brought to life by great art,  but it was drowning in distracting  nonsense and padded irrelevance.
Title: Re: Prog 2072 - Weaponmaster!
Post by: Fungus on 18 March, 2018, 09:26:51 PM
Prog really helped by a great Future Shock (guessed a possible ending, equally pleased with the actual one :-) ) and Dave Taylor Dredd. Also went through the Thrill Mails to read the Exorcist Judge's original story [Praise Be To Tharg, etc.]. Taylor's cityscapes are fantastic.

Brass Sun is not aging so well, for me it probably needs to be read right through and I don't reread stuff. As a result these long-form stories don't appeal so much anyway plus I know the ending having read it... :-\

More than ready for 2073. Especially Jaegir, which hasn't put a foot wrong yet in my opinion.