Right, I've had enough of upstarts getting these threads. My postie delivers at 7.20am most Saturdays, so I wake to a prog!
Anyhow:
Dredd: Awww. PJ ends after two episodes. [spoiler]In the same way Block Mania was the end of the tale...[/spoiler]. Is it a spoiler to say PJ gets out? Me likes.
SinDex: oooh. Nice violence. And a "Half Life 2" moment in a phone call to Tracy. Me lkes too.
Savage: I find the art on this a little murky. I can see the skill in it, but sometimes I feel it can be a little hard to follows. I prefer my Savage to feature Savage and his Shoota, rather than Rent-a-Baddie. So, here's hoping it picks up.
3riller: Comes to an end. This reminded me of Bix Barton. I am not sure if that is good or bad. Good, probably. But if the idea is for these to be preludes to longer tales then I'm not sure how this would develop - unless the Agency is the key.
Zombo: Genius. In a red codpiece. Bonkers-ness set to 11/10. Me loves this.
Back cover: The Day of Chaos has Arrived - "Major new Judge Dredd Arc begins next prog". Erp
Inside cover: Johnny Alpha snapsot. He looks pissed off. Confirmed new Ichabod and other goodness.
All in all, a top prog that, bizarrely, leaves me disappointed as I want next week's NOW!
Mine was handed to me as I walked out the door so read it on the train. No surprises in Dredd although the incompetence of the system is an interesting angle. We're used to seeing Justice Dept as omniscient and omnipotent.
Cosmo Nibs ended very weakly and Sin/Dex was the unexpected highlight for me.
Pretty much as you were really from last week.
I'll get it hard stuff out the way first. I was disappointed with the Dredd. There is no denying that it was crafted brilliantly which is hardly a surprise given the two giants of the art from that created it. The story however continued in much the same vein as the previous weeks with further details of the events that happened.
Now I'll almost certainly regret saying this in weeks to come as the deficiencies in the Justice Department become a major plot point that works perfectly, particularly when I consider that the lack of quality in rookies has been long discussed already. So this has probably all been building and will work perfectly. At the moment the key reason given behind the events that have transpired just feels like a means to an end and a convenience to get the job done.
Before I get shouted at, as I've said I have faith that Mr Wagner will make me eat my words and I'll be happy do so. Just now that's how it feels, looking at this story in isolation... brown or red sauce with words????
Aside from that as you were. Well almost. 3riller disappointed after the impressive form shown last week and ended slightly... well typical really. Last week this was setting up to be real fun and a bit different. This weeks felt like a very typical 2000ad story. No in itself of course a problem but didn't bring to the table what it had teased last week.
To balance this Zombo gave clear indications that the... well balance is swinging back the right way. The humour, while still gloriously there wasn't quite so dominant and I really enjoyed this one.
The other two shined as they have since they came back. Sinister Dexter so often a favourite of mine really turned things again this week, enough to give it story of the week for the second time running. Bloody loving this, here's to actually getting a 10 week run, just what it deserves (hope I've not jinxed it!). Savage was great as well, really enjoying this one.
Good Prog.
Disaster!!!! No prog today...the postie has eaten my prog! Woe is me.
Going to be grumpy(er) all weekend now :'(
A cover to end all covers. Pure Flint. Has to be my fave of the year so far.
V
A fine Prog, but the news of the future thrills overshadows all but Zombo!
Only dip: SixDen, yawwwwn, someone kill em of please
Don't often join in with the review thread- but I want to say that despite really looking forward to it- I feel mightily let down by Cosmo Nibs. That could have been done in a FS, really. the opening page recap told you everything from the first two episodes and did it better than they did.
Sorry T.C.- think you've written some interesting stuff- but this wasn't your best.
my local nesies gone under so unless i can find a new local source its a trip to preston with a £2.70 each way for my prog! :(
Quote from: mogzilla on 12 July, 2011, 02:21:06 AM
my local nesies gone under so unless i can find a new local source its a trip to preston with a £2.70 each way for my prog! :(
You can always try the subs - saves the £2.70 each way and also get a copy before it goes on general sale (well only if your local postie takes post with them on a Saturday!)
looked at it but can you spread the cost on dd? i cannot afford an outlay of one big payment.
I'm enjoying Dredd for what it is at the moment but I have to say, Justice Department seem ridiculously incompetent in this story.
Face changes for inmates? Visitation rights for PJ Maybe? This doesn't seem like a maximum security iso-block to me.
JDept seem to have become seriously de-powered in general recently and it isn't quite ringing true. Hopefully 'Day of Chaos' may be about to address this.
I hadnt post my reviews on here for ages, but gotta to says I Love Zombo! As I read it in bus on way to work, and laughs out! hehe!
Love the President! And with his fired/hired! poor Mole (brilliant name!) as Vice President! hehe!
"Hullo, Mister President. Can I eat you?" "No. Eat the Vice President."
Spirit Rainbow! lol...
Cool. I read it whilst waiting for the dentist. Zombo was great, JD fun and SD is okay and 3thrillers a bit mad but fine.
Best cover of the year so far IMHO.
No pain from the dentist either. Yay!
Good little prog. Zombo is shaping up to be good fun and Sin/Dex looks interesting. The 3riller was entertaining but the ending was a bit obvious. Dredd was good and I don't have a problem with how incompetent the warders have been now that Dredd has pointed out that standards had slipped in the Iso-Block. Can't wait for the return of Johnny Alpha. I guess the picture in thrills of the future confirms that he will be getting his mutant eyes back now he's alive again.
Even though there the Iso-Block's staff's inadequacy was recognised in the story, it still came over as a lame attempt to scrape away the paint from the corner that Maybe was backed into. Right up until the final panel I was convinced that this had to be some sort of secret trap to lure Maybe into giving away his last outside contacts - no-one could possibly be this stupid. In its defence I suppose you could say that an assumed reputation as being a maximum-security prison means that standards slip as it's never tested but still, Jesus - there's incompetence, and then there's the Cobra Commander!
Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 09 July, 2011, 08:17:13 AMInside cover: Johnny Alpha snapsot. He looks pissed off.
He looks almost exactly like he did in that BUBBA BETTER BEAT IT StarScan.
Or there is the possibility that Dredd's being kept in the dark, and this was allowed to happen by the people who wanted to keep Maybe alive for study.
There's only so much they could glean from a captive Maybe, and he's being tracked to see what he does?
QuoteHe looks almost exactly like he did in that BUBBA BETTER BEAT IT StarScan.
I would be too if the lumpy yin died to bring you back...that is assuming thats what happened which I hope it didn't...
Gosh, that one didn't do much for me.
Cover: Along with its source story the best thing about the Prog, beautiful image, brilliant tagline and title. Who wouldn't be intrigued?
Dredd: Oh dear oh dear. I was glad when Wagner took the credibility-stretching step of sparing PJ at the end of Tour of Duty, I felt the character deserved special treatment, and had earned the logic-bypass that let him live to scheme another day, especially as it was only his own arrogance that saw him caught, rather than any skill on the part of Dredd.
This current story on the other hand... what a mess. There's nothing original here, nothing we haven't seen before (except a strangely resigned Dredd) and PJ's escape plan was pedestrian and its success bafflingly flawed - from the very idea of [spoiler]his having his own lawyer, passing notes to SouthAm drug lords and dispersing his illegal monies to fellow inmates, to the elective face change (!), to the minimum security regime, to the incredible good fortune of a passing mo-pad. Lampshading the incompetence of Justice Dept [/spoiler]hardly changes a thing.
Unless there's a deeper game afoot, of which we have been given no hint, I'm going to be pretty disappointed. As it is, this has the villain-diminishing hallmarks of one more Judge Death escape or Angel Gang resurrection. Bah! Art is nice, mind.
Sinister Dexter: I love SinDex, but alternate dimensions and time-travel? Weren't we getting somewhere momentum-wise? Still, Abnett writes so bright and breezy, and the art is so sharp, that this is second-best thing in the Prog.
Savage: Atmospheric, but [spoiler]shouldn't they separate the data stick from the stupid pilot? And the secret route to Ireland is the train to Liverpool?[/spoiler] It feels a bit like Pat is trying out every possible angle on the occupation scenario: from contemporary US-alike occupiers, to 1980s police drama, to robot liberators and high-tech capers, to 1940's France. But that's no bad thing.
3iller: Some nice McCrea art not helped much by an uneven colouring job. This was a passably amusing attempt to re-create the Abelard Snazz style of story, but ultimately lacked engaging characters or a convincing trajectory through its three dissimilar parts.
Zombo: I'm not a huge fan of Zombo, but President Trump and Obmoz are terrific - the[spoiler] corruption of Obmoz's controls was very clever[/spoiler], the banter sparkling throughout, and the opening cliffhanger resolution gag utterly groanworthy in the best possible way. This is a big improvement on the second series, and along with the cover the top thrill in a dull, frustrating week.
Bah!
Mmmm. This was a bit of a blip on the radar for me as well. I don't usually bother posting in the review thread because, as mentioned before, by the time I get the prog and read it,its usually a week or more after everybody else and everything I could say has already been said. It's the same story this week to be honest. I felt let down by the same things others felt let down about and I liked the same things (thing, Zombo) others did too. The Dredd story is baffling and really stretches credibility...did we really need to have PJ back so soon anyway? It's only been about a year since Tour of Duty ended (if even), and though I always knew he would find some way back eventually, this seems way, way too soon. And the escape attempt....this is not the Justice Department I know! Yes, that's probably the point of the upcoming storyline but still.......its all a bit convenient and out-of-the-blue isnt it. I dont usually question the mighty J.W, and I'm sure he'll have me eating my words in a couple of months when we are in the midst of the next story and raving about how brilliant it is... But right now, it all just feels off.
Sinister Dexter I am big fans of but just as it seems like we might be going some way towards resolving stuff, we get another new twist thrown into the mix that is surely going to lead to yet more arcs and stories in order to resolve it...I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally wish they would resolve this whole Wars of the Moses thing and try to come up with a different direction for the duo. I'd swear they've been going on about the "War of the Moses" since I returned to 2000ad in 2006 and it still doesnt seem to have gone anywhere much.... Al - I LOVE your work but stop teasing me with this!!!!!
Regarding SinDex, last year's story set in the casino was pretty remarkable for recent-vintage SinDex in that it was an actual story, with a beginning, middle and and end within the six-episode structure, but otherwise it's just been one water-treading subplot after another for years. The twist in this issue has been the most interesting and eye-opening development in the series since the squandered-promise of Dex's paralysis back in 2006-07. It's been a long time since anything this clever happened in the series.
I still want it concluded, finally, and terminally, but this is the first time I've felt curious about what might happen next for a long time.
Quote from: Grant Goggans on 22 July, 2011, 12:06:09 AM
Regarding SinDex, last year's story set in the casino was pretty remarkable for recent-vintage SinDex in that it was an actual story, with a beginning, middle and and end within the six-episode structure, but otherwise it's just been one water-treading subplot after another for years. The twist in this issue has been the most interesting and eye-opening development in the series since the squandered-promise of Dex's paralysis back in 2006-07. It's been a long time since anything this clever happened in the series.
I still want it concluded, finally, and terminally, but this is the first time I've felt curious about what might happen next for a long time.
In the first Casino episode I pointed out that Sin/Dex seemed to appear in more than one of the CCTV monitors in different rooms/poses. Maybe this is all part of the forthcoming plot rather than just sloppiness in the art.
V
Quote from: TordelBack on 17 July, 2011, 05:59:23 PM
Sinister Dexter: I love SinDex, but alternate dimensions and time-travel?
If Ramone's phone (hey that rhymes!) as interdimensional communications tech, and he's talking to his version of his girlfriend (if you get what I mean) then that would suggest time travel.
My take on it is that he is in fact talking to this alternate dimension's version of the girlfriend, and in that dimension their counterparts were in the crash at an earlier date, therefore, no time travel need be involved.
I'm a few weeks behind you guys by the way. I haven't read the later progs yet to confirm whether or not this is true.
Oh, by the way, I've only recently read these last two Progs after a couple of weeks off. (Not on holiday I was just being a bit careful until I got on top of a bill.) I enjoyed them both very much. I agree that Dredd seemed rather contrived, but I enjoyed it just the same.
I wasn't sure what was going on with the girl's eyes in the 3riller. I understand she has new occular implants, but I'm not sure what the point was. Since the bloke went along with her plan at the end I assume that they're providing a similar mojo to his voice chip, causing him to do what she said in telling the truth despite the obvious fact he wouldn't be believed. I hope I got that right...
I found the last two episodes of Zombo good too, last week's being particularly funny. The first week's was a bit too nasty for my taste, but again it was pretty good.
Still cannot get this on digital... Even though there's a box to click. Nothingt's happening!!!!!!!!!! gawd!!
Quote from: Krombasher on 12 August, 2011, 08:18:11 AM
Still cannot get this on digital... Even though there's a box to click. Nothingt's happening!!!!!!!!!! gawd!!
Did you get it from this site's digital? I used Clickwheel.
Quote from: Robert Frazer on 13 July, 2011, 09:47:26 PM
Quote from: 1000AD on 04 July, 2011, 10:53:35 AM
Wouldn't a life prisoner be held in solitary confinement and not be allowed visitors? Not sure why the Judges would allow someone as dangerous as Maybe the right to associate with other people. Seems a bit of a stretch of the imagination to believe Maybe can request anyone he likes to visit him. The Judges would have to check each person visiting Maybe to make sure they weren't trying to help him, they didn't have a criminal record, didn't work for dubious people like a crime cartel, didn't have a reason to help Maybe.
Even though the Iso-Block's staff's inadequacy was recognised in the story (Day Of Chaos), it still came over as a lame attempt to scrape away the paint from the corner that Maybe was backed into ... no-one could possibly be this stupid. In its defence I suppose you could say that an assumed reputation as being a maximum-security prison means that standards slip as it's never tested but still, Jesus ...
Well,
someone found Maybe's escape plan plausible:
(https://i.imgur.com/wn9HNyr.png?2)
As thousands of police officers search across France for a convict who escaped prison in a commando-style helicopter raid Sunday, investigators are piecing together how the precisely coordinated, astonishingly brazen caper came together — probably through months of high-tech spy work and secret plans.
Rédoine Faïd, a 46-year-old gangster and career criminal, had been serving a 25-year sentence for armed robbery and murder at Sud Francilien Penitentiary Center. The prison was supposed to be secure even for a man like Faïd, whose record of robberies, hostage takings and violence dates back to the 1990s, and who escaped once before in 2013.
So Sud Francilien's exceptional landscape was covered in what the Associated Press called "anti-helicopter netting" — the entire grounds, except for one large and seldom-used courtyard. This was the weak link in the prison's design, around which Faïd's accomplices on the outside began plotting.
With an infiltration point into the prison identified, the conspirators set about acquiring the machinery and talent to exploit the security gap.
Faïd had at least three willing accomplices, according to French authorities. None of them knew how to fly a helicopter, apparently — so on Sunday morning, the men kidnapped a pilot as he waited for a flight lesson, according to the Guardian.
They forced the pilot at gunpoint to fly them to the prison in an Aerospatiale Alouette II, a light utility chopper. It was a warm morning, and the small, bright white helicopter might have looked almost cheerful as it flew over Sud Francilien's thick foliage and touched down in the courtyard, shortly before noon.
Then two of the gunmen jumped out of the craft. They were now wearing masks, according to Reuters. They also wore hoods, "police" armbands and carried Kalashnikov rifles, according to the Guardian.
"It was an extremely well-prepared commando unit," Belloubet told reporters. And it had all the tools, weapons and expertise it needed to carry out a clockwork-precise attack on the prison's internal security.
Faïd was in the visiting room talking to his brother at that moment, the Guardian wrote. The gunmen in the courtyard allegedly set off gas canisters and smoke bombs as a distraction, and used an electric grinder to get through the visiting room door.
The two gunmen then escorted Faïd back to the helicopter, where the third was still guarding the pilot.
Sunday's escape was not the first time that Faïd had pulled off a dramatic prison break. In 2013, he managed to escape from a prison in Lille by taking four guards hostage and then detonating explosives hidden in a tissue box to blow out the prison gates.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/07/01/redoine-faid-helicopter-prison-escape-sparks-manhunt-in-france/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3530a5bc40f0
Think both the content and the effort involved in finding just the right thread to necropost it in warrant breaking my emoji embargo.
:D
Indeed - Bravo Frank!
Although, I would expect more from Justice Department than from Inspector Clouseau and his colleagues at the Surete...