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Megazine 239 - review thread

Started by The Amstor Computer, 15 November, 2005, 03:14:06 AM

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The Amstor Computer

I hope thinky doesn't mind this, but as the original Meg 239 thread is now a two page discussion of Alan Barnes' editorial, I think it's probably best to have a separate thread for the actual content of the mag ;-)

I've only dipped in and out of the Meg, and I'm saving some for later, but there are a couple of standout stories so far:

The Simping Detective --

After coasting for a bit, this is really starting to move again. The Primaries are an interesting addition to the strip & the promise of an ongoing story arc feels like precisely what the strip has been missing.

Cursed Earth Koburn --

From a jokey, fun-but-slight start this strip has really surpassed my expectations. Echoes of both Ennis & Wagner here - probably helped along by Ezquerra's lovely art - but still definitely GRennie's baby. I like the link to Death's Cursed Earth wanderings, and the introduction of a nasty new villain for Koburn should give the series some direction when it returns.

Great stuff, and - without wanting to take anything away from the droids - it's material like this that should serve as a reminder of exactly what Alan Barnes has meant to the Megazine.

Tiplodocus

I just love reading the title MECHANISMO.

Utterly evocative of the story.

Who came up with it?
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

DavidXBrunt

Oh absolutley right. A strong editorship characterised by risk taking and great success. As for the issue at hand, and I'm going to ramble a lot...SPOILERS...natch.

Great cover. Lovely image that would serve as a nice cover for a potential collected edition.

Dredd - Wagner and Kennedy and Joe. That's never going to fail, is it? A solid procedural tale with some great lines. Still as good as the Dredd they've been producing since forever. Brave editorial move #1 - trusting people who've been around the block before you. You can't take credit for their successes but if they fail it reflects badly on you.

Shimura - Really nice art. That's damning with faint praise. Great art that makes black and white seem sumptuous. This feels like a 6 parter and I hope it has room to breathe. If it ends next month it'll be a rush. The inclusion of Joe and yon womany Judge whose name I forget is welcome. This is a great revival, for me the stories have better than anything in the original run. Brave editorial decision #2 - Reviving a strip that's been on ice. Could leave you with egg on your face for meddling with something fondly remembered.


Anderson - Again, there's a certain standard that you expect from Grant and Ranson and this has some nice moments. The splash page is as lush as you'd expect. Seems to be covering similar ground as the last arc, perhaps deliberatley. We'll wait and see. Brave editorial decision #3 - Giving a story basically a permenant residence. However popular it runs the risk of outstaying it's welcome.

Simp me baby one more time. A tight story that points the way forward. Hopefully we'll see these story points explored and built upon. I was expecting Miss Ann Throp (still like the name) to remain an enigma for ages yet, but we learn a lot. Another strip I'd like to see collected evetually. Brave editorial decision #4 - Giving a new strip room to breathe and grow. Lot of commisions for a new strip. In what? 20 months we've had 11 episodes?

Cursed Earth Koburn - I enjoyed this a lot. Funny lines, great great art with some wonderfull character work. Again, this is stuff that I'd like to see expanded. Carlos is busy so we'll only get this irregularly but it's soooo good. Brave editorial decision #5 - Trusting this strip to work beyond the one story joke it appeared to be and allowing such a major artist to do it when he could safely be churning out Dredd.