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Prog 2048 - Stop the Apocalypse Squad!

Started by Richard, 12 September, 2017, 10:12:30 AM

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Richard

Amazed no one else has started this thread yet! Postal problems?

I won't spoil this one, but there's a very interesting cameo in this week's Dredd, one which I think will please a lot of people. Will be fascinating to see how this story ends.

We finally find out what happened to the missing kid in Hope, and it's brilliantly done. I'll definitely re-read this one as soon as it finishes. My only gripe is that the second and third pages were clearly designed to face each other, and yet they don't. Hopefully this will be fixed if there's a graphic novel one day (there certainly deserves to be, this story is good enough to be included in the new Hachette collection).

The Alienist is storming towards a conclusion. It's been a good story, but it's supposedly lead character, Vespertine, hasn't really done anything and has been upstaged by her supporting cast throughout, much like Dredd in the recent Paradox Vega story. I've enjoyed it though.

Greysuit: my favourite bit was the line about [spoiler]not winning the lottery[/spoiler].

I liked the Future Shock. Keep them coming, Tharg.

A.Cow

Quote from: Richard on 12 September, 2017, 10:12:30 AM
I won't spoil this one, but there's a very interesting cameo in this week's Dredd, one which I think will please a lot of people. Will be fascinating to see how this story ends.
That was a nice surprise, and explained Dredd's motivation well.  I was surprised that it took up so many pages, though.  Flashbacks, yes, but re-telling most of a story...?

Richard

It was less than two pages, so it didn't exactly hog the episode.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: A.Cow on 12 September, 2017, 06:57:27 PM
Flashbacks, yes, but re-telling most of a story...?

*coughcoughcoughpatmillscoughcough*
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Colin YNWA

Bloomin' heck the Prog didn't half shift up a gear this week. In part the charge was led by Greysuit which just cranked it up a notch or two and went into fullblown mad mental crazy action. Its like all the elements it played with before exploded into one orgy of violent unsubtle satire. It was so unashamed, so unabashed, SO MUCH FUN!

Alienist also let loose the hounds of Tharg as it charges to its fun filled conclusion, its been a good story, but it seems to be heading towards a great ending. Hope provides its own turn with a lovely reveal but as I've said to get the best of this I need to read it as one I think. It is just so Vertigo its untrue as well!

All of that was good, in a couple of cases very good but there are two other stars this week. The show is very nearly stolen by a lovely Future Shock. Its a great ghoulishly delicous story but the star of this show is art by a talent I'm not aware of is Tilen Javornik new to the Prog, certainly new to me and bloomin' heck there's a star in the making surely? Beautiful stuff.

Alas much as I'd like that to get top honours the award surely has to go to Dredd. So full of character, so full of action as we once again trip down memory lane and wish for a future we know can't be. Its just so beautifully crafted, so tense and so full of glorious insight into our Joe. Masterful by a grand master and a new master. Top thrill in a top Prog.

Bolt-01

Spoilers for my thoughts on Dredd-[spoiler] I reckon Wagner has played a dummy on us- It'll be std execution for all of them. McGruder went like a Judge, these perps mean well, but they crossed a line.[/spoiler]


Proudhuff

DDT did a job on me

Proudhuff

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 12 September, 2017, 09:13:31 PM
Bloomin' heck the Prog didn't half shift up a gear this week. In part the charge was led by Greysuit which just cranked it up a notch or two and went into fullblown mad mental crazy action. Its like all the elements it played with before exploded into one orgy of violent unsubtle satire. It was so unashamed, so unabashed, SO MUCH FUN!

Alienist also let loose the hounds of Tharg as it charges to its fun filled conclusion, its been a good story, but it seems to be heading towards a great ending. Hope provides its own turn with a lovely reveal but as I've said to get the best of this I need to read it as one I think. It is just so Vertigo its untrue as well!

All of that was good, in a couple of cases very good but there are two other stars this week. The show is very nearly stolen by a lovely Future Shock. Its a great ghoulishly delicous story but the star of this show is art by a talent I'm not aware of is Tilen Javornik new to the Prog, certainly new to me and bloomin' heck there's a star in the making surely? Beautiful stuff.

Alas much as I'd like that to get top honours the award surely has to go to Dredd. So full of character, so full of action as we once again trip down memory lane and wish for a future we know can't be. Its just so beautifully crafted, so tense and so full of glorious insight into our Joe. Masterful by a grand master and a new master. Top thrill in a top Prog.

and This ^^^
DDT did a job on me

Frank

Quote from: Richard on 12 September, 2017, 10:12:30 AM
The Alienist (has) been a good story, but it's supposedly lead character, Vespertine, hasn't really done anything and has been upstaged by her supporting cast throughout

Which is ironic, since the premise of the first series was that she's the one really pulling the strings. Maybe this will prove to be an Aimee Nixon<Dirty Frank scenario.*

"THE INDOOR GUN RANGE, THE OUTDOOR GUN RANGE! THE SNOOKER HALL! NO! NOT THE SNOOKER HALL!"

... and yet some of us still insist on reading Greysuit as straight drama. More action splashes like the two guns blazing impressionistic shapes, textures and contrasting Of York and Battle In Vain sections of the colour wheel, please.

Richard makes a good point about the celluloid strip (non)double page spread in Hope. Pity, as it's almost as canny storytelling as Broxton Picture's similarly cinematic reuse of panels - this episode features an average of just 3 original panels per page. **


* That panel of Reggie swigging from his flask then thrusting one finger in the air reminds me of the doctor from Cannonball Run: "In my line of work, I seldom need more than this" (waves middle finger ominously)

** How did he manage to fall behind when so many pages are slow creep zooms and recapitulation of previous shots? I'm not moaning - I love Broxton Pictures and the cinematic storytelling is thematically appropriate.

DrJomster

What a lovely little Future Shock that was!

Top Dreddage too.

Rather good prog all round in fact.
The hippo has wisdom, respect the hippo.

Frank


I'm not sure we need to spoiler speculation that things might not end well for the Apocalypse Squad when the next prog caption on Dredd reads NO REWARD FOR HEROES.

The isometric (Attic Attack) view of the ack-ack gun turrets on the awesome South Wall were enough to sell me on the art *, but it was the storytelling in the following action scene that blew me away. 12 months of drawing 4-4-2 formations and offside traps have blessed Cornwell with an uncommon facility for conveying motion while retaining a clear sense of the relative positions of everyone in play.

I'm an utter moron when it comes to following action scenes in cinema or on the page, but Cornwell's deft storytelling choices mean I have a 360° ** understanding of how Kwan used the oil tanker as cover to prevent the artillery gunner finding his range.

It's a scene that would have tripped up many of Tharg's more experienced art droids, so the fact Cornwell's choice of angles and knack with perspective mean the car chase is also exciting and beautifully drawn is all the more impressive. Boy's got a future in storyboarding for film.

Cornwell's trademark vertical line shading really works here too. In the bar scenes of the first episode, they were a mixed blessing, sometimes reducing the depth of field and taking the narrative focus away from the excellent character acting. Here, they contrast the thrilling speed and lateral motion of the chase with the solid, vertical fastness of the South wall.

Real talent for vehicle design too. The variety of chassis choking the arteries of MC1's transport infrastructure demonstrate the depth of thought that's been devoted to the world and how it works, but that H Wagon design is really something else. Unlike Cam Kennedy holding back his best ship designs from George Lucas, Cornwell's sharing the contents of his top drawer with Tharg.


*  Even if I did wonder when Justice Department decided to build four lane highways leading out of and into a city they want to keep citizens in and keep migrants out of with equal, fanatical zeal. It's always looked like the rubble and desert of the Cursed Earth goes right up to the wall in previous depictions. Although top marks to Cornwell for attention to detail - the on-ramp merges into the highway from the right, which is the kind of cultural difference that usually foxes UK artists.

** Like the bullet time segments of The Matrix

norton canes


I, Cosh

Quote from: norton canes on 14 September, 2017, 09:36:04 AM
Quote from: Frank on 13 September, 2017, 10:14:56 PM
The isometric (Attic Attack) view of the ack-ack gun turrets.
Ant Attack.
Indeed. Atic Atac was a top down view. Although, to be fair to our man, the publisher Ultimate did make a big splash with their later isometric adventures Knight Lore and Batman.
We never really die.

Pyroxian

Quote from: I, Cosh on 14 September, 2017, 10:44:18 AM
Indeed. Atic Atac was a top down view. Although, to be fair to our man, the publisher Ultimate did make a big splash with their later isometric adventures Knight Lore and Batman.

Batman was a Jon Ritman game (who went on to do Head over Heels), and published by Ocean.

Ultimate's later isometric games were Alien 8 and Pentagram.

IndigoPrime

Nice cover, which really stands out. Lovely colours and background design.

Dredd: I echo the sentiments about the 'direction' of the art. Although I like Cornwell's work in general, it's his scene design and linework that really stands out. There's a nice sense of movement, too, even if Dredd goes a bit Jimmy Hill.

Alienist: I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, but I'm enjoying the run so far. It feels like it'll be one of those strips where I won't clamour for its return, but will nonetheless be happy enough if it does. Nice last scene.

Greysuit: I'm still reading it. I'm not sure why. It falls short of satire, and is so ridiculously heavy handed. It feels a like like Big Dave Does Conspiracy Theory. I'll be happy when this one's done and gone.

Terminal: Nice art and story, but hasn't Edgar also doomed the poor sods who find the bodies to the same fate?

Hope: Or, rather, no hope. One of the grimmest strips in 2000 AD's recent history, for sure. It feels very different from everything else, but for me deserves its place in the Prog. Needs a full re-read, though – I suspect this will work particularly nicely in collected form.

Letters: Good to see some people wrestling with world events. And I very much sympathise with Dean from Scotland right now...