(https://i.imgur.com/WeR8MnB.jpg)
Cover by the six million dollar (and correctly attributed) Steve Austin, colours by Chris Blythe.
First Saturday prog to arrive in a potato starch wrapper? Well done to Tharg and the droids.
Judge Dredd continues to escalate. It finishes next week: hard to see how this can conclude in just six pages, but it's a fast-paced story.
That's a great cover.
Mine is about a cm shorter than usual. Is this the same for everyone?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: glassstanley on 02 March, 2019, 04:05:18 PM
Mine is about a cm shorter than usual. Is this the same for everyone?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ooooh, err! :o
Quote from: glassstanley on 02 March, 2019, 04:05:18 PM
Mine is about a cm shorter than usual. Is this the same for everyone?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mine too.
What was the name of the Tellytubby with the telly in his tummy?
Anyway good Prog. Dredd isn't as mindmeltingly good as it has been of late as it need to serve the story and push things forward and thus isn't as focused on those wonderful character moments that have really made this story exceptional. That said it does this very well so its still great.
Skipster is fine... though I do need to reread as I couldn't remember who threatening chappie was!
3riller - Tooth and Nail is annoying, bloody annoying. I love the way its telling its story... it just the story doesn't as yet seem worth telling... be interesting to see how this wraps up and whether it becomes something.
Grey Area - see Dredd really. Nice powerful ending but lacked a little of the character.
Jaegir - pretty edge of the seat stuff held the tension in the situation well and loved the ending. Looking forward to seeing how this one leaves us hangin'
So yeah a little more solid as opposed to the great of late but enjoyable all the same.
Quote from: glassstanley on 02 March, 2019, 04:05:18 PM
Mine is about a cm shorter than usual. Is this the same for everyone?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Same. Looks like around ~3/4cm off the top of the prog and ~1/4cm off the bottom - you can see that the space that should be around the top of the logo is far less than it should be, and some of the "next prog" text is much nearer to the page edge than normal. Luckily it doesn't seem to have affected any of the strips (I'd imagine editorial, artists and letterers always leave a decent "safe" margin anyway) but it looks like the printers botched the trim on at least some of the run.
By george your right. I didn't notice at first but when pointed out its obvious and you do notice the impact inside.
Same here - I'm assuming a printing mistake rather than deliberate, if only because the logo and side bar with prog info havent budged to accomodate the missing mms. That said, it doesnt cut off anyting vital - the only real obvious sign in mine is the Dredd next prog line which is slightly off the page
Quote from: glassstanley on 02 March, 2019, 04:05:18 PM
Mine is about a cm shorter than usual. Is this the same for everyone?
TBH, I seriously thought that it had shrunk in the post but it does not stack up well compared to other progs of late.
That said, perhaps this week's Droid Life / Skip 'tracer' could explain the difference? Salt, pepper, prog's a lot shorter ...
Quote from: Richard on 02 March, 2019, 01:32:06 PM
hard to see how this can conclude in just six pages, but it's a fast-paced story.
The ending is looking slightly predictable* now, but this has been a sublime masterclass in storytelling from the Wagner droid. Simply amazing.
* My bet is that [spoiler]Harvey will be killed defending citizens & judges from the bomber. Of course, this will turn out to have been carefully orchestrated by Logan (using an android bomber): the robot judges are now heroes with the people; Logan's faith in Harvey now gives him moral authority over senior judges; and Harvey can now be replaced by a human without the Chief Judge losing face. Best of all, it'll probably turn out that it was all Harvey's idea, giving Dredd (temporary) pause to reconsider his opinions.[/spoiler]
A Cow - you should be a script droid! If it's not that, I'd be interested to see if the alternative is any better...
" Mine is about a cm shorter than usual. Is this the same for everyone? "
same here !
I liked the Prog , the highlights were Dredd , and above all , Jaegir , which was
really wonderfully set up for the finale , next week
I hope the next instalment of Jaegir is not too long ( if tharg reads this - please can you commission
more of Jaegir , which is a majot factor in me subscribing to the Prog since 2012 ... :)
and above all , a new epidode of Johnny Alpha please > ? >
This is pretty much what I thought, but still clever stuff from Wagner (and knowing Wagner, there's a good chane he will still throw in some other curveball you couldn't have predicted!
Quote from: A.Cow on 03 March, 2019, 01:59:26 PM
Quote from: Richard on 02 March, 2019, 01:32:06 PM
hard to see how this can conclude in just six pages, but it's a fast-paced story.
The ending is looking slightly predictable* now, but this has been a sublime masterclass in storytelling from the Wagner droid. Simply amazing.
* My bet is that [spoiler]Harvey will be killed defending citizens & judges from the bomber. Of course, this will turn out to have been carefully orchestrated by Logan (using an android bomber): the robot judges are now heroes with the people; Logan's faith in Harvey now gives him moral authority over senior judges; and Harvey can now be replaced by a human without the Chief Judge losing face. Best of all, it'll probably turn out that it was all Harvey's idea, giving Dredd (temporary) pause to reconsider his opinions.[/spoiler]
That's an ingenious theory Mr Cow!
Quote from: 73north on 03 March, 2019, 06:53:21 PM
a new epidode of Johnny Alpha please > ? >
Who would you suggest is going to draw that...?
For what it's worth, I think Mr McNeil himself would be great on Strontium Dog...
Yup, no contest - has to be Macneil.
I'd be very surprised if Colin wanted to do it, and equally surprised if John wanted to write it.
I really hope they don't do more Strontium Dog unless John Wagner wants to. I was very moved to hear Matt Smith say on the thrillcast that they may not do any more SD after Carlos passed. Great respect there.
We might see Strontium Dog but not with Johnny Alpha. Maybe another character or rather with new characters.
Quote from: jabish on 04 March, 2019, 09:34:00 AM
I really hope they don't do more Strontium Dog unless John Wagner wants to.
They absolutely won't. It's all down to John, at this point.
Quote from: broodblik on 04 March, 2019, 01:09:23 PM
We might see Strontium Dog but not with Johnny Alpha. Maybe another character or rather with new characters.
That wasn't regarded as a resounding success the last time they tried it.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 03 March, 2019, 10:50:00 PM
Quote from: 73north on 03 March, 2019, 06:53:21 PM
a new epidode of Johnny Alpha please > ? >
Who would you suggest is going to draw that...?
Simon Coleby would be my top pick .
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 04 March, 2019, 01:16:02 PM
Quote from: broodblik on 04 March, 2019, 01:09:23 PM
We might see Strontium Dog but not with Johnny Alpha. Maybe another character or rather with new characters.
That wasn't regarded as a resounding success the last time they tried it.
Yes true, it was very lack-luster but hopefully they can get it right.
I'm not interested in Strontium Dog without Johnny Alpha.
If Wagner wants to write another one, then I will be delighted to read it.
I don't see anything disrespectful about using another artist.
Is the shorter prog to make it easier to resize for the US market?
I think it would make it worse, being squater - looks more like a mistake to me, but we will get confirmatiuon at some point I'm sure - didn't David Bishop once save 1,000s by pulling a similar slicing trick?
As for Stront, it's for sure I only want to see it again if Wagner wants to write it again - not interested in anyone elses attempts (outside of DogBreeath obvs!) in the world or character - last time, Johnny had been removed from the table, so at least they could go forward in that vein (well, they could have...)
Here we have an active Johnny, who is pretty much Top Dog by dint of having set up and kind of running the new incarnation of the SD agency. I can't see how you could reasonably take another mutant and have him not encounter Alpha in the current continuity.
All that said, if Wagner does one day come round to the idea of more Stront, Colin MacNeil is a huge fan and absolutely perfect for that role I donlt see it though - I've never got the sense John had "plans" for Alpha - he was working from story to story - if he had an end game in mind for the strip, it would be shame to never see that, but I don't think that's how Wagner works.
The digital version has more space above the 2000AD logo than the printed edition so I'd assume it's just an error on the trim for some.
As other's have said, great cover debut from the mighty Austin droid!
Great cover and a very enjoyable prog. MacNeil/Blythe art on Dredd is just exquisite.
Quote from: Leigh S on 05 March, 2019, 05:08:34 PM
- didn't David Bishop once save 1,000s by pulling a similar slicing trick?
I dunno, I remember him trying to save a couple of quid by trying to convince people he could letter comics when he definitely couldn't.
He tried th same trick trying to convince people he could write on several occasions too and was equally as bad at that
I think that's unnecessarily rude and combative for literally no good reason.
(And whilst no one, least of all David, is going to hold up Soul Sisters as a timeless classic, I thought the Fiends of the Eastern Front follow-ups were really pretty good.)
What Jim said. Please be respectful of creators, who do frequent this forum. Constructive criticism is welcome; insults are not.
I thought Colin did a fine job on Johnny Alpha; he really really looked like Carlos' version (and I can't think of another creator who has managed that successfully). However, i also liked the Final Solution and kind of wished they hadn't retconned Johnny's messianic death.
Only read Dredd so far in the new prog. God, it's amazing. Wagner stays off Dredd for months and then casually breezes in and steals the show. I've missed him.
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 06 March, 2019, 02:15:45 PM
I think that's unnecessarily rude and combative for literally no good reason.
(And whilst no one, least of all David, is going to hold up Soul Sisters as a timeless classic, I thought the Fiends of the Eastern Front follow-ups were really pretty good.)
I also enjoyed his take on Fiends when it was in the Meg.
Good cover.
As mentioned, Machine Law was a bit faster-paced than usual so missing a little subtlety, but the sequence with Beeny and the kid was a delight, as was the expansive opening image. Disappointed that Jaegir is again only a six-episode run - the stories need longer to bed in, it seems like they're over before they've properly begun. Good conclusion to the Grey Area chapter and Skip Tracer is holding my attention. Nicest surprise though was Tooth And Nail - I'm really getting into it! I like the fact that it's told with economy, as opposed to some recent 3rillers and F-Shocks which have tried to pack way too much into their short running time. It's not overstretching itself. And the artwork is just great, especially the checkerboard page. Excellent stuff!
Quote from: broodblik on 06 March, 2019, 04:22:20 PM
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 06 March, 2019, 02:15:45 PM
I think that's unnecessarily rude and combative for literally no good reason.
(And whilst no one, least of all David, is going to hold up Soul Sisters as a timeless classic, I thought the Fiends of the Eastern Front follow-ups were really pretty good.)
I also enjoyed his take on Fiends when it was in the Meg.
It's not combative Jim, it's my opinion of his writing. And I actually quite enjoyed Soul Sisters for what it was, a showcase for Shaky's art
His lettering on the Michael Gaydos drawn Devlin Waugh was bloody atrocious. It just showed little respect for letterers that any unskilled type could do it to a high enough standard to print just to save a few quid
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 07 March, 2019, 11:37:59 AM
His lettering on the Michael Gaydos drawn Devlin Waugh was bloody atrocious. It just showed little respect for letterers that any unskilled type could do it to a high enough standard to print just to save a few quid
Has David Bishop confirmed that he did the lettering because he thought he could save a few quid? Or is it more likely that the letterer droids were not ably to fit the pages into the schedule so Bishop took on the job himself as a way of making sure the strip was ready to see print?
Quote from: Bolt-01 on 07 March, 2019, 12:36:07 PM
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 07 March, 2019, 11:37:59 AM
Has David Bishop confirmed that he did the lettering because he thought he could save a few quid? Or is it more likely that the letterer droids were not ably to fit the pages into the schedule so Bishop took on the job himself as a way of making sure the strip was ready to see print?
A Devlin two parter would be able to be knocked back an issue in the schedule if the letterers couldn't fit in the schedule. It's not like Devlin had a regular letterer, but went through a few different ones
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 07 March, 2019, 12:59:15 PM
A Devlin two parter would be able to be knocked back an issue in the schedule if the letterers couldn't fit in the schedule. It's not like Devlin had a regular letterer, but went through a few different ones
So you are basing this on your intimate knowledge of the workings of the Nerve Centre at the time, then?
Did David Bishop have drawers of fully lettered and finished strips, of the required page length, to hand?
I can imagine scenarios whereby the lettering would need to be done last-minute and in-house and while the end result would not necessarily be to the standard usually presented it would enable the issue to see print.
Quote from: Bolt-01 on 07 March, 2019, 01:18:25 PM
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 07 March, 2019, 12:59:15 PM
A Devlin two parter would be able to be knocked back an issue in the schedule if the letterers couldn't fit in the schedule. It's not like Devlin had a regular letterer, but went through a few different ones
So you are basing this on your intimate knowledge of the workings of the Nerve Centre at the time, then?
obviously I'm not, but then we don't have insider knowledge of why the prog is a centimetre shorter than normal this week but it hasn't stopped us filling three pages with speculation, but any professional publisher will have stock material they cam use to fill a slot at short notice rather than run late and get charged by the distributor, that's just common sense and one of the reasons for one off stories or review/interview material being commissioned.
Quote from: metcalfecarr on 07 March, 2019, 02:32:13 PM
but any professional publisher will have stock material they cam use to fill a slot at short notice rather than run late and get charged by the distributor, that's just common sense and one of the reasons for one off stories or review/interview material being commissioned.
Egmont didn't like inventory
at all, hence the instruction to both Tomlinson and Bishop to run
everything that had been commissioned prior to their editoral tenure, regardless of the actual quality, so I don't think the explanation, speculative as it is, is as outlandish as you suggest.
And whilst there may well be three pages full of speculation as to why the prog is a little shorter those thoughts don't refer to Tharg's work as 'atrocious' or belittling of his skills. That's all you.
Quote from: Bolt-01 on 07 March, 2019, 02:54:00 PM
And whilst there may well be three pages full of speculation as to why the prog is a little shorter those thoughts don't refer to Tharg's work as 'atrocious' or belittling of his skills. That's all you.
To be fair, I don't think David would defend his lettering skills — I don't remember this specific strip, but I do recall a couple of his attempts and they weren't great. That said, budgets were very much squeezed during this period — it may be that they wanted Gaydos but couldn't get a sign off on his page rate and this was a budget-neutral way of adding a few quid to his rate.
Another enjoyable prog. Jaegir and 3hiller worked best for me this time round. Just popping Grey Area because I can't remember why the badge thing worked.
Must be a botched cut job at the printers, everything's in the usual place but the prog is just shorter. Good lesson for any artists out there about leaving safe space even though most pros seem to draw full bleed (I hope they all got the same page rate as the normal sized prog :lol:)
This is an awesome run for the prog at the moment - great writing backed up by great art :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good proggage from the House of Tharg.
I'm quite liking Tooth and Nail actually. Interested to see how it wraps up.
Jaegir and Grey Area continue to do well. I can feel a Grey Area collected edition purchase coming up. Got the Jaegir one already and it's tops.
Dredd has been really good though. Crivens, yes.
Still waiting on mine! I reckon it'll be through the door today or tomorrow.
Itching to carry on with the Dredd story and the Jaeger story.
Quote from: Eamonn Clarke on 02 March, 2019, 12:31:10 PM
First Saturday prog to arrive in a potato starch wrapper? Well done to Tharg and the droids.
here here!