Meg 291 - Hang 'em high

[vzzbux]

It's good to see that next months GN is going to be War machine. Been a long time since I have read this. Shame the story arc went the way it did.









V

[Martin Howe]

Poor old Rufus, puts so much effort into it.  Not that bad surely

Interesting; the content gets right up my nose and yet the defence here is of the artist ??? As it happens I don't have a problem with Rufus Dayglo's artwork; it's just that this strip pushes too many of my "yuck" buttons at once. I mean, according to Wikipedia:

The comic's style was heavily influenced by punk visual art, and strips were frequently deeply disorganized, anarchic, absurdist, and psychedelic. The strip features various elements with origins in surrealist techniques, fanzines, collage, cut-up technique, stream of consciousness, and metafiction, with very little regard or interest for conventional plot or committed narrative.

I guess you could call her a sort of "Chopper's granddaughter on drugs" As a natural Dreddist since I were a sprog, I totally reject the ethos of the strip and the improbable stuff that happens in it and would happily award TG and her crew of creeps 80 years each in the cubes. Unfortunately, though I don't believe TG naturally belongs in the Meg, being fair the Meg has become a useful haven for anything orphaned by other publications or journeying through the underworld of obscurity; I just wish TG had stayed there

[Tiplodocus]

That is indeed one fine cover.  The noose is just the thing to take it away from a stock pose.

[Tiplodocus]

"And, more importantly, I absolutely trust Langford's opinion."

I'd buy that for a dollar.  He was the only OP-ED piece I liked back when I used to buy SFX.

[Proudhuff]

'I am struggling to remember the last time someone had a positive comment about them'

I did five posts up 

Ok, fair dues, take that back ...  would you settle for on balance they are generally disliked and the space would be better used for an alternative purpose? 

Have to say, i have banged on about how the Film Review doesn't fit in the Meg for so long now that when I found this one interesting I feel it would be churlish not to mention it.

so in general with 100% on this one.

I don't know either of the reviewers mentioned above, any info? but a heads up on things like the new Bryan Talbot or Rainbow Orchid would be a better use of Meg space.

[Kev Levell]

With Rico taking a sidekick's backseat this issue, I couldn't help thinking that I wanted to see him feature a bit more. Then I got to thinking, although he looks like Dredd and for all intents and purposes IS Dredd - it's clear from the occasions we see him on his own that he thinks differently, even acts differently, I think Al Ewing said he was Dredd-lite and a lot of fun to write because of that.

Are the other Dredd clones similarly divergent from their source?

Elsewhere someone commented (radiator?) that there are seven or eight clones stalking around the Big Meg - I can't help imagining a sort of 'Magnificent Seven' style outing of all the Dredds - if all of them ended up exiled on the 'Tour of Duty' by the current council of five that is.

[Mikey]

Huff - Dave Langford is a long time fan writer, regularly wins Fan Writer Hugos. You could subscribe to his SF Newsletter Ansible (free e version) to check him out. You'd like Thogs Masterclass...

In case there's any doubt - I'd take a slice of Langford with the Meg, ta very much. Good call Jim!

Kim Newman is a film critic/genre writer who looks like he's been sucked from polite Victorian society and dumped in our world. I like both his fiction and his criticism.

The Meg was very good this month. Stand out for me was Tales from...I just absolutley loved the PJ's work there.

Dredd - excellent one off, nice solid feel.

Tank Girl - defo enjoyed this more than a lot of the recent stuff. I'm happy for it to be in the Meg and I always give it a go - to mixed results. Some I finish, some I don't.

Bato Loco - meh. Shame there wasn't more of it.

Mr Amperduke - me likey! It strangley reminds me of a cake left out in the rain (and it took so long to bake it...) -  something has smeared the facade, leaving a slightly uncomfortable picture of something you recognise. Good stuff.

Articles/reviews - the comics articles I've found consistently entertaining and interesting. The film reviews I don't mind so much - I tend to canvass several reviews for films so they're either highlighted first by Mrs Mikey, Empire, Interzone or the Meg (Nick Lowe in Interzone is a joy BTW).

M.

[Proudhuff]

Cheers mikey, off to inter-xpore em now...

[Proudhuff]

With Rico ... - it's clear from the occasions we see him on his own that he thinks differently, even acts differently, I think Al Ewing said he was Dredd-lite and a lot of fun to write because of that.

Are the other Dredd clones similarly divergent from their source?

Elsewhere someone commented (radiator?) that there are seven or eight clones stalking around the Big Meg - I can't help imagining a sort of 'Magnificent Seven' style outing of all the Dredds - if all of them ended up exiled on the 'Tour of Duty' by the current council of five that is.

For the best description of Rico see my signature... 

As I recall, with the exception of Rico, The young Un who went off planet and Nimrod(?) who was genetic freak/sport, the other Dredd clones haven't really been seen, just mentioned at a healthcheck

[Mike Gloady]

Right, so we have Rico, Nimrod and Dolman accounted for and five others that have yet to be seen. 

[I, Cosh]

What a cracking Dredd strip. "Best one Robbie Morrison's done for years." was what I was thinking as I cackled to myself on the bog.

Then I read back and noticed it was Al Ewing. Top quality. A real leap from Mr Holden on that Black Museum story too. Nice.

[SmallBlueThing]

Brilliant Dredd, loved Bato Loco (or the girlart at least), tie-ins article interesting. a step up!

[chris_askham]

Stuff that I loved in the Meg -

Tank Girl.
PJ's colour scheme.
Mister Amperduke.
Andrew Currie's artwork.

and I'm looking forward to reading Canon Fodder.

[SuperSurfer]

Still working my way through the Meg, but got to say, Al Ewing can really hit the mark with his Dredd scripts. Dredd is often described as a one dimensional character but few writers can really get to grips with him. So often Dredd's words or actions seem out of character but not the case when Al Ewing is the scribe.

When John Wagner writes Dredd I have a sense of relief. But when Al Ewing does its like a treat and I say that in this period when Wagner is on such a high.

I am guaranteed at least one laugh out loud line of dialogue when Ewing writes Dredd. He writes Dredd with a sense of freshness and enthusiasm as if Dredd has just been invented which for me gives his tales an old-school feel.

[Mike Gloady]

Cracking Dredd by Ewing as ever.  Nice art too. Liked the Black Museum stuff too, PJ's art is a favourite of mine, but that panel with the Sov-Droid comforting it's rescuer - really nicely done.

Bato Loco is kind of fun too, cracking article on licensed comics filling it out nicely, I like the articles when they're done well (which, to be fair, they usually are).  Didn't read Tank Girl (as usual), but Rufus continues to turn in nicely turned out pages.  If I have to flick straight past something in the meg, at least it's well-drawn and exciting to look at.