Lovely cover by Cliff Robinson with colours by Dylan Teague.
There's a Droid Life cartoon.
Dredd has an excellent opening episode. Judge Randy is the new man in town and the top job is up for grabs. Looks like a bit of a shake-up might be coming to the strip but I could be wrong.
Brink has actually grown on me and the last few episodes have been pretty interesting. This week is actually quite spectacular.
Skip Tracer. I always read the whole Prog, even the stories I'm not keen on, hence Brink growing on me. The difference with Skip Tracer is that we are now in a third series and it still does nothing for me. I will persevere.
Tharg's 3hrillers - Keeper of Secrets. Very interesting first episode featuring horror and Cockneys'. Seems like a bit of a Clive Barker vibe going on here, in the art and writing, though I'm not sure that's actually the intention. Two of Clive's short stories sprang to mind - The Midnight Meat Train and one I can't remember the name of which featured the discovery of a burial site in London. Anyway, This is a good opener.
Fiends of the Eastern Front. An action heavy episode to finish the current series. Look forward to it's return.
There's a letters page.
Cheers
There is a wonderful surprise in trade for older members of this forum. Hats off to Wagner for being so wonderful!
Quote from: Pete Wells on 19 January, 2019, 12:01:41 PM
There is a wonderful surprise in trade for older members of this forum. Hats off to Wagner for being so wonderful!
Yeah, that's an amazing little nod. Even if the top job doesn't go that way eventually, it's lovely to see Dredd in favour of the possibility, and it feels very much like Wagner's own feelings coming through in Dredd and Hershey's summaries.
I'm very excited about where this Dredd story is going, not only because of the robots but also the other thing.
A very promising 3riller, maybe because even if there wasn't going to be two more episodes the first episode would work perfectly well as a one-off Terror Tale. I think the 3rillers work best when they're told in distinct chapters like this, because then it feels like there's a reason for three episodes, instead of like one episode stretched into three.
Brink and Droid Life good as always. Fiends was okay, but overshadowed by Brink and Dredd. I think I've had enough of Skip Tracer now.
(https://i.imgur.com/jMUJZKQ.jpg)
Good Prog!
Makes all the difference having a strong Dredd story. Wagner's at the helm and things are happening - great cover too!
As usual Brink is brilliant, Skip Tracer is not and Fiends is fun.
Liking the Thriller, good art and an old school horror/thriller vibe to it.
(https://i.imgur.com/AtHnzMZ.jpg)
An image that does the artwork better justice.
Well its very easy to get distracted by all this talk of Brink and Lawless and how they create a world of immersive wonder and delight the likes of which we're not seen for many a year... and we're right...
except....
...except then a certain Mr Wagner (J) rattles up, ably assisted by a one Mr MacNeil (C) just walks casually into the room, gives us all a knowing look, one that on the surface is casual and dismissive, but underneath has a cold clinical menace. He then drops a simply exquisite opening episode of Dredd like that. Two pages he draws the impact from Small House effortless into his world (making slight of those that assume he pays no heed of what others do in Dredd's world) its an absolute masterclass from both writer and artist. MacNeil's dark brooding art perfectly capturing the tension between these two titans.
Then the switch to an action piece that simmers with tension and undercurrent. The high octane surface all exciting flash and action yet some how these two manage to weave an hidden sense that something is wrong, very wrong. Just wonderful.
SO then we have the rest of the Prog that struggles to keep ...
...except we have another masterclass in Brink itself. The tension from last episode doesn't so much burst but ooze into physical form as shots are fired and visions errupt... its just as creepy as all hell and almost on a parr with the masterclass above....
SO then the rest of the Prog struggle to keep...
Except...
...oh well except nothing really. I mean that's hardly a surprise given how good those two are and Fiends ends with a whambang that is quite brilliantly good fun and Skip Tracer tries to remind us what made last time so much fun AND the 3riller layers on the mystery all be it a little too thickly and doesn't yet give us enough to actually get our teeth into but its an okay start... and did anyone else think there was hints of John Ridgway about Steve Austin's art at times?
Anyway nowt is bad but when your standing on the shoulders of giants like the above... errr sometimes you don't get noticed cos of ... well like the giant... I mean I stir at the giant right... not the regular folk on the shoulders... I'm escaping this terrible extended metaphor now and just to so its a great Prog but only cos to strips are SOOOO good ...
... oh and The Beast has something good to eat...
So that's a "Eraser-crumb flicker" droid in Droid Life. Which is not what I thought I read the first time.
Machine Law starts promisingly. Brink remains excellent. I thought Bridget was off Nudge? Or am I misremembering the first series. The 3riller starts with a bang. Maybe the highlight of the prog? I like the direction Edginton is taking Fiends and am looking forward to the next series.
A good prog.
Dredd - effortlessly brilliant. There's just so much in those first two pages. And Brink's not too far behind.
Those 2 are worth the price of admission alone.
Quotemaking slight of those that assume he pays no heed of what others do in Dredd's world
Frankly, there's no real way this can be avoided now, unless Wagner is writing one-offs that don't play into continuity at all. It's one thing if you're the effective show runner; it's another entirely if you've decided to take a step back and just go for the equivalent of guest appearances in a strip, leaving others to dictate its future direction.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 19 January, 2019, 09:48:08 PM
Two pages he draws the impact from Small House effortless into his world (making slight of those that assume he pays no heed of what others do in Dredd's world) [...]
I felt it was ambiguous -- after all, the last time Dredd spoke with Hersey in a Wagner-penned story was
Harvey (prog 2029), when they had a major falling-out about her authorising robot judges. Coincidence? Possibly not.
Whichever way you take it (and as a critic of The Small House) it's good to see it being fairly seamless - Hershey taking the current Council out of the running works with regards SH as well.
As others have already commented, the CJ in waiting is a lovely nod from Wagner
Even though Wagner has no official veto or control overt other stories, if he writes a change of chief judge, then (to paraphrase someone) who the hell's going to mess with that?
In the absence of Carlos, Wagner & MacNeil on Dredd is just about perfection. Great first episode, hope this doesn't end too quickly.
Brink - still awesome, 'nuff said. I think it was mentioned when she started the undercover job that she'd have to start consuming nudge again as she had no choice working in that job.
Skip Tracer - nah, it's competent enough but there are no ideas or characters that I feel I haven't seen a hundred times before.
Good opening to the 3hriller - remains to be seen whether this will have any interesting twists or be just another generic paranormal investigator story.
Fiends is okay, but I feel that the core concept of the Fiends franchise has been bent towards including Black Max, a character I have no knowledge of nostalgia for. I hope they don't let the Comics Treasury acquisition go to their heads and start peppering every story with contrived crossovers with rebooted classic characters.
A middling prog then, a little too much by-the-numbers stuff going on with minimal levels of thrillpower, but Dredd elevates it.
Forgot to mention just how bloody good that cover is too - I predict that will be strong contender for cover of 2019
Do we know how many episodes the Dredd story is?
Quote from: Dr Feeley Good on 20 January, 2019, 09:04:07 PM
Do we know how many episodes the Dredd story is?
It will run until March so it might be anything from 6 - 8 episodes. https://2000ad.com/post/4550 (https://2000ad.com/post/4550)
Quote from: A.Cow on 20 January, 2019, 06:09:46 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 19 January, 2019, 09:48:08 PM
Two pages he draws the impact from Small House effortless into his world (making slight of those that assume he pays no heed of what others do in Dredd's world) [...]
I felt it was ambiguous -- after all, the last time Dredd spoke with Hersey in a Wagner-penned story was Harvey (prog 2029), when they had a major falling-out about her authorising robot judges. Coincidence? Possibly not.
That was my reading as well.
Quote from: broodblik on 21 January, 2019, 02:55:16 AM
Quote from: Dr Feeley Good on 20 January, 2019, 09:04:07 PM
Do we know how many episodes the Dredd story is?
It will run until March so it might be anything from 6 - 8 episodes. https://2000ad.com/post/4550 (https://2000ad.com/post/4550)
Thanks for that.....
Quote from: Dandontdare on 20 January, 2019, 08:26:12 PMI hope they don't let the Comics Treasury acquisition go to their heads and start peppering every story with contrived crossovers with rebooted classic characters.
Unless we get a second crack of Sweeny Toddler does Judge Dredd,
obviously.
I liked the issue enough. Dredd and Brink were excellent. Skip Tracer is fine. It's readable, but lacks a spark somehow. The 3hriller starts well enough. Was anyone else reminded of John Ridgeway regarding the art? Fiends... It hasn't grabbed my attention nearly as much as in the previous run, and I do hope it doesn't just become two big bads punching each other's faces off. To this point, we'd seen some serious range in the concept, and so it deserves better than that. (It's still good, but the previous run was superb.)
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 21 January, 2019, 11:06:09 AM
Quote from: Dandontdare on 20 January, 2019, 08:26:12 PMI hope they don't let the Comics Treasury acquisition go to their heads and start peppering every story with contrived crossovers with rebooted classic characters.
Unless we get a second crack of Sweeny Toddler does Judge Dredd, obviously.
Well that goes without saying, obvs! :D
What a Dredd. 6 pages that feel like 20. I took Dredd to be talking about his and Hershey's words over Mechanismo previously. But it's ambiguous enough to keep it all in world. Later in the strip however it would seem Dredd's 're-juve' over in the meg hasn't taken ;) [spoiler]'You look kinda long in the tooth to be in active service buddy. You sure you oughta be on the street?' [/spoiler]. Its that kind of thing John Wagner just drops into a story and punches you in the gut. Masterful. And what a lovely idea the possible new CJ is. 6 pages worth the wait and worth the price of admission alone.
All of the above and we get a Population stat!!
That Megazine story never said that a rejuve makes Dredd look like a youthful 25-year old. It just keeps him going.
Quote[spoiler]You look kinda long in the tooth to be in active service buddy. You sure you oughta be on the street?'[/spoiler]
I thought the robot was being a bit of an arse there, frankly. Not like Dredd's sort-of buddy from the last series.
Seemed to me like the robot was just saying it like he saw it and didn't know who Dredd was at all. He had to search records sure. Another punch in the gut. That panel of Dredd's reaction? Classic. MacNeil is just brilliant. I know the re-juve never meant him to look crazy younger but that one page in this weeks prog has so much more power without it. I think that's what is implied. The man is 70*, what's he doing on the streets? Magic. Pure Dredd.
(*I think this works. Dredd was born in 2066 and artificially aged to 5 years old and its 2141 now he's had or about to have a big birthday)
Oooh bad maths. Sorry I meant to type 80.....
I find it entertaining that in 2141, robots have connectivity akin to dial-up internet. (And, yes, I know this is for narrative and pacing purposes, because otherwise they'd know everything at all times.)
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 22 January, 2019, 10:25:28 AM
I find it entertaining that in 2141, robots have connectivity akin to dial-up internet. (And, yes, I know this is for narrative and pacing purposes, because otherwise they'd know everything at all times.)
That's Wirth's law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirth%27s_law) for you.
My PC can do
several billion floating-point calculations in a single second ... yet it still takes over 10 seconds to load Photoshop. Go figure.
I can't imagine a better tribute to our favourite Grumpy Fucker than to line him up for CJ. Thank you, John. I came over all emotional until I remembered the man himself would have told me to stop being such an arse and drink my pint. :D
As for the prog, Wagner-McNeill Dredd never disappoints, Brink is rolling along well and that's a strong start for the Three-iller. I'm happy.
I know the year is young but so far, the years' progs have been a real mixed bag. Enter Monsieur Wagner and MacNeil and the world feel whole again.
Dredd what a start and something a few of us predicated might happen sooner than later
Brink keeps the goods time rolling and has been a top thrill since its first appearance
Skip Tracer was always was readable and I do not mind it running in the prog.
3riller , this time around it start of solid and I am already intrigued
Fiends the last few episodes had concentrated on the duel. Was nice solid read started of great but felt a little flatter at the end. It is ending in this prog but will be back.
Quote from: Dandontdare on 20 January, 2019, 08:43:27 PM
Forgot to mention just how bloody good that cover is too - I predict that will be strong contender for cover of 2019
Wholly agree - and that scene in the story when Randy dissed Dredd had me right chuckling.
I was racking my brains for Judge Logan - so it *is* that Judge Logan? Dredd's Assistant for years?
I've yet to catch up with the character in the prog (according to Barney (http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=logan) but what a nice nod.
For my 2 creds, the 'By and Large' comment is more about Small House than Mechanismo, even if that does tie in to the current storyline .
Brink remains my favourite; does she see it because of the gas and taking nudge? Or is she still clean and it's because of her previous exposure? She used to see Brink (the titular character) once upon a time.
Fiends is good too but that first story was head and shoulders above the bat-people fight. Skip Tracer... I skipped it... Enjoyed the 3Riller too.
[spoiler]Yes, but it's also the alter-ego of Dredd uber fan Stewart Perkins who passed away a few years ago, so it's a lovely nod to Stewart who that he's a candidate for the top spot[/spoiler]
Not much to add except to say that when it comes to writing Dredd, Wagner is simply the original and best.
No great change in the amount of enjoyment derived from the other continuing strips - Brink (a lot), Skip Tracer (a bit) and Fiends (in between). The 3riller looks promising and if anything has packed too much into its first installment, but let's see how it pans out.
Quote from: Steve Green on 23 January, 2019, 03:29:02 PM
Yes, but it's also the alter-ego of Dredd uber fan Stewart Perkins who passed away a few years ago, so it's a lovely nod to Stewart who that he's a candidate for the top spot
Ah yeah, I knew. I just meant that I had heard of Judge Logan the board member, not Judge Logan the character. (Removed spoilers because if anyone is like me and less long in the Toof than others, it's useful info.
now thats a chief judge i would back
More than half an absolutely GREAT prog for me this week, with only Skip Tracer (why is this the prog SO MUCH lately?) and Fiends missing the mark. The latter's gone from being a classic thrill to some giant bats fighting every issue. Like one of the interchangeable characters says "this is becoming tedious". Remind me who I'm supposed to be rooting for again?
Oh my, that Dredd though. More in six pages than any marvel comic in six months. And Brink's going batshit, and it's a joy to see. And that 3riller's very engaging too.
All in all, a fine prog, the "meh" far outweighed by the great.
Haven't been reading much progs of late but I bought this for the Wagner Dredd, which is the only story I've read so far.
Pretty much a perfect Dredd story. Wagner and McNeil, Dredd / Hershey tensions, little bit of politics, nods to major events in the past, the promise of future upheaval, Dredd's ageing being addressed, and of course destruction and violence. I'm sticking around for the time being.
I really feel like it's time for Skip Tracer to end now. It's a failed project as far as I'm concerned. I was more than happy to give it the benefit of the doubt for a couple of series - to let it find its feet. It's just not getting any better though - it's tedious, unoriginal and has unengaging characters.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 25 January, 2019, 12:54:39 PM
Haven't been reading many progs of late but I bought this for the Wagner Dredd, which is the only story I've read so far.
Pretty much a perfect Dredd story. Wagner and McNeil, Dredd / Hershey tensions, little bit of politics, nods to major events in the past, the promise of future upheaval, Dredd's ageing being addressed, and of course destruction and violence. I'm sticking around for the time being.
I was going to say that I am detecting a bit of change in attitude towards
Skip Tracer. More of an "it's ok....let's keep with it rather than something worse" but I read on down the thread:
Quote from: DrRocka on 24 January, 2019, 10:03:12 PM
More than half an absolutely GREAT prog for me this week, with only Skip Tracer (why is this the prog SO MUCH lately?) and Fiends missing the mark.
Quote from: JamesC on 25 January, 2019, 12:54:54 PM
I really feel like it's time for Skip Tracer to end now. It's a failed project as far as I'm concerned. I was more than happy to give it the benefit of the doubt for a couple of series - to let it find its feet. It's just not getting any better though - it's tedious, unoriginal and has unengaging characters.
So, maybe not. 🤔
Great
Dredd. I never understood what the problem is with one writer referencing what another had in their stories and there you go it is possible.
Brink. Can't find much different to say about this; it's just awesome.
Haven't read the rest yet.
For me- Skip Tracer falls into Rose O'Rion territory- by that I mean it is a good concept, but without the strip having a 'wtf' moment it just doesn't catch a break.
Of course I also felt like this for a lot of the early Dante run. Then we had the courtship of Jena Makarov and the game changed.
I applaud TMO for taking a punt on 3 (so far) stories being run closely together to try and get a little momentum behind the piece.
It's interesting to me that Brink and Skip Tracer have lots of similarities in common as far as concept go.
Both are set in hostile, claustrophobic, artificial environments. Both protaganists fall into the 'loner with baggage' mold. Both deal with some level of conspiracy.
Yet everything Brink gets right, Skip Tracer gets wrong.
I know the strip is going for a different tone but even so an engaging protaganist, and interesting location etc would surely help the strip.
Skip Tracer I think the main character looks and react always angry. His anger is almost like his just angry for the sake of anger without any explanation. The character should tone down a notch or two. If the main character is not likable your story is fighting a losing battle to connect to the audience. I am one of the few that do like the strip but maybe this was too much (3 stories in a short period)
The most infuriating thing about Skip Tracer (apart from its title...) is that it seems to be perpetually on the brink (sorry) of being a pretty good strip, but it can never make that critical push. It's doing most things right but it needs to pull one more trick out the hat to win me over, and that might be a shocking twist, or an engaging new character, or an intriguing sub-plot; or it might just have to veer resolutely in a less vague direction, introducing more humour or horror or weirdness. Some pleasing idiosyncrasy.
Quote from: norton canes on 25 January, 2019, 04:54:06 PM
The most infuriating thing about Skip Tracer (apart from its title...) is that it seems to be perpetually on the brink (sorry) of being a pretty good strip, but it can never make that critical push. It's doing most things right but it needs to pull one more trick out the hat to win me over, and that might be a shocking twist, or an engaging new character, or an intriguing sub-plot; or it might just have to veer resolutely in a less vague direction, introducing more humour or horror or weirdness. Some pleasing idiosyncrasy.
I feel like that ship has sailed.
The most infuriating thing for me is that it gives me no reason to care. I don't feel like I know or get the main character. Neither do I have any sense of his environment. The Cube could be an interesting location to tell a story but it just feels like a generic future setting with bits ripped off from Blade Runner and other much better Sci Fi worlds.
Someone compared this to the early days of Dante. Well, I found that strip a bit annoying when it first started with it's 'too cool to kill' thing but at least I got Dante's schtick. And the future Russia setting was at least interesting and fresh.
Skip Tracer has become one of those strips - won't name-check the others - which I just admire the art on, then move on. The story seems determined to avoid anything novel or interesting. I don't get why stories like this exist. The scope should be limitless. My 2 cents.
See also: zombies.
Quote from: Fungus on 25 January, 2019, 05:39:27 PM
Skip Tracer has become one of those strips - won't name-check the others - which I just admire the art on, then move on. The story seems determined to avoid anything novel or interesting. I don't get why stories like this exist. The scope should be limitless. My 2 cents.
See also: zombies.
I can agree on the zombie thing that it is theme that has past its due date and the only exception is Defoe. That is maybe why the previous 3riller was so uninteresting and lame
Quote from: broodblik on 25 January, 2019, 03:36:34 PM
Skip Tracer I think the main character looks and react always angry. His anger is almost like his just angry for the sake of anger without any explanation. The character should tone down a notch or two. If the main character is not likable your story is fighting a losing battle to connect to the audience. I am one of the few that do like the strip but maybe this was too much (3 stories in a short period)
Yeah we discussed this last week, maybe you made the same observation there broodbilk? Anyway its definately right. For me that's why the second series worked so well, he wasn't just angry he was desperate and sad and passionate, you know a rich character and for me the story shined because of it. Oh and we knew and could empathise with why he felt all those things Really enjoyed that one. Alas this one hasn't picked up on that.
Its a double shame as after Dante ended there was a period when a lot of folks bemoaned the lack of another 'anchor' series to back up Dredd and appear in most issues. So on one hand folks got what they wanted, alas on the other we didn't. After all one of the key elements to making Dante a delight, even as it started, as that the lead had such (fault-filled) charm.
Still the second story buys Skip Tracer more time for me, lets see how it goes.
For all the millions of Skip Tracer fanboys out there accordingly the March solicits this will be around until then: https://2000ad.com/post/4550 (https://2000ad.com/post/4550)
Cracking Prog. Brink and Dredd are the obvious highlights but I also enjoyed the other strips a lot.
I love the way that Judge Randy is *almost* like Dredd was forty years ago.
Quote from: norton canes on 25 January, 2019, 04:54:06 PM
The most infuriating thing about Skip Tracer (apart from its title...)
Think you'll find the strip is just called "Tracer".
Skip is a handy instruction from Tharg.
Quote from: broodblik on 26 January, 2019, 05:15:49 AM
For all the millions of Skip Tracer fanboys out there accordingly the March solicits this will be around until then: https://2000ad.com/post/4550 (https://2000ad.com/post/4550)
Glad to see Jaegir is back.
I tend to agree with the sentiment regarding Skip Tracer. It's been given a decent shot and hasn't succeeded for all the reasons outlined above and in previous prog threads.