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MEG 370 : THE KRAIT BARRIER REEF

Started by Buttonman, 12 March, 2016, 01:24:42 PM

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Proudhuff

Cover:  Out of focus?...I thought it was just the bifocals out of whack but no, that shoogily text grates too, it reminds me of letraset on fanzines covers from the '70s, but not in a good way.

The Byre:  For the graim was tint, the besom was deen, An' siccan a soss it never was seen. Bit of a sick squid of a tale....messy inking aside  Some nice action panels, but the three-quarter 'body view' seems repetitive IMHO.

Big Goldtiger Dream: Dan Dare with sex puns? more Immodesty Blaze with a big dong of Jason King wedged in for fun, not really my cuppa, nor is...

Realm of The Damned:   Dark, brutal, and reads like a pitch for a decent R rated vamp movie. The whole story grating against the frothy foam of Goldfraptiger. Trying too hard to shock for me to like, but naughty boys everywhere will love it.

DeMarco: I have not a Scooby what/who/when is going on and  for now I doubt I'll remember this strip by next week...

Dust: best thing in the Megazine, gorgeous to look at, and a lesson for all above  ;)

Letters:  Outraged harridans abound!

4/10 more grating than great.
DDT did a job on me

Magnetica

The Meg was way below recent standards I am afraid this month.

Judge Dredd had  a bit of a "was that it?" feel to me. Stuff just seemed to happen. Normally I am a big fan of Michael Carrol's Dredd but this was a bit flat. Not helped IMO by Nick Perceival's "I should like it but I just don't really" artwork.

Goldtiger. Don't think I will buy the GN on the strength of this.

Realm Of the Damned. Story and art ok. Please cut out the swearing ( I know it was down to just one F word this week). And please, put some clothes on.

Demarco. Again normally like this, but the last two parts have lost me a bit. Re-read required.

Movie Dredd. As with Demarco the last two parts have lost me a bit and a re-read is required. Also sad to see the totally unnecessary F word. What is wrong with "drokk"?. And put some clothes on.

And yes as Butch has pointed out there is swearing in the film, but this is a comic and I simply don't like it. How can I give this to my kids to read????

Keef Monkey

Cover: I like it!

Judge Dredd: Looking forward to re-reading this, really like the set-up but found some of the art confusing initially this month. Found it tricky to get a handle on who was where and why, but that'll probably be sorted without a month in between episodes.

Goldtiger: Didn't read the text article but the strip was interesting. Not something I'd buy but it was curious to think that's something that was ever potentially going to be in the prog, given how Flesh Gordon it all is and how relatively tame that side of things was in comics back then.

Realm Of the Damned: I wasn't put off by the first episode, loved the artwork and thought it set a very distinct tone that's different to anything else in the prog or meg currently. I didn't find the blood wee upsetting or offensive either, and much like the the editorial droid I can't really see why it would be seen as such in the context of a demonic story, it felt a bit Clive Barker to me and that's a good thing by my reckoning. Thought this weeks episode was great, the art continues to look fantastic and the addition of badass armed sci-fi militia guys is cool, I reckon I'm going to be a big fan of this series.

Demarco: I was pretty lost here, but this run is one that I've not quite kept a handle on the story from month to month. Will be giving it a re-read.

Dredd Movie-man Version: Like this a ton. Looks great and the story is great. My only (small) quibble is that in diving into supernatural/superpowered opponents it maybe does away with the grounded aspect of the movie Dredd? Not that that's necessarily a problem as it's still a very cool story, but I wonder if bringing it more in line with the more fantastical elements of the regular series perhaps means it loses what makes it distinctly different to the regular series and what might have lured in readers who don't read regular Dredd but did like the movie.

That's just a passing thought though, as personally I love it.

Haven't read the floppy yet, but will get round to that next week!

IndigoPrime

Quote from: Keef Monkey on 17 March, 2016, 09:31:22 AMMy only (small) quibble is that in diving into supernatural/superpowered opponents it maybe does away with the grounded aspect of the movie Dredd?
The movie whose female lead was a psychic? I always saw the Dredd movie's grounded nature being in terms of the reality of modern science, in that we're not going to have bipedal humanoid robots and flying cars, but drones and automated cleaners are going to rapidly proliferate, as will more powerful weaponry and, sadly, poverty. But the inference was weird things were happening to people living near the wall, and so extrapolating that, you end up with potentially bonkers things happening out in the Cursed Earth, more grounded Dredd or not.

Dandontdare

Quote from: Keef Monkey on 17 March, 2016, 09:31:22 AM
Goldtiger: Didn't read the text article but the strip was interesting. Not something I'd buy but it was curious to think that's something that was ever potentially going to be in the prog, given how Flesh Gordon it all is and how relatively tame that side of things was in comics back then.

According to the separate Goldtiger thread, this is apparently all made-up retconned history - it's a new story. I also believed the article and I find this really rather annoying!

Keef Monkey

Quote from: Dandontdare on 17 March, 2016, 10:43:12 AM
Quote from: Keef Monkey on 17 March, 2016, 09:31:22 AM
Goldtiger: Didn't read the text article but the strip was interesting. Not something I'd buy but it was curious to think that's something that was ever potentially going to be in the prog, given how Flesh Gordon it all is and how relatively tame that side of things was in comics back then.

According to the separate Goldtiger thread, this is apparently all made-up retconned history - it's a new story. I also believed the article and I find this really rather annoying!

Facepalm, I was totally duped!

Hawkmumbler

Having Tharg plastered all over the 2000AD app is quite a nice thing to have. So when my megazine isn't downloading properly I have someone to vent my anger at YOU GIGANTIC GREEN NOB HEAD!


Colin YNWA

Bit of a struggle to get through the Meg this month to be honest, which is pretty disappointing to say the least. The Gyre was, by Mike Carroll's standards a pretty run of the mill affair, for me hampered by the art, which while I know Nick Percival has many fans, I found fussy and stilted.

Mike Carrol's other work this month has lost me. I'll be giving DeMarco a re-read and hope the story lives up to the art on a second go. Similar Dust I'm finding drifting by me and I'm just not engaged. Be interesting to see what the reaction there is having a crucified woman with her guts hanging out here is when compared to Realm of the Damned. I think there is a clear difference in that (the horrible stuff in Dust that is) than the stuff in RotD in that in Dust its feels driven by a need of the story where as at time in R0tD the nasty stuff feels like its driving the story a little and in that its so much the weaker. I mean what was ll the fighting and blows jobs in the church for? Anyway all that said, putting the silliness aside I really quite enjoyed RotD'd this month, probably the best thing in the Meg as it developed the story nicely and generated a bit of intrigue and character. So yeah while its cluttered with nonsense under that this story might actually have potential.

So yeah pretty weak comic all in all BUT I'm glad that the line-up seems to be improving next month. Carroll on Dredd with Henry Flint, for all of his misfires on the two stories for the last three issues (or so) is a pretty exciting prospect and the return of Lawless is going to be nothing but great so yeah after a lull like this things are looking up!

NapalmKev

Realm of the Damned is coming along nicely. Fantastic art and I'm really not bothered by the swearing and nudity!

Dredd: Dust. Excellent.

De Marco. Didn't like this at all and I'm not a fan of the character. Would've preferred her being killed off rather than Travis.

Cheers
"Where once you fought to stop the trap from closing...Now you lay the bait!"

Hawkmumbler

Quote from: Banners on 17 March, 2016, 04:17:39 PM
Too far.
Rest easy, Banners, for now after chassing up the Apple IT nerds it's been resolved and I now have the Meg safely in my hands. Blimey, you didn't have to put up with this shit for paper comics...

Banners

Good lad. No-one can be mad at Tharg for long ;-)

Citi-Def_Joe

Cover:  Dredd Vs Swamp Thing....Bit fuzzy

The Gyre:  Kept jumping perspectives but an OK end to what has been an enjoyable run, art is great but would prefer it a little bit crisper

Goldtiger: The whoel forgotten classic schtick seems a lot of effort for not much reward not that interested to be honest

Realm of The Damned: After an intriguing first part this seems to have turned a bit Blade-esque, was hoping for something a bit more esoteric.

DeMarco:bit lost to be honest...

Dust: Keeps getting better and hands down the best thing in the Mega at the momement

Letters:  The man said a bad swear etc.

Overall a fairly weak issue saved by Dust and some nice artwork in the Gyre


Dark Jimbo

Quote from: NapalmKev on 18 March, 2016, 09:00:18 AM
De Marco. Didn't like this at all and I'm not a fan of the character. Would've preferred her being killed off rather than Travis.

I'm loving discovering Demarco the Dredd supporting character in Case Files 24 onwards - but Demarco the spin-off character is just not very interesting. Like you, I'd much rather be reading Travis Perkins, Urbane Gorilla.
@jamesfeistdraws

staticgirl

I'm a rare person who doesn't much like movie-dredd-in-a-comic. I'd much rather have movie-dredd-in-a-movie (or telly please if you are listening, tv execs.)  I find it a bit boring because it's not as bizarre as the comic-dredd and when you have an unlimited special effects budget like you have in comics I can't quite see why you'd bother with a stripped down version. That argument earlier about making Dredd more accessible to readers put off by comic-dredd makes sense and I'm glad you made it. I probably will still sigh a bit but I'm glad people are getting a lot out of it.

I'm thinking that RoTD, whilst well written and very well drawn maybe doesn't quite fit in the Meg because it is mostly read by middle aged people who did the shocking so-called 'adult' comics thing in the 90s already. We maybe want to read something that has a bit more subtlety? If it was running in Terrorizer magazine or something I could see it being a subcultural phenomenon. I think Metallers might clasp this comic to their collective bosom with devotion - especially as it features elements of the scene they love. I am sure this will be released as a separate standalone comic/graphic novel and marketed well could become to people who like metal what the Sandman was to goths. You never know.

Anyway, some of it I don't like but other aspects I do so I won't mind it running alongside more traditional thrills.