Scream & Misty Special 2018

[Steve Green]

Picked it up yesterday - good turn-out for the signing well up from last year's.

Thumbs up overall - favourite story was Smuzz's Mint in Box.

BFFs - wasn't sure if the SFX on that final panel on the penultimate page was supposed to be like that - seems like it would have worked better as a reveal on the final page.

Also possibly would have liked a darker, black white and red colouring on the final couple of pages - the colouring suited the setup, but something more graphic might have been interesting when it went all Carriegator.

Black Max - really liked the transparent word balloons, Jim did something similar for fainter whispering on Sniper Elite and it works really well. But yeah, I'd agree that having these massive gaps between episodes is frustrating.

Rest of the line-up.

Thirteenth Floor - solid stuff, just picked up the hardback, so getting more into it - the division of artists works well here, but again not quite self-contained.

Decomposition Jones and Black Beth - again two TBC/The Beginning? Stories which could be a year off getting a part two.

Bookworm, yeah OK - *sounds misty equivalent of a future shock airhorn*

As someone who gets narked with the prog leaving things hanging, it gets a bit frustrating.

So overall positive, just a bit hamstrung for me by the format, strips which I think have got great potential like Black Max revived are tempered by the gaps.

It's a bit like when Pat was doing the visible man stuff for the end of year prog, except we're getting even more of the same scheduling.

[broodblik]

Maybe it is time for the Scream and Misty special to become something more regular. I agree with most of the people posting here is that it is frustrating to wait a year for the next part of a story.

[Colin YNWA]

Finally picked this up from my Nerd Shop and read it... and alas I found it very frustrating. Its a blooming good read BUT as DrJomster says nothing has room to breathe and worse than that once again so much feels like teaser for things that could come.

Please of that the more self contained stories fared much better. Adored Lizzie Boyle and Yishan Li's simple tale of a girl and her croc, especially that final page. Really enjoyed The Thirteenth Floor and Smuzz's story has some merit too. Bookworm was a little forced but looked superb and was fun.

The trouble is the other stories all teased and promised so much in their cramped space and who knows when we'll see more. Decomposition Jones was such fun and looked superb, what a great idea... I'd like to see more. Black Beth was okay and looked great, I'd happily see more... Return of the Black Max, looked superb and had potential given more room I'd happily see where this could... you get the idea.

I know they say leave them wanting more and all that but this is going too far! Maybe we'll get something more in which case this will feel important but I think comics like this might benefit with fewer stories with more room and some sense of the openings going somewhere... somehow.

Still great read and it did want me wanting more so that has to be considered a success right?

[BPP]

Late to the party but just finished reading this - absolutely top drawer. Every artist was knocking it out of the park and the stories had real variety - from silly comedy to action adventure to dark horror. The only story telling mild-muddle was Black Beth where I couldn't really get the role / interactions with the witch / hag / soothsayer. But the art itself was great and the character intriguing. The Smuzz story suffered a bit from not knowing who was who in the first few panels but loved the characters switch up in style and the ending. Minor quibbles overall this was a solid 8/10 outing.

If this was monthly i'd be a subscriber.