Megazine Volume 5 - The Odyssey

Simon Beigh · 24 July, 2013, 07:24:50 PM

I mentioned elsewhere that i recently bought every Meg from 201 onwards (that's January 2003) and I intend to sit and read every one of them. So I thought I'd document this momentous journey. The highs, the lows, the "oh bloody hell, I'm fed up of these sodding Megs" moments, the lot...

Now I know you can wander through the Megazine thread and get a discussion on each individual Meg, but I'm taking a slightly different approach.

Firstly, I thought it might confuse an awful lot of people if I comment in a thread closed over a decade ago.

Secondly, this is my journey through Meg-land coming back to 2000AD after a 30 year absence and I'm not familiar with the back stories of a lot of characters. So discussions like "I never expected so-and-so to come back to life" don't make sense to me and a lot of other newbies who have returned to the Galaxy's Greatest recently. I'm reading the Megs cold - no decades of reading weekly thrills beforehand.

Lastly, if Buttonman can write a thread about what he ate on holiday last year, I think there's room for little old me and my spiritual journey of enlightenment...

This thread is bought to you in association with Martin Howe, Enjinn and betel_uk - suppliers of my Megs. Thanks lads.

So why Megs - why not Progs?

Well, I prefer the Megs in many ways. I like the fact they centre around the Judge Dredd universe and explore the different facets to that world. I like the longer story format - with often 10 pages of each story in each Meg and those stories can span many Megs. I like the text articles - I'm interested in artists and writers and so on. I've heard the Meg is a bit edgier - experiments are tried - I like that. And I like the reprints - and if I got them bundled with the Megs I bought / were given then I will review them too.

Anyway - feel free to join in the debate - or read along with me. I'll 'black out' plot details, so if people want to read them from scratch like I am, I won't spoil if for you. And I won't reveal twists, or whodunnit - just an intro into what the stories are about so you can decide if it's worth the effort tracking down the Megs or digging them out the loft.

So, without further ado...

Meg 201 - I say, Dredd... (Entry on BARNEY)

Sadly, I'm missing the Gold reprints which came with the first 10 or so Megs, so I can't comment on those. However, this is a special bumper edition launch issue with 148 pages. It kept me quiet for quite sometime. I won't go into the ins and outs of every article, but there was a lot to like. Top 3 for me were:

Judge Dredd - War Crimes: Written by Gordon Rennie and drawn in a lovely style by Lee Sullivan (known more for his Doctor Who artwork), this was a terrific one-part story - and I found it quite moving at the end. It is certainly one of the best Dredd stories I've read in a long time, if not ever! [spoiler]A dying woman is arrested for distributing leaflets claiming her son was not a traitor. He was executed during the Apocalypse War for being a Sov spy. Dredd smells some honesty in her story, and sets off to investigate further by questioning those who knew him in the past[/spoiler]

Devlin Waugh - Red Tide - pt.1: There is an excellent text article, Waugh is Hell, written by David Bishop (of Thrill Power Overload fame) which introduces the character of Devlin Waugh - how he was incepted, his previous appearances and a synopsis of his story so far. [spoiler]The story is set in the Dredd Universe. This opening episode sees a family travel over the Black Atlantic to the Bahamas to go vampire hunting.[/spoiler]. The paintings by Colin MacNeil - wow. I'm saying 'painting' - it might be clever computer trickery - someone will set me right if I've got it wrong!

Family - pt.1: No computer trickery for this art - looks all penned by Simon Fraser - and I like a bit of traditional black and white inkwork. The intro in the Meg reveals it's set in the near future, so this is one of the stories set away from the Dredd Universe. [spoiler]A crime family run an entire town - and nothing happens without their say-so. A new cop arrives on the scene, eager to set things right...[/spoiler]

The other stories, Judge Dredd Phartz and The Kleggs! fell fairly into the "OK' category for me. I didn't hate them, but didn't like them as much as these others.

The text articles held some of my interest. I hadn't realised Thrill Power Overload has started life in the Meg before it became a book - and this Meg has part 11. There is also an article on John Sanders, former IPC publisher, which I flicked through. Two text stories, a Dredd and a Devlin Waugh reprint also appear. I didn't read them - but maybe I will go back to them. I'll let you know...

All in all, a quality read and worthy of tracking down for the Dredd story War Crimes alone, although Red Tide and Family have definitely started well!

Mabs · 25 July, 2013, 01:12:46 AM

Great stuff Simeon, and good luck on your endeavour- you'll need it seeing the amount of reading ahead (although I wouldn't mind it!). Just one thing, any ideas when we started getting the floppies with the Meg? I'm quite a fan of said floppies and due to jumping on board to the Meg fairly recently, am worried I might've missed out on some great floppies.

Simon Beigh · 25 July, 2013, 06:14:33 AM

Cheers Mabs! The floppy appeared in the format we still have today in Meg 275, with a collection of Jock Dredd stories. The reprints still divide many as to whether they are worth having or not, but I am a firmly on the side of them being a good thing. There is a thread in the debating the floppy which has some recommendations, and of course, I will be getting to them all in due course (as in, a long way off...!).

Mabs · 25 July, 2013, 03:55:28 PM

I'm looking forward to it. If it sounds good then I might just order 'em from Tharg's store or some other reputable outlets such as eBay!

Dark Jimbo · 25 July, 2013, 04:41:21 PM

Volume 5 doesn't exist, does it? They permanently ditched the 'volume' system after volume 4 in favour of issue numbers, like the prog.

Quote from: Mabs on 25 July, 2013, 01:12:46 AMJust one thing, any ideas when we started getting the floppies with the Meg? I'm quite a fan of said floppies and due to jumping on board to the Meg fairly recently, am worried I might've missed out on some great floppies.

In their current format they started with 275 - but that's also what the aforementioned 'Gold' reprints that started with 201 were, in all but name (I think the Gold ones were a little thicker, too.) Like the Extreme Editions, a lot of that material has since been published in trade form though.

Skullmo · 25 July, 2013, 05:21:50 PM

Do this as a BLOG!

Simon Beigh · 25 July, 2013, 08:53:56 PM

Glad to have you along for the ride, Mabs!

Quote from: Dark Jimbo on 25 July, 2013, 04:41:21 PM
Volume 5 doesn't exist, does it? They permanently ditched the 'volume' system after volume 4 in favour of issue numbers, like the prog

Yeah, that's technically correct DJ, but I didn't know what else to call the thread and had seen Volume 5 used elsewhere - so figured it was as good as anything else!

Quote from: Skullmo on 25 July, 2013, 05:21:50 PM
Do this as a BLOG!

I did think about it... But I figured most people who would be interested would be on the forum. Happy to hear thoughts - but why would a blog be better?

Got one more article, then Meg 202 will be posted...

Skullmo · 25 July, 2013, 10:26:55 PM

Because it will be preserved fro all time - and there are a lot of people who would read but are no so nerdy that they would be on this forum

Simon Beigh · 25 July, 2013, 10:29:22 PM

Meg 202 - Black Siddha - The serpent sword needs blood!

Firstly, I was wrong about the reprints being missing. They were a separate supplement in the first Meg, but this month it is bound into the main magazine. This is excellent news, as I was keen to read Slaine and Darkie's Mob. More on that in a minute... The Simon Davies Black Siddha cover art is disturbing, but awesome too! I rather like it.

The Judge Dredd this edition is Bato Loco, penned by Gordon Rennie and drawn by Simon Collby. Rennie is also the subject of the regular Interrogation Cube article, a one pager where creators are asked questions like how did you get into comics, what's your favourite movie and so on. Rennie treats this with a wonderful disdain! Anyway, Bato Loco is marvellous. It is done in the style of the main protagonist telling it as a story to the reader, and I really liked that style. [spoiler]Loco is a small time gangster employed by a local don to retrieve his property from a very unpleasant place after a smuggling operation goes wrong. Can he outwit the law?[/spoiler].

Devlin Waugh and Family are building nicely. If I'm going to be a bit critical, Waugh did suddenly jump to a totally different scene than the previous episode. Kind of took me a page or so to figure out what had happened. I'll do more on Family next Meg review.

Two new thrills are Juliet November and Black Siddha. The November story is light and fluffy, and feels a bit silly coming after such a good Dredd. [spoiler]Juliet is a special type of Psi who accidentally starts fires when she gets excited. She has met a nice young man and wants to go on a date, so is applying for a licence from the Justice Department[/spoiler]. Black Siddha couldn't be more different. Dark, moody and steeped in Indian mythology I cannot wait to read the next episode... The dream sequence is done especially well. It's kind of difficult to describe what it is about at the moment... [spoiler]A young Indian man, Rohan, is rebelling against his mothers wishes for him to settle down and find a nice wife and a good job. He has dabbled with the Indian occult previously and ends up crashing at his friends' house, who also dabble with magic. Whilst asleep, Rohan has a dream that will seemingly change his destiny... [/spoiler]

As for Slaine, I didn't like it much. I haven't read any Slaine before and found this episode, Time Killer, heavy going. Mills introduces loads of characters very quickly and I had trouble remembering who was who. I'm not even going to attempt a synopsis, I will need to re-read it I think.

As for Darkie's Mob, it is a fantastic piece of early Wagner. [spoiler]A group of British soldiers are lost behind Japanese lines in Burma in 1942. Suddenly, Captain Darkie appears to lead them to safety. However, his brutal methods soon make the soldiers uneasy. And why are the Japanese so afraid of him[/spoiler]. I bought Battle in the early 80's so I have some affection for these types of war stories. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

Both reprints have a short introduction, which for a newbie, I found informative and useful.

Text articles were more Thrill Power Overload and another Bishop article on the Stallone Dredd movie and how Fleetway tried to cash in on it to increase the comics' popularity. It was quite interesting so begin with, but then wandered off topic and I got bored.

The back page has a one page Sinister Dexter story Bouncers. Not sure if it was a reprint or an original, but it was a bit of fun anyway.

And finally... Thomas Hardy of East Finchley hates the new Meg layout and insists that it is returned to the old style. I do have a soft spot for Dreddlines, the letters page, and am glad it is back in the latest Meg 338!

Simon Beigh · 25 July, 2013, 10:33:13 PM

Quote from: Skullmo on 25 July, 2013, 10:26:55 PM
Because it will be preserved fro all time - and there are a lot of people who would read but are no so nerdy that they would be on this forum

Maybe do both?

Skullmo · 25 July, 2013, 10:35:11 PM

In stereo

Dark Jimbo · 25 July, 2013, 10:54:02 PM

I'd forgotten all about the existence of Family. It really was great though, wasn't it? Some of Si's best scribbling, I'd say - he really shines on a black-and-white strip. My one bugbear with it was some difficulty in telling certain characters apart. Can you remind me who wrote it, Simeon?

Skullmo · 25 July, 2013, 10:59:42 PM

Rob Williams wasn't it?

If anyone wants the hardback of it let me know

I don't

Colin YNWA · 26 July, 2013, 06:46:21 AM

Quote from: Skullmo on 25 July, 2013, 10:59:42 PM
Rob Williams wasn't it?

If anyone wants the hardback of it let me know I don't

Someone really should as its a lovely thing. Mine is staying with me signed by Simon Fraser and Rob Williams (indeed) as it is.

Bubba Zebill · 26 July, 2013, 07:16:04 AM

The Megs have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I'm sure there are many gems lurking but whenever I tried to jump in on early issues I'd find 'Frankenchin' Dredd artwork (never cared for that very much) and seemingly baffling numbering. But the extended format and story-telling experiments I've heard about interest me a lot. So maybe I'll learn something from your odyssey...good luck!