Prog 1865: Greetings From the Grey Area

[Dark Jimbo]

I'm a tad disappointed 'cos I thought we'd find the evil twin of Walter the Robot or something! 

As for Walter's evil twin Gus - he was last seen being turned into a transistor radio...

[Mabs]

I have a question guys, I hope one of you can fill me in: if [spoiler]Nixon[/spoiler] was a member of the Wally Squad, then how did she come to find herself on Titan? Did she go rogue or summat? I'm a tad disappointed 'cos I thought we'd find the evil twin of Walter the Robot or something! 

As I said a few pages earlier - [spoiler]In quite a neat twist, she turned out to have been the Low Life's shadowy crime kingpin, 'The Big Man', all along.[/spoiler]

Ah. Interesting. I'm really thinking about checking out the previous Low Life stories. Cheers Jimbo!

[Mabs]

I'm a tad disappointed 'cos I thought we'd find the evil twin of Walter the Robot or something! 

As for Walter's evil twin Gus - he was last seen being turned into a transistor radio...

Ha ha! Thanks for that! 

[Pop Culture Bandit]

Dredd - After seeing the tease on 2000AD's Facebook page about a 'return' - I was convinced it would be the Xenomorphs, but was pleasantly surprised to see Amy Nixon instead. I wonder if we'll get to see Sinfield and other 'infamous' Titan inmates once the action ramps up.

Ulysses Sweet - So we're finally at the centre of the Amethyst Cluster and the various elemental zones seem to have just been there for padding, especially since the group breezed through two of the four in this single episode. Enjoyable fluff, but I'd still prefer a series of shorter adventures instead.

ABC Warriors - I really enjoyed thing 'montage' sequence of events catching us up to the present day. I'm guessing we're going to see a return to the more CGI-heavy artwork once we're back to the current timeline and I'm going to miss Clint Langley's hand-drawn art. I'd love to see him do an extended run in that style (perhaps more "lost adventures")

Grey Area - Fun little 'Future Shock' esque story to advance the passage of time between the larger stories, as well as showcasing the minor adventures the team have. Despite my initial qualms about the series' longevity, this is fast becoming a hit with me, especially with the "TV boxset" style approach to the series with multiple story-arcs occuring in the "season" run.

Strontium Dog - Nice bit of undercover recon by Johnny in this episode, and I'm glad he managed to get his revenge on the 'Mutie Meat' brotherhood member. I must admit I'm surprised they would be dumb enough to eat Mutie, especially considering it is technically cannibalism and they consider them genetic freaks.


For a more detailed review, check out my blog post here > http://www.popculturebandit.co.uk/2014/01/2000ad-prog-1865.html

[Spikes]

Surprised to see several people with large post counts saying they don't know who [spoiler]Nixon[/spoiler] is. I guess I assume large post counts mean long time 2000 AD readers?

I ducked out in 2003, so I've never read Low Life. The combination of Titan face surgery, breasts, and a Mohawk made me wonder whether Bundy from Inferno had survived Dredd's bullet. It took a while for the name to click.

I can top that. I ducked out in 1986, or thereabouts.

Trades - mainly Dredd and the other big names, and other various reprints kept me, kinda, up to date 'til re-joining the fold half way through the Day of Chaos story. So never read any Low Life stuff at all.

Which, if they contain much Dirty Frank, I must remedy sooner rather than later.

[jackstarr]

Which, if they contain much Dirty Frank, I must remedy sooner rather than later.

For me, Low Life didn't really catch my full attention until D'israeli joined the team.  It was alright up till then, but something about the combination of writer and artist just clicked and made the strip unmissable from that point on.

[The Adventurer]

I love D'Israeli. Really I do. But even though he's the been the main Low Life artist for a while I prefer the grittiness of Henry Flint and Simon Coleby. Just feels more appropriate. But also, one of Low Life's more interesting aspects is how its involved over time.  One of those rare stripes that doesn't stand still.

[Mabs]

Cover - Excellent work from Patrick Goddard. Love the detail and colour work, along with the humour.

Judge Dredd: Titan (Part Four) - Dredd and co venture deeper into the Titan prison colony, searching for answers, but soon Dredd comes face to face with the mastermind behind it all...

And I must confess, it was not who I was expecting. In fact, I didn't even know who he/she was! But seeing as it has been explained to me by my friend Dark Jimbo (as to who the person is), I'll leave it at that. The rest of the strip was bloody marvellous though with Henry Flint at the very top of his game. The flooded airlock panels were done with such amazing skill and detail, you could almost feel the water splashing off the pages. And the last page was jawdropping to say the least (art-wise, not the reveal) - in the smaller panel it looked like Flint was channelling John Burns with the black pen/paint strokes on the water.

Ulysses Sweet: Centred (Part Five) - Ulysses is up to his same old tricks, causing mayhem and driving people to the edge of insanity (not least our friend Barry!). There were several moments of hilarity, key one being his encounter with the harp playing angel! Paul Marshall continues to draw this mad man's escapades with wit and skill and you can definitely count me in as a fan.

Grey Area: Short Straw - A brilliant self contained story dealing with ETC agent Bulliet's trials and tribulations inside an alien 'cave'. We soon trackback to find out how he came to be in this spot of bother in the first place, and of course, the clue is in the title. I thought it was really fun one-off by Dan Abnett and Patrick Goddard, whose artwork is simply outstanding.

ABC Warriors: Return to Mars (Part Five) - Happy Shrapnel changes his name, and contrary to the pleading of his comrades, wants to turn his back on violence. It was quite funny seeing Hammerstein trying to change his mind only to be met with the same answer from Shrapnel/ Caine. Clint Langley's artwork looks terrific too. I'm enjoying this Thrill a lot.

Strontium  Dogs: Dogs of War (Part Five) - Johnny Alpha disguised as a Norm Brotherhood member, sneaks into their camp to gather intelligence. We again see the ruthless side of Alpha, killing without even flinching. War can do terrible things to man and it seems like Johnny is also a casualty of it.

Nice to see a letters page at the end with input from fellow Squaxx. So an excellent Prog overall.

[Dark Jimbo]

In fact, I didn't even know who he/she was! But seeing as it has been explained to me by my friend Dark Jimbo (as to who the person is), I'll leave it at that.

Is this the human emotion you call... friendship?

[Mabs]

In fact, I didn't even know who he/she was! But seeing as it has been explained to me by my friend Dark Jimbo (as to who the person is), I'll leave it at that.

Is this the human emotion you call... friendship?

Yeah, something like that, Jimbo! :-)

[ZenArcade]

Dark Jimbo: 'Is this the human emotion you call... friendship?' The funniest quote I've read on here yet, I'm in stitches - it actually makes up for not getting out for a few beers tonight.