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Not sure if it's me or the prog...

Started by Steve Green, 04 July, 2017, 07:04:52 PM

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Greg M.

Quote from: The Adventurer on 05 July, 2017, 12:31:22 AM
The hole created by the loss of Nikolai Dante has yet to really be filled IMO

For me, the hole created by the absence of Robbie Morrison is a similar issue. I'm just not into the work of several of the current writers (all of whom, I should note, are undoubtedly talented folks - their work's just not for me.) Likewise, the 'lots of different strips by the same writer' model is a hurdle - I'd rather see the same strips returning more frequently, to really build up a head of steam, and to have a chance of converting me to a believer in their merits.

Steve Green

Yeah, I've definitely lost interest in a lot of other stuff. I put it down to the overwhelming amount of genre TV and film that's out there. Combine that with the grind of doing the post-production on the fan-film and it really sucked the fun out of it.

Pile on ridiculous feuds in cosplay groups, twitterstorms about whichever film or TV series was doing 'x' wrong, and over it all a relentless army of dead-eyed funko figures popping up on my timeline and I got a massive feeling of 'I really can't be arsed with any of this shit'

I cancelled Netflix because I just wasn't watching it, it ending up feeling like a chore that I should do than one I wanted to.

norton canes

Quote from: The Adventurer on 05 July, 2017, 12:31:22 AM
This year's gave us more Kingdom, The Order, Scarlet Traces, Brink, and Deadworld. Which is all together solid. And has also given us Kingmaker. So its hard to really complain

These (along with Dredd of course) have been the best strips for me over the past few months, too. By comparison the current line-up isn't anywhere near as strong. Defoe is weirdly compelling, more as a snapshot of Pat Mills' current writing style than as an enjoyable strip in its own right. Grey Area is OK but not Dan Abnett's finest work. Hunted still doesn't even register. BUT, after a few weeks two of three of those strips will have made way for replacements, and the prog could take on another new complexion (Hope, anyone..?)

I think I mentioned in another thread recently that 2000 AD it the moment is lacking 'heroes' - characters that feature in a succession of short, and occasionally longer length, stories. A few people seem to be a bit disenchanted with the high number of 'ongoing' stories. For me 2000 AD has always been about  classic characters who can be plunged into a succession of adventures, not epic-length serials. In that sense, Nikolai Dante is a serious loss.

Dark Jimbo

Quote from: norton canes on 05 July, 2017, 09:58:49 AM
I think I mentioned in another thread recently that 2000 AD it the moment is lacking 'heroes' - characters that feature in a succession of short, and occasionally longer length, stories. A few people seem to be a bit disenchanted with the high number of 'ongoing' stories. For me 2000 AD has always been about  classic characters who can be plunged into a succession of adventures, not epic-length serials. In that sense, Nikolai Dante is a serious loss.

Yeah, I said the same recently - there's too much 'Book 3 of this saga' and 'Book 9 of that saga.' I'd rather have character-led strips that can drop in for a one-parter, three-parter or twelve-parter - a new Dante, basically!
@jamesfeistdraws

Banners

#19
Brave post. I am experiencing a similar malaise—maybe explaining my absence here—and like others have said upthread, I sometimes forget the comics have arrived now, whereas I used to whip the Prog and Meg straight off the mat and eagerly devour them right away.

Brink and Outlaw are consistently brilliant, and we continue to see top notch artistic talent, with Henry Flint, Carl Critchlow, Chris Weston, Brendan McCarthy, D'Israeli, INJ Culbard, Colin MacNeil et al all featuring recently. I would love a new writer to really start to blossom, like Spurrier, Rob Williams, Robbie Morrison and (particularly) Al Ewing all did in the last generation. Guy Adams has done some fine work, but I'm maybe missing a new and exciting voice to sit alongside stalwarts Dabnett, Grennie, Edgington, Mills and Carroll et al, and there hasn't really been as compelling and exciting protagonist since Dante. The droid's merits can be debated one way or the other, based on personal preference, so that's down to one's individual taste. But for me, the deeper cause is something bigger...

This isn't the political thread, nor the black dog thread, but I do feel generally down with the state of the world. Health, family, work are all fine (which I'm thankful for) but since Brexit, Trump, Grenfell Tower, the terrorist attacks, and the spurious general election and DUP bribe, I feel like I'm living in some kind of oppressive, sad, fug.

My mind is on bigger problems and I'm not enjoying stuff—specifically comics, music and sport—but have retreated into binge watching one box set after another (currently on The Bureau which is fantastic btw). I think this is called "anhedonia". Like a kid not allowed to have their dessert until their plate is clean, something in me feels wrong to be enjoying Wimbledon for example, when more and more bad stuff is coming out every day. Frankly, I'm reading real dystopian horrors in The Guardian and the New York Times now, not just in the fictional world of Mega City One.

Maybe that's an over-reaction. Maybe we just go through phases with the Prog, which is to be expected when you've been reading something for nearly your whole life...! And, of course, 2000 AD has always been anti-establishment, has always provided an original, disruptive voice. So if answers are to be found anywhere, maybe it's likely to be here. For that reason, my subscription will remain in place. Cheers.

Frank

Quote from: Steve Green on 04 July, 2017, 07:04:52 PM
I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is, but the hit to miss rate for me isn't great ... Maybe it's a combination of factors, but ... it's read more out of habit, in the same way I read it in the 90s.

Nothing's awful, but nothing's exceptional. For me, that's due to the loss of Ewing and Williams, creators with distinctive voices, willing to experiment with form.

Many recent strips are adjuncts to familiar stories. Rooting a strip in the work of other authors or established genres is a legitimate approach, but it's not going to feel new.

Heartfelt literalism is fine*, but the hero-villains of The Two Torquemadas, Big Dave, and Zombo gleefully declaimed views antithetical to those of their authors in a way that was fun for the reader.

Using the same old stories and characters to say the same thing as everyone else takes us back to the stultifying conformity of the days when every villainous Hun died with Himmel on his lips.


* In the last few weeks, Brink, Deadworld, Grey Area, and Scarlet Traces all earnestly depicted downtrodden migrants saving or aiding their persecutors. I share the world view Tom Eglinton expressed in Sons Of Booth, but dramatising my opinions and feeding them back to me felt like The Human Caterpillar.

Tjm86

For me one of the strengths of the tooth has always been that even at its worst it is still head and shoulders above the rest.  I normally find at least one story that doesn't fully engage me.  I still find it far better value for money than other titles.  The cost of America titles has finally hit the point where I consider it prohibitive.  Especially since the engagement level is depreciating as well.  It's not even possible to justify continuing reading on the grounds that they might appreciate in value.  Digital seems to have pretty effectively killed that off, not that it was ever a big issue.  I guess I can understand where this thread is coming from in that regard. 

SIP

Interesting point on the depreciation. I have been dismayed by seeing massive collections sell for next to nothing. To free up space, I imagine one day I will just be giving my entire collection away for nothing to anyone who's willing to come around and pick it up.

Ha ha, I think this thread is slowly convincing me to stop the subscription and get rid. Just keep my trades, which is a thought I've had for a while now.

The only reason I'm really continuing at the moment is the prospect of another meaningful run of Wagner dredd or a " next prog : strontium dog".  Also, I have this overwhelming feeling that if I do stop then at some future point I will regret the decision. Curses.

Steve Green

I've never been a collector - and I don't pick up much outside 2000AD, last thing was the Metabarons hardbacks, and I still haven't read them either.

I've shifted some of my stuff to digital to save space, but I'm not even sure why - it's so rare that I'll re-read things or even re-watch blu-rays that they're just filling a space on the shelf.

I'm definitely feeling what Banners is as well, and sorely missing Al being in the prog.

Magnetica

I always think it is a real shame when long term readers feel like they want to give the Prog up. It's like a body blow to 2000AD. But if it no longer appeals, then it no longer appeals. I'm not going to convince you by saying stuff like " I like Brink, I like Kingmaker, I like Grey Area etc".

I do think the point about too many strips by the same writer is valid and that it would be better to concentrate on one before moving onto the next. The days of long runs of a story seem to be over. It's all ten parts and then wait a year or two for the next ten parts. We also don't get complete, done in 26 consecutive parts like Meltdown Man anymore either.

I also think it is valid that we need characters that can just be dropped into a standalone tale that isn't part of a multi book arc. But surely they do exist -it's just that it doesn't feel like it. e.g. Stront, Sinister Dexter and the Grey Area team could all be used like that.  ( Dante keeps being mentioned as an example, but let's not forget there was an overall arc there as well, it was just that you could dip into any given story and understand it: he's a rogue, what more do you need to know, or he's cut his hair and suddenly gone all serious.)

If everyone gave up the Prog and just bought the trades, then there would be no more trades ( unless Rebellion changes their business model I guess). What I mean is, would it be worth their while publishing original material as trades without the weekly existing? Is there a large enough market for that?

IAMTHESYSTEM

Perhaps with a lot of competing media, it's inevitable that comics suffer a downturn in its audience. I must admit I've been missing a few trips to the Newsagent to buy Twoothy and the Newsagent even remarked upon my absences a couple of times. There's not been anything lately that particularly 'grabs' me or compels me to buy my dose of thrill power it's more habit now than anything. I think it's difficult to maintain the quality over such a long time, and creators get better offers from the Concept Art, Film and TV industries. Understandably they follow the money, so if we are are in a twoothy mid-life doldrum it's because of 2000AD's success rather than its failure.
"You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension."

http://artriad.deviantart.com/
― Nikola Tesla

CalHab

I am enjoying the prog at the moment and look forward to it dropping through the letterbox, but it has suffered from having too many long-running stories recently. More unexpected one or two-parters would provide welcome novelty.

SIP

I think it's likely not the progs fault at all......in my case it's probably just me.

Dredd and Alpha have always been the backbone of 2000ad for me, along with the support of Rogue and Nemesis (in those heady days).

Since the end of Day of Chaos I just can't invest in the Dredd strip.....not sure why, it's just all felt inconsequential, like it's treading water. Alpha has been reinvigorated with the resurrection, but it's not been further developed.

I've grown detached from it, and I'm sure that the quality of the strips have been high in the last couple of years.....but they just haven't appealed to me. A lot of the art styles really haven't appealed to me either and I don't think that has helped. I used to enjoy grey area, but Mark Harrisons artwork on that strip  just killed it for me completely (just a personal preference).

Anyway, enough complaining from me, think I just need to revel in my nostalgia and stick to older tooth. Leave the new stuff to those crazy kids.

Dark Jimbo

I should add that  I'm still absolutely reading comics - they're one of life's big pleasures - and 80% or more of what I read is still Tooth stuff. Just not feeling the 'need' to keep up on a weekly basis.
@jamesfeistdraws

IndigoPrime

I've never really considered dropping 2000 AD, and wouldn't think about it now. It's rare I don't read it on the day it shows up, and while other mags languish, the Prog never does.

I can see what some people are saying about various issues with the mag itself (personally, I'm not sure Judge Dredd every fully recovered from Chaos Day, which in hindsight seems too destructive, and I'm for the first time in years also skipping one story entirely now), but it's still capable of surprise, and remains an interesting read. I can't imagine going digital either, unless Rebellion stopped printing the Prog. The sheer number of digital comics I own (and have bought, note, not just downloaded from the dodgy web) but have never read is not funny.

The Meg's the one I wobble on from time to time, not least during that bit when we got a slew of Sin/Dex stuff in one block. But I'm broadly enjoying that too again now, even if I sometimes forget what was happening a month ago when I last read part of a story! (Getting old...)