Well its really a case of as you were. So little difference between this week and last... well there is a little if you look close.
Dredd is still fantastic, juggling two intriguing storylines the one set in the past a particular winner and I'm really tempted by the prose book set in this era now.
Skip Tracer is still fun and fine but its not doing anything new... well that surprising leftfield final panel aside and I'm still not engaged with its led, which is becoming an increasing problem.
Survival Geeks - if still twee fluff that every so often does something to delight and amuse...but no enough to make it worth it. Its chompin' at those low hangin' fruit and since I'm reading early 90s 2000ad in my re-read at the moment I've got quite enough of that in my life at the moment.
Deadworld changes scene, but doesn't change from being emmense fun and buiding a really compelling story. Oh how my view of this series has grown!
Durham Red just great stuff, this is so 2000ad it aches, it a good way. What this is doing so well is each episode really does feel like its own little story yet is building the whole. Looks great, reads great.
So we have three winners, an okay has potential but beginning to drag and an irritation that can even charm at times - so its almost the perfect 2000ad mix!
You beat me to it....had started my post but had to put the kids to bed before finishing it :D
I'm enjoying this run of strips but this Prog is maybe not as good as the last two weeks.
Dredd- for an episode where Dredd's [spoiler]main lead gets taken out by a sniper[/spoiler] and Deacon has [spoiler]a shoot out with Sager's men [/spoiler] not a lot seems to happen to actually advance the plot.
I'm not sure what Skip Tracer is meant to be. Detective story? War commentary? And that last panel...hmmm
Survival Geeksis entertaining enough. And the art is great -better than I remember from previous series. Indeed I am kinda thinking Neil Google fits the kind of story Ian Gibson used to do back in the day.
Deadworld - as with previous series I am starting to lose the plot with this now it is a few episodes in.
Durham Red is the stand out strip. Not sure if it is me but the art this week and last seems subtly different to the first episode. The first episode had some panels that appeared to have more of a painted effect.
There is also a letters page. Couldn't disagree more with one the plea to end Strontium Dog and Sinister Dexter.
Quote from: Magnetica on 02 June, 2018, 09:27:18 PM
Neil Google
Winner of Tharg's Star Search competition. The runners-up were Bing Willsher and AOL Ewing.
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
When Morris weaponised verrucas.
Jovus H Grud: "Mortis".
GET THIS SubFORUM AN EDIT BUTTON.
Quote from: Magnetica on 02 June, 2018, 09:27:18 PM
Dredd- for an episode where Dredd's [spoiler]main lead gets taken out by a sniper[/spoiler] and Deacon has [spoiler]a shoot out with Sager's men [/spoiler] not a lot seems to happen to actually advance the plot.
Amen to that, bro'.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 02 June, 2018, 09:17:49 PM
Survival Geeks - if still twee fluff [...]
Didn't
Phineas & Ferb do all this years ago, and much better? Brings back memories of Peter Gabriel's
Barry Williams Show, which parodied Jerry Springer several years too late.
Regardless, what irks me most about
Survival Geeks is that the authors presume that we know or care about every character's plot arc, despite them having close-to-zero personality.
Quote from: Magnetica on 02 June, 2018, 09:27:18 PM
Deadworld - as with previous series I am starting to lose the plot with this now it is a few episodes in.
What he said.
Quote from: Magnetica on 02 June, 2018, 09:27:18 PM
Durham Red is the stand out strip. Not sure if it is me but the art this week and last seems subtly different to the first episode. The first episode had some panels that appeared to have more of a painted effect.
All I know is that the story ain't gripping me but the art is sublime.
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
It's early days for Death here - for all we know he's still wearing Y-fronts and a vest under there. Presumably the dead fluids will toughen up his feet over time and give him those delightful toenails!
Y'all noticed Fear has antlers and Mortis isn't a skeleton, right?
That, and Deadworld.. isn't.
(https://i.imgur.com/NEwP5Z9.jpg)
Great cover - always a pleasure to have Dowling in the prog.
Dredd's still good and Durham Red's great.
As someone says above, having started to enjoy Deadworld at last, I'm losing the plot (of the story) now too...
Quote from: Magnetica on 02 June, 2018, 09:27:18 PM
There is also a letters page. Couldn't disagree more with one the plea to end Strontium Dog and Sinister Dexter.
Typical - I actually think Sinister Dexter
and Strontium Dog are the best they've been for years!
But then I also thought the first book of Brutannia Chronicles (that everybody on here seemed to think was a return to form) was pretty weak, but subsequent books have gotten better, just as others have thought they didn't follow up the promise of the first book.
Typefaces notwithstanding.
Quote from: Blue Cactus on 03 June, 2018, 10:40:36 AM
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
It's early days for Death here - for all we know he's still wearing Y-fronts and a vest under there. Presumably the dead fluids will toughen up his feet over time and give him those delightful toenails!
Er yes - didn't want to say but a more appropriate question is when he
stopped wearing boots.
Quote from: sheridan on 04 June, 2018, 12:29:06 AM
Quote from: Blue Cactus on 03 June, 2018, 10:40:36 AM
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
It's early days for Death here - for all we know he's still wearing Y-fronts and a vest under there. Presumably the dead fluids will toughen up his feet over time and give him those delightful toenails!
Er yes - didn't want to say but a more appropriate question is when he stopped wearing boots.
Frankly, if this doesn't get addressed in the comic i'm going to be disappointed.
Maybe Mortis decays them for a laugh?
Quote from: Woolly on 04 June, 2018, 09:47:33 AMFrankly, if this doesn't get addressed in the comic i'm going to be disappointed.
Maybe Mortis decays them for a laugh?
***SSSSSS... YOU CANNOT WEAR WHAT DOESSSS NOT FIT!***
/rots laces and insoles
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
Death's a cross dresser and they're kinky boots that he wears at the weekends!!!
This prog is more of the same in a good way. The prog is well balanced with a strip for everyone.
I do not mind that a story takes a little more time to developed like
Skip Tracer.
The
Dredd story for me is great and I like the jump between the current and the previous.
Durham Red the art is one of the highlights and is some of the best work Ben has produced. The remake works for me
Quote from: sheridan on 03 June, 2018, 11:52:01 PM
Quote from: Magnetica on 02 June, 2018, 09:27:18 PM
There is also a letters page. Couldn't disagree more with one the plea to end Strontium Dog and Sinister Dexter.
Typical - I actually think Sinister Dexter and Strontium Dog are the best they've been for years!
Sinister Dexter is one of those stories which I do find to be either hot or cold. I will always read it but it feels like it is going nowhere. I know lot of people enjoy it but if it stops now I will not miss it. Strontium Dog with Wagner writing and Ezquerra on art duty is something that should grace the pages of the Prog more
Quote from: broodblik on 06 June, 2018, 05:52:07 AM
This prog is more of the same in a good way. The prog is well balanced with a strip for everyone.
I agree. I know its fashionable to bash the prog but I think as an anthology it has a really solid mix of art styles and writing. I like Survival Geeks and think its really well executed. It always helps when Dredd is on fire (and it is) but really good all round.
Quote from: Woolly on 04 June, 2018, 09:47:33 AM
Quote from: sheridan on 04 June, 2018, 12:29:06 AM
Quote from: Blue Cactus on 03 June, 2018, 10:40:36 AM
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
It's early days for Death here - for all we know he's still wearing Y-fronts and a vest under there. Presumably the dead fluids will toughen up his feet over time and give him those delightful toenails!
Er yes - didn't want to say but a more appropriate question is when he stopped wearing boots.
Frankly, if this doesn't get addressed in the comic i'm going to be disappointed.
Maybe Mortis decays them for a laugh?
A Question of (Dark) Judgement.
Sidney De'ath has a crisis of confidence, and wonders if his plan to kill every living thing is the right thing.
He turns to his mentor Judge Morphy who advises not wearing boots at all.
"By Grud my feet were stinking to high heaven, while also stepping on Lego - I didn't worry if killing every single thing was right or not"
There you go.
Quote from: Steve Green on 06 June, 2018, 04:29:19 PM
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
A Question of (Dark) Judgement.
Sidney De'ath has a crisis of confidence, and wonders if his plan to kill every living thing is the right thing.
He turns to his mentor, Judge Morphy, who advises not wearing boots at all.
"By Grud my feet were stinking to high heaven, while also stepping on Lego - I didn't worry if killing every single thing was right or not"
Nothing anyone else can say will be as funny and clever. Can a moderator lock the thread, and maybe pin it as an example to others?
Quote from: Frank on 06 June, 2018, 04:52:19 PM
Quote from: Steve Green on 06 June, 2018, 04:29:19 PM
Quote from: Woolly on 02 June, 2018, 11:52:02 PM
Covers awesome, but when did Judge Death start wearing boots?
A Question of (Dark) Judgement.
Sidney De'ath has a crisis of confidence, and wonders if his plan to kill every living thing is the right thing.
He turns to his mentor, Judge Morphy, who advises not wearing boots at all.
"By Grud my feet were stinking to high heaven, while also stepping on Lego - I didn't worry if killing every single thing was right or not"
Nothing anyone else can say will be as funny and clever. Can a moderator lock the thread, and maybe pin it as an example to others?
Death never wears boots. This is a residual of an imprint of Prog 2079. Hail to the king Mick McMahon
(//)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tGHjtEoYgio/T3tAGNodgbI/AAAAAAAAAQU/D03henIiaQU/s1600/tumblr_lgr0tzQrfc1qbibj8o1_500.jpg)
Quote from: broodblik on 06 June, 2018, 05:52:07 AM
Sinister Dexter is one of those stories which I do find to be either hot or cold. I will always read it but it feels like it is going nowhere. I know lot of people enjoy it but if it stops now I will not miss it.
For me one of the strengths of Sinister Dexter is they can do individual tales which don't have to be part of a wider story, or which have only a small part of a wider story. Or they can do bigger arcs.
It's actually the same with Dredd and Stront....
Quote from: Magnetica on 06 June, 2018, 07:00:28 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 06 June, 2018, 05:52:07 AM
Sinister Dexter is one of those stories which I do find to be either hot or cold. I will always read it but it feels like it is going nowhere. I know lot of people enjoy it but if it stops now I will not miss it.
For me one of the strengths of Sinister Dexter is they can do individual tales which don't have to be part of a wider story, or which have only a small part of a wider story. Or they can do bigger arcs.
It's actually the same with Dredd and Stront....
Amen brother - TESTIFY!
Quote from: Magnetica on 06 June, 2018, 07:00:28 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 06 June, 2018, 05:52:07 AM
Sinister Dexter is one of those stories which I do find to be either hot or cold. I will always read it but it feels like it is going nowhere. I know lot of people enjoy it but if it stops now I will not miss it.
For me one of the strengths of Sinister Dexter is they can do individual tales which don't have to be part of a wider story, or which have only a small part of a wider story. Or they can do bigger arcs.
It's actually the same with Dredd and Stront....
You make a valid point, but my problem is not the script (Dan Abnett is a very talented writer). I just can't seem to really like the main characters. This run of Sin/Dex I enjoyed more than previous run. I did not like Deadworld when it started but maybe Sin/Dex will grow on me. Since AD is an anthology their might be a strip or two which you do not like. Having multiple stories is both a strength and a weakness.
Quote from: broodblik on 07 June, 2018, 05:18:51 AM
Quote from: Magnetica on 06 June, 2018, 07:00:28 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 06 June, 2018, 05:52:07 AM
Sinister Dexter is one of those stories which I do find to be either hot or cold. I will always read it but it feels like it is going nowhere. I know lot of people enjoy it but if it stops now I will not miss it.
For me one of the strengths of Sinister Dexter is they can do individual tales which don't have to be part of a wider story, or which have only a small part of a wider story. Or they can do bigger arcs.
It's actually the same with Dredd and Stront....
You make a valid point, but my problem is not the script (Dan Abnett is a very talented writer). I just can't seem to really like the main characters. This run of Sin/Dex I enjoyed more than previous run. I did not like Deadworld when it started but maybe Sin/Dex will grow on me. Since AD is an anthology their might be a strip or two which you do not like. Having multiple stories is both a strength and a weakness.
You are perfectly entitled to not like the characters and to be fair Dexter has always come across to me as a not particularly well developed character, especially considering how long the strip has been running. And certainly in comparison to Finnigan.
But it's a different thing to the story not going anywhere.....just saying.
Quote from: Magnetica on 07 June, 2018, 07:11:44 AM
But it's a different thing to the story not going anywhere.....just saying.
Where is Sin/Dex going ? I am not sure. Maybe I am unfair to sate that it is going nowhere.
Quote from: broodblik on 07 June, 2018, 11:09:29 AM
Where is Sin/Dex going ? I am not sure. Maybe I am unfair to sate that it is going nowhere.
It doesn't matter where its going if the journey is fun.
So another great prog, Deadworld maybe sneaks TOP THRILL this week just for having Death in it
Excellent storytelling in both Dredd and Durham Red. In fact I can't work out if it's a better Red than Dredd
I'm here all week folks
Survival Geeks - that's a giant butt plug that Simon descends on, isn't it? Maybe someone more familiar with butt plugs than me can confirm this.
Got a feeling that Simon's strange pose in the next frame is some sort of comment on Adric's unfortunate reveal while in the Master's web in Castrovalva, but frankly the thought is too horrible to contemplate.
Skip Tracer. I'm sort of hoping, fancifully I suspect, that this is going to explode into some kind of bizarre John Smith style headf**k of a story. But that last panel is such a load of bull.
I thangew.
Quote from: broodblik on 07 June, 2018, 11:09:29 AM
Quote from: Magnetica on 07 June, 2018, 07:11:44 AM
But it's a different thing to the story not going anywhere.....just saying.
Where is Sin/Dex going ? I am not sure. Maybe I am unfair to sate that it is going nowhere.
The question I have for you is, do you not like it because
a) you don't like the characters
b) you think it isn't going anywhere
c) a combination of the above
?
Quote from: Magnetica on 07 June, 2018, 11:26:13 AM
Quote from: broodblik on 07 June, 2018, 11:09:29 AM
Quote from: Magnetica on 07 June, 2018, 07:11:44 AM
But it's a different thing to the story not going anywhere.....just saying.
Where is Sin/Dex going ? I am not sure. Maybe I am unfair to sate that it is going nowhere.
The question I have for you is, do you not like it because
a) you don't like the characters
b) you think it isn't going anywhere
c) a combination of the above
?
Because of a) it feels for me that the story is going nowhere. But maybe is must just bite the bullet and see where the journey ends :D
For me, the problem with Sin/Dex started when Abnett decided it should go somewhere. It worked as a kind of throwaway filler, featuring two people with a moral code that was essentially satirical (or if not, delusional). But when it hit serious 'epic' territory, it worked for a while (the Demi arc) but then gradually ended up mired in continuity hell. I'm much happier now the strip's just become a place again for quick, simple stories that can be slotted in here and there, rather than something where you need to remember a decade or more of interlinked plot threads.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 07 June, 2018, 11:33:55 AM
For me, the problem with Sin/Dex started when Abnett decided it should go somewhere. It worked as a kind of throwaway filler, featuring two people with a moral code that was essentially satirical (or if not, delusional). But when it hit serious 'epic' territory, it worked for a while (the Demi arc) but then gradually ended up mired in continuity hell. I'm much happier now the strip's just become a place again for quick, simple stories that can be slotted in here and there, rather than something where you need to remember a decade or more of interlinked plot threads.
I'd agree with this - there were a few good long arcs, but I'm really not interested in any more Moses (original or alternate universe versions), but am enjoying the latest stories since Malone and Generica.
Sin Dex and Grey Area are both strips that work for me with certain artists and not with others. With Simon Davis (Sin Dex) or Mark Harrison (Grey Area) they really fly and are always stand out 2000ad strips. Whereas when certain others have tried them it just didn't gel. There was a particularly long SinDex epic that was totally insipid simply due to an artist (who had done fine work elsewhere in the prog) just being a bad fit imho. Like many 2000ad strips they benefit from artists who really want to 'draw the shit' out of each page and embellish the writers words and character interactions.
Quote from: BPP on 08 June, 2018, 12:48:55 AM
There was a particularly long SinDex epic that was totally insipid simply due to an artist (who had done fine work elsewhere in the prog) just being a bad fit imho.
Can you remember who it was?
Yes but I don't want to be slagging off a particular person.
I'm enjoying everything greatly again this week, how boring!
Special mention goes to Durham Red, which only three (!) episodes has already established itself as a goer: the strip works on every level. Thumbs up!
Survival Geeks continues to charm the pants off me, cheery frothy stuff that I desperately crave.
Skip Tracer does itself few favours making Blake's apartment look just like Deckard's:more of a statement about what it wants to be than one of what it is. It's still a good read though, crisply rendered, and I'm enjoying the journey to who-knows-where. If it's a stealthy lead in to a new series of Medivac 318 I'll forgive it almost anything, but otherwise it needs to find a hook of its own, and soon.
Dredd and Deadworld continue their strong runs, and Droid Life gave me a chuckle.
Jovus and Mavis, Tharg, give me something to complain about, my moaning glands are atrophying!
Quote from: TordelBack on 08 June, 2018, 05:21:21 PM
Skip Tracer ... If it's a stealthy lead in to a new series of Medivac 318 I'll forgive it almost anything
Wrong reboot/crossover:
(https://www.80snostalgia.com/files/bully-logo-sm-background-300x286.jpg)
Prog 2086's cover line is
You Can't Beat A Bit Of Bully. Maybe the character making Nolan Blake try to remember where he put the red dish towel is a Yugee and readers will finally get to see Nick Stone meltdown.
I'll see your Deckard and raise you space grunts killing bugs and a character called Ibanez (http://www.hotflick.net/flicks/1997_Starship_Troopers/997STS_Denise_Richards_072.jpg).
Skip Tracer's inoffensive stuff, but it's exactly what you'd expect guys in their forties to come up with if you asked them to pitch something to
2000ad.
Apart from an angry cow turning up wearing double denim. That was mad.
I'm with Tordels. Keep it up Tharg.
Please.