Dredd continues with Black Snow part 2 and we get some exposition as to why Maksim is doing what he is doing, some more Sov Block ted tape as a delaying tactic and a winter uniform for Dredd.
Slaine whilst still having a lot of talking managed to move the plot along quite a lot for once.
I have reached the point I always do with Indigo Prime where I don't really have a clue what is going on anymore and am not sure if I will try to rectify that.
SinDex wasn't the best episode.
Absalom now seems to be moving towards the expected wrap up.
Overall for me, a below average Prog. We have had much better recently.
What's the cover like (the only reason I look at this thread before getting the prog)?
(https://2000adandbeyondsite.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/2000ad-2056.jpg)
Strangely it was shown on the Thrillmail this week. Don't remember them ever showing the cover in advance like that before.
Who's the cover by? I've been trying to work it out since Wednesday's thrillmail. Some of the colours remind me of early Duncan Fegardo but I don't think its him and I'm away on a parent run this week therefore Progless and still pondering.
John McCrea on cover duties.
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 04 November, 2017, 02:18:02 PM
Who's the cover by? I've been trying to work it out since Wednesday's thrillmail. Some of the colours remind me of early Duncan Fegardo but I don't think its him and I'm away on a parent run this week therefore Progless and still pondering.
Er.....it clearly says "John McCrea" under the picture on the Thrillmail.
I didn't recognise who it was until John McCrea was pointed out, but I can see it now...
p.s. thanks Eamonn!
Quote from: Magnetica on 04 November, 2017, 02:26:59 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 04 November, 2017, 02:18:02 PM
Who's the cover by? I've been trying to work it out since Wednesday's thrillmail. Some of the colours remind me of early Duncan Fegardo but I don't think its him and I'm away on a parent run this week therefore Progless and still pondering.
Er.....it clearly says "John McCrea" under the picture on the Thrillmail.
Bloody hell so it does! How the chuff did I miss that!!!!!
Well under a truly glorious cover by John McCrea - I mean who else could it be!!! we have a crackin' Prog, a real belter.
A rip roaring Dredd moves all that build up from the first part along nicely, though some reveals are being held back and you think we have an even more action packed final part next week (guessing it will be the last part???). Great stuff.
All great Progs seem to have one stinker (well of course that not true... though often it is) and this week Slaine fills that role. I think its meant to be a nice revealing character piece, as it is it a might shrug of the shoulders all be it very easy on the eyes.
Indigo Prime plays the role of absolute genius thrill layered and begging for an immediate re-read. All reservations are washed away by the simple fact this is just superb... well all reservations apart from the fact that Revere's appearance still has no real context... still hope that will come and this is more than a gimmick.
Sinister Dexter's latest has a supreme finale with an last page only Abnett could get away with - just brilliant and can we have Yeowell on S&D from here on in. I adore his work on this series.
Finally a gloriously balanced Absalom playing the two strand of the story off one another with such deft skills. Great stuff.
So yeah four parts glory, one part stinker (to make you reaslise how good the good stuff is) and I'm more than happy with the Prog.
I am enjoying Dredd , Slaine , Sinister Dexter and Absalom - all good
and the stories and artwork have been great
However , Indigo Prime , this is a fail story for me , I am reasonably intelligent and I can't make
much sense of the story - I can't wait for this to end ,
and then we get the World Class new story from Jaegir
by Gordon Rennie as advertised - last week .
Note - to Matt Smith - please can we have a new Strontium Dog and ABC Warriors story soon.
Judge Dredd: the story progresses quite nicely with more hints to why the Mega City One judges have gone in to the facility. RIP Judge Moller, you will be remembered. May flights of Angels see Thee to Thy rest.
Slaine: I never knew how manipulative Slaine could be when he wants to be. He must have learned that from Ukko.
Indigo Prime: I just don't GET it.
Sin/Dex: A good conclusion. It was nice to see a resolution that didn't have a massive bloodbath. Nicely done.
Absalom: Shades of Dad's Army in this episode. I really liked the juxtaposition of a afternoon tea with a desperate fight against a primordial levitation.
All in all three hits, one okay and one miss. A mixed prog this week.
a very good prog, but I found that cover a little dark and murky in the print edition - not one that would leap off the shelves at me, but it looks much nicer in that image above
Quote from: Dandontdare on 07 November, 2017, 02:08:37 PM
I found that cover a little dark and murky in the print edition - not one that would leap off the shelves at me, but it looks much nicer in that image above
There's a distinct mid-90s vibe to it.
Since when was Ramone Dexter bald again though....?
As much as I like Sinister Dexter (and I genuinely do) this last strip was 'very' reminiscent of the coffee war run that was in the floppies last year. It's rare for Dan Abnett to misfire for me, but this was one.
Love the gonzo cover, more McCrea please.
Not getting along with this passive Dredd, who demonstrates impressive skills of delegation and as a result does nothing himself for the second week in a row. In line for a big bonus, presumably. I'm also struggling with the idea of Siberia being the most hostile environment on an Earth that boasts Sauron Valley, the Radlands of Ji and the radioactive crater of East Meg 1. I do like the Kafka bits though, and the art is downright boisterous.
Slaine is more my thing, gorgeous lighting and glad to get back to Macha's story (although wasn't the Death Winter that let the Formorians sweep down on the ice from Tory a later event?). How long was Slaine on Mona anyway he was just Don Johnson when he went over, now he's the full Frankie Boyle.
Indigo Prime vexes me, so I'm reserving judgement until it's done, but I did like the "nothing can stop me" gag.
Sinister Dexter offered an unexpected solution, and continues to build the new status quo in a satisfying way. The Punmageddon Climax was great, "Harrissa Explains It All" taking some kind of award. Great art team on this, never seen Yeowell coloured better.
Absalom was all about the tentacle art for me, just extraordinary. Plus story threads pulling together in a worrying way.
From memory, since I don't have the prog in front of me...
Cover: Guest artist alert! It's decent enough but I'd have preferred a big-screen version of Yeowell's explosion.
Dredd: Liking the fact that this is a relatively gritty story. I'm not usually keen on the humorous one- and two-parters that litter the progs. Though of course the insight into the Sov's administrative procedures provides some drollery.
Slaine: Superb colouring. The multiple Sinead faces are interesting but in what might be a rare misfire from Simon Davis, too many of them look the same. Anyway, it's a relief from the last few weeks of hack-and-slay.
Indigo Prime: Under all the clever plot devices and wordplay, I don't think there's quite enough humanity on display to make this completely satisfying. In The Order, Kek-W wrote many characters for which we cared and had deep sympathy. Here, perhaps because they're not his creations, we're not getting that. The story seems to be a bit of an extended exercise in 'what can we come up with next'.
SinDex: A narrative that doesn't really fill five pages, hence perhaps the large panels. Are you punned out yet, Mr Abnett?
Absalom: Top Thrill again, attractive art and engaging story in complete harmony. Lovely.
Abnett will NEVER be punned out! There were more laughs in that penultimate speech bubble than a whole season of ITV comedies
Really enjoyed the prog again. Agree with Tordels that the Dredd is a bit of a mixed bag but it still comes out mostly on top. But my, how fab is Absalom? Very fab. That's how fab.
To be fair to Kek-W, he's trying to make Indigo Prine resemble Smith's writing as much as possible. I love Smith's writing, but I'm not sure how many of his characters stand out for their humanity. Maybe Murray in Swimming in Blood, but that's about it.
And Smith's shoes are big shoes to fill, so anyone trying to replace him would inevitably feel obliged to follow a "what can I come up with next" approach. Kek-W has certainly done that in this story, and he's done it very well. There are some mental ideas in this story.
Now I don't know what John Smith himself makes of all this, he didn't sound very happy in his last post on the subject, but speaking only for myself I'm delighted with the result.
Top Thrills: Slaine, Absalom
Ticking over: Dredd, SiniDex
Not my thing: Indigo Prime
Glad to see Slaine getting a bit meaty again this week, with the question of his parentage being addressed. Am I the only one genuinely interested in this, and feeling that the answer is going to change things for the foreseeable future. I still don't get on with Simon Davies's art here I'm afraid, which has curtailed my enjoyment a bit, but I also know a lot of folk love it, so I'm happy to see it continue, for now.
Absalom is just completely readable, whether in weekly form or as a collection- which isn't something you can say about all of Tharg's strips over the last ten years.
Dredd isn't doing much for me of late, and SiniDex was a bit of an anticlimactic end to what was a fun story. Indigo Prime, I'm very to concede, has lost me and I'll be skipping it from here on in.
Nice Droid Life too. Shame no letters, and the cover was a bit dark and fugly for me.
A 6/10 prog for me.
SBT
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 10 November, 2017, 04:37:59 PM
Glad to see Slaine getting a bit meaty again this week, with the question of his parentage being addressed. Am I the only one genuinely interested in this..
You are not: in fact I'm really enjoying learning about Macha. I'm a bit puzzled by why Slaine himself is interested, it seems like the sort of thing he would have been preaching the irrelevance of in his 'I am the Laughter in the Woods' days, and certainly not the sort of pursuit Danu would approve of, the old slapper.
I'd also note that Slaine has conversed with Macha's ghost/spirit before (as well as brought people back from the dead and romped about the Underworld meeting/fighting the dead), so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about here. It is a wonderfully atmospheric scene here though, and I hope that this spot of necromancy might put him at odds with more than just the Archons, which would be cool: Slaine hounded across the land by the Goddess is something I'd like to see.
Yes I am genuinely interested to find out the answer. It's been a while since I have looked forward to the next episode of Slaine but that is the case this week.
Quote from: TordelBack on 10 November, 2017, 05:07:54 PM
Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 10 November, 2017, 04:37:59 PM
Glad to see Slaine getting a bit meaty again this week, with the question of his parentage being addressed. Am I the only one genuinely interested in this..
You are not: in fact I'm really enjoying learning about Macha. I'm a bit puzzled by why Slaine himself is interested, it seems like the sort of thing he would have been preaching the irrelevance of in his 'I am the Laughter in the Woods' days, and certainly not the sort of pursuit Danu would approve of, the old slapper.
I'd also note that Slaine has conversed with Macha's ghost/spirit before (as well as brought people back from the dead and romped about the Underworld meeting/fighting the dead), so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about here. It is a wonderfully atmospheric scene here though, and I hope that this spot of necromancy might put him at odds with more than just the Archons, which would be cool: Slaine hounded across the land by the Goddess is something I'd like to see.
Yes - I've been a bit dismissive of the storylines in Slaine- I'm happy to look at the pretty pictures despite the endless speechifying - but I also find Slaine's motivations a bit out of character for him - why is this important to him, given Sinead's objections?
Soz, double post: When Slaine started going on about star magic, I was expecting Sinead to remind him that his loyalty is to the EARTH goddess
Indigo Prime is the single best strip to appear in the prog this year, and any opinion to the contrary is utterly without merit. ;)
Lots of gorgeous art this week. Special shouts out though for
- PJ's Dredd. The Sov building at the bottom of page 3 was brilliant as was the hover tank landing from quite a height on page 4
- Simon Davis' faces, basically all of them!
- Lee Carter's Burroughs World at the bottom of the fourth IP page
- Steve Yeowell looking v nice in John Charles' colours
- Tiernon's placing of a dainty little heart on the apron of the servant at the top of page 2!
Yep. Busted. I've mentioned everyone.